Question
We took a foster dog 4 days ago and he's been a bit depressed, not eating nearly enough, no matter what food we give him, but all in all he is very calm and quiet. He's trained and does tricks, not violent even to cats. Slowly he's started to play with us and get close to us.
Hes a mixed shepherd, about 40 kilos, 4 years old and was taken to the dog house a few days before we started to foster him.
Today we took him to a coffee hose (no the first time) and people came up to pet him (not the first time either) and suddenly out of nowhere he attacked them in a violent way we've never seen before. No damage was done but he bit the guy's pant's and made a little bit of a scene.
A few questions:
- Any idea why this might happen?
- Are we to expect more reactions like this out of nowhere?
- How to react to this behavior
- Can we see this coming?
- More importantly - we were considering adopting him after the foster time is over and we're having second thoughts, is there any way we can know if he is dangerous to us?
Right now we're a bit scared of him, not because of the reaction itself but because it was so sudden and unexpected.
Answer
Because this is a foster dog, you should contact the shelter/rescue you are fostering for. They are ultimately liable for the dogs behavior and may want try different solutions, like having him foster with someone else.
Tell them what is going on, their response could be anything from helping you work through the behavior to trading him for a different dog for you to foster.
Answered By - James Jenkins