# Dog suddenly aggressive to my wife



## Natasha0b (Dec 27, 2017)

Hello, 

I'm new to this forum and in desperate need for help.
We have a 3 y/o German Shepperd who has suddenly started having aggressive behaviour to my wife.

For example, the first time it happened was I sat the dog in the living room while we went to eat in the dining room...Well suddenly half way through dinner the dog got up and ran towards her growling and barking quite aggressively...This happened once more before we finally had to move the dog else where. One time he did get up to her and he barked and growled right in her face before moving him off her.

This happened the next night as well while playing a board game with the family...he only went after my wife.

Now third night in a row, this time we were sitting on the couch and he jumped up (which normally he is not allowed to do) but we were petting him and so was my wife. He seemed happy and enjoyed the pats when suddenly he turned on her again. Growling and barking aggressively...i got him away from her and he was pulling as hard as he could towards her.

I also noticed over the past month he has been what appears as aggressively smelling her...to the point where he presses his nose so hard against he ends up pushing her around. I'm aware this isnt "smelling" I just dont know how to describe it.

We have been working with a professional trainer since we recieved him, as he has always been a vocal and dominant dog. However we really seemed like we were making progress up until these events. Now the events of him running up to her growling and barking have only occurred the last 3 days.

Any insight what's going on?


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

Have you had the dog since he was a puppy?
Are you both working with the professional trainer?
What kind of training and what techniques are being used?
Any more family members or just you and your wife?
Who takes him for walks and who spend how much time with him?
Is your wife scared of him?
What does the trainer say about this behavior?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Anything medically going on with your wife? Pregnant? Diabetic? Blood Pressire?Etc?


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Does the wife do something to him when you are not there?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

When ever there is a sudden change in a dog's behavior, I always recommend a vet examination including a full thyroid panel. This may just be a training issue, but I like to rule out health issues first.


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## GandalfTheShepherd (May 1, 2017)

Check up for the dog and the wife should be in order...


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## Natasha0b (Dec 27, 2017)

Evohog said:


> Have you had the dog since he was a puppy?
> Are you both working with the professional trainer?
> What kind of training and what techniques are being used?
> Any more family members or just you and your wife?
> ...


We've had him since we are a puppy...
We are both working with the professional however i am primarily doing it more
The trainer has recommended my wife start taking him for walks and being more present in the training. He thinks I might be a dominance issue but i dont know that that is the case. Because he'll get up out of no where from another room and run barking and growling towards her.
She's not scared of him, but the incident was definitely scary for her.

There is one more family member here, home from school. My daughter has had no issues with him, hes been perfect around her and she was present for two of the three incidents.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Is the wife taking part in the training too? If she is not, it could be the dog has learned to respect the husband, but not her. 

Both need to work with the dog.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

I am another who will say check up for *BOTH* dog and human.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Id check both too. And I'd find a better trainer


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

I'd start with the check up for *both* as well to rule out any medical issues.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

MY first thought was : pregnancy? My dog won't leave a pregnant mom alone (non- aggressive though)if I would let her. Does your wife come home with certain smells that can set off the dog?
If it were a medical issue I would expect her not focusing on just one person and show more abnormal (for the dog) behaviors. But have her checked out anyways and even your wife going for a physical; who knows what the dog knows. Your wife could now very well give off other signals due to the previous episodes, which can maintain this cycle of aggression, like focusing too much on the dog in order to be prepared for the next one.
It seems like a very scary situation.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I agree on a check-up for both dog and wife.

Find a better trainer, too. This is truly unacceptable behavior for a dog toward a family member and must be dealt with properly. I don't like an unpredictable aggressive situation. Predictable I can deal with, but this sounds random and weird. One guess would be the dog happens to catch a sniff of something that he considers really strange and when he does goes after the wife- hormones, or something else I don't know. 

But it's not something I'd let go for any length of time, I'd recommend getting to a different and more experienced trainer as of today. It really doesn't matter if the dog thinks something is off or weird, this aggressive response to needs to be stopped or controlled.


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## Brookito (Dec 6, 2016)

Hi there, thank you for Post.

I was curious if there was any update with your situation. As I am dealing with something similar?

Brooke


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## FlyboyZR1 (Sep 19, 2007)

Assuming there aren't any medical issues, you need to punish the dog for this behavior and make it very uncomfortable for the dog to attack your wife.


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