# Fear Aggression at Vet??



## furrychildlobo71 (Oct 8, 2015)

Hello All, 

I am new here and would love to hear your feed back/advice on this issue.

I have a 1 year old GSD named Lobo- Recently i took him to the vet (a new vet for him) to get checked for a possible ear infection. When we met with the doctor i noticed his behavior change;He immediately tried hiding under my chair (which was weird to me because i had never seen him do that before) and started whining. The doctor asked if i could put a muzzle on him so she can better check his ears- once i tried to put the muzzle on him he immediately started showing his teeth at me and snarling. This was the very first time he had ever done this to me or shown any aggression towards anyone at all so it was very shocking to me. I struggled to get the muzzle on him because he would actually start snapping trying to bite but i got it on him and got through the exam. After the muzzle was off him he went back to being the happy pup he was.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before? or have any advice on what i can do different the next time i take him to the vet?

Thank you, 

-Patricia


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I would consider purchasing a good quality basket muzzle, and work on desensitizing him to wearing it at home. Once he is comfortable wearing it there, you can bring him into the vet already wearing it for his next visits, preventing the stress of trying to wrestle the muzzle onto him in the office. 

Chances are his behavior was exacerbated by the discomfort from his ear infection, which is understandable in my book.

Quick google search video


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## TankGrrl66 (Jun 29, 2010)

furrychildlobo71 said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I am new here and would love to hear your feed back/advice on this issue.
> 
> ...


White coat syndrome...



A dog going to an animal hospital can be very overwhelming for them - very strange smells, and they probably can also smell sickness and death. 

Not to mention, most GSDs at many hospitals are not fond of all that restraint, poking, and prodding. 

As for next time, you can try visiting a few times and making it very positive. Just go in to give him treats and weigh him. 

Practice desensitizing him to a muzzle.


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## furrychildlobo71 (Oct 8, 2015)

Thanks for the pointers!  I have purchased a basket muzzle for him and i'm now working on getting him more familiar with it.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

Hmmm, I am just curious as to whether it is standard to put a muzzle on a dog when they go to the vet for an ear infection? I recently took Ranger to the vet for an ear infection and he was whinning whinning whinning in the waiting room. I don't remember him acting afraid of the vet but he was definitely afraid of the situation. But just like your dog Ranger had never shown aggression toward anyone and it didn't even occur to me that he would be aggessive toward the vet. I guess the vet felt the same way because he never even suggested putting a muzzle on him. Instead he just had me hold Ranger while he dug in his ear for a sample. No problem. Ranger just made some funny noises while the vet dug in his ear, but made no sign of aggression. I am not sure that Ranger would have been as cooperative with a muzzle. In otherwords, is it possible that the muzzle created the aggressive reaction? If you are not in love with your vet would you consider trying another? If you love your vet I am sure that muzzling is fine, but maybe a different vet would see your dog without a muzzle. just a thought.


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

Many in my field are wary of GSD. It is mostly because they don't realize how to handle them. Most of them that I have met will react to uneasiness in those who are trying to work with them. If you know how to handle a shepherd and remain calm/confident, and honestly treat them like you would a cat, they tend to be easier to handle. 

Muzzling takes away the ability to bite, which is one of the main defenses that a dog has. Unfortunately, most tips that there would be for avoiding a muzzle don't tend to work as well with having to look into the ears. The first time I was ever bitten at work was by a dog who decided that her ears were too sensitive to be touched. I saw it coming and should have mentioned needing to muzzle the dog, but I figured I made it through the first ear okay. I pulled my finger out of the dog's mouth and avoided more of a crushing injury thankfully. But it definitely makes me more wary about holding dogs for ear exams.

I think the idea of desensitizing to a basket muzzle is a good idea. Plus the dog can be distracted by peanut butter, kong stuffing or easy cheese in the end of the muzzle while the exam is being done so there's a much more positive association. 

A lot of the way a dog reacts is to the person who is in the room. Some don't realize that they're being too forward and intimidating. It really is a tough one with more sensitive and nervous patients. You may want to consider a different vet than this one who has your dog on edge. It may not be something the person even notices they're doing. I know a lot of male vets who are just intimidating on how big they are and how confidently they move.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Did the vet take time to let the dog relax? Just sitting, talking, and petting the dog before the exam takes an extra 5 minutes, but it makes a world of difference for a lot of dogs--esp. if the vet sits on the floor to just get to know the dog in a non-threatening way before the exam. There's no getting around ear exams being painful when there's an infection though.

The other thing that's worth doing is acclimating your dog to the clinic, so that there's a positive association with walking in the door. This is the biggest reason I do play care about once a month with my crew at the vet clinic -- they love it, and they think of the clinic as the "play place" not the "vet place," so they are happy and delighted every time we go (making vet visits much easier). If that's not an option, try to stop in once a week to have the staff give the dog a treat, chat for a minute, and go--explain why. Once the dog thinks of the place as "friendly," it may make future visits easier, so that he's thinking of the treats not remembering this one painful exam.


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## Apexk9 (Sep 13, 2015)

I would try a new vet.

Now I trust my dog when we are in the woods and he stares into an area and gives me a single Bark it tells me there is something there. If your dog is cowering im gonna assume he smells something that can be bad for him.

Maybe the place wasn't probably well disinfected or its not sanitary I would try a new vet and see if the dog reacts the same but that's just because I try and assume my Dog doesn't do anything with ought a reason. Especially with Apex i noticed he will give me subtle communication like if we are walking in heel and he hits my leg with his nose it means there is something he really really wants to sniff or pee on.


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