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vivaelrambo
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vivaelrambo is offline  
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2
Female 
 
25-10-2010, 06:33 AM

In need of advice: Sudden Aggressive Behavior

Hello Everyone. I am new to this forum and in dire need of some advice in regards to a serious incident that occurred yesterday.

I have a 3 year old Boston Terrier named Rambo. Yesterday, my boyfriend and I took him in for his routine shots which was not new to him. He has always done so well at vets and groomers. When the vet administered the shot to his hind leg, a side of him we never saw came out. He became extremely aggressive, snarled and bit down on my boyfriend's hand, puncturing the skin and his hands became bruised and swollen. Rambo has had no previous signs of aggression and is the sweetest dog you will meet. He loves dogs, cats, children, ... anybody. Even to the point we worry if a robber came in to our home, he would make friends with them too! A few weeks ago we even went to a Boston Terrier gathering and everybody was praising him for his sweet demeanor.

The vet was very upset at us and told us we were lucky because if it was any other vet or had bitten her instead, Rambo would have been put down. We felt absolutely awful.

We changed our plans and decided to take him home immediately after the horrible occurrence at the vet. I wanted to do something nice for him and decided to groom him which he usually absolutely loves. I started to bathe him and as soon as I got to his hind legs, he snarled and tried to bite me. I was a little scared but I rinsed him off and brushed him and everything was fine. Then I tried to clip his nails. He once again snarled and tried to bite me so I stopped. Up until yesterday, he has NEVER EVER reacted this way.

We also have a 1 year old female Boston/Terrier Mix named Halo which we adopted from a rescue 6 months ago. Rambo and Halo completely adores each other and watches out for each other. They got along so well from day one that we couldn't have been happier. The only thing we noticed was that Halo tends to excessively but playfully bite/nip at Rambo's ankle and leg but we always made sure we stopped Halo immediately when we saw her nip at Rambo.

My boyfriend and I decided to reflect back at Rambo's behaviors recently and realized a few things. He would run, hide, or jump on our laps if Halo began biting at his legs. Also, we realized that Rambo was getting a little aggressive with Halo when she would nip at his legs. We now think the root of his aggression is Halo's excessive biting at his leg.

We considered maybe his legs were injured but he isn't limping or showing any signs of discomfort. As long as we touched his legs "in a none threatening matter" in his eyes, he would let us rub/play with his legs which makes us believe that he isn't physically hurt.

So here is my question: Aside from us being even more persistent with stopping Halo from bitting Rambo's foot, how do we get him to stop being aggressive when touching his legs? How do we regain his trust? How do I bring him back to old Rambo? We can't have what happened at the vet again.

My boyfriend and I have never felt so lost, confused, and embarrassed. After that vet visit, we feel like we let both Rambo and Halo down. But, we really want to tackle and defeat this behavior. For now we are going to have to muzzle Rambo for any kind of vet or grooming visits but hopefully Rambo will be back to his old self with the right training.

If anyone could give us any insight, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your time.
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ClaireandDaisy
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Location: Essex, UK
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25-10-2010, 07:48 AM
It sounds like the vet hurt him and he reacted accordingly. He is a terrier after all.
Maybe work on desensitising him to touch at home and muzzle him when necessary. However - I wouldn`t push him - let him go at his own pace. I thought BTs had a short coat so don`t really see why he needs to go to a groomer at all?
I would stop the other dog biting him - that just isn`t kind and may set up inflammation in the leg.
And change your vet! The one you have sounds a little inexperienced. And when you find a good one - have the pain in that leg investigated.

eta - dogs often `worry` at sites of disease. A friend had her breast cancer `pointed out` by her dog. So it could be that Halo has caused the problem - or it could be she is homing in on a weak spot?
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Krusewalker
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25-10-2010, 08:00 AM
good post

also, if your dog has a traumatic experience, the nicest thing to do is give him his space and let him cool off.
dont do other things like grooming and clipping when he still has stress and unhappiness going round in his system.

personally, i think your vet sounds like a numpty.
getting all high and judgemental, especially when the dog never even bit her.
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Helena54
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Location: South East UK
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25-10-2010, 09:21 AM
Sorry I have no advice, other than what's been written already,and glad you're going to muzzle him next time around just in case, it's not worth the risk is it, so good luck there.

I would imagine, it's quite a painful area to have the jab done,although I've heard it is actually better to have it done there so that it causes less problems than constantly jabbing dogs in the usual vaccination site,i.e. between the shoulder blades on the back. It's pure muscle there isn't it, or maybe she did it slightly off the mark and hit some bone, he felt it and made her realise! Yes, I'd be looking for another vet quite honestly.
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vivaelrambo
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Location: Los Angeles, USA
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25-10-2010, 10:54 AM
Thank you everyone for the great advices!

If anything I was very shocked at how the vet reacted because she is actually a very highly regarded vet. My family, friends, and I have been going to them for a while and haven't had issues till now. She was really impatient and upset at the situation. But then again, I hadn't ever been in a situation like this so it was very hard for me to know form right or wrong. With that being said, it seems like she may not be the right vet for us after all.

As for the grooming, yes he doesn't require much grooming but my family has a 2 acre yard that they play in with the other dogs every few weeks when we visit and he (& Halo) gets FILTHY from rolling in the dirt. Haha He's been so used to getting cleaned that it became 2nd nature to him. As for that day of the vet, it rained and he rolled in the mud during the walk so I wanted to wash him. But you guys are absolutely right that I probably should have left him be that day for him to relax.

I will definitely get his legs checked out by a new vet and work on his aggression with the muzzle. It's worth looking into everything. They are my kids!

If there are any other advices, I appreciate all and any!!
I really appreciate this! You all are awesome and have made my first post a memorable one!
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SLB
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Location: Nottingham, UK
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25-10-2010, 11:05 AM
Muzzle him or restrain him and check his hind legs, Benjie caught me the other day and his teeth arent little, and I was only scratching his belly - I shaved a bit of his fur away to find a bite that was swollen. As CAD said, the vet may have hurt him and I don't like how the vet reacted, all vets know their bound to be bitten at some point in their career.

You say you have a 2 arce yard - he may have injured himself playing and he'll have not shown you any sign of it so that could be another reason for the sudden aggression towards his back legs.

Boston terriers arent nasty dogs so I'm puzzled as well, let us know if you find anything wrong
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