My 18 month old chow bit my son

[ryandl1]

My 10 year old son got off the bus yesterday. And for some reason when he bent down to pet Rigby he just snapped and bit my son in the face. 5 stitches above his eye. I cant figure out why no warning or anything. he has always shown nothing but love for my son. He also bit my wife about a month ago. My wife use to be a stay at home mom. She would baby him so bad. So now shes back to work and he is home alone all day. I wonder if its the sudden change in his surroundings or what? Because he has not shown aggression before. Because most of the time he is just a big baby. He is my 4th Chow any advise would be great.

[Cindy J]

I cannot say for certain... But whenever any of my dogs have a change in personality; such as suddenly becoming cranky. I rush them off to the vet for a check up. For instance; my female loves me to scratch her behind the ears. A few weeks ago she let out a low growl when I began rubbing her head. The vet was able to confirm that she had a yeast infection in her ears.

After you rule out any medical issues, I would then assess behavior issues. I am in favor of seeking outside help, especially with bite issues. Often a behaviorist can see body language and help work through issues that we might not notice.

We all love our pets and think of them as family, but I am worried about what could happen if you do not get help quickly. At out house, we have a very low tolerance of dogs putting teeth on people unprovoked.

Good luck... Keep us posted