dog just growled at husband

[jhillj]

I have a 3year old boxer, graham. at night th dogs get cuddles on th sette, b4 bedtime. My hubby cuddled as usual, and he growled at him, he moved away. And cuddle him again. And graham snapped and growled again. And it was near his face. As soon as he had done it grahame got off th settee and came to.me I ignored him. It's out ov character and has never done it before . Looking at it, it mayb pain related. Heres a brief history. He was home bred, he was born 18hrs after the last live pup, we didnt no he was there, mum went for a wee and he popped out alive. He was a weak boy and at 5weeks turned out to have swimmers puppy syndrome. He went to vet at 3weeks with infection and not feeding well. At 8 weeks went bk to vets as not walking, was going to b pts but gave him a week, and he started to walk. At 18month diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia, ov which he swims fortnightly, physio every 6-8 weeks, cartrofen injection every 3 months. And when needed topped up with rymadol. His diet is raw. And vet checks every 3months. So possinly it cud b pain related. We also think there mayb brain damage, due to him bein 18hrs after last live born. And eye problems, but because he did it twice he knew who it was and mayb it could b pain.
anybody got any ideas

[Erica]

Hi, and welcome. You'll probably get more response if you post in the "Dog Training Advice" section.

A few things, though - I'd recommend you get him checked out by the vet. Often, sudden behavior changes can be caused by a medical condition. As thorough a check as you can get the vet to do would be beneficial - bloodwork, thyroid, prostate, and a good physical to check for any kind of pain.

Could you tell us more about his normal day? A detailed schedule can help us understand your dog better. What type and brand of food are you feeding him? Have there been any events that could have scared or hurt him in that area where he growled? Has he had a stressful life recently? A dog under stress may have a shorter temper than he would otherwise.

How was your husband cuddling him?

[jhillj]

Looking at it, it mayb pain related. Where do I start. He was home bred, he was born 18hrs after the last live pup, we didnt no he was there, mum went for a wee and he popped out alive. He was a weak boy and at 5weeks turned out to have swimmers puppy syndrome. He went to vet at 3weeks with infection and not feeding well. At 8 weeks went bk to vets as not walking, was going to b pts but gave him a week, and he started to walk. At 18month diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia, ov which he swims fortnightly, physio every 6-8 weeks, cartrofen injection every 3 months. And when needed topped up with rymadol. His diet is raw. And vet checks every 3months. So possinly it cud b pain related. We also think there mayb brain damage, due to him bein 18hrs after last live born. And eye problems, but because he did it twice he knew who it was and mayb it could b pain

[Suzette]

Sounds very likely, given your dogs health history, that pain is a factor here. But to get the best advice and thoughts from our experts, I would suggest you repost this in the Dog Training Advice section. It will be seen by more folks and you'll get more responses.