Smokey...Strange behavior

Ok so I was giving stinky boy a bath and he was squriming alot...(doesn't like water being sprayed on him) and i held him by the back. (hand on him not grabbing skin or anything) and he turned aroung and snarled at me. He jumped up on me and for a moment I just knew he was gonna bite me!!!!

He's NEVER done this before! I freeked out. I yelled at him and wore his little hind end out. He looked at me like Oppsy shouldn't have done that!
It was just out of no where!

So after the bath, I dried him off and we went in the living room. I ignored him for a while letting him know he was in trouble. Then of course latter on I gave in and was playing with him, and he got really really mouthy with me.
Putting my arm and hands in his mouth and tugging on my tee shirt.

Whats the deal????

Think he could have been having a bad day and was just grumpy or what?!?!?!?

 

I think that sometimes dogs are like people and they just don't feel good like a tooth ache or muscle aches. Like us they can't say "get the heck away from me, leave me alone", so they get snippy and snarl. Also I notice if everyday routine is disrupted, like different people they're not familiar with working on your house or that his close companion Char isn't around him any more or new animals being around might irritate him. Dogs are creatures of habit and like things to remain pretty much the way they're comfortable with.

It's too bad we can't communicate with our animals better so they can tell us what's bugging them.

 

Maybe thats it....We've been letting him inside (which isn't normal) and giving him more attention. We've also completely switched him to raw.

He just got finished with a vet exam so we know he's fine. But he litterally snarled really loud, turned around jumped up and almost grabbed my arm!!!! Then as soon as I hollared and told him no, and whapped him one on the buttocks he had a look on his face like "OH man, I shouldn't have done that!"

I ignored him for a good half hour after that as well. But you know me, I can't stay mad for long. But then he got really mouthy with me when we were playing in the livig room. Thats just not like him at all. Usually he'll lay on his back and moan and groan while i roughly rub his tummy and tell him what a silly boy he is!!!!

 

If Rusty is tired, had a very long day, etc.---- just too much input and overstimulated--- he can be crabby. And when he is, we know he just needs to be left alone. If he gets growly or snarly with us, he does get told it's not okay to do that to us....and he's like Smokey...he knows right away it wasn't a good thing to do, and you can tell he realizes it. So then we just give him his space and let him rest, and he gets over it.
Has Smokey been playing with, or around any new dogs? I know sometimes with Rusty after he's been to daycare some days, he will be especially mouthy and a bit too agressive with his play with us....and he has to be told to bring it down a notch. I can tell he has been playing with a bigger rougher dog and has been a bit too wound up. I know Smokey is a bigger dog than Rus, but I'm just curious if he's been around a more dominant dog lately that might be making him act out a little more than usual. Just a thought!

 

Well we have been letting him play with Tracy a bit. (she's the spayed blue heeler female my MIL brought home)

Tracy can be bossy and he's not used to that. Perhaps thats it. I guess no more play with her. Other than that we keep him away from the rescues for obvious reasons (in case disease, sick or agressive).

I guess that has to be it. He didn't bite down hard when he had my arm and hand....just lightly, but it was enough for me to make him quit. Granvel even said he's been touch aroundhim. Granvel yelled at him the other day for getting out of the yard and running off and not coming back on command. Granvel said he caught up with him, grabbed him by the harness and told him NO!! and Smokey snapped at him.

 

Maybe a good military school for doggies!

 

About dogs not listening. Last week, I was in a hurry and had to get the dogs out to do their business. Well I wanted rufus to go to the back yard and he went to the other yard. I was in such a huryy, that I yelled loud at him to get over here. I still had my car door open becasue as soon as I got the dogs cared for I had to go again. Rufus jumped in my car. I loudly told him to get out. By then My landlord comes from around my apartment saying huh, what did I do. I just heard get over hear. I was wondering what I did wrong. He was joking. I told him what was going on.
I think dogs can pick up bad habits from other dogs. Also how old is your dog. It kind of sounds like he's thinkin he's the boss over you. He may be trying to take over.

 

I'd say a few days of doggy boot camp for Smokey would be appropriate. Make sure he knows you are boss. If it continues after that, I think I would call a behaviorist. Maybe he's having issues without Char's soothing presence.

 

I agree...I think dogs Do pick up bad behaviors from other dogs they are around....Rusty tends to come home from daycare with new ones all the time---- the biggest one being what we call "Rowdy Bunch of Boys" syndrome.... I think they all get together and run around the yard at daycare being noisy and rowdy, becuase some days he comes home acting like a totally rowdy little brat :roll:

 

How old is Smokey? I just had this conversation with my vet lat wek about Piper. She is 18 weeks old and growled at the vet for the 1st time last week during an exam. She has growled at me a couple of times recently. My vet says she is going through adolescence and pushing her boundaries like a teenager. As long as we push back and don't let the rules change, it is supposed to be short-lived. I don't know if it applies to Smokey, but I'm hoping that's all it is with Piper.

 

did you see mypettherapies post on the pb forum, she said her 8 year old lab bit her hand and wouldnt let go, she was just taking him to bed requiring lots of stitches and nerve damage, sounds like she doenst know what caused the dog to do this

honeybear

 

OMG !!! !I didn't see that!

LETS BAN ALL LABS NOW!!! FIERCE AND DANGEROUS!!!!! LOL joking of course. But I'm sure there will be an "epidemic" of lab viciousness now! HE HE HE

Smokey is 4 yrs old. fixing to be 5. He hasn't been himself at all lately! He wouldn't kennel up the other night. Dug out of his kennel and went "rampaging" around town for a bit, got in a fight with a Rottie..... I don't know whats gotten into him! I'm at my witts end here.

Surely its not the change to a total raw diet??? I mean he has totally converted into a rampaging teenager and rebeling against everything. He acts like he's never been trained before! Just looks at me stupid when I tell him sit and down.

I've been harshly incorporating NILIF. It took him 45 minutes before he could get his dinner last night. He just wanted to run and bound and act plum crazy.

 

The raw diet could give him more energy, but it wouldn't be responsible for undoing his training!

Have you taken him in for a check-up? Maybe there is some physical problem making him act like a nut case? Or maybe a delayed stress reaction to Char's loss? Or a late-developing problem having to do with his near-miss with the heat stroke?

How baffling!

 

He's fine. Vet checked everything.... I don't know. Maybe he's reacting to my stress level....I'll pm you later on that. But I just don't know.