Why is my dog aggressive only to me after her recent spay surgery?

A bitch spay is a big operation and it takes a dog a good while to settle from it due to the pain and anaesthesia. This could certainly have put her out of sorts. I would give her another week or so to settle and if she is no better then, it may be personality clash and would be best to speak to s behaviourist.

How long ago was it when she was spayed? If it was very recent, is she on pain meds? If not then I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian and see if they can put her on some type of pain medication. If it wasn't within the last week then it most likely has nothing to do with pain related to the spay and there may be something more going on which would require a vet visit and potentially a trainer. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

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.

Poor Ali! Since it sounds like her surgery was only about a week ago, I wouldn't be overly concerned about this behavior change - she is likely still somewhat sore from her surgery, and the fact that she is also not getting any exercise right now is probably making her more irritable than usual. I would expect her to return to normal within the next 7-14 days, once she's completely healed and back to her usual daily routine and exercise level.

I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing these issues with Hazel and Daisy. I believe a couple of possibilities could be occurring. Though only behaviors that will be affected by spaying are those that are under the influence of female hormones, it could be possible that they are both still undergoing hormonal changes and so they need time to adjust. The hormone changes can take up to a few months to stabilator. When everything is stablized, a dog's temperament, training, and personality, are related to genetics and upbringing, not hormones, so should not be affected. Neutering does not “calm” an excitable dog, and unless a dog is overfed or underexercised, there is no reason for it gain weight or become inactive. The undesired traits which are related to hormones such as sexual behaviours, aggression, and urine marking will change over the course of a few days to a few months. It is also possible that Hazel is possibly not healing well and still experiencing some pain or discomfort. I would try gently palpating her abdomen to see if you get any flinching nor pain reactions. A check-up with the vet to confirm she is not in pain would also be a good idea. Pain can be expressed through changes in mood, which are often outwardly viewed as aggressive behaviour. I hope that is helpful information and I wish you the best of luck with Hazel and Daisy.

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.