8 month old lab x spaniel becoming aggressive. Advice please

[Istoletherainbow]

Hi,

She's always gone through phases of growling and barking, but it normally passes. This time though, it just seems to be getting worse.

It just seems to come from nowhere. She just looks at me sometimes and her eyes change, she starts growling, will crouch down and then starts barking....constantly and really quite aggressively.

I've tried everything - very firmly saying no, taking her to her crate, ignoring her, but nothing seems to be working. I really praise her when she's being good too. Lots of fuss etc.

I just don't know what to do. I'm sure this isn't normally teenage type tantrums. This seems extreme.

Financially, things are really tough right now, so we can't afford a behaviourist or anything.

Any ideas? Getting quite desperate.

TIA

Is anything triggering it? Are you doing something particular? Is it a certain time of the day? Has she just eaten something particular (mine goes loopy after a dentastix so they are now banned)?

My cocker used to get very bitey in the evening when he was tired. You could almost set your clock by it and if you tried to push him off your trousers he used to get snappy. For some reason he was worse with DH but I think that is because he didn't recognise it was happening and would keep pushing him away which made it worse. I used to be able to turn the dog around and avoiding his snappy teeth march him to his crate every time he started. Fortunately this did eventually work but it took weeks and me doing that at any sign or him getting worked up.

We had a springer spaniel he was a brilliant gun dog did exactly what my husband wanted him to do, but as soon as he went out he would go for us. We lived in fear of him my DCs were only young at the time. You didn't have to provoke him you only had to walk past him he'd growl and snap he went for my little girls face but I pulled her away then he bit my son's arm , bastard thing

Are you certain it's aggression? It sounds a little like play initiating behaviour, is she crouching with her bum in the air like the attached photo? My bitch makes the most awful noises when playing, if you couldn't see her body language (which is obviously playful) you would think she was about to attack!!
If you think it could be her trying to get you to play, try redirecting her with toys, balls etc and ignoring the growling, my girl still does this and she's 3, if redirection doesn't work I remove her from the room in time out!!

More info needed

Where is she from, how long have you had her?
Is she insured?
What have you done in terms of socialisation and training?
Who lives in the household?
What is her daily routine?
Is she neutered?

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm honestly not seeing a trigger. However, today I've noticed she's weeing a lot more than usual, so I'm wondering if she's coming into her first season. Maybe hormones are a part to play with her behaviour...

There are 3 females in the house- dp and I and my DD, so maybe she's not getting enough male influence. She's as good as gold around my dad!

I have trained her myself, with sitting, rolling over, getting down etc. She socialises on her daily walks and occasionally with my dsis dog. She's very excitable, but not aggressive with other dogs.

She's not been neutered yet. We're going to let her have a season first.

Yes, she's insured.

Just giving this a bump

It would help if you could answer some of the questions I asked before, then we could give your better advice. Also if you could describe a few occasions where the growling has occurred

As she's insured I'd suggest grttting a veterinary referral to an apbc behaviourist as the insurance should cover this.
www.apbc.org.uk/help/regions

Our spaniel has a nightly session with DH's feet. Lots of growling and barking but all in play mode (unless DH's slippers have got very thin).

Have you checked she is not in pain?