Then without a doubt he needs to be rehomed.
Cat Tap, one mistake. ONE. Can land you dead here.
He’s maybe going to be an ok dog for someone. He’s too on edge for you.
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Does the trainer know about his incident at the vet? I will guess that they may also have been bending over him, but this seems like an important data point since it did not happen with you.
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It was after the last vet visit that the aggressive attacks occurred. All previous visits were with female vet who seemed quiet and patient. The bad visit was with a male vet and male assistant. I was not happy with the outcome and had planned to find a different vet in the future.
Lots of animals require sedation to go to the vet.
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And muzzles.
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These are all strange ways for your trainer to justify a dangerous & untrustworthy dogs behavior . While I am not a trainer I have worked in a high volume county animal shelter for 22yrs and have seen thousands upon thousands of behavior dogs. You need to get rid of this dog for your own safety be it back to the breeder or to heaven.
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I have euthanized a dog for behavior issues before. I have no regrets whatsoever. My worst fear was attempting to rehome him, and having him go off on someone else.
Do what you need to do for your safety @Cat_Tap, and the safety of others.
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I am sitting here feeling sorry for myself. If it wasn’t for the dog, 2 cats and 2 horses my existence has no purpose.
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Please don’t feel badly @Cat_Tap. This is just a moment in time, but it is a difficult moment.
Relax, take some deep breaths and do what you think is best for your situation.
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OP, you need a consult with a very experienced dog trainer
Who has experience with
“Handler Aggression”.
Dogs who turn on their handler/owner are in a whole nother category than run of the mill aggression.
I’ve studied this in GSDs because I’ve rescued a couple
With unknown history.
Some lines are known to have Handler Aggression.
Maybe you could track down an experienced working dog trainer
Who could advise whether or not this is fixable or even help you make a decision on what to do.
My heart goes out to you.
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One has a dog for companionship and fun. This dog is no fun and is not a companion as you are now afraid of him. It is your very sad responsibility to decide it’s fate. Could you live with yourself, knowing it is randomly aggressive, if another human or dog or horse were attacked, with possible life-changing injuries? It is not a situation likely to improve for you both.
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Cat_Tap, it sounds like you are dealing with more than just an aggressive dog. Anxiety and depression go hand in hand. Maybe consider getting some outside help for you in general. Please reach out for help.
Also, you can’t spend the next 10 years not bending over the dog when you are worried about something. That’s no way to live.
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Sometimes, even if it is fixable, the right thing to do is make a change. IF the breeder OR the trainer is willing to work with this dog, I would give it to them. It could be that being a Bouvier, he might need or desire an INTENSE work or play life.
If they don’t want the dog, I might euthanize. Because no matter how hard you work at it, I think you will never fully trust this dog. I know that would be the case for me, and I don’t need to live on pins and needles with an animal for 15 years. I HAD a Doberman that I had to micromanage for all of his life—he should have been an “only” dog or a dog with only a female dog companion. Being a rescue, I had no breeder to consult, and I was unaware of any Doberman Pinscher rescue group at the time.
Whatever you do, it’s the right decision for YOU.
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WARNING ! I’m going to make a long, armchair dog training post.
This dog at 15 months is entering its social maturity stage. This is when dominance issues can come to light. Reading through your thread on when you got this dog there are quite a a few posts about the dog being on your lap and on the furniture that really concerned me at the time.
I know it seems like a good way to bond with a dog and also seems harmless but it can contribute to dominance and aggression issues in some dogs.
FWIW in another life Rottweilers were my bred of choice. I did advanced obedience, and tracking with my dogs. My last Rottweiler was a dog that sounds a lot like yours. Her problems came to light about the same age but it was with my husband not me. I did extensive vet work to rule out medical issues and was in close contact with the breeder ( I was in Germany she was in the US). Her aggression issues were dominance related. Period. I won’t get into everything I did training and living situation wise but it was a good year before I trusted her 100% around my husband. Once we got her dominance issues straightened out she was an AMAZING dog and lived over 13 years.
There was a reason as my husband and I got older we switched to beagles (OK, I had about 15 years of cattle dogs but then beagles).
It’s A LOT of work and responsibility to deal with a dog like this. My husband and I were in our 30s at the time and there’s no way I would want to do it now at the age of 60.
If it were me I would send the dog back to the breeder (provided the breeder is RESPONSIBLE and you 100% trust they will do the right thing. ie: not just resell him) and if not then I would euthanize.
I’m so sorry you’re having to dealing with this
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Fair enough, you are providing a good home for 2 cats, and 2 horses, if, for whatever reason this dog hurts you badly, who will care for the cats and horses?
What I hear is you have a dog that is willing to hurt you. That doesn’t sound like a great relationship.
Personally I would not be able to handle hearing that the dog I rehired because he was biting me, bit and seriously hurt the new person.
If you no longer have this boy think of how you could have a wonderful relationship with a new dog who didn’t want to bite you.
Its a difficult position, sending long distance support!
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This is classic behaviour of a dog with dominance issues. Think of how a dominant/aggressive dog will stand over and even pin down another, lesser dog. By bending/leaning over the dog you, without meaning to, are telling the dog you are in charge and he is challenging that.
My advice up-thread still stands as this can be very dangerous and will probably escalate
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Something similar probably happened at the vet…
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I’d have a long talk with his breeder before euthanasia. As others have said, if she’s responsible, she’ll take him back. Maybe consider a smaller, quieter breed or adopting a senior dog. The vet thing may be due to mishandling by the vet. My coonhound has to be muzzled at the vet’s because he takes offense if they try to do anything the least invasive like take his temp or draw blood.
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I would strongly consider euthanasia OP. I’m so sorry
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The dog needs to go today. Where the dog goes is irrelevant, you just need the dog out of your house before you get seriously injured or killed. I would have zero qualms about euthanasia but if the breeder will take it back I would potentially consider that option.
A little tip, whatever you decide to do don’t tell people about it. You don’t need that negativity in your life. People will absolutely take a horrible situation and make it a million times worse. I am sorry you are forced to make a hard decision but it needs to be done. Jingles
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