Question
Niko
I have a thirteen year old, female, Samoyed/Lab mix. She has been a dominant dog since she was a puppy. She would bite humans over food, attack other dogs if cornered or over food. If moved from a spot against her will she would bite like the Tasmanian devil. In middle age and with regular exercise, this seemed to decrease. She will sit, down and follow simple commands. Situations with other dogs in which she became cornered continued to be a problem, in these instances she would attack without warning. Usually if it was a food issue, she would growl as a warning. At times on walks, if startled, she would lunge at a passerby. We successfully integrated a second smaller dog into the household with few problems. She has always and continues to often pace and whine for attention.
In the last few years, we have had a child who is three years old. She has never growled at him. We also have divorced and she travels with the other dog between homes. In the last year she has begun attacking any other dogs she comes into contact with, sometimes over food and sometimes when cornered. She has also begun ocassionally urinating in her sleep on the couch where she is laying. There has been no UTI. Most recently, she attcked a shitzu-mix puppy,who got near her food. She gave no warning. She tore the eye of this dog open. While she has attacked dogs her age she has never with much smaller or younger dogs. The vet who saw the victim puppy stated that she should not be around small children. Although she has never shown any aggression toward my son, and he has been taught to respect her space, I am very concerned. Any advice you may have would be helpful.
AnswerThis dog has always exhibited food aggression, it has nothing to do with her cognitive abilities and is not age related. The behavior should have been professionally addressed when it appeared. At this point, she's displaying response perseverance and has learned a great deal more about using aggression to protect her food and her "space". Traveling between homes is without doubt escalating her anxiety, which appears to be quite high and has been throughout her life (as you report she paces and whines for attention.) I don't know where this Shih Tsu puppy encountered her (either of your homes?) but it's fairly obvious all dogs AND CHILDREN should be kept VERY CLEAR of this dog's bowl when she is eating. She should be fed separately behind a closed door, left with her food for fifteen minutes twice daily, and the bowl removed only AFTER she has left (or been lured out of) the room. Her urinary incontinence is not unusual for a dog her age and the veterinarian should be made aware of it. There is a medication that will help control this age related problem.
Due to the fact that she is aging, and the high level of anxiety (demonstrated also by her aggression on walks) she experiences, it is quite possible that she may develop an age related cognition problem that will increase her fear and her aggression. Regardless of whether or not she has shown any aggression toward your child to this date, this does not guaranty she will not demonstrate it at any time in the future. You need IN PERSON HELP; no one can adequately address active aggression in a dog companion in a text box. Call the veterinary college in your geographical area and ask for referral to a certified applied animal behaviorist, or go to this site which appears to check educational and professional credentials and has members in the US and internationally:
http://www.iaabc.org/
BE CERTAIN the professional is experienced in diagnosing cause, and rehabilitating, active dog to human aggression. As for other dogs, this is an entirely separate manner and it is HIGHLY unlikely her fear behaviors (this is not dominance) can be corrected at her age, nor is it necessary if you are vigilant with your other dogs. The single most important aspect of this dog's behavior is her fear aggression, food and space related, given the fact that there is a young child in the home. You MUST intervene, you have no choice in the matter. The veterinarian is correct: this is a clear and present danger to your child. Worse, this is a problem that could have been handled and eliminated years ago. The dog is not at fault. You owe it to her to obtain professional advice.
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