[Samkirsten10]

Hi there,
Thank you for any help in advance! I am at a loss and feel pretty defeated. I have two dogs, one is a male pitbull who’s good, mostly sleeps. I also have a 3 year old German Shepherd/ Hound mix who’s been spayed. She’s full of energy, loves to play and is generally a happy dog. I also watch my Dad’s dog 5 days a week who’s a Beagle, him and the GS were always the best of friends. Recently, my GS has been extremely agitated with the Beagle. When he first arrives, she lunges at him and gets aggressive in general. She stares at him for minutes at a time. She’s possessive over the couch. I have to Keep them apart for the majority of the day because fights break out and that takes up all of my time. The list goes on. This behavior came out of no where, and I am at a loss! I have been researching and I can’t seem to come up with anything.
Thank you!

 

[Lillith]

The first thing you should do is schedule a vet visit. Sudden changes in behavior always mean a vet visit. Make sure to have them check her thyroid, as that has been known to cause some drastic and strange behavior changes.

You might also consider a vet visit for the beagle. Sometimes if a dog senses another dog is sick, they might suddenly become aggressive.

If medical evaluations come back clean, it might be best to bring in a behaviorist to personally evaluate the situation. It's a bit much for anyone on the forum to help you with this without seeing what's happening or knowing the history of the dogs. Professional help is best. In the meantime, continue to keep them separated or no longer watch the beagle during the day.

 

[Francl27]

The first thing you should do is schedule a vet visit. Sudden changes in behavior always mean a vet visit. Make sure to have them check her thyroid, as that has been known to cause some drastic and strange behavior changes.

You might also consider a vet visit for the beagle. Sometimes if a dog senses another dog is sick, they might suddenly become aggressive.

If medical evaluations come back clean, it might be best to bring in a behaviorist to personally evaluate the situation. It's a bit much for anyone on the forum to help you with this without seeing what's happening or knowing the history of the dogs. Professional help is best. In the meantime, continue to keep them separated or no longer watch the beagle during the day.

I second this. My 2yo female started attacking my 14yo dog out of nowhere a couple months ago. He was on pain medicine because he hurt his leg, and the meds made him sick. There hasn't been any accident since 2 weeks after he stopped the meds (they've been separated, but lately been around each other again couple minutes here and there and she hasn't showed any sign of aggression towards him again).

I would definitely ask your dad if his dog has shown any sign of being sick.

 

[Samkirsten10]

Wow that’s so interesting about the other dog being sick! I never would have thought!I just took the Beagle in for his vet visit and he’s been having a food allergy problem, currently he has a double ear infection, skin infection and is having trouble with his stomach!
Thanks a lot for the tips, I will definitely take my dog into the vet soon as well. I didn’t think that thyroid would be an issue because she hasn’t had any other symptoms.
Thanks so much for your help!

 

[PatriciafromCO]

even a slightly low thyroid can cause problems for some dogs. I also look at transitions from puppy to maturing adult ages. 7 months through 2 or 3 years old I've seen changes in behaviors that are testing their positions defining who they are. It's not set in stone, it's a development learning phase. I give them space /supervision from the triggers, and work towards appropriate behaviors. Then they go into the sweet older adult stages where the petty things don't interest them as much and they have the skills and control to handle them better.