What is this I hear that Labradoodles are dangerous?
I read something about a week or two ago about labradoodles having thyroid problems that cause them to eventually turn on their owners. Have you heard about this?
The story I heard on the news said something about both breeds being prone to hypothyroidism that is MORE prevalent in the mix. This decease has symptoms that include mental dullness, mood swings, and disorientation which will cause the dog to get confused and attack it’s owner!
Can this become more dangerous than the bully breeds? What should we do??
DUDE THERE NOT! I have 6 goldendoodles and they are harmess and they are almost the same as labradoodles. Don’t listen to the news its a bunch of baloney They lie on stuff. Never listen to them!
My Smart Puppy: Cutting Puppy Nails / Hypothyroid / Separation Anxiety
Tell me, does this describe your dog? Whenever somebody comes to your door, your dog puts on a big show of barking and acting brave, but all the time he’s backing up. If a stranger approaches him, he’ll run off to a safe distance, all the while regarding the interloper with mistrust and suspicion. These are signs of fear aggression in dogs.
If you don’t deal with this problem now, it will only get worse as your dog gets older. In this article, we’ll take a look at what causes this type of aggressive behavior in dogs, and what to do about it.
Causes of Fear Aggression In Dogs
One of the main causes of this kind of canine aggression is a lack of socialization when your dog was younger. If your dog doesn’t have lots of opportunities to interact with unfamiliar people and other dogs when he’s between the ages of three and twelve weeks, he’ll have a hard time trusting people and dogs he doesn’t know.
Unfortunately, another reason for this fearful behavior is that your dog was abused at some point in his life. It takes a lot of love and time to overcome fearfulness in an animal that has been abused.
Some breeds of dogs, including herding breeds, are more prone to developing fearfulness. This aggressive dog behavior tends to run in certain breed lines, too.
Hormonal imbalances may be a factor. A dog with borderline hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormones) may be anxious and fearful. Thyroid treatment is helpful in these cases.
Will This Type of Fearful Canine Aggression Go Away On Its Own?
Unfortunately, no. A fearful dog may learn that he can intimidate people by barking at them. Once he figures out that this works very well, his behavior will get worse, especially around people who are scared of dogs anyway.
A dog may be so successful in hiding his fearfulness with a veneer of aggression that it’s hard to tell that the fear is what’s driving his bad dog behaviors.
How Can I Train A Dog With Fear Aggression?
A reward-based technique is usually the best way to deal with aggressive behavior in dogs that’s caused by fear. If your dog doesn’t like people, you need to figure out how to teach him that this stranger really does like dogs, and if you dog gets close to him, he’ll give your pup a treat.
You need a volunteer for this, someone who’s very patient with dogs. Have your friend sit in a chair and scatter dry food around it. Your dog can get close or back off if he wants. Sooner or later, you dog will come close enough to get the food.
The next time, have your friend hold the kibble in his hand. Be patient and let the dog come to him to get the treat. Don’t pay any attention to the dog if he’s acting fearful. If you punish him or reassure him when he’s behaving aggressively out of fear, you’re just rewarding this bad dog behavior with your attention. When and if the dog comes and gets the food, that’s the time to praise him.
You can see that dealing with fear aggression in dogs can be a long and difficult process. A good dog training course can be a very helpful guide when working with a fearful dog. You’ll want to look for one that includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.
About the Author
Darlene Norris worked at a vet clinic and an animal shelter, and has had lots of experience with dogs. Visit her new website, No More Bad Dogs, to learn more about fear aggression in dogs. Discover which dog training course she recommends at http://NoMoreBadDogs.com
My pooch was just diagnosed with hypothroidism and we started her on a replacement drug tonight. How long will it take to notice a difference? How long until she’s some what back to normal? Any experiences much appriciated. Thanks in advance.
I have actually seem improvements already. It’s amazing, she’s got a spark of her old self back!
It can take months to see changes…the changes will be gradual, but hypothyroidism drugs help almost 100% of the dogs they are given too, so things should get better.
Cutest dogs on the planet: Winston the English Bulldog and Ace the White Boxer 3/11/10
I am a dog parent and pride myself on my knowledge of canine health and disorders. I have had dogs with hypothyroidism and cancer and many other illesses in between. However, I have been doing alot of research and have been talking with my vet, and it seems that it is being discovered that some vaccines might actually be harmful to dogs. I am not at all saying not to get your dogs vaccinated, as I get my dogs vaccinated every single year. I am just wondering which ones are absolutely necessary. I have read that it all depends on where the dog lives, but I can’t seem to decide which ones to eliminate. Will I really be harming my dog if I continue to give him all of the vaccinations? I don ‘t want him acquring autoimmune disorders, but I also don’t want him to get a disease that I could have prevented.
Serious answers only please.
Good question. I have had a number of dogs have varying reactions to vaccines at the injection point. Some breeds have warnings not to mix vaccines together.
You can look into vaccine titer tests which shows how your dog has maintained antibodies. It isn’t perfect but it gives you more information. You may not have a choice in vaccines such as for rabies as you have to have that in most (maybe all) places.
Here’s more specific info:
http://chetday.com/dogvaccine.htm
I also think it’s worth looking into those monthly flea/tick treatments. IMO, unless your dog has fleas and is out in the woods in tick-infested areas, I would stop using them.
None of my dogs (or cats) ever used them and they’ve never had more than a flea or tick or two on them.
