Dog Community

can alcohol (smell of) make a dog aggressive

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:11:03 PM

Here's the situation, I have a friend who with his live in girlfriend have rasied two (corgies?) dogs (male and female) since pups.
In the last couple of years, the male dog has bit the girlfriend 5 times. 3 of those 5 times the girlfriend was drunk. All 5 of those times, the boyfriend (my friend) was not present. There are no children in the house. The dog can't be older than 6 years.
So my question, is can the dog sense alcohol on the girlfriend and can this aggravate the dog and cause the behavior?

nyiceprincess

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:24:57 PM

The only time i have heard of this was with a dog that was abused by its owner when he was drunk.After the dog was rehomed he would get very upset when someone was drinking or even at the sight of a beer bottle.

jaimie walter

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:26:58 PM

I know it's a stretch of the imagination ... I just know a human can sense when another human is drunk and the behavior of a drunk: being louder, unsteady, unpredictable movements, a "heavier" foot/hand, etc. can cause uneasiness.

Angelique

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:27:01 PM

I'd say it was more likely the girlfriend's unstable behavior or inappropriate handling of the dog while she was drunk, which got her bitten.

I don't doubt that dogs who live in the constant, unpredictable, roller coaster world of people who drink do eventually learn to associate the smell of alcohol with unstable, inappropriate, and/or threatening human behavior.

jaimie walter

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:29:01 PM

So, if this behavior could be tied to drunken girlfriend ... is this "excusable" and "fixable"
(I'm not a big dog-knowledge person, so don't mind the poor use of adjectives here)

Angelique

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:38:14 PM

ORIGINAL: jaimie_walter

So, if this behavior could be tied to drunken girlfriend ... is this "excusable" and "fixable"
(I'm not a big dog-knowledge person, so don't mind the poor use of adjectives here)

Personally, I'd rather deal with a biting dog than a drunk. [8D]

Get rid of the booze and bring in a behaviorist, would be my recommendation. [

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willowchow

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:49:22 PM

So, if this behavior could be tied to drunken girlfriend ... is this "excusable" and "fixable"

Yeah, but only on the dogs part.

Angelique

Posted : 4/26/2007 9:55:58 PM

ORIGINAL: willowchow

So, if this behavior could be tied to drunken girlfriend ... is this "excusable" and "fixable"

Yeah, but only on the dogs part.

Good point! [

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Cita

Posted : 4/26/2007 10:14:47 PM

On the GF's part, not "excusable" but still "fixable."

It's hard to say about the dog. I strongly strongly recommend seeking a professional behaviorist - nobody will be able to really tell you whether or not your dog is dangerous unless they are well-trained and able to see your dog's behavior.

astaracheetah

Posted : 4/26/2007 11:16:38 PM

Eevee was put through physical and mental abuse when my dad and stepmom got drunk and beat the crap out of each other... now when I have a drink, she gets nervous/clingy and I have to reassure her...

Bullymom

Posted : 4/26/2007 11:54:42 PM

I very rarely drink. When I do have a drink, Rocky always has to check out what I'm drinking. He smells it, then he growls and snaps at the bottle. He has never bit me. He reacts the same way to spicey foods. I have never figured out why he does. My other dogs, love the smell of beer.[:'(] I usually have mixed drinks. The girlfriend might have gotten rough with the dog while she was drunk and caused this reaction.

spiritdogs

Posted : 4/27/2007 6:52:46 AM

ORIGINAL: willowchow

So, if this behavior could be tied to drunken girlfriend ... is this "excusable" and "fixable"

Yeah, but only on the dogs part.

Not true. Send the dog to a trainer, send the girl to AA. [

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