Hi, we have a 3 year old cavalier named Oliver He is the family baby! For the last 3 years he has been fantastic, he will shower anyone and everyone he meets with love and a waggy tail, he has never been aggressive not even towards other dogs its just not his nature.
However in the last few months he has started to growl.
Initially it was when he was asked to get down from say the bed or the sofa, but then more recently he growled at a relative, all she did was stroke him, yes he was lying on the sofa at the time but she didn't do anything she was just saying hello. When he was told off for this he growled even more. So for the last few weeks he hasn't been allowed on the sofa or the bed, but it seems so cruel.
Even though we had Oliver at 9 weeks old, he had already been castrated, at the time we were told by the breeder (who is recognised by the kennel club and classed as a good breeder) that the reason he was castrated was to try and eliminate risk of bad breeding by in experienced breeders and to keep things like heart lines clear in the breeding process. As we were never going to breed we didn't mind this we just wanted a nice family pet.
Now a lot of people are saying his new temper could be down to his testosterone levels being incorrect as they never had the chance to mature? What does everyone think about this and is there anything more we can do, we all absolutely adore him and would hate for him to snap at anyone and hurt them.
My parents have just had a baby tricolour and since my dad looks after Oliver in the day for a couple of days a week whilst I go to work so he is not home alone, he has spent quiet a lot of time with her. They get along really really well, but with his nature at the moment being so unpredictable we feel the need to watch them for every second just in case he turns.
However in the last few months he has started to growl.
Initially it was when he was asked to get down from say the bed or the sofa, but then more recently he growled at a relative, all she did was stroke him, yes he was lying on the sofa at the time but she didn't do anything she was just saying hello. When he was told off for this he growled even more. So for the last few weeks he hasn't been allowed on the sofa or the bed, but it seems so cruel.
Even though we had Oliver at 9 weeks old, he had already been castrated, at the time we were told by the breeder (who is recognised by the kennel club and classed as a good breeder) that the reason he was castrated was to try and eliminate risk of bad breeding by in experienced breeders and to keep things like heart lines clear in the breeding process. As we were never going to breed we didn't mind this we just wanted a nice family pet.
Now a lot of people are saying his new temper could be down to his testosterone levels being incorrect as they never had the chance to mature? What does everyone think about this and is there anything more we can do, we all absolutely adore him and would hate for him to snap at anyone and hurt them.
My parents have just had a baby tricolour and since my dad looks after Oliver in the day for a couple of days a week whilst I go to work so he is not home alone, he has spent quiet a lot of time with her. They get along really really well, but with his nature at the moment being so unpredictable we feel the need to watch them for every second just in case he turns.