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« on: September 29, 2007, 06:38:25 pm »
in the last 2 months my 11 month old Rottweiler/Lab mix, Maddox, has started showing signs of fear driven aggression. I plan to find a behavior specialist to help with the situation, but I'd love some advice. It started with barking at homeless people in the park, and shying away from people petting him. -Now- I'm scared.
Two weeks ago, he escaped a friend's backyard during a thunderstorm, and when the neighbor tried to bring him back to the house, he bit her thumb! I was mortified, but thought it must have been the storm that made him scared. But just yesterday I dropped him off to play with a different friend's dog, and the two apparently escaped the fence and ran to a neighbor's yard, where Maddox then allegedly started fighting with their dog (i've never seen him be aggressive towards a dog before, even one that's attacking him) so they called Animal Control. Somehow my FRIEND's dog ended up being picked up by mistake, and Maddox was just hanging out back in the same yard when we went to pick him up.
He growls at the vet, barks ferociously at people from the car, and all of this in the matter of a few months! What is going on!?!?!? What happened to my awesomely well-behaved, well-trained dog? I can't just treat this like a "phase" ...I don't trust him at all!
I thought I was doing things right--He's not allowed on the bed or furniture, sits/works for food, treats, leash, etc. Walks out doors -behind- me, heels, etc. What should I do? Anybody?