Growling and Biting Agression! Help please!

Ok, I am new to this site, I hope you can help me!!! Background info: I have an almost 2 year old Female Pug. She has been an amazing dog thus far! We just brought home a male puppy pug a month ago. Things seemed completely fine. However in the mornings I let both dogs out. Nala (female) is in a bed on the floor, and Pugsy (male pup) is in his cage on top of the dryer. About a week ago, I went to let them out, and Nala was not wanting to go, but I told her to anyway. She did not move, so I bent down to help her out... She started growling at me, and jumping up at me to bite me! After about 3 jumps at me, she slowly walked outside still growling a bit.
I really worried that I gave the wrong reaction because I just stood there in shock watching her try to bite me!!!

Well this morning the same thing happened! Except I scolded her with a big voice and used my foot to block her attempts. She continued to growl and bite towards me as I shut the door in her face! This aggression seems to have come from nowhere! What do I do?! My main concern is that I have 3 small children ages 3 and younger! This behavior will not be accepted! Any suggestions?!

Thanks! Valarie

First suggestion is to check her out medically. Make sure you get a full blood panel to see if anything is out of the ordinary and ask your vet if he can evaluate her back and legs. Many arthritic dogs act the way that Nala is acting. Be sure to tell your vet Nala is starting to show some discomfort at being grabbed and you feel it may be medically related. This will give your vet a heads-up as to what to look for.

Second suggestion is to desensitize her to touch. Rather than grabbing her and forcing her out, try gentler persuasive methods like enticing her by throwing a treat outside, or clipping a leash onto her collar instead. Also, to desensitize her to touch, you want to associate touching her with good things. A general plan would be to poke her lightly, give a treat if she doesn't react, prod her a little, treat again, pat her, treat, grab a little fur, treat, etc.

A person on another forum suggested that I give her a treat in the morning, to help coaks her out of her bed and out the door... I tried that this morning, but I was very careful seeing as how I was now bending down and at her level,,,, she seemed very nervous with me petting her while she was eating a treat. I dont usually pet her while she is eating her food,,, and she takes treats from our hands all the time, but it made me nervous this morning. She was not completely growling, but you could tell she was not relaxed. After she had her treat I gave her a min and then she was ready to go outside, but that uneasy reaction she had when I was petting her while she ate her treat is worrysome to me now....

The thing is, during the day, she is inside, we play all the time, I pick her up, rough house with her for fun,,, I dont think it's a sensitivity to touch,,, except first thing in the mornings.... any further thoughts?

I do have plans to take her into the vet just to be safe.

Valarie

I'm glad she'll be heading to the vet. How are her eyes? Maybe there was something about the angle you were approaching in that spot that made her uneasy if she couldn't quite see, and startled her?

Sudden behavior change is sadly often a sign of an animal in pain, so let us get that ruled out first, poor puggie!

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Originally Posted by Karen

Sudden behavior change is sadly often a sign of an animal in pain, so let us get that ruled out first, poor puggie!

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That was my first thought also! I hope your vet is able to help you figure out what is going on with her.

If it's not a sensitivity to touch, does she growl at you when you pet her while she's eating her dinner? If so, it sounds like she has some resource and space issues. They're both pretty simple to nip in the bud, so don't worry. If it's resource guarding, teach her "Give" and control her access to resources with NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free - just Google it). If it's a space issue, then it's up to you to manage how you approach her. You can desensitize her space issues to a certain level, but you have to give the dogs some leeway. For example, to get her out of bed, clip a leash onto her to coax her out.

Also, the more anxious you are, the more reactive your dog will act. I have a reactive dog, and it is hard not to feel anxious in certain situations. However, you must exude a sense of firm, loving confidence with your dog. If you're ever in a situation where you cannot feel that way, remove yourself, your dog, and/or both of you from that situation and find a way to re-approach the situation.