Why is my 7-year-old Westie suddenly aggressive and unpredictable?

I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem! If this has been a fairly sudden behavior change for Elsa, the first thing I would suggest would be to have her examined by a vet to see if there may be a medial reason for the aggression - many illnesses including thyroid problems and neurologic issues can cause sudden mood swings and behavior changes like this, as well as anything that may be painful such as an injury of some kind, arthritis, etc. If your vet determines that Elsa is healthy, then I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist as the next step. Aggression towards humans is a serious and complex behavior issue that needs to be handled by a professional who can work with your dog in person. The behaviorist will evaluate your dog and help you determine what is triggering the aggression, then put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Poor Reggie! It's unusual to see aggression appear this late in life without an underlying medical cause, so I would be very concerned that something may be wrong. Reggie may be feeling sick or in pain for some reason, or he may have a neurologic problem such as a brain tumor causing this out-of-character behavior. I would recommend taking Reggie to the vet for a full exam and diagnostic work-up to help determine what may be causing him to act this way. Depending on what the underlying problem is, it may be treatable with medication.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Mylah and her apparent aggression. Aggression problems can be very complicated and complex. One thing you should do initially is take her to your veterinarian and let them make sure that she is healthy and that nothing appears wrong medically. Pain, etc can bring about aggression and irritability problems. Once the medical check is cleared, then you can discuss with your vet exactly what is going on behaviorally. Your veterinarian may want to refer you to a certified trainer or animal behaviorist to try to sort out what is triggering the aggression. I see she is spayed so we can rule out irritability/aggression associated with her heat cycles. I wish you the best of luck with little cutie Mylah.

Oh dear! That is a worry for sure! It's really important that you don't get hurt, because dog bites can be pretty serious. I would suggest making an appointment with your vet to talk about possibilities. They might be able to link you up with a behaviorist, or dog trainer that could help a lot. There also could be medications that might help. Or, like you said, there could be a medical problem that is upsetting him.

Poor Ariel! A sudden change in behavior could be due to a medical illness; for example, if she is having accidents all over the house, that could be due to a UTI or bladder stones. I would take her into the vet in the morning. The vet can do a physical exam, routine blood tests, and a urinalysis to see if there is a medical cause behind her sudden change in behavior. If a cause is found, the vet can prescribe an appropriate treatment for it.

Since this sounds like a sudden change I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out a medical problem first. It is possible that he is painful somewhere and is reacting this way due to pain. I would try not to pick him up until you can see a vet, or wrap him in a thick towel before picking him up. If he seems healthy, you can then discuss what could be causing this behavior with your vet or your vet could refer you to a local animal behaviorist.

Many times when dogs get older they get arthritis and they hurt so that is why they get grumpy. I suggest you have her to your vet for an exam. If she has pain somewhere the vet can prescribe medications to make her feel better.