Cherry tried to bite Jamie

Bit upset at the moment as Cherry has always been really nice-tempered with people and she just went for Jamie's hand. Fortunately he moved quickly and she missed.

Her change of behaviour started the other night when I was on my own with her. I left her on her new bed on the landing whilst I was in the study with Parker. They had a hoof each with naturediet inside. It was getting late and I wanted to go downstairs to let them out in the garden so I left Parker in the study and went to take Cherry's treat away by trading with a few other treats but she went rigid and growled really menacingly at me. In the end I had to take her collar, move her away and take the hoof and then give her the treats.

Similar situation just happened as separated dogs both had a Kong with their dog biscuits in and Cherry had dropped hers through the landing. Jamie went to pass it to her through the landing bars and she tried to bite him. No warning or growls at all this time. He is quite shocked though I had told him about the previous growling occasion.

When she has had high-value treats like bones in the past she has gone for Parker so we didn't let them have things like this together and things were fine. She has never attempted to growl or bite either of us before. She has very poor eyesight now and she is 10 years old. She has got very foody recently but I don't know if this is because of her poor eyesight or because she is aging.

I am unsure if I did the right thing by taking hold of her collar and taking the kong away but I don't know what else I could do as she was fixed rigid growling and I don't think she would have moved. I tried to do it gently but firmly and I didn't reprimand her.

Any ideas appreciated!

PS-they have part of their food each night in a Kong and I am always able to take it off the floor and put away when Cherry has finished with it with no problems. I can also move her food bowl when she is eating (sometimes it moves a bit and she can't get at food so easily) and she has never growled at me for this.

OOPS! Just realised title of post should read Cherry tried to bite Jamie not bit!

I have just had an idea-do you think I should work on this by having 2 Kongs for Cherry and letting her have one then swapping half-way though? She is clicker trained by the way so could click her if she lets me take it without growling and then give her the other one.

I would probably pop her to the vets to make sure there's not something underlying here. However, I would say that her failing eyesight could be the culprit. If the vet trip rules out health issues then personally I would just manage it by only giving her high value things when she has a space of her own (crate, utility room, kitchen if you know you won't need to go in there, etc) to eat it in, so she doesn't feel the need to guard. With aggression involved, I wouldn't want to recommend any particular training methods incase it worsened her behaviour.

hello there .my name is phil...iv been though this also...for me it got to the piont were i was not sure of her behaviour ..it was only food,then territoy,she just got annoyed at everything....15 years old...i had to consider all thing...was she a threat to pepole....yes....i was devistated at the fact that i was failing this dog ...it was my father who told me to, change with the dog,manage the dog differently...so i did....i let her live out the next two years, on her terms.i owed it to her ,so to speek...example......i used a kennel to feed her.seperated her from the others...visitors were made aware ,things like that and,she did respect me most of the time....before she passed ...i think she thanked me....i hope all goes well for you.and if there is anything you can get from my situation,good luck to you,it may be a simple as poor eye sight....keep us posted

My immediate thought is that (1) she's always protected high value from Parker (2) her eyesight is failing and that there is a possibilty she didn't realise who/what was approaching.

Did either of you speak to her when you were approaching so that she was aware that it was you and not Parker/some other 'stranger' trying to take her food?

I've had this with Stumpy previously - she was very protective of things from Hoki (and vice versa) and there have been a couple of times when OH has bent down to her and she's snapped. I just told him to make sure he gets her attention before he approaches so that Stumpy doesn't just see a shape coming out of the corner of her eye.

I'd suggest that you do the same for Cherry.

I'm sure it must've been a shock when she is usually so good with people, but I'm sure that carefully managed you can avoid this sort of thing happening. I bet if she had made contact and realised it was a person, she would've been really upset.

PS - with swops always make sure that what you're offering is higher value than what she has (though quantify wise it doesn't have to be the same)

I do agree though that a vet check would probably be sensible.

I would get her checked out, a change in behaviour can be due to a thyroid problem.

My friends dog got snappy and unpleasant to live with, she had a thyroid check that came back normal but a second more in depth test showed an abnormality, he is now on medication and is a big softy.

hey gerry....that is very interesting...good stuff

If it happens again, don't give her the treats - she could have just perceived these as a reward for the threatening behaviour

Sound like a new/escalating behaviour so really needs someone to observe and advise from there. It can be dangerous to advise without seeing as often parts of the 'jigsaw' are missing and any advice could perceivably worsen the situation

Vet check needed. I seem to remember that the second op on her eyes was carried out relatively recently so there maybe an underlying related problem and there is also a possibility when food habits change that a thyroid/pancreatic problem is/has developed. If testing for thyroid problems, ask for the six-panel test and ensure your vet is well versed on how to read the results. If not, they can be sent off for an 'expert' (Jean Dodds is great) to interpret them.

Thanks-Shortly after incident with Jamie today she had her appointment at Newmarket animal health trust as she went 2 weeks ago and the pressure in one eye was high. I mentioned the incident and the fact that she is very "foody" now and the vet said didn't think it was to do with eyesight. She said Cherry is on steroids but as they are given as eye drops and not tablets shouldn't have an effect on her behaviour. She said to not let her get away with the beahviour and correct her but I said nothing as after all she is avet not a behaviourist!

Thanks-sorry to hear about your dog. Sounds like you did very well for her in adjusting to her needs.

Thanks-that is a good point re did she know it was me and not Parker as I did wonder this when she growled at me but then forgot! Neither of us had spoken to her so she may have thought it was Parker approaching. No it wasn't a higher value swap-I think I will try that with Kongs and put a bit of string on them so we can pull them away and not get bitten!

Thanks-never thought of thyroid problems but will get this checked out

I personally think it is to do with her eyesight and the fact she is on steroids. Steroids can make them more hungrey and her failing eyesight will make her feel more insecure, so she will be protective of food and it may escalate as her eyesight gets worse if she is suddenly surprised by someone touching her.
Because of her age and the fact she I am almost certain is doing it through being worried and insecure in the situation I would just ensure any treats are given somewhere where she does not have to be disturbed and can stay with them until she feels ready to leave them.
I think with her health and at her time of life it should not be made into an issue but her feelings respected and worked around.

Thanks-the vet said the steriods should not make her "foody" as they are given in drop form but I am wondering if this is what has been affecting her as I remember a friend's dog being on steroids and it was really food-obsessed for the first time in its life!

I think we will just "avoid" the issue by not giving her food treats that are hard to get at. She is fine with her food in a kong each tea-time but i think it was a combination of frustration (both times she had been with the item trying unsuccesfully to get the food for some time before I or Jamie came along) and poor vision. Sometimes, as you say, the best option is to work around the issue and not confront it, where this is possible.