My dog is aggressive. How do I handle vet visits and behavior issues?

Question

My dog is super aggressive towards vets, random people that try to pet him when we are far away from home, and other big dogs, skunks, and garbage trucks around our neighborhood. I don't know what to do as he's 6 years old. We've taken him for training a few months back and it seemed to work, the trainer used a prong collar. Of course, after a few weeks, he became back to his aggressive self. I'm aware that my family and I are part of the problem. He needs a vet checkup badly. What should I do?! Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | neutered | 6 years old | 110 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Rocky! I'm sorry to hear that he has this problem. To get a veterinary check-up, I would recommend calling your vet to discuss your concerns and make a plan for how to have him seen safely. This may involve having you train him to wear a muzzle at home, so that you can put this on before he arrives at the veterinary clinic. The veterinarian may prescribe some anti-anxiety medication for you to give prior to coming in, and he may also need injectable sedation once he arrives at the clinic so that he can be handled safely. For the future, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can help you put together a detailed training plan to work on his aggressive behavior. Most aggression towards strangers is fear-based, so this normally includes using positive reinforcement (food rewards, etc.) to help the dog learn to be more comfortable with the things that scare him. Punishment-based training (prong or choke collars, shock collars, etc.) are NEVER recommended for the treatment of aggression issues, as this does not address the underlying problem and has a high risk of making the aggression worse over time. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or ask your regular veterinarian where the nearest one is located.

My dog is aggressive. How do I handle vet visits and behavior issues?

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