i think what i'd try ....

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Posted by iZ's mom on May 23, 2002 at 16:20:19:

In Reply to: I know....... posted by Sarah on May 23, 2002 at 15:17:14:

is to continue on as you have been ~ *NOT* backing down ... the 1st time you do, he "wins" ... :P (been there, done that!)

keep your arms *covered* ~ as in: wear a THICK sleeved-sweatshirt when taking care of him ... iZ lunged + bit me once when i just happened to be wearing *2* thick sweatshirts (had just gotten home + it was colllllld out ...) ... the look on his face when he got ZERO reaction from his bite to my forearm was priceless ... it also made it clear to him that biting wouldn't make me go away ... (even tho i hadn't planned it that way ... :) ) (that worked til his *next* season ...)

another thought ...
have heard that male ig's reach the *peak* of their seasonal aggression at the age of 5yo ... sounds like yours could be at about that age???
hopefully *maybe* this will just peak + be done soon???

(oh, i can feel the rambling thoughts coming ...)

go back to handling him *IF* that is what you've always done ~ just be VERY VERY careful and ALWAYS on-guard! the more he can make you "back off", the more it ends up "encouraging" him to act out ...

and *yes* i KNOW it's a heckuva lots easier to SAY that than to actually DO it ... (*encouraging smile*)

as the others have pointed out ~ igs are very sensitive to change ~ visual, scent, timing ~ you name it, it can really BUG them ... iZ used to throw a horrendous temper tantrum if/when my shirt smelled like baby grand-daughter ... that meant that he'd take a flying lunge at me with his mouth wide open, hissing ...

ok, here's yet another rambled thought ...
igs can be extremely jealous + possessive of THEIR humon! another time, we were dog-sitting my son's lab overnite and iZ pitched SUCH a fit that he got sent to his room ~ where he continued throwing such a fit that he gave himself a black eye!

make every attempt to continue with your routine with him ~ but be wary! try to notice if it's "worse" at all depending on what colors you're wearing ... or what "scent" ... the time of day matters too so be consistant as far as that goes ... does he like baths??? that was always iZ's favorite time and no matter how awful + aggressive he was being the rest of the time, bathtime calmed him down ...

and really, this part should've been FIRST ... but ...
if this was a sudden + drastic change in his personality, it could very well be that he is trying his best to tell you that "somethin's wrong" ... a trip to a good ig-vet wouldn't be a bad idea, just to make sure that it is "just" hormones and not pain/illness ...

*whew* i think i may have run outta stuff ...

good luck + best wishes!
Bon. (+ iZ)

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: is to continue on as you have been ~ *NOT* backing down ... the 1st time you do, he "wins" ... :P (been there, done that!) : keep your arms *covered* ~ as in: wear a THICK sleeved-sweatshirt when taking care of him ... iZ lunged + bit me once when i just happened to be wearing *2* thick sweatshirts (had just gotten home + it was colllllld out ...) ... the look on his face when he got ZERO reaction from his bite to my forearm was priceless ... it also made it clear to him that biting wouldn't make me go away ... (even tho i hadn't planned it that way ... :) ) (that worked til his *next* season ...) : another thought ... : have heard that male ig's reach the *peak* of their seasonal aggression at the age of 5yo ... sounds like yours could be at about that age??? : hopefully *maybe* this will just peak + be done soon??? : (oh, i can feel the rambling thoughts coming ...) : go back to handling him *IF* that is what you've always done ~ just be VERY VERY careful and ALWAYS on-guard! the more he can make you "back off", the more it ends up "encouraging" him to act out ... : and *yes* i KNOW it's a heckuva lots easier to SAY that than to actually DO it ... (*encouraging smile*) : as the others have pointed out ~ igs are very sensitive to change ~ visual, scent, timing ~ you name it, it can really BUG them ... iZ used to throw a horrendous temper tantrum if/when my shirt smelled like baby grand-daughter ... that meant that he'd take a flying lunge at me with his mouth wide open, hissing ... : ok, here's yet another rambled thought ... : igs can be extremely jealous + possessive of THEIR humon! another time, we were dog-sitting my son's lab overnite and iZ pitched SUCH a fit that he got sent to his room ~ where he continued throwing such a fit that he gave himself a black eye! : make every attempt to continue with your routine with him ~ but be wary! try to notice if it's "worse" at all depending on what colors you're wearing ... or what "scent" ... the time of day matters too so be consistant as far as that goes ... does he like baths??? that was always iZ's favorite time and no matter how awful + aggressive he was being the rest of the time, bathtime calmed him down ... : and really, this part should've been FIRST ... but ... : if this was a sudden + drastic change in his personality, it could very well be that he is trying his best to tell you that "somethin's wrong" ... a trip to a good ig-vet wouldn't be a bad idea, just to make sure that it is "just" hormones and not pain/illness ... : *whew* i think i may have run outta stuff ... : good luck + best wishes! : Bon. (+ iZ)

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i think what i'd *try* ....

i think what i'd try ....