Behavioral Change in a dog

ValerieR

Hi,

My dog, a 3-year-old lab/collie x, is very kind, very intelligent (not saying this just because he's my dog! .) He has inherited the obedience of a collie dog while he got some of the lab stubborness ...:)
He is wonderful with kids, can be completely trusted, doesn't mind anyone searching in his dish ... You get the picture ... A dote and a pleasure

We bring him everywhere, do everything with him ... Just like a child!

In the recent past, this has however become more difficult. He seems to have recently developped the habit of snapping at dogs he never met before, males or females, small or large and getting into brawls, with teeth et all (though we were lucky nothing serious happened, so far). He never did this before, ...

This is getting a bit of a nuisance as we would like to continue bringing him everywhere... which is a possibility that is rapidly vanishing !

Any suggestions to help us correct this ?!

Thank you for your help.
ValerieR

PS : He's been neutered at the age of 6-months.

peasant

This could have many different reasons ...a bad experience with another dog, a subtle change in your behaviour or even medical reasons.

Very hard to diagnose over the internet. Also very hard to give you tips on how to change it without seeing what you do (or don't do) when he acts like this.

I would say though that three years is about the time when a large dog reaches full maturity ...he could simply be turning into a grumpy, old, territorial bastard

I would recommend that you get a good dog trainer have a look at his (and your behaviour) in situ and then take it from there.

As you've rightly recognised ...best to nip it in the bud.

kerrysgold

Was he socialized with other dogs when he was younger?

ValerieR

Hi Kerrysgold,
Yes, he was very much socialised from the day we got him (8 weeks). This had never been an issue before ! :-(
Thanks
ValerieR

hadook

You really do need help from someone in the flesh for this one.

It's also important to take him to the vet to rule out any medical reasons for the change in his behaviour.

togster

Hi OP.

Is he on his own most of the day?
Do you have other dogs?
Did you ever have other dogs?
Has anything major happened in your lives lately?
Have you changed his routine?
Does he have a routine?

As others have said it's very hard to diagnose. Could be a multitude of reasons. From psycological to physical. Collies in particular are very inept at percieving peoples emotional states.

ValerieR

Hadook - thanks ! I don't think there are any medical reasons for this change. But yet I could be wrong. I'll bring him to the vet soon.

Togster -
I'm home most days.
We don't have other dogs but he shares our house with 2 cats (one who tolerates him and the younger one which he gets along very well with).
This dog has always been the only dog of the house but spends a lot of time visiting his real Mother and Nephew and has numerous friends he goes and visit too. There is no problem with dogs he's known a while.
No life changes I can think about ! :-)
He has a routine and nothing has changed recently either.

Thank you all for your replies :-) I might try and source a behaviourist ... somewhere :-D

ValerieR

peasant

Have you (not the dog) had a bad experience with other dog(s) recently?

Dogs are very astute at picking up the slightest bit of nervousness or apprehension ...it travels through the lead like an electrical current

If you are uneasy, they will be uneasy.

For some dogs then, attack is the best form of defense.

Spica

Behavioural changes can be caused by medical reason or particular circumstances. The sooner you find out what triggers your dog the better chance you have to correct the unwanted behaviour.
I had a lab that at 3 years old started exactly the same so I am talking by my own experience here. I suggest that you start keeping a diary and noting any single episode of your dog displaying aggressive behaviour, try to point down every little detail you can think of. Try to observe your dog and understand what triggers him.
Next step is to seek advice from a professional behaviourist.

luckat

Good advice from everyone.

My collie cross became a cross collie for a while at the same age - suddenly she was getting pushy with other dogs.

I dealt with it by calling her away and putting her on the lead, and telling her she was being a big fat eejit. Worked for her.