Aggressive

hi ive a malamute 20 months she is in season but nipped my grandaughter and tonight she attacked my older son what could be the reason

We need a lot more information that this to help, we need as much information as possible, food, exercise, training, what she, your granddaughter and son were doing when she bit them. Please give as much information as you can, the more we have the better we can help.

Also many bitches in season are like us when we have pmt so it could be a reason but I suspect there is more to it than this.

hi thanx for replying, kiera gets walked about 4x daily fed 2x daily not sure what grandaughter was doing, but kiera was lying on her back and my son was rubbing her belly then she flipped really aggressive started barking and growlling he had to hide behind wheelie bin to stay safe he had to go to the dcts he had about 5/6 slashes on arms and 2 deep bites with fleshy/fat popping out after 5mins kira new she done wrong and was very sheepish and head down hope this helps a bit nmore thanx

Hi , what a worry this must be for you .Has anything like this ever happened before with Kiera, has she shown aggression to anyone. ..
You say..
First I would have her checked out by the vet to discount any pain/medical condition.

While at the vets you could seek a referral to a good behaviourist, I would look for one belonging to the APBC
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

If Kiera is insured you may find the consultation is covered by your insurance.

Er no dogs don't do knowing they have done something wrong, was she shouted at etc after the incident ? If so that she why she was showing the signs of submission.

As your bitch is in season her behaviour could be related to the level of her hormones

From your description of his injuries it sounds like quite a worrying attack.

I'd not rely on advice remotely over the internet. I'd want to speak to a vet or other professional.

Yes, hormone changes might be the reason or the trigger but at the end of the day the REASON for it won't make any difference if it happens again and the outcome is worse will it - it won't minimise the damage to the child.

Meantime I think it goes without saying the kids and the dog should be kept apart unless you are able to closely monitor and supervise and intervene in time.

I agree with Joedee dogs don't know what we consider right and wrong, they do pick up on us and will show what to us is shame in response to the way we are acting.

Having 3 sons rubbing a belly can be gentle to very rough and hurt. Did she growl first and was it ignored? Growling should never be ignored, it is often the dog saying she has had enough and to stop.

Never leave kids alone with any dog. The child may have been doing something the dog didn't like and thus reacted, you will never know. But this is obviously a warning and not to be ignored.

Have you had her since she was a baby?

It would certainly be advisable to have her checked by a vet in case she is any pain. Hopefully the acting out of character will be due to hormones and she will be back to normal once the season is over. And perhaps think about having her spayed.

I really hope it can be sorted - malamutes are powerful dogs and it must be very frightening if they show aggression. Hope your son's injuries heal up quickly.

Also please do not tell your dog off for growling - it might cause them to go straight to the next step (biting) the next time.
Obviously dogs have not many ways to show their discomfort if humans are unable to read their signals such as calming signals, looking away, growling.