My fur-baby, Rudd, is a sweet heart. He is a chocolate lab mix, and will drown you in kisses when you enter my home. Although he is a giant teddy bear, he has become more and more aggressive.

 

He is almost a year old, and has had all of his shots and has been neutered.

Tucker, my boyfriend, sees him become violent more than I have. He says that Rudd will attack the cat, and attack him when he gets upset. In my eyes, he is a baby. He doesn't know what he is doing, but I don't let that cloud my judgement when letting him know that I am alpha.

According to ASPCA, there are signs to look for to tell if your dog is exhibiting intense behaviors.

  • Becoming very still and rigid
  • Guttural bark that sounds threatening
  • Lunging forward or charging at the person with no contact
  • Mouthing, as though to move or control the person, without applying significant pressure
  • “Muzzle punch” (the dog literally punches the person with her nose)
  • Growl
  • Showing teeth
  • Snarl (a combination of growling and showing teeth)
  • Snap
  • Quick nip that leaves no mark
  • Quick bite that tears the skin
  • Bite with enough pressure to cause a bruise
  • Bite that causes puncture wounds
  • Repeated bites in rapid succession
  • Bite and shake

"if your dog growls or snaps, your best bet is to back off. Exit the situation. Take a deep breath or 50, enough for you and your dog both to settle down. And then think. What, exactly, were the circumstances around the behavior? And can you identify any new or old stressors in your dog’s life? You and your dog need professional help, and the best thing you can do right now is to gather information."

-Jolanta Benal, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA from The Dog Trainer

So, what is my next step? I am looking for a dog trainer.

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