Help with serious aggression

BBTucker · Puppy Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 3

Hi, I am new to this forum and looking for help. If anyone has any help to share for my lenthy situation below it would be very much apprecaited.

I am looking for some help with my Weimaraner situation. I have a 3.5 year old neutered male, Tucker. I have had Tucker since he was a puppy and love him dearly. I have worked with him diligently since he was a little guy on training and obedience and it is a well trained dog. My problem is his aggression which is like nothing I have experienced with my previous dogs. 98% of the time he is a great guy and as he has gotten a bit older he has become even more loving and playful because he was a bit "aloof" as a pup. Since he was just under a year old through yesterday he has bitten six people, one dog, and tried several other times where someones hands just happened to be faster than his mouth.
Both previous to owning him and throughout his life I have done significant research on the breed, talked to other owners, had consultations with recommended trainers, worked with him consistently on behavioral issues, read books, and more. He has gotten better in a lot of ways but he has an honest mean streak and when that comes out he is a completely different dog to the point where it seems almost bi-polar. Yesterday we were watching TV with my girlfriend and I got up to rinse off my plate, I heard a scream from the other room. He had rolled over and Sarah reached over to scratch his belly which is a very normal occurrence here and when she reached out he bit her 3 times on the arms very quickly. This has been the worst incidence yet. Previously, there has often been some sort of stimulation for him when he snaps at someone, usually food, but this time it was completely out of the blue with someone he is very comfortable with and around all the time. I immediately went over to him to take him outside and he lunged at my chest and hand, missed, then rolled over on his back and snarled and snapped at me as I calmly tried to lead him outside. When this happens, the whites of his eyes turn red, and he usually shakes as if from adrenaline, it is quite a dramatic experience.
Please understand how broken up about this I am, I exercise him, feed him well, he has a regular schedule, a big yard and is loved but also has a "short leash" because he is definitely stubborn and very hard headed. He is very obedient, I hunt with him and have trained him to obey a variety of commands both for daily life and hunting. I have followed all of the advice I have received but am at the end of my rope. If you have any advice, or can point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. It has been suggested to me from "experts" that he could be unstable and should be put down. After yesterday I am also considering trying to find him a new home if it is an appropriate solution.

Any help is appreciated, thanks so much.

Django · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:27 pm Post subject: Re: Help with serious aggression

anne · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:30 pm Post subject:

I would get his thyroid tested just to rule that out. Get a FULL panel (you must ask for this specificially becuase most vets won't do it) and send to Jean Dodds at Hemopet for analysis.

Otherwise a professional should get involved in your situation. No rescue is going to take a dog that has bitten so many times, and if you place him yourself you may have serious liability issues.

As a last resort, if your dog is truly "bipolar" and has serious aggression issues, putting him down might be your only option. Hate to say it, but sometimes the liability and danger of having a dog like this may necessitate it for everyone's safety. But that is something you and professional should decide carefully.

weimamama · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:36 pm Post subject:

hate to think any dog is not retrainable.
We had a biter and went to a behaviorist for a while and now we watch his signs...

I also dont think re-homing is a solution though because no rescue can take in a confirmed biter w/o liability issues. It's unfortunate.

My suggestion is seek out a very highly trained beahviorist for an eval and course of action.
I am in the NYC area and can recommend one here; dont know where you are.

Good luck

BBTucker · Puppy Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 3

Thanks for the quick responses and I agree that placing in another home is just passing the problem to someone else.
I am in the Seattle area and have tried to find resources here but have not had a lot of luck. If anyone happens to be in this are and knows of a good aggression trainer please pass the information on to me.

Thanks

Django · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:41 pm Post subject:

I just re-read your post and something occurred to me.

krisnkaipo · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:42 pm Post subject:

http://www.essfta.org/Health_Research/aggression.htm

I have attached a link you might find helpful. I would suggest a professional help in the form of a certified animal behaviourist (a lot of people are great dog trainers, but an animal behaviourist should have a degree from an accredited university to back them up) and ask around for a vet that is willing to work with you and your dog (some vets will not be willing to work with known aggressive dogs and may just recommend you put it down) have a full vet work up (blood work etc) to rule out any type of metabolic imbalance.

It is possible that some dogs have idiopathic rage (unknown cause), but it is not fair to you or the dog to proceed without having ruled out a medical condition.

Wilson had "issues" when I first adopted him, he had bitten several people, his was a lack of a socialization and not knowing right from wrong. He still has setbacks, but is doing very well.

weimdawgs · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:45 pm Post subject:

Absolutely, get the thyroid panel done.

You should absolutely not attempt to rehome him. You have had him since he was a puppy. If he behaves this way with you, then there is no chance his behavior will improve with someone else.

Anne's right, no rescue will take him with the bite history, if you take him to a shelter and he shows the slightest aggression they will put him down. Get professional help with his training. After that, you must decide what the best option is.

I am going to attached a thread about a dog I recently tried to rescue. The owner was not honest with us about his history and the attached is self explanatory.

http://www.weimaraneraddict.com/discussion/please-understand-vt9605.html

krisnkaipo · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:50 pm Post subject:

I just googled animal behaviorist + Seattle and came up with the attached links.

http://ahimsadogtraining.com/kathy-bio.html

http://www.seattledogs.com/faqs.htm

http://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/bios.php

http://www.kathysdao.com/

http://www.kathycornack.com/about.html

BBTucker · Puppy Joined: 03 Jul 2008 Posts: 3

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback and info.
I will work on the options presented and have found many of the same Seattle based resources as well and will try to continue to find one of them to help.

Thank you very much,
Adam

NenaGunther · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject: