IF you DOG behavior CHANGES over night ...SEE VET!!!

[MaxandMe]

HI everyone!! been a tad busy with physical therapy and BOTH doodles not doing well

NOW my daughter and grandbaby stay here on and off and well I got scared and almost RAN to VET ...good thing i did!!!

MAX loves our 1yr old grandbaby Alivia and so does Peanut but all of a sudden every so often MAX grumbled and one day
growled at her when she played on his head or fell on top of his head and bounce off of him like most babies do.

LONG STORY SHORT: i was treating his ear with ear wash, ointment and also doing water/vinegar as he had some gunk but
no odor and had been in woods alot, no redness etc WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW was how painful his ears were!!

Poor Max either had gotten crated if i left house and/or i'd sit with him close by holding my hand on his collar as i was scared
this was NOT the MAX I knew and then PEANUT would crawl away or slink away from Alivia too

OFF TO VETS W/both Dogs: Peanut may have clogged tear ducts on top of nasal allergies so 2 meds for her
MAX i caught a stubborn ear infection that went ballastic AFTER the vet visit and NO LONGER GROWLS

POINT: MAX was NOT being aggressive, mean or anything
BUT many people get scared like I do when a dog growls......I forgot max even as a puppy if he was in SEVERE PAIN that's how he let us know
it's not a menacing growl it's a DIFFERNT GROWL

PATHOLOGIST VET: said MAX was in so much pain, keep giving meds and watch him till he he's healed and like US
he can't say HEY THAT HURTS please stay away from my ears....Grumble Growling was his only way to alert us he wasn't feeling well


I am posting this cause max is going to be 4yrs old.......and well ALWAYS go bring your dog in to a VET if they act
what is out of order, growl, snap or anything out of the ordinary!!!

PS both dogs go back to Vets this Friday and so far, we keep Alivia away from their heads and taught her how to
"do nice" when petting, she hugs their midriff and kisses them BUT I STILL hold my hand on max/s collar and head as REASSURANCE
to max and for Alivia

AND I am so RELIEVED to realize why a sweet lovable Doodle my baby MAX had a ear infection in both ears trying to let us KNOW
keep away from his earsand get him relief via a VET

[Jac]

Great advice, Annmarie! I keep telling people, when they write in with dog growling or aggression quesitons, to get their dog health tested! This is exactly why. I also believe that growling is nothing more than warning...an you'd rather have them growl than defend themselves by biting...so pay attention to growls!
I am so sorry that your dogs are hurting...but you are such a good doodle mama! Hope they are better soon.

Another thing to consider, if all things check out normally, dog aggression can be caused by thyroid imbalance and CANNOT be tested normally. If you have aggression issues, read Dr. Jean Dodds info about thryoid problems and aggression: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-BEHV-THYROID.HTM

[MaxandMe]

AMEN JAC......you don't know HOW scared DAVE and I were as MAX has NEVER EVER SHOWN aggression in any form like growling, has NEVER snapped etc

So when he got to a low grumbling, and then later growled and also got possessive of his food, space etc ESP/later at night....I realized maybe
his BEHAVIOR meant his ears or something else was wrong and went IMMEDIATELY to VET!!
PEANUT scoooting away....that was not NORMAL either.

MAX and PEANUT ADORE Alivia.....run if she cries, alerts us if she wakes up, also herds her away from stairs and more all by natural instinct
THEY usually LOVE and watch out for her , SO WHEN they acted different in what seemd almost Overnight I kept a close eye and then I KNEW
to bring them to the PATHOLOGIST VET that specializes in what her hubby a normal dog and large animal vet might miss at times.

AM I GLAD I DID !!! and I cannot express the relief I feeel in my heart and for safety sake of Alivia as well as the HEALTH of my doodles too.

I REALLY HOPE MANY PEOPLE take heed to this........EVEN a puppy doing this say 4 or 5mos old can mean a bee sting, thyroid, ear infection
or JUST THAT SOMETHING is wrong and THIS IS THE ONLY WAY A PUPPY and/or a MATURE DOg lets US KNOW to help them OUT.

sooooooo MAX wasn't aggressive ......he was protecting his very sore ears and lettting us know he didn't feel well as Peanut did so but differently.

NOW for the past 4 days MAX AND PEANUT are back to loving ALIVIA but i watch them carefully as they are healing still and go BACK TO VET
AGAIN FRIDAY to see any progress esp/since Alivia is here alot on and off. I WON"T take any chances at all and want my doodles healthy and Alivia safe


OK ..........that's all folks hahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Dont' mean to be long winded BUT SERIOUSLY sometimes people mistake a dog's reaction as aggression when it's not. THEY can't talk like us so they talk in doggy language and body language we sometimes miss. A GRUMBLE or GROWL we don'T. IT GOT OUR ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY

[Jac]

I think that another important point to make here is that, as Annmarie did with her dogs, you must protect your puppy! If your puppy grows up knowing that you will protect him or her, he won't have to protect himself. So, especially with children in the home, you need to step in and teach people how to respect your dog. Make sure that your dog has a safe place to go (uaually a crate) where he won't be disturbed, especially when he is tired or hurting. Teach children not to go into the crate with the dog. It must be the dog's safe place.
If your dog is protected and has the ability to retreat to be left alone when he wants to, issues of "aggression" won't be a part of your dog's life.