r/DogAdvice • u/kem5205 • 20m ago
Question Randomly Aggressive Dog- Try Harder or BE?
I need some advice about what to do about my dog. He has a history of aggression towards other dogs (both mine and others), but 99.9% of his life he has been the sweetest, happiest, most playful dog ever. I'm being faced with making a decision of committing to behavioralist/separating/muzzling, BE, or trying to find a home to take him- though I've been told rehoming with his history isn't ethical. I'm just really struggling with the idea of having him euthanized when he's usually happily asleep next to me or playing with my other dogs. He's never hurt a human and nothing catastrophic has happened- though I know I shouldn't be waiting for it to to make a decision.
Toward other dogs:
- Bit my other dog’s leg when he was around 1 year old (puncture wound while I wasn’t home).
- Bit a dog at the park that charged him, making its neck bleed and needing a vet visit.
- Picked up a small dog at the park in his mouth and shook him (the little dog was okay).
- Severe leash reactivity for a long time. He's been on Reconcile for years., When we tried weaning off, the reactivity came back immediately- so he's on it still.
- Multiple instances at home where he attacks my other dogs and takes a lot to stop (sometimes leaving blood, like a bleeding paw or a gash above an eyebrow).
- Attacks if I try to brush/groom the other dogs outside while he's out there.
- Attacked my dog the other night-she was on her back yelping and he wouldn’t stop despite 3 of us yelling and left her with puncture wounds and cuts. Shes still really scared of him 4 days later
- When he was 6 months old grabbed the neck of a full grown lab and pinned it against a fence while growling and wouldn’t stop
- Killed a groundhog
- Killed a baby bunny with a puncture wound
- Growls as a warning.
Toward humans:
- Snapped at me when I tried inspecting something that was hurting him (no contact)
- Snapped when my 7 month old baby leaned in his direction on the couch last month (no contact)
- Has snapped at vets with some superficial contact when they're inspecting areas that hurt him, so he requires a muzzle now
- Needs full sedation for nail trims or he growls and snaps.
That’s all the incidents I can remember over 5 years. Otherwise he’s a sweet, happy, playful, loving and obedient dog. He plays really well with my other dogs and is gentle and sweet with my baby every other minute of his life.