Any advice would be very appreciated.

A lot of things can cause a dog to become aggressive. It's hard to say whether or not this was a temporary lapse triggered by something specific, or if there's a change in aggression level happening.

If you're willing to give it some time, that's the only way you'll really be able to judge his behavior. Keep in mind though, if he does it again, you DEFINITELY have a problem. You definitely need to proceed with caution, especially in situations that could be potentially stressful to him.

If he is becoming aggressive, as heartbreaking as it might be, you may need to put him to sleep.

As strange as it may be, dogs can have drastic personality changes, even later in life. My cousin had a dog that she raised from a puppy. Always a big love. I swear, this dog was HUGE, weighed a solid 60lbs, but thought he was a lap dog. He was like a big teddy bear. They would have NEVER guessed he could be aggressive. He'd always been FABULOUS around kids, stress, loud noises, food, etc. Never showed ANY signs that he might be aggressive. Great disposition. Then, shortly after he turned 6, he had a complete switch. They don't know what caused it really, but it was nearly instant, he had NO patience, and was very aggressive towards anyone and everything. What put them over the edge is that he bit her kid. They had always been buddies (the dog and the kid), and the dog had always been great with her, let her lay on him, let her pull his ears, never complained even with a growl. Something snapped though.

You'd be surprised. Again though, its possible something just "hi a nerve" so to speak, and it was just a temporary lapse in behavior. However, there is a real possibility that he might be developing aggression. Again, just be cautious.

Hope this helps!
CrackerJax

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CrackWaffles
-Molly/17-
Message me for my AIM, MSN & Yahoo

I am going to probably call the vet and have him checked for anything unusual anyway, but thank you so much for responding and giving me some advice.

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This is helpful because I was really upset with him at the time, but I have calmed down. Both of my dogs wear choke collars and he (the biter) had gotten out of the fence because he hates being outside. Well after I tried to get him to go back out and grabbed his collar, he latched onto my arm. He hates his collar and he knows it's punishment, but he hardly ever gets it pulled because he so mild mannered. It's not a nasty bite, but it caught me off guard and made me angry so I yelled at him to get out. The second time I reached, and grabbed at the collar he did it again. He did make it out the back door, but I was so mad at this point I just slammed the door. I didn't realize my arm was bruised and puffy until I calmed down and felt it hurting just a little. I know that dogs will attack when they feel threatened and maybe that's why because he knew I was going to pull his collar. But him wearing the collar was part of his training, we didn't get it just to yank them around all of the time. We very rarely have to use it because he is so well behaved.

I am going to probably call the vet and have him checked for anything unusual anyway, but thank you so much for responding and giving me some advice.

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No problem. From the sound of it, the combination of the tension level and the fact that you startled him a bit by grabbing him caused him to react. It seems like it was more reflex, rather than intentional aggression.

I'll warn you, if you report a dog bite to the vet, depending where you are, they CAN be legally bound to report it. If a dog bite is reported, you're not going to have a choice but to put him down.

If anything, just take him for a normal check up. Dogs should have that yearly anyway.

They make good alternatives to choke chains now, and they're actually a lot more effective.

One of my dogs is impressively strong for her size. She came fully trained when we got her, to the point that if she's outside off leash, and her ball goes in the street, she will SIT and WAIT at the curb, without being told. Won't go in the street. Her one training fault is proper leash walking.

We use halties. Don't be fooled, it's NOT a muzzle, and it's actually quite loose. They can pant, bark, open their mouth, everything. The idea is that if they pull, it turns their head, and since they don't like that, they don't pull.

We've also used the one below. It pulls back on their chest if they pull, which prevents pulling. And they're happier because its not pulling on their neck.

Hope this helps!
CrackerJax

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CrackWaffles
-Molly/17-
Message me for my AIM, MSN & Yahoo

Thanks for the information about reporting a bite, I won't do that! It is time for their regular checkup, so maybe it will come out fine and I don't have anything to worry about. I also talked with a trainer and maybe he needs a refresher course because we didn't work with and train the new dog as much as we did with the one I'm having the problem with and he's been picking up some of his habits. Like I said before, I really love my dogs and I don't know what I would do if something happened one of them, so I really and truly appreciate this information you have given me, thank you so much!

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Oh wow, that is really nice! I will check for these next time I am in Petsmart.  

Thanks for the information about reporting a bite, I won't do that! It is time for their regular checkup, so maybe it will come out fine and I don't have anything to worry about. I also talked with a trainer and maybe he needs a refresher course because we didn't work with and train the new dog as much as we did with the one I'm having the problem with and he's been picking up some of his habits. Like I said before, I really love my dogs and I don't know what I would do if something happened one of them, so I really and truly appreciate this information you have given me, thank you so much!

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No problem. And yes, Petsmart offers both of those. (They offer training classes too.   ). Really, your dog will be happier, and in all honesty, they actually disobey less in terms of leash walking. We used to use choke chains, and all it really did was upset the dog, and she pulled anyway. All she did was end up choking herself. These are kind, they don't hurt them at all (if you notice, on the second one, the straps under their legs are actually covered in a fuzzy cloth to prevent irritation!), and they're significantly more effective. Petsmart actually encourages the use of haltis in their training classes.

No problem. If he bites someone else, you kind of have to report it. If it's just you and you want to see if you can figure out what's up, that's a personal choice between you and your dog.

Refresher courses, even if its just basic level training are great. And like you said, dogs pick up each others habits. New training is a great way to nip the bad habits.

I totally understand the feeling. We had to put one of our dogs down a few months ago after he bit my friend. He was a fear biter, and had long term issues. It's heartbreaking really. Even out other two dogs felt it, they moped for quite a while.

Anyway, good luck, I hope everything works out.  

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CrackWaffles
-Molly/17-
Message me for my AIM, MSN & Yahoo