Why is my younger dog attacking my older dog at night while sleeping?

I hate to hear that about Cooper. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety , resource guarding or a combination. Pets can also shift around within the pack hierarchy. Being overly aggressive may be a sign that Cooper is uncomfortable in his current pack role. Unless you are very familiar with reading canine body language and training, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say before a bite happens. You can find many books written on the topic. One thing you can do at home is to give Cooper (and all the dogs would benefit as well), lots of exercise, routine and structure. A physically tired dog typically has less behavioral issues. Dogs also tend to thrive in a controlled environment. This can be a tough situation. You may want to separate the dogs any time you are not home to avoid injuries. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This is pretty bad. I would get your younger dog into a professional behavioral expert as soon as possible to deal with this aggressive behavior. I would keep them separated at all times to keep your older dog safe.

Yes, this sounds normal. Some dogs do not like to be bothered when they are sleeping and just need time away from other pets (or even other people!). I would recommend that you allow your older dog to have a space away from the puppy for sleeping - you may also try crate training both of them to keep them safe when you are away. Growling is a way for dogs to communicate, and hopefully the puppy will start to understand soon!

Ditties is young and being bratty. Play with him a lot with toys and try a laser pointer to get him tired. He probably has extra energy and wants to play with Guy. I would also go ahead and get Dittles neutered as this will help calm him down. Until Dittles gets a little older you may want to separate him when Guy is sleeping. They should become great friends over time so be patient. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

It is probably a territorial/hormonal problem which could be resolved eventually by spaying her. Try to observe them and see when that happen and try to avoid the situation ( for example over food = feed them separately and so on).

Ruby is probably trying to become top dog as she senses that Annabelle is getting older. I would separate them to eat, and monitor them more in the yard. This can be an isolated incident or it may become serious. I reprimand Ruby if she is acting aggressive, hopefully when she is just starting. I find competing for toys and food makes this behavior worse so eliminating those things to fight about should help. Also make sure you pay attention to both. If Ruby seems aggressive I separate them and put Ruby in a crate until she calms down. While this is natural behavior it can be bad so please protect Annabelle. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Annabelle and Ruby.

Hello, sorry to hear about your pups. It sounds like your younger one has some possessive aggression towards your older dog. Even if the biting isn't harmful now, it is a sign of potential aggression which can eventually escalate to something more serious. It sounds like this is triggered by you, treats and toys. There may be other things that can also trigger this behavior such as their food, a certain couch, bed, etc... This may be a difficult behavior to modify, but here are some facts and hints about aggression and how to manage it. Hope this helps and best of luck. Introduction Aggression is a common problem faced by many dog owners. It is commonly misunderstood to be based in dominance. In actuality, there are various reasons that dogs can react aggressively. Most commonly these acts are based in fear or anxiety. This handout, will attempt to help you differentiate whether your dog’s aggression is based in dominance or another stimulus, like fear or possession. However it is not meant to replace visits and discussions with your veterinarian. Common types of aggression • Fear aggression: Many commonplace human behaviors are threatening gestures to dogs, but their reactions are often times very subtle and easily missed by most people. Anything that can cause your dog to feel distressed or uneasy can illicit an aggressive reaction. Such things include: sustained eye contact, pressure over the top of the head, lifting the dog, bending over the top of a dog, certain force-based training techniques, or trying to take something of high value away from the dog. • Territorial aggression: Dogs can react aggressively when a person comes into an area that it regards as its home. There is often a basis of anxiety in dogs that have territorial aggression. • Possessive aggression: When aggression is directed toward a person that the dog views is approaching something of high value (food, toys, family members). • Redirected aggression: When the dog is frustrated by the inability to reach an object or person that elicits its aggression and instead acts aggressively toward a person that is within reach. • Dominance aggression: True dominance aggression is very rare. Most often aggressive acts are based out of another type of motivation. Usually what is assumed to be dominance aggression is actually based out of fear or anxiety. What is your dog’s motivation for its aggression? It is important to watch the body posture of your dog during a time of aggression to determine the underlying emotional state of the dog causing the aggression. Here are some examples of what to look for: Fearful or submissive postures • Avoiding eye contact • Lowered head and tail • T ense body posture • Ears to the side, back or down • Horizontal lip retraction • Licking lips • Yawning • Crouched body posture • Moving slowly or freezing • Submissive urination Dominant postures • Sustained eye contact • Ears erect and forward • Vertical lip retraction • Forward-leaning body posture