# Aggressive and high anxiety dog -- need help



## Mwguy101 (Feb 21, 2011)

I have a 2 year old gsd who was a puppy mill dog. He has had various health issues his whole life. We have gotten through most of them. I have a 3 inch thick folder of medical documents.When he was a young puppy he was sweet and gentle to be around. But as he grew up he became more and more aggressive and developed high anxiety. He was heavily socialized through out his whole life. He was well taknen care of and loved. 

Over the last year he has started becoming more and more anxious over the slightest thing. If you walk out of a room he starts whining and barking. He has heavy aggression issues now, to the point where he has been kicked out of daycare and his groomers. The hardest part about this is he has 2 personalities. 

One is a fun loving dog who most love,then the anxiety kicks in over something random and he becomes a nervous wreck who lashes out. The problem is that there is not a specific trigger. When he is in his bad mode, his brain shuts off and he just reacts, does not listen, and just acts. The best thing I can compare him to is a person who has borderline personality disorder.

I introduced a puppy to him thinking it would help him. We got it from our local shelter. One personality does great with him and the other has lashed out at him.

Guys we are at a loss here. We love our shephard but are growing fearful of what he will do. What should I do? It's getting to the point we are talking about getting rid of the GSD, Bailey. We are fearful he will hurt the puppy real bad, bite someone, or have a breakdown of some sort. 

Any advice or solutions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Have you taken him to a vet? Any testing done? Have you contacted a good trainer that works with fearful, reactive dogs?

When he's being aggressive, exactly what is he doing? Can you provide an example?


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

First, thanks for sticking with him through all the medical stuff. I would take him to the vet - again! for a thyroid test. Michigan State and Hemopet both run good panels. Also a check up for any pain or other issues - blood work, etc. 

When you get the thryoid results back, you might have an answer. 

If not, there are vet behaviorists, and then "regular" behaviorists that might be able to help. I would lean towards seeing a vet behaviorist because of the possibility of prescribing medicines that will help with the brain chemistry thing that happens in cases of anxiety. 

About Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic : Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
VETFAX Behavioral Consulation : Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
PETFAX Behavioral Consultation : Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Are additional resources in terms of veterinary behaviorist support. 

This isn't one of those things that you can do on your own, or through a forum, it will definitely require someone there with eyes on the dog, as well as someone who can do the type of testing, health and behavioral, that he needs to get to the root of the issue. 

In the meantime if he is a bite risk, get him used to a muzzle and use that on outings. I would also want to exercise with him, and do mental exercises with him, to get his brain focused on other things. Something like nose work might help, treiball is another thing that comes to mind too.


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## Mwguy101 (Feb 21, 2011)

When he is being aggressive it's the most random stuff. The fist time he bit someone hew were playing ball. So, he thought it was the ball. The second time it was a person who wanted to pet him on a walk. He in a good mood, and just lashed out. Our trainer told us use a shock collar. That worked at the dog park to control his temper. But it is useless now unless you take it to the highest level. That is just cruel. He has been to vets just about his whole life. They were never able to tell us what is wrong. Each had. Their own theory, which we acted upon.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

When he bites or lashes out..... what does his body look like? How about face? How does he stand? Is there a growl?

It may just be seconds of changes that you don't realize you see, describe him.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Has the vet ever suggested rage syndrome?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

> The second time it was a person who wanted to pet him on a walk.


How does he typically deal with people who want to pet him while he's walking with you?
Was it a full-on bite or a nip, or did he just lunge/growl?


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Find a really good behaviorist/trainer to assess causation of the aggression. You can't adequately approach something if you don't know the underlying cause. Aggression that has manifested into actual indiscriminate biting, is something that is too dangerous to have Internet people giving suggestions without seeing the dogs. Once you know why....then you can have a plan in line with what is best for that issue. Different tools in training/behavior medication chest are more effective than others in remedying issues. Many people on the Internet are one tool people....this can sometimes work and sometime not be the right tool. Get a professional in person evaluation....jmo!


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

yes, i agree with Cliff, this problem is way to complicated for most owners to handle, and its obviously also a huge liability.

finding a good professional who can evaluate your dog and help you learn how to handle things. keep in mind all trainers/behaviorists are different and some have some wonky ways of training. i would look for one that has an opened mind and not just one way of training. also i would observe this person and what they do when they are training before paying them any money. mainly i would look for a person who is VERY familiar with the breed.

not sure the shock collar is a good thing, that is usually the last resort when all other training methods have failed.

could be some health issues causing the problem, maybe thyroid or other., so i would have some more testing done. then, you can get busy with the training which will take alot of time and determination to get things under control. it may never get to 100% but learning to control your dog and his signals can greatly improve things.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

do not give this dog to someone else. if he has aggression issues its not fair to someone else to take them on. either find a behaviorist who can work with you and the dog or euthanize the dog, dont rehome him to anyone else.. 

its very possible the dog is showing signs you just arent catching them as they might be too small to notice from the average person


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

cliffson1 said:


> Find a really good behaviorist/trainer to assess causation of the aggression. You can't adequately approach something if you don't know the underlying cause. Aggression that has manifested into actual indiscriminate biting, is something that is too dangerous to have Internet people giving suggestions without seeing the dogs. Once you know why....then you can have a plan in line with what is best for that issue. Different tools in training/behavior medication chest are more effective than others in remedying issues. Many people on the Internet are one tool people....this can sometimes work and sometime not be the right tool. Get a professional in person evaluation....jmo!


Agreed! The only thing someone on the Internet can do with a case like this is to suggest whom you might want to take your dog to! In person!


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

rehoming is nearly impossible with issues like this. unless someone has the knowledge and rehabs and takes dogs like this in and does it for a living. rehoming to a family or someone who doesn't have the tools or time to work with a dog like this is a disaster waiting to happen. its up to you to think long and hard about keeping the dog and trying to find help and dedicating yourself to putting the time in. not an easy road.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

If you're still taking this dog to the dog park, please don't. I agree, other than possible suggestions of medical issues that others have run into, there's nothing that can be done online. This is something that needs to be handled in person by a behaviorist/trainer. This isn't a dog that can be re-homed with exception to a trainer who is very familiar with this issue. There are MANY trainers out there. Most aren't GSD specialists, but you can find one. I had to drive 2 hours with my first GSD to find a specialist. They did a long evaluation. (Like a couple hours) with me there under many different situations. They continued to evaluate after I left him there. (It was a board and work facility) They went through the whole basket of methods before settling on the e-collar. As it should be. You can make things worse using an e-collar without a certified trainer to show you how and teach you to use it. Have they tried any anti-anxiety drugs with your dog? Just a thought. I hope you can find a specialist to at least do a good evaluation of your dog.


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