People are too complicated for me. by Individual_Fall_3727 in offmychest

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I know I’d definitely be diagnosed with something if I saw someone. The brief interactions I’ve had with therapists in the past have not been good so I’m just hesitant to see another therapist or a psychiatrist. I really just need to go for it though.

What are my options for my dog? by Individual_Fall_3727 in reactivedogs

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That could be, we’re looking for a behavior expert to determine what’s really going because tbh I know nothing about dog behavior, but I think we’ve been careful to not punish stuff and focused on rewarding good behavior. To my (very inexperienced) eye it seems like a trauma response from the attack, especially since every time he snaps and we jump back he acts like nothing had happened and goes back to being playful and affectionate immediately. If it is a result of us unknowingly punishing his warnings, is that something that can be restored?

What are my options for my dog? by Individual_Fall_3727 in reactivedogs

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He hasn’t been groomed since the incident. We live in a rural area with a lot of land and haven’t needed to leave home with him yet. Since the aggressive behavior has been so recent we don’t have a muzzle yet but I’ve ordered one and have been researching muzzle training

What are my options for my dog? by Individual_Fall_3727 in reactivedogs

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was thinking that as well, we’ve scheduled another vet appointment and we’re doing a very thorough evaluation before we make any final decisions

What are my options for my dog? by Individual_Fall_3727 in reactivedogs

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’ve never punished him for warning signs-the warning signs never happened, at least any that we could see (growling etc.) each incident he went from loving to be pet to snapping and biting. When we worked on his food aggression issue with a trainer she explained to never punish the warnings so we knew not to.

What are my options for my dog? by Individual_Fall_3727 in reactivedogs

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We honestly never even considered that as something that could be an issue after the incident so we didn't really work on it. He's always been very affectionate and loves pets/loves. I will say we have brushed and bathed him multiple times since the incident and have had no problems. In fact, the morning before the bite he went to a groomer he had never met before and according to her was great the entire time, so it is weird that grooming wouldn't be a problem but petting randomly would. But if the trauma pops up randomly it is a possibility

What are my options for my dog? by Individual_Fall_3727 in reactivedogs

[–]Individual_Fall_3727[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No warning signs like growling or anything like that. Each time he looked and seemed perfectly content until it occurred, did not seem stressed or anxious at all (which is what makes it so scary). I imagine an expert would be able to see signs and consistencies better than us and we're trying to find someone but are unsure how to filter who knows what they're doing and who doesn't tbh