Hello,

I'm really worried. I've had my border collie dog since he was about 10 weeks old (he is now 14) and he has gradually become really vicious torwards me, my friends and my family. A while ago he bit my mum but we all thought it was just a one off, however yesterday a few of my friends (who he has known since he was a puppy and always been okay with, he usually lets them stroke him/etc..) came round and we all went to the local park with my dogs, however my dog attacked me and when my friend tried to stop him, attacked him too. I got a massive cut on my leg from the dog and my friend has two massive cuts. We're all unsure what to do about him, i'd feel so guilty about having him put down but i'm worried that he'll attack someone much more vunerable. Does anyone have any advice what to do?

Why does he bite? is he scared? Is he aggressive over food?

This would be better over in pets as some of the posters there give really good advice.

Oh, I didnt realise there was a pet section - Shows how long since i've been on ds. Is there anyway i can move it?

He can be aggressive sometimes - he bit my mum a while ago and sometimes growls at people for no reason, but his never been as vicious as he was yesterday.

Is it possible he could be unwell in any way.

Could be something minor bothering him that you have not noticed and could be something serious as well.

Have him checked over by the vet, warning the vet first to watch he does not lose an arm in the process

This will rule out anything medical before you look at anything else.

Maybe your dog is sick in some way, maybe with a brain problem or maybe he's in pain, or maybe he's not getting enough mental or physical exercise and is bored? Take him to see a vet as soon as possible?

I've asked the mods to move it, so hopefully someone will be along soon to help. A lot of the time you have to look at why he is being aggressive and what provokes him. Once you know that then you can work on a solution. He could be in pain, scared, feels threatened. Only once you know can you change why he does it. It may be that you will have to watch him closely for a few days and see what sets him off.

That was my initial thought too

I would get the dog checked out by a vet. Sounds like the dog has a brain tumor or could be in a lot of pain for another reason.

Have a check up at the vet.

There are a number of medical conditions that can cause aggression in previously non-aggressive dogs including conditions causing pain, thyroid problems, brain tumors and dementia. Even failing eyesight or hearing can affect the temperament of some dogs.

Some conditions can be successfully treated or managed, some can't.

If it is a condition that can not be treated then you have to consider the dog's quality of life. Feeling the need to bite is not a happy way to exist.

If no underlying medical condition can be found, it doesn't mean there isn't one but you might then want to look into a qualified behaviourist before taking the PTS option.

I've known an older dog - a collie/lab cross - start being aggressive to one of his owners. The behavioural route worked for them after ruling out medical conditions. And I have heard of dogs becoming aggressive that turned out to either have pain or thyroid problems that improved after treatment. So, as much as I am wary of getting your hopes up, there is a chance things could improve.

I know this must be very distressing for you and wish there was something I could say to comfort you.

Thank you all for the advice - I really appreciate it, i'll take him to the vet asap. I really hope its something that can be treated.

this is so sad. There could be many reasons from dementia to being in pain. I say dementia because if it can change humans from placid folk to mike tyson like it did with my grandad then whats stopping it from happening to our pets? How are his eyes and hearing? Maybe he's getting surprised and retaliating the only way he knows. I wish you well at the vets. Glad you.re going asap cos there's something wrong and you'll be worried til you get a vets opinion.

My friend had a border collie who had the most lovely temperament, however towards the end of her life she turned very aggressive and snappy due to being in severe pain with arthritis.
It does sound like your dog is ill and only a vet will be able to confirm this and hopefully with medication you'll have a few more years with her yet.
I wish you a happy outcome.x

One immediate thing occurs to me - before you get to the vet, make sure the dog is muzzled before you take him out. Won't solve the problem of aggression, but will make sure that he and you are safe and he can't attack a child.

I'm not saying that this is the case with your dog, but dogs can get canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) which is very similar to Alzheimers or dementia in humans & caused by the same factors, i.e. amyloid plaques building up in neural pathways in the brain. This can affect their reasoning, perception & therefore behaviour, as with humans. Cats can get it too.

However, it is usually the diagnosis of last resort for vets as there are so many other medical factors that can affect behaviour & these need to be ruled out first. CDS cannot be diagnosed with complete certainty until after death when an autopsy can reveal what is happening in the brain.

Before you go to the vet, I suggest that you write down everything that has happened so far, including where you were, who was there, what you were doing, what happened just before your dog got aggressive & what he was like immediately afterwards. This will help the vet understand what is going on with your dog. Also note down any other behavioural changes that you've noticed, like changes in sleeping patterns, feeding, exercise, toiletting etc as they could all be relevant to the diagnosis. Plus writing things down will help you get it clearer & will make it easier for you to remember things for the vet.

I hope that there's a happy outcome for your dog & that it is a relatively minor problem that can be helped with medication. Let us know how you get on.

my sisters ex had a collie and it attacked her and a couple of other people. it was always in the house when it happened, when people got up to leave. the vet said it was something to do with its natural rounding up instincts, and it also thought it was leader of the pack.

so it may have delusions of grandeur rather than be in pain. you may need to take the dog to a dog trainer and learn how to teach the dog it is the lowest of the low in the pecking order, then it wont try and lay down the law and iwll be happy to get on with people.

My friends JR became suddenly snappy, growling etc. Took him to the vet and it turned out he had a bad tooth. The tooth was extracted and he was back to his old self in no time.

Same thing happened with one of our cats. He was really crabby and snappy, and always biting people. Got his teeth taken out, and he's been a real pussy cat ever since!

The cats teeth were removed How does it eat ?

He's still got his fangs and incisors at the front, but not much else - he can do a lot with his gums, though! He's literally got no back teeth at all, but it doesn't seem to bother him.

Sounds like he's progressively been in pain with something. I'd agree with the vet check too. If they find nothing and it doesn't improve it would be best to put him to sleep if not only to prevent him from causing serious damage to someone - including you.

If it's dementia, Vivitonin tablets can help. 2 of my old doglets are on them and are much happier with them. It was more gloominess and standing staring that was their problem, they've never bitten anyone but dementia can manifest in many ways. Mine are all 14 too, btw.

any news yet?

Larf Bless !!

OP - i wish you well. It must be scary if a dog turns on you. As others have said, its always best to get things checked out if its completely out of character.