So this is a strange one… we adopted a female red heeler mix – she’s about a year old and we’ve had her for 3 months. So far, she’s been super sweet with people, doesn’t bark or growl at anyone and the only behavior issues we’ve had are aggression towards other dogs. About a week ago, my bf went to leave for work and I was still in bed. He bent down to kiss me like he always does, and she barked and lunged at him. This was not in a playful way – her body language and pitch were different. We thought maybe she was just surprised and wrote it off, but it’s been happening every day since. Sometimes I leave before my bf and he’s still sleeping – she also lunged at me when I went to kiss him goodbye. This morning, he bent down to grab a book off the floor that was next to the bed and she almost bit him. So to recap:
It’s only been happening for the past week. We have no idea why it started.
It’s definitely aggressive which is new for her.
It’s only in the morning and only if we lean over the bed. (I’ve come home to my bf sleeping in the afternoon and she’s sleeping next to him wide awake, and lets me kiss him no problem. This was the same day she tried to bite me in the am for doing the same thing.
She’s very hyper in the morning. Ready to play, barks and nuzzles to get us up.
My best guess is she’s upset that we’re leaving. My bf was home all day with her for the first few months but recently went back to work. But the aggression isn’t ok and I don’t know for sure what’s triggering it or how to proceed. We do have a trainer we’re working with, but wanted other thoughts.
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