chrisnpat
Gurnee,Il
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About a month ago I changed my dogs Food From California Natural Lamb and rice low fat, to Cali. Nat lamb Grain free. They both are on meds twice a day so I feed them every 12 hrs, with a bowl of carrots in between. Thats it, they do not get anything else.
My dogs are acting so strange all of a sudden, They both have gotten so aggressive its almost like they are totally different dogs.
Nothing else has changed, and I will admit that we are not the best trainers around, but we were okay with that because both of the dogs were pretty calm. As cockers can be anyways, and I never had a problem controlling them.
Now all of a sudden, ex-specially Dudley, he's chasing cars as they go by, he's growing and barking at other dogs and people like he wants to take there heads off. Only thing I could do when he went after a car this morning, (and yes he was on a lead) was smack him in the rear-end hard enough to get his attention. I don't get it....
Now whats really weird is in the house they both almost act calmer than normal. But outside they both turn into red zone dogs.
I would have thought a grain Free food would have been good for them.
Tomorrow I intend on getting them back on the other food, but why would they act so weird like this all of a sudden??
Chris
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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How old are the dogs?
Maybe it is just wintertime, and they are not getting enough exercise running around the back yard?
Fred.
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PapPappy
Wilmington, NC
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Read the labels, see what is different in the formulas? This doesn't mean that it's the food...it could very well be as Fred suggested, that they are just suffering from "cabin fever".....and if they are fairly young, they may be "feeling their oats too!" (sorry, grain free  )
If they are aggressive towards people, or each other, then you may want to have them checked out by the Vet?
Bill & Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris / GS MJ
Dogs: Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie, Annie, Maggie, Tugger & Beau 
RIP: Cookie, Foxy & Gidget @ Rainbow Bridge.
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
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The Pets
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Code2High
One hour past Nowhere, CA
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What meds are they on and what for?
Liver issues can sometimes manifest in aggression. Steroids increase aggression. Blood sugar issues can result in aggression. Food has been found to affect behavior in susceptible kids, but I think that two dogs being affected in that specific way by the same food in the same house is a little unlikely.
Are they getting regular, structured walks? It is winter, and often winter weather discourages walking. Lack of activity can make them misbehave when you do take them out. Sometimes we just get a little lax and behvior deteriorates over time. Less exercise and less attention to discipline can produce a slow shift that you might not notice until it hits critical mass.
With all that being said if they have ongoing medical issues (which they do or they wouldn't be on meds) and you see a change in behavior, you want to have your vet give them a going over.
susan
You know, there's really quite a lot to be said for having your life turned upside down!
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Pawz4me
North Carolina
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My first thought is lack of exercise and/or training, not food. Although I checked and there is quite a large calorie difference -- 317 per cup in the low fat and 450 per cup in the grain free. So if you're feeding the same amount of the new food as you were of the old, they're getting significantly more calories. Maybe that's translating into more energy they need to burn off? But I think that's reaching.
Me and the DH
Two boys and two dogs (and two cats who prefer to stay home)
2008 Forest River Georgetown 350DS (bunkhouse model)
2001 Honda CR-V
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Check the label on both and compare!!
I switched to Great Life dog food. I have a seizure dog and a liver dog so fats and protein are of great importance as are a few other ingredients.
I originally had decided on the grain free version. Owner of specialty store swore they were both the same, exactly, just one doesn't have grain.
NOTHING further than the truth! Fat and Protein counts where waay off the charts on the grain free AND there were numerous ingredients that were added to the grain free that were not in the one that contained grain.
Read both labels on your dog food, most likely there are a LOT of ingredient differences between the same product, one with grain and one grain free as was with mine.
BTW. The brochures for Great Life have the 'wrong' ingredients listed for several of their brands. Brought it to their intention and they still have not corrected it. So read the bags before buying.
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
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dturm
Munster, IN
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Aggression with high protein diets
Do a google search and you'll find alot of subjective evidence and very sparce conclusive evidence. In practice, I have found that dogs with aggressive tendencies do better on lower protein diets.
Just a thought.
Doug, DVM
Doug & Sandy
Jill (9yr old Golden)& Charmin (15 yr old something)
Henry (non-camping cat)
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chrisnpat
Gurnee,Il
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You know I was thinking maybe it was the Fat difference, I don't have the labels anymore but they were eating low fat before and this grain free isn't low fat.
Susan they both have crystals in their urine and they take acid pills for that. So there's been no change there.
I do have to admit they don't get the exercise that they should, but that isn't nothing new, or hasn't changed any less than usual.
One thing I was thinking was Dudley used to act out when someone walked pass the patio window, I started using a squirt bottle of water on him to help control that, and now he is really good inside. Im wondering if maybe that behavior has now transferred to out side. Along with the extra protein and fat in his diet, maybe its just put him over the top. Guess he just can't control him self.
I am going to put them back on the Low fat food and see what happens. That was working well for both of them, but they kept licking their feet so I thought I would try the grain Free. Well now they both are acting a little more aggressive and they are still licking their feet. Guess I should have lefted well enough alone.
Thanks everyone for your comments, it is very nice to be able to come here and get advice when something is bothering you. Its nice to be a member of this forum.
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CatandJim
Tulsa, as in Oklahoma
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I changed to a "grain free" diet with Petey quite a few years ago. One of the brands I tried had a MUCH higher protein content. Neither he or Loppy got more aggressive (although I've heard that can happen) but they did start eating poop more... their own, the cats, rabbit poop, deer poop... you name it they sought it out. It was quite strange. Needless to say I changed them to another food. 
Changes in food should be done slowly and that makes it more of a hassle but it sounds like if that is the only thing that has changed it may be time to try something else.
My dogs are more restless in the winter months because we can't always spend a lot of time outside with them. I try to make up for it with playing with their toys inside and hiding things for them to "go find". I know restless isn't aggression but if yours are feeling restless some hide & seek might help keep them occupied.
Good luck.
Cat
(Jim just reads the forum once in a while)
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corgi-traveler
Bakersfield, CA
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By any chance are these dogs intact? Could their sudden aggression outdoors be due to a female in season in the neighborhood?
Samantha (the poster)
Tim, spouse and driver of the Corgi-Bus
Buddy, Diva, and Pippin - Pembroke Welsh Corgis
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