A vast majority of the time, a dog with new or “unpredictable” aggressive behaviour is experiencing pain. I’ve seen too many owners seeking help from a trainer when they instead should be consulting a vet.
Here are some examples of behaviours I’ve been approached about for training that turned out to have a medical cause:
-Suddenly stopping on walks and refusing to move
-Newly showing aggression towards other dogs
-Developing reactivity
-Newly showing aggression towards guests
-Lack of tolerance to grooming
-Aggressive startles from sleep
-Suddenly refusing to jump in the car
-Newly showing aggression at seemingly random times
If your dog’s behaviour changes suddenly with no clear cause, you have to consider the possibility of pain or discomfort before putting your dog through training. Luckily, good trainers will recognise this and request vet checks before beginning a behaviour plan because you can’t train away pain.
