My dog bites my husband but not me. Why is she aggressive towards him?

Question

Hi! Our dog Snowden is a 13 year old Husky/wolf mix. My husband has had her for 12 years, she was adopted by him by his neighbor when she was 1 year old. Snowden has bitten my husband's hand several times over the past 12 years. She has bitten him hard enough to draw blood. She has never been mistreated by anyone. My husband spoils her rotten! Snowden has never bitten me. She has bitten strangers, trying to pet her. We don't allow anyone to pet her now. Why would Snowden bite my husband? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 15 years and 4 months old | 80 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Hi there. It would help to have more information about what kinds of situations these bites have occurred in, in order to hazard a guess about what might have caused them. Common triggers for owner-directed aggression include grooming or body handling (including nail trims, etc.), grabbing the collar, physically attempting to push or pull the dog off of something, disturbing the dog while she's resting, or approaching while she's eating or when she has a high-value item such as a rawhide or something stolen from the garbage. Dogs bite in these situations because they feel threatened and want to be left alone. It's not unusual to see this behavior directed towards some family members and not others. An in-person consultation is usually required to determine why this might be. If this is something you want to try and address, I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Snowden in person and help you put together a detailed plan to improve her behavior. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org

My dog bites my husband but not me. Why is she aggressive towards him?

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