Hi There
Just found this site - can any one help?
My 3 yr old castrated dalmation (rescued at 12 months after already having had 3 homes) has just recently started to be agressive towards other dogs.I had to pull him off a tiny terrier only yesterday (fortunately no damage to the terrior I'd never forgive myself  never mind him)- surley this can't be about dominance he's 4 times bigger than the terrior!!!
Also he's just become incredibly possessive of the car growling ferociously at passers by- unfortunately he particuarlly does not like anyone in hats (police, traffic wardens, even lolly pop ladies !!!) He's now caused so much damage to all 4 seatbelts that the car failed it's MOT and the new belts have cost just short of £1000.
I,ve tried a soft muzzle but he drags his nose on the floor in an attempt to remove it and in doing so has rubbed his nose raw until it bleeds and completely destroyed the mozzle.

He's changed from a very obedient dog to the most unpredictable dog I've ever owned.
Any suggestions?

Just a thought, but I've known dalmatians change their character (for the worse) because of pain from bladder stones, and when that's sorted out they revert to their original happy selves. I'd suggest that you get a urine sample from him and have the vet check it for crystals.

Hearing problems may also be an issue worth looking at in Dalmations. As an aside issue you mention the damage he has caused to all 4 seatbelts made your car fail an mot. Why is he not being properly contained in a cage inside the car?

If he were being carried in a cage he would not be able to damage the car or be so aggressive to passersby because he would not be able to see as much from a cage. That's a large dog to be thrashing about in a car while you are driving.

I know a lot of people use a harness but as your dog is showing undesirable behaviour he may feel safer in a contained environment where he can't see what's going on.

if you wish to use a muzzle may I suggest you get a baskerville basket type, this is easier for a dog to accept because you can reward them, plus they can pant and breathe alot better than the softer ones.

I would say it is essential to consult your vet in case it is a medical problem that they can deal with.  If not, then I would seriously consider consulting an animal behaviourist - they often want a referral from your vet to confirm it is a behavioural rather than medical issue so that reinforces the needs to see the vet first. The sooner you start dealing with the problem the better - I am sure your beloved dog is as unhappy as you and he needs help to deal with his issues.

Good luck!

Louise

For a dog suddenly at the age of 3 to become aggressive is almost always due to a problem with his health, unless he has suffered some sort of accident or trauma, I am assuming that he was castrated shortly after you got him at 12 months.

Yes, any adult dog whose behaviour changes, esp. a sudden change, needs to be given a thorough vet check including blood tests to check everything is functioning normally :)

Of course it may be that you can identify something that has caused the change, but if not, first stop the vets, second a behaviourist in my opinion. Good luck :)

Hi Nova

I have to say my experience is that it is more often behavioural so perhaps our combined views confirm it could be either.

It's always a good idea to check every avenue.

My dobe girl's aggression was affected by both medical and behavioural causes - medical was a wonky pelvis (sorted by a chiropractor) and behavioural was not being socialised as a pup.  She may possibly have had a thyroid issue going on as well - only diagnosed a couple of months back (I've had her 20 months now) but she has had some symptoms since I've had her and probably longer.  I'll never know for sure of course, but thyroid upsets can cause aggression in some dogs.

Learned behaviour can be a problem as well - so this dally should be prevented, wherever possible, from practising any aggressive behaviour.  Soli has been fantastic of late - but on Tuesday she reverted right the way back to square one and charged a JRT (that was her standard response - scare the hell out of it before it can attack).  She was wound up and overexcited and she just reverted - so learned responses can be very, very hard to retrain/remove for good. :-(

Thanks all
he's had a couple of good days I'm happy to report.
The vet's checked him over and no obvious problems- having said that the info about one dog's behaviour changing quickly (as in Samson's case ) is very interesting- about a month ago he had a neck injury and the vet advised no walks- try telling that to a dall who usually has at least an hour in the morning and then again in the evening!!
Fortunately we have a very big back garden so he was able to run "gently" on his own-I'm now wondering if it's almost a case of resocialising him after a few weeks on his own. Maybe he's nervous about getting hurt whilst playing again.

That could well be a factor.  What happened when he was hurt?  Dogs can and do associate painful experiences with other things - Soli had an association between a no-pull harness causing her pain under her armpits with other dogs (her old owner used one to walk her so she was getting hurt when she lunged) and it made her behaviour a lot worse.  Not quite the same thing but you get the jist!

After a few more days he seems to be getting back to normal-Thanks for all the suggestions I'm hoping it was just nerves after not being allowed out for a propper run for a few days! He's played and behaved like his usual "impecable" self- Hopefully panic over!!!

have you worked on this with the rescue you got your dog from?