# Acting Strange After Vacation



## Kimburlee_Lynn (Jul 26, 2018)

Hello!


I was hoping someone could help me out. My husband and I have a 11 month old golden retriever named Bodhi. We recently went on a trip to California and Colorado and brought him. I had to fly home earlier, to go back to work and my husband was with Bodhi for about a week and a half without me. 


When they got home, Bodhi was really excited when he initially saw me. About a half hour later, I asked him to sit and started petting him, as I always do. He started growling at me. A mean, snarling type of growl. I asked my husband to come over, and he still kept doing it. He also seemed like he was scared of me when I would walk by- he was just looking at me strangely. The next day, he seemed better. Or so we thought. The day after that I got home from work, and he came to greet me as usual- all seemed well. My husband was outside cutting the grass and once again I went over to Bodhi to pet him. This time he snarled and snapped on me. And not playfully. Luckily he missed me- but it was pretty alarming.


He also growled at my mom when she tried to pet him a different day.


I am hoping after awhile he will go back to normal- but I am not sure what I should be doing if anything. He has done some snarling in the past- some resource guarding (mostly with treats like Kongs). But he has never snapped at anyone like that just for petting him. I also wanted to note I have been gone for a week before, and when I got home he was fine. I am not sure if all the traveling and staying other places got to him this time or what. 


Also want to note that he has always been closer with my husband, as he is home more with him. He works close to our house and is usually the one letting him out during the day and feeding him.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I don't really know anything about this but I will bump it back up with some speculative ramblings. It sounds scarey. I wonder if it was an air snap rather than a missed bite. A dog will do an air snap when it is in pain or is giving a warning. Maybe you should be the one to feed Bodhi for awhile and do some training with treats and take him on walks or play fetch/frisbee. If it continues I would try to get a behaviorist to come. It seems very abnormal to me for Golden behavior.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Time for a thorough vet check. He may be hurting somewhere.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

hotel4dogs said:


> Time for a thorough vet check. He may be hurting somewhere.


I agree, this was my first thought, he must not be feeling well or is in a lot of pain.


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## Mirinde (Jun 8, 2011)

Vet vet vet vet. And if that doesn't resolve anything, escalate to a veterinary behaviorist and/or a neurologist and/or both. Any sudden personality change, especially in the form of aggression, calls for immediate vet care. Lots and lots of dogs resource guard and never escalate to human aggression so I wouldn't assume that just because he resource guards that this is normal for him. 

Were there any similarities between your petting incident and your mom's petting incident (was he sitting both times, potentially indicating hip pain, were you both petting him in a particular area, etc.)? Ear infections, hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and tooth pain should be investigated. 

What's his body language like outside of these incidents? On average, are his ears relaxed or pinned back? Is he panting, yawning, or licking his lips or paws more frequently? Tail position changes? 

I would recommend looking into calming signals, watching the videos here: https://doggonesafe.com/Speak_Dog, and reading this article Great Photo of ?Hard Eye,? & What to Do When You See It . Use these tools to pay close attention to his body language and prevent any escalation until you can see your vet. Remember not to scold him for displaying any of these signs, you do not want to cut off his ability to communicate to you because that's how "unprovoked" bites happen. 

I would try to grab a video of the strange expression you're witnessing when you walk near him, but do NOT try to provoke him in order to get video. 

I see that this is your first post here so just for the sake of covering bases: if a vet or a trainer tries to tell you that you need to be more "dominant" over him or immediately suggests discipline, move on. Some dogs absolutely need a "balanced" training protocol but punishment should never be a first line treatment and only a qualified behaviorist or very experienced trainer can determine if, when, and to what degree your dog needs aversives. Most dogs are far too sensitive and most owners far too inexperienced to successfully and humanely use aversives.

Good luck!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

hotel4dogs said:


> Time for a thorough vet check. He may be hurting somewhere.



This was also my first thought. That he is reacting to or anticipating pain. I agree that a full vet exam is number one. And I would think about what Mirinde suggested - were you and your mother patting the same way, the same area of his body, anything at all in common?


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Did things get back to normal for Bodhi?


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