Aggressive 8 month old puppy

[IVFNewbie]

Hi all

We have some issues with our 8 month old puppy, in that he is being aggressive towards us and others. He's a crossbreed terrier/cockapoo

The aggression is currently only being displayed in the home and not when he's out on a walk. We believe puppy has always loved people/being fussed and other dogs. Whilst the aggression was initially directed just towards me (it seemed to be an escalation from play to more vicious...), he is now 'going for' my partner and visitors to the home. It used to be precipitated by growling and after doing some reading, it seems like 'resource guarding' and being territorial are factors, but now there seems to be little or no warning before he switches from being relaxed and being stroked to very aggressive biting.

My partner has played the nurturing/fussing/feeding role whilst I've probably been more of a 'playmate' for the puppy. It seems to be when he goes to my partner for a fuss, he will more recently at some unpredictable point start a low growl so she will back away and he leaps up barking/biting/growling in an aggressive manner. It may be when he doesn't get his own way that he does it but to be honest we are first time dog owners and a bit lost with all the different advice out there which all seems to differ greatly.

Does anyone have any ideas/comments/tips?

• Over tired
• Over stimulated
• Not having his boundaries/warnings listened to before they escalated
• Anxiety/nervousness (not enjoying play as much as it might appear)
• Learned behaviour (gets him whatever it is he wants in that moment, such as fussing to stop)

All options.

Always loving something is a dual edged sword, imo. Firstly, if true then it's possible to be enjoyed the the point of excitement. Excitement and stress are two sides of the same coin - both involve adrenaline/cortisol reactions. So it is easy for one to tip into the other.

It also possible/to misinterpret appeasement for enjoyment. e.g. a dog that rolls onto it's back when stroked MAY like a belly rub, or may be trying to appease you into stopping.

If you stroke/fuss the dog for 10 seocnds and then stop, what does he do? Does he actively try to encourage more fuss or does he not bother? If the latter, then fuss is not something he actively enjoys. Plus, it's possible to can enjoy something for 5 mins but hate it, if it goes on for 10 mins. Especially if the fuss escalates to a level he doesn't enjoy. e.g. one of ours loves a neck rub but it can be easy to rub harder and more intensely, which he hates; it can be easy to also look him in the eye, which he hates etc; it can be easy for someone else to watch him enjoy it and try to do it themselves, but he only wants certain people to do it.

Someone coming in to help and support you, to see the dog and interpret what they think is going on, is going to be really useful. It's so hard to know based on a written description and, if you are inexperienced, it can be ver hard to judge it yourself. An accredited trainer or behaviourist.

My guess would be that this is coming from a place of fear/anxiety though. Finding out what he is worried about will be key.

Our dog started to show similar behaviour at that age too. His was fear based. We saw a behaviourist who helped us understand why it was happening and gave us practical advice. Our dog is also a spaniel x terrier, she said there's a conflict between the breeds-sensitivity of a spaniel and quickness to react of a terrier.

Some of this advice that might help you-

-adaptil plug in
-zyclene supplement
-good quality good

The onset of adolescence doesn't help either but don't be tempted to this that castration is the answer. If the behaviour is fear based that can make things worse.

Absolutely get in a trained behaviourist (with qualifications and not a dog whisperer)

It could be many things and easily sorted but only someone in rl who see the behaviour can interpret it correctly. True resource guarding needs careful handling and the incorrect methos can make things worse and sometime irreversible. So get in a behaviourist soon and hopefully you can then be put on the right track to changing your dogs emotions and stop the behaviour.

Saw your post this morning, but only just had chance to reply.

Nobody on an online forum is going to be able to solve the problem. It could be so many different things and the behaviour needs to be observed and assessed by a qualified behaviourist. Anyone advising online is only guessing and handling it the wrong way could make things a lot worse.

First stop is the vets for a full check-up. Hopefully they will be able to refer you to a qualified behaviourist, if not, look for one on the APBC website.