sudden aggression at 17 months

Lee

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My sweet, social, 17month old male frenchie suddenly became aggressive with people, actually only two people but that's two people too many! He was initially calm and social when meeting them, and then, without warning, he lashed out, tried to bite, and yelled at the person. I was shocked, for this is so strange and unusual. We recently moved and I am wondering if he's stressed or has suddenly become very protective.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
 

2bullymama

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My sweet, social, 17month old male frenchie suddenly became aggressive with people, actually only two people but that's two people too many! He was initially calm and social when meeting them, and then, without warning, he lashed out, tried to bite, and yelled at the person. I was shocked, for this is so strange and unusual. We recently moved and I am wondering if he's stressed or has suddenly become very protective.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Yes, stress can be playing a part, but I would also have him throughly checked for pain and thyroid levels to run out any health issues


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FroxerMom

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Hello,
Can you provide more detailed information such as the circumstances surrounding the lashing out/attempted bite?

Depending on the situation and events leading up to it, it is quite possible your dog gave a warning that was not headed by the person or people in question. The following things aggravate most dogs: a young child entering a dog's crate/space, laying in the dog's bed, approaching a dog from behind and hugging it, or climbing on the dog.

Were these adults or children? Did your dog give any kind of warning, which could include ears back, hackles up, low guttural growl, licking lips, "whale eyes" (where the whites of eyes are visible), panting, etc....

Describing or providing more details surrounding the incident would be most helpful in determining if it was an aggressive act, or a natural action after his warning was ignored.
 

Lee

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The circumstances were somewhat similar. He was on a leash. The individual was an adult. They were petting him and he was appearing to enjoy the attention. We were in a neutral location (lobby and store). There were no signs of discomfort or warning. I will add that shortly after these two incidents he broke out in hives, due to a possible allergic reaction. This happened right after I posted my original post. The vet treated him and advised me to monitor his behavior closely to determine if these acts of aggression were due to discomfort or something else.
 
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