Ok, My Macy who is an 8 year old Golden (maybe Lab) / Cocker mix and weighs 45 pounds, has started Growling at Little Sandi (who is 5 and had been with us since she was 6 weeks old) is a Papillon who weighs 12 pounds. What is happening is my Wife has not been feeling well and has been sleeping on the couch. Macy is usually in bed before me.Our Bedroom in our Sticks and Bricks is tiled and the only area rug is on the side that My Wife sleeps on, which is where Macy sleeps when my wife is on the couch.The last couple on nights Macy has been laying blocking the area rug which is where the girls jump on the bed from. What she will do is start growling very low when Sandi hits the bed. The other night she did it while I was sitting up with my hand on her. The first time I was petting her and she still did it. This second time I had my hand around her collar. When she did it I did Hit her with three fingers across her nose. Please know that I when I hit her it was very light as I would never hurt any animal.We are at a loss of what to do to stop this. I told my wife that I think that she is "Claiming" the bed as hers as she sleeps there a lot during the day. Sandi usually sleeps in a chair in the Living room.Macy has also turned at Sandi while we are all in bed. Macy is a very sweet dog but I realize that she is getting older and things change and except for her issues with her sister she has never showed any aggression at all.So, if any of you have any suggestions I am wide open to hearing them

She senses mama not feeling good and things are disrupted and she is protecting moms space for her

We are having similar issues with our two toy poodles. Lulu has been with my wife for twelve years, we inherited Gigi two years ago. Gigi, who we think is around 13, is a very sweet but submissive dog. Lulu has been good with her until recently, probably just a sign of advancing age. As we get older fuses tend to shorten too.

Or something with older age is making her not feel good so she is grumpy. Time for a vet visit?

doxiemom11 wrote:Or something with older age is making her not feel good so she is grumpy. Time for a vet visit?I think so. I'd want the vet to look for signs of arthritis and get a thyroid check. There are a lot of medical issues that can cause/contribute to behavior changes, but those are probably the two most common.

X3 This is the first step. Make sure health is O.K. before exploring behavior.

Having a Problem with my Macy | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

TugCE
Explorer
Dec 23, 2013
Code2High wrote:
TugCE wrote:
Pawz4me wrote:
TugCE wrote:
I have just had her in for a through check up but we do realize that she is getting older.

Was blood work done, including a check of thyroid levels? If not, then it wasn't a thorough check-up at all, IMO. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs and especially common in dogs of her age, sex and breed mix. Fortunately, the "fix" for it is a small and inexpensive daily pill.

Yes, we had a total Blood Work Up done and everything is normal. I really believe this is a behavior problem as she has always been a little protective of our bed. Plus she has Never like being awakened by her little sister.

Ah, and there you have it.

It isn't "protective," it is possessive. And that is a huge difference. You may need a couple of weeks of Nothing In Life Is Free, or another approach to re-asserting YOUR ownership of the bed.

It's so easy to spoil them, especially as they get older. But when aggression becomes an issue, something's got to be done.

This is what I am doing. So far she has been a little better when her sister gets up on the bed. I make sure to praise her when she is good but we will be keeping an eye on her.

I hope that Everyone has a Merry and Safe Christmas.
Pawz4me
Explorer
Dec 23, 2013
Code2High wrote:

Ah, and there you have it.

It isn't "protective," it is possessive. And that is a huge difference. You may need a couple of weeks of Nothing In Life Is Free, or another approach to re-asserting YOUR ownership of the bed.

Ditto.
Code2High
Explorer
Dec 23, 2013
TugCE wrote:
Pawz4me wrote:
TugCE wrote:
I have just had her in for a through check up but we do realize that she is getting older.

Was blood work done, including a check of thyroid levels? If not, then it wasn't a thorough check-up at all, IMO. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs and especially common in dogs of her age, sex and breed mix. Fortunately, the "fix" for it is a small and inexpensive daily pill.

Yes, we had a total Blood Work Up done and everything is normal. I really believe this is a behavior problem as she has always been a little protective of our bed. Plus she has Never like being awakened by her little sister.

Ah, and there you have it.

It isn't "protective," it is possessive. And that is a huge difference. You may need a couple of weeks of Nothing In Life Is Free, or another approach to re-asserting YOUR ownership of the bed.

It's so easy to spoil them, especially as they get older. But when aggression becomes an issue, something's got to be done.
TugCE
Explorer
Dec 23, 2013
Pawz4me wrote:
TugCE wrote:
I have just had her in for a through check up but we do realize that she is getting older.

Was blood work done, including a check of thyroid levels? If not, then it wasn't a thorough check-up at all, IMO. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs and especially common in dogs of her age, sex and breed mix. Fortunately, the "fix" for it is a small and inexpensive daily pill.

Yes, we had a total Blood Work Up done and everything is normal. I really believe this is a behavior problem as she has always been a little protective of our bed. Plus she has Never like being awakened by her little sister.
dogdiva
Explorer
Dec 22, 2013
sure wouldn't hurt to have Macy checked out.....This time of year when we are stressed out, or being stressed with the family routine changing, can upset our beloved companions...they sense things.. so be positive, lots of petting and stroking and reinforcement and a good talking toooooo....Keep us posted please
Pawz4me
Explorer
Dec 22, 2013
TugCE wrote:
I have just had her in for a through check up but we do realize that she is getting older.

Was blood work done, including a check of thyroid levels? If not, then it wasn't a thorough check-up at all, IMO. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs and especially common in dogs of her age, sex and breed mix. Fortunately, the "fix" for it is a small and inexpensive daily pill.
Dog_Folks
Explorer II
Dec 22, 2013
I still suggest another vet check, with the focus on this recent aggression, unless the vet was aware of this situation at the last check

He/she may very well follow a different diagnostic path compared to a regular check.
Happytraveler
Explorer
Dec 22, 2013
She might be in pain. Our dog Jessie was the sweetest dog ever, but at the end she was in a lot of pain. She did get a little snappy at times which was understandable.
TugCE
Explorer
Dec 22, 2013
Pawz4me wrote:
doxiemom11 wrote:
Or something with older age is making her not feel good so she is grumpy. Time for a vet visit?

I think so. I'd want the vet to look for signs of arthritis and get a thyroid check. There are a lot of medical issues that can cause/contribute to behavior changes, but those are probably the two most common.

I have just had her in for a through check up but we do realize that she is getting older. Macy up to now has never shown any aggression at all. Now I am not saying that she will not put her little sister in her place if need be and I have no problem with that, I just do not want this to lead to biting as Sandi is so much smaller.

I guess we will continue to keep an eye on her and as always I am very careful to show equal attention and affection to both of them.

Thanks for all of the advice and I hope that Everyone has a Merry Christmas!
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Dec 21, 2013
Jack - our 13 yr old Cattle Dog, constantly growls at (and bites, from time to time) Ben the 8 month old puppy. Ben is completely submissive - he is NOT challenging the Old Guy in the least - but I suspect it's a combination of Jack's poor vision and hearing (so if he can keep the "kid" away from himself, he can't be startled by a puppy appearing out of nowhere?) - AND - sad to say, I think he's suffering from dementia and reverting to his former (and really awful) ways. He's food aggressive, again. He's bitten me a couple of times as he grabs at the puppy - the good news is that he's not biting hard. Yet. And he nips people when he's happy to see them (???) I guess it's a Cattle Dog thing? It sounds harsh - but the first time he draws blood, will be the last.

I give Jack Cholodin, to help with cognitive function; Sam-e to help his liver (his enzymes were just a wee bit "off") and a joint supplement.

I don't want to imply that all dogs get weird in their old age - Ike, my beloved Aussie was a regal gentleman, always. But then, he could still see pretty good at age 14.