My puppy is aggressive after heat. Is this normal post-heat behavior?

That’s hard to say. Certainly her hormones can make her more unpredictable and prone to mood swings. If only she could talk and tell you! There could also be an element of her maturing into an adult dog now and this will sometimes change things in her idea of the human pack structure. Because of situations like this, I recommend to spay or neuter all pets who are not intended to be breeding animals. It tends to keep them more even keel and generally exhibit less signs of aggression or dominance. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. No, this isn't normal behavior after spaying, and spaying doesn't cause aggression. It could be Clementine saw something at the vet that upset her, and she redirected her aggression at your other dog when she got home. I'd keep an eye on her for now, and if this behavior continues, I'd take her back into the vet. Best of luck.

This could be hormonal, and it's very serious Kira bit you in the face. I'd be very concerned about an aggressive dog around a baby. You should have her spayed, and get her into professional behavioral training.

If this is real aggression, you may need to separate them until after the heat cycle and hope for the best. Sometimes problems can persist beyond that. Typically, households with altered dogs will have a lot less conflict than households with intact dogs. There are many benefits to spaying and neutering and I recommend to discuss this with your veterinarian: https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/ Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.

Thanks for sharing your toe, however since we aren't human doctors there isn't much that can be done for that and you should visit your regular doctor. That said, if this is linked to your dog being in heat, keeping the two separated during her heat cycle may help reduce the behavior and prevent a fight from breaking out. Having your female spayed may also help reduce the aggressive behavior if it is related to her heat cycle as she will no longer have them. If the behavior continues to escalate, keeping the two dogs apart and speaking with a trainer in person is best so that they can address the issue and provide a more tailored plan. Picking up and keeping any and all toys, etc removed during this as well as feeding the dogs separately may also help reduce the behavior as well.

Bitches do not normally become quiet and depressed, or aggressive to family, because they are in season. I would have Fey checked by a vet to rule out any physical causes for this behavior first. If she is healthy, try to determine when it started, and if anything changed in your normal household routine at that time. She may be reacting to something she finds threatening or upsetting. You can click on the prompt to initiate a consult so we can discuss this in depth and work out a solution for you.

I'm sorry to hear Brandy is not acting like herself after surgery. If the surgery was recent (say within a week) she may seem aggressive because she is painful. If it has been longer than a week or so, the discomfort from the surgery shouldn't be an issue anymore. If you don't think the surgical pain is the issue, think about other changes that may have recently taken place that could make Brandy feel uncomfortable like a new pet in the household or neighborhood or a lot of visitors or children in the home. We could always set up a consultation to talk more and try to figure out what is going on and a trip to the vet to make sure she is healthy is always a good idea.