Could it be?? (aggression)

[JacobsMom]

I'm sooooo confused! I love my baby boy, Jacob, with all my heart & then some. He is MY 1st dog & is such a faithful companion. His heart is definately mine, though it's obvious that he loves my son & DH as well. The cat, well, he just lives with her. Jacob recently turned 8yrs and has been a saint his whole life. He has never shown any signs of aggression, even during high stress periods. He has always gotten along with every dog he met (with the exception of my ex-boss's boxer, figures). He loves children & has never even attempted to nip anyone. He has never been mean if we go near his dish or even bother him while he has a bone, you can even take it from him without a worry. Something's have changed with him the last few months. He is not very tollerant with other dogs (except for my parents Shepard, though he's been pushing it with her as well). This passed weekend we held a birthday party for my son, with eight of his friends (all in the 4yr to 8yr range). A little girl walked up to him & pet his butt & Jacob stood still & growled a low grumble. That was all I saw, I don't know if maybe she had bothered him before hand (she doesn't live with a dog). I just seperated Jacob from the party. I put him outside for a bit & then brought him into the spare room. I didn't put much thought into besides thinking that he was probably overwhelmed, & needed some time to himself. Then the kicker came last night!! Myself, DH & Jacob where sitting on the couch downstairs, watching TV. I was at one end of the couch, DH at the other and good old Jacob had the whole middle. I was eating popcorn & was giving Jacob pieces every so often. DH leaned against Jacob & made mouth smacking noises as if he were trying to steal his popcorn. All Jacob did was eat each kernnel, that I passed to him, a little quicker. Then DH began putting his face near Jacob's while making the same smacking noises & Jacob actually growled. DH did it again & so did Jacob, only this time he showed a bit of teeth & sort of muzzle-bunted DH in the cheek. That didn't go over well (understandably) so I asked DH to leave him be. Then DH decides to put his face into Jacobs side & make that same noise again. This time Jacob barred his teeth & growled but DH kept picking. I was so uncomfortable at this point, but I still wasn't ready for what happened. Jacob turned his head & took a nip at the top of DH's head!! Then Jacob jumped off the couch immediately, with his ears down, like he was saying sorry. DH lost it & went to kick Jacob. I quickly put my leg infront & got the blow. Needless to say, it was a terrible evening. DH was right pissed off & yelling, which was scaring the crap out of Jacob. DH kept saying that Jacob was getting mean & if he ever touched our son he was gone. I explained that Tyler has been taught to respect Jacob & therefore nothing would ever happen. He came back with the "look what he just did to me". I replied "Jacob can't talk to say stop. He growled & you didn't listen, so really who's to blame??". That didn't go over well with DH. He eventually realized that he had pushed too far & that he should NEVER have tried to kick my baby. I had all last night to think & I'm hoping that I'm not making up excuses for Jacob. Could it be that Jacob is turning into a "grumpy old man". Maybe he isn't as tollerant as he used to be, but should he be expected to be? He is getting older but that doesn't mean that he's going to turn!? Has anyone ever had their boxer's temperment change (in a bad way) once they became a senior? I think we should just be a bit nicer to Jacob and more careful, where as DH thinks "a dog should never show aggression to a person".
It's not a question of getting rid of Jacob (not a chance), it's more about whether I'm being too leanient, or is DH not being realistic???

 

[snowicki]

Could it be that Jacob is in pain....possibly his hips or joints? My Buster, who will be 8 in October, started getting grumbly about 6 months ago. He just wasn't as tolerant of Bandit's playful tactics. But, I did notice that he had a harder time getting up and lying down. Since I have started him on Synflex(glucosomine) 2 months ago, he has improved almost 100%. Just something to check on, I'm sure someone else will have some clearer insight into this.

 

[Steven Menk]

Yeah, it sounds like he's got something going on or is in some pain. I'd deffently have him checked out.

 

[stampingrace]

I agree with the others...take him to the vet. It sounds like he is in some sort of discomfort (could be as minor as an ear infection). I hope you are able to figure out what's going on.

 

[Tyshart]

Pain is exactly what I was going to say.

My parents have a lab (Heidi) who is 9. Very well tempered dog until a few years ago. She always lays behind our recliner when she wants to get away. Well one day (a few yrs. back), I was getting ready to leave. So I went to put her in the basement, where she stays when no one is home. She ran to the back of the recliner. I reached down to grab her collar, and she bit me. Growled, bared her teeth and bit me on the hand. Well that was the beginning. She slowly was getting worse, snapping at everyone in the family. Then my parents took her to the vet, and sure enough she was suffering from arthritis in her hips. Now she is still very grouchy. If she is having a bad day with pain and you walk to close to where she is laying she'll let out a warning growl. My parents love her to death and they have learned to live with her being moody. I would definately look into the pain isssue. Another thing is, she never showed any type of physical problems back then. She never limped, or laid funny. Nothing.
So good luck, and be a little cautious around Jacob, especially with your son.

 

[Jan]

My first thought was a health problem too. I would take him to the vet for a thorough health check!

 

[Paper-Dogg13]

I agree with everyone else, first rule out any possible medical problems with him that would cause him to be grouchy because he's hurting. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and get him checked out. Good luck & keep us posted.