My 8 month old puppy went in for a check up at the vet and he was fine until she tried to use the stethoscope on him and he started growling and almost snapped at her. She didn’t proceed with the appointment just to be safe (he is already 80 lbs at 8 months so not a little puppy to mess around with). They gave us gabapentin and trazodone to give him the night and day before bringing him back in.
He has shown some signs of aggression when he has a high value treat (bone, yak chew) but we have been working on that with “Drop” and giving him treats when he does/give him treats when he take the high value item away from him. He has gotten a lot better already and has already started guarding less.
The only other time he freaked was at a nail trim. He had two before and just sat there and let them trim all his nails, didn’t even growl or try to pull his paw away. But the third time, he lost his mind as soon as they grabbed his paw and made such a feral growl that I’ve never heard a dog make in person. Luckily no one was hurt by him.
Any thoughts/advice on why he got so aggressive when the tools came out?
Again, before he was off his leash in the room, going up to the vet and vet tech for pets and giving them kisses on their hands. It was a complete 180 out of nowhere. But he is only going to get bigger so I don’t want this to be an issue that gets worse or goes beyond the vet office.
submitted by /u/Hot_Hoof
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