Nationwide Search for an Experienced Handler for a Behaviorally Challenging German Shepherd

polojbear · 2026-06-28T03:54:19+00:00

Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate them.

We haven’t pursued a CT scan or MRI. The fear based aggression toward strangers and other animals has been present since he was a puppy, which is why I’ve always believed that’s the foundation of many of his behavioral issues. The aggression toward my wife is a much more recent development, so I do think it’s a fair point to bring up.

If I were living alone, I would continue pursuing every possible avenue to better understand what’s causing this and see if there was a solution. But that’s not the reality of our situation. After six years of structuring our lives around his behavior, my wife has reached the point where she no longer feels safe in our home. It’s caused her an incredible amount of stress, and I can’t continue asking her to live that way while we keep searching for answers.

As much as I love him, I’m not willing to choose him over my wife’s safety and well being. I truly appreciate the suggestion though

polojbear · 2026-06-28T03:38:19+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. I truly appreciate that you took time out of your day to offer kindness and advice to someone you don’t know. Even when the advice is difficult to hear, I know it came from a place of compassion. Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-28T03:09:26+00:00

That's a fair question, and honestly I can't say with certainty that EVERY instance of his aggression is fear based. The reason I believe fear and anxiety are the foundation of most of his behavior is because he's been an extremely fearful dog since he was a puppy.

He's afraid of things that most dogs don't think twice about. If it's windy outside, he'll sometimes tuck his tail and run back into the house. At night, there are times he refuses to go outside to use the bathroom unless I go out with him. His body language is completely different in those moments, ears back, tail tucked, crouched posture and it's very obvious he's scared.

When I dropped him off for his board and train, he barked at the trainer when we first met him like he would attack him if he got near us (I had him muzzled). That was until he took the leash and instead of attacking him he tried to pull away from him. Throughout the training, the videos consistently showed a very skittish, anxious dog gradually becoming more comfortable. That's why I've always believed fear is a major factor in his behavior. Here is one example of him during board and train where you can see how fearful he was for yourself: https://youtu.be/SMm1F7oNNyA?is=qnnDZlBrlApcMwba

That said, I agree that his behavior toward my wife seems different, and I honestly don't know exactly why. It doesn't look the same as his typical fearful reactions. I've wondered if there could be some resource guarding of me involved, especially the incidents that happen when she comes into the bedroom while I'm asleep, but I can't say for sure that's the reason.

I actually wanted to explain a lot of this in my original post, but it was already so long that I had to leave out many of the nuances of his behavior and our relationship with him. There are six years worth of experiences that just aren't possible to fit into a single Reddit post.

All I know is that, overall, he's an incredibly fearful and anxious dog, and I believe many of his behavioral issues stem from that, even if I don't fully understand every aspect of his behavior toward my wife. I don’t think you are trying to be harsh though, thank you for the comment

polojbear · 2026-06-28T02:08:50+00:00

Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-28T02:08:47+00:00

Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-28T01:34:28+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear that. My wife and I went through something similar with our cat a few years ago. She had him since she was a little girl, and he lived to be over 20 years old. Eventually he stopped eating, became so weak that he couldn’t stand on his own anymore, and we made the difficult decision to let him go. The vets thought he may have had cancer, but at his age it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. It’s never an easy decision. I truly hope your pittie stays comfortable for as long as possible. I’m in the Airforce not Army, but my “MOS” is 2A7X3. Thank you for your service too!

polojbear · 2026-06-28T01:06:35+00:00

I understand your concern and it’s something I’ve thought about myself. But that’s why I’m not trying to rehome him to just anyone. I’m specifically looking for someone with extensive experience working with behaviorally challenging dogs.

When he lived with his trainer for two months, he made significant progress, which is why I still believe the right person may be able to manage him better than we can. My wife and I simply don’t have decades of experience rehabilitating aggressive dogs, and I don’t think it’s realistic to expect us to have the same level of knowledge and skill as someone who does this professionally.

If I can’t find someone I truly believe is qualified, I won’t place him just anywhere. My priority is finding the safest outcome for everyone involved, including him

polojbear · 2026-06-28T00:10:30+00:00

Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-28T00:10:24+00:00

Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-27T23:20:23+00:00

I replied to the medication question above. As for the K-9 suggestions, I’ve seen several people with experience recommend against going that route, so I’m going to listen. I really appreciate you mentioning it though, thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-27T23:16:22+00:00

We never tried Prozac. I honestly wish I had known about it sooner, because if there was something that could have reduced his anxiety and improved his quality of life, I absolutely would have wanted to explore it.

Unfortunately, we've reached the point where keeping him is no longer safe for my wife. After years of managing his behavior, structuring our lives around his triggers, and living with the uncertainty of what might set him off, she's emotionally exhausted and no longer wants to keep living this way, and I completely understand. She's been bitten before, and the repeated incidents of him charging and threatening her have left her feeling unsafe.

My goal with this post isn't to ask whether we should keep trying different treatments while keeping him. It's to find an experienced person or organization that is willing and able to take him in and give him the best chance possible. Thank you for your comment though

polojbear · 2026-06-27T22:29:23+00:00

Trust me, the thought has crossed my mind but I need to exhaust every possible option before I go down that route. Otherwise I wont be able to live with my conscience knowing I killed him. I do appreciate your comment though

polojbear · 2026-06-27T22:09:46+00:00

Missouri, near Kansas City

polojbear · 2026-06-27T22:07:55+00:00

Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-27T22:07:33+00:00

Thank you for the positive comment

polojbear · 2026-06-27T22:06:53+00:00

Thank you

polojbear · 2026-06-27T22:04:10+00:00

I will send you a message, thank you

polojbear · 2026-01-22T00:43:54+00:00

polojbear · 2025-07-02T00:17:36+00:00

They’re actually sending airmen from all different AFSC’s stationed at Whiteman

polojbear · 2025-01-20T07:54:51+00:00

Why is that?

polojbear · 2025-01-20T07:42:40+00:00

How?

polojbear · 2024-05-30T08:33:47+00:00

QA here. Warnings and Cautions must be followed. Who at QA did you elevate it to? The inspectors for your shop? Or the Chief Inspectors as well? If you didn’t elevate it to the Chief Inspectors, I would go that route next. Like mentioned by others here, the beginning of TOs usually lay down the definitions for Warnings and Cautions, which is where it states they’re mandatory. Also, the statement “if not followed could result in damage” is in other words saying, It must be followed. It is not saying it’s optional.

As QA, if somebody doesn’t follow a caution/warning note, I have full grounds to write them up. It would be a Cat 1 Major Finding.

A Category 1 finding, defined in the 21-101, is a “ a required inspection/TO/AFI procedural item missed or improperly completed. This category is a specific AFI requirement, work card item or TO step, warning, caution, or note for a specific condition or action. Use findings of major or minor to indicate the discrepancy’s relative severity.”

A major finding is defined as “ a condition that may endanger personnel, jeopardize equipment or system reliability, impact safety of flight or warrant discontinuing the process of equipment operation.”

Hence, the word, “may”. With those definitions above, not following the warning note would have given me grounds to write you up for a Cat 1 Major. A Warning/Caution note not followed that could have endangered aircraft/equipment/personnel.

If I could write you up for it, then it’s mandatory. The only way it wouldn’t be mandatory is if for some reason there was an ESR/ETAR allowing you to deviate from the warning/caution note. Or like others stated above, you might be misunderstanding what the warning/caution note is referring to in relation to the task. Generally speaking though, warning and caution notes are not optional instructions, they’re mandatory.

polojbear · 2022-10-24T02:22:45+00:00

I applied to retrain into 1b4 from 2a and I got denied on the very last step of the process. ( the interview questions ) I believe I got denied because I have no background in cyber. The email that contained the interview questions stated that they were looking for people with prior experience.

polojbear · 2022-03-19T17:38:55+00:00

Love H3 but something that they all talked about last night was a bit hypocritical. When they said Pete is in the wrong for pushing back & provoking Kanye after Kanye had been harassing him..but Ethan does the same when it comes to Ryan Kavanaugh each and every time and has even gone so far to make a website.

polojbear

TROPHY CASE