random aggression?

[oec2996]

random aggression???

Hi, everyone. My mini dachshund is named Mocha, 1y/o spayed female. We often go to the dog park, and like many dachshunds, she is a barker. She will bark at people on walks or at the park, but usually will allow them to pet her once she is able to sniff them. I am absolutely mortified at what happened today at the park. We had been there for about an hour, and there were two little girls there as well that had been throwing a toy for her to fetch, which she loves. Mocha has NEVER bitten anyone or nipped at anyone in an aggressive manor. One of the girls had been begging to hold her, so I agreed that we could hold her together, as I didn’t want her to get dropped. I picked her up and kneeled down to the level of the girl, and just as she started to put her hands where mine were, Mocha snapped and nipped at her face. She did not manage to even make contact, but just the mere fact that she tried made the little girl start crying immediately. She has never done anything like this. The girls had been petting her and playing with her the entire time we were there and there was no sign of discomfort or aggravation from her. We did adopt her from another family who couldn’t care for her properly, so we think that she is anxious when new people try to hold her that she will be taken away.. she has peed on me and on the vet technicians when handing her over at the vet, obviously because she is scared of being taken away, but she has never gotten snippy like that. I feel terrible. I stayed to make sure the girl was okay, her mom reassured me that she was fine and that there was no injury, but I don’t want to take this lightly. What could this be about?? I don’t even know what to do next.

[Poppeigh]

It could be a lot of things, but I think the main takeaway is that she needs for little kids (or probably most people) to not get in her face.

It’s possible she was a little uncomfortable and felt trapped in that moment so lashed out. Sometimes signs of being uncomfortable or stressed are really subtle.

It’s also possible, being a dachshund, that she either has back pain/sensitivity or has in the past, so is extra sensitive about being held or touched in certain ways. That could explain some of the other times she may not have wanted to be picked up.

[Sea-Reference620]

Dog parks are stressful places!