 My 8 year old yorky has become nasty
Recently my 8 year old yorkie, Cookie has become nasty at times, sometimes when he is startled out of sleep, sometimes when he is being touched, although he is the one initiating the massage. We lost his companion, Gigi, a poodle mix to kidney disease about two months ago. She was in the house first but they generally got along unless he got stressed and then he would occasionally redirect his upset towards her. I will certainly take him to the vet to rule out anything physical which might be giving him pain but I am wondering if this could be a result of the change in dynamics in the house now since she is gone. I wonder if this is his way of trying to place himself as top dog since although she was older and weaker, I sometimes think she made him nervous. Could he possibly be grieving or unsettled since she's now gone? I should mention that I adopted him when he was 3 and his original owner was a male. He was very well trained and listens much better than my previous yorkie. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks. |