Dog nipping/biting issue -- advice?

[mokes]

I have a 3 yr old dog, who is usually the best ever. He's friendly to people and other dogs, playful, etc. He love to cuddle with me or sit in the doorway and lay in the sun or watch the neighborhood. He's usually pretty calm but has always been a little bit scared/nervous at times ... he doesn't like when things move that he doesn't expect them to. Like a leaf or bag outside.  

I noticed a few months ago he got really engaged whenever me or DH killed a bug. Usually he notices me because I'll sometimes make a noise -- like an ew sound for a really big bug -- and he'll come running. Probably two months or so ago, I made the sound, he was near me and jumped up and bit my leg. He had NEVER, ever bit anyone before. I was really surprised. Other than the noise I made, there was nothing I can think of that might lead to him reacting like that. After that, there were several other times I made a similar noise and caught him just about to bite me. Told him NO and he stopped. Now I try to catch myself making noises like that, and he's been fine. But it's concerning because what if there's someone in my house who makes a noise that sets him off? 

Today I was cooking and the smoke alarm went off. I walked quickly over to it (I wouldn't say ran, but walked faster than usual) and he was about to bite me again. I stopped, looked at him and said no, and he stopped and sat. Then I took a step and he was about to nip at me again. I said no again and he stopped. Then he seemed nervous and ran away. A minute later (after I got the alarm turned off) I walked into the room where he was and he was totally fine.

The only other thing I can think of that's changed is that I started working from home a month or so before the first incident ... I don't know if it's relevant but I do notice he sometimes cries if I go upstairs (he doesn't go up or down the stairs), which he never did before, so he seems a little more anxious to not be around me than he used to when I worked away from home. No issues when we go out. We give him free roam most of the time but he usually goes in his crate anyway.

Sorry for the long story, just wanted to include any details that are helpful. Any thoughts on why he's doing this and what we can do?

[sparrowgreen]

Hmm. I've never dealt with this situation before, but it seems to be a good thing that you're able to recognize his cues and calm him down before he nips. I know some people medicate their dogs for anxiety, so if he has a lot of anxious behaviors maybe this would be something to investigate with your vet?

[mokes]

Thanks for your response. He's not anxious all the time, but you're right, it may be worsening a bit and maybe we should investigate further. He licks his paws (skin irritations are common for his breed) and the vet had said she preferred to keep dogs medication-free if at all possible. I've given him benadryl at times (per vet's advice), and even small doses totally zonk him out, so I'd have to look at the side effects.

[peppermint]

What kind of dog is he? Is he a herding dog, could he possibly be trying to herd you? Have you had him medically checked out recently to rule out any medical issues going on? If you've done that, then maybe your thought about him having separation anxiety from you is what's going on. Either way, good to consult with the vet first, and if nothing medical going on and it gets worse, maybe consider a behaviorist before trying meds?