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Jake - Aggressive Dog Help

JulianK

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2: Name: Jake

3: Age: 6

4: Sex: Male

5: Neutering status: not castrated

6: Breed: German Shepherd

7: Approximative. Weight: 30kg

8: Behavior: very active, has a strong hunting instinct so outdoor he is always on a leash (15 meters) (if he wouldn’t be wearing a leash it’s possible that he will hunt e.g. a rabbit), is aggressive against other dogs (doesn’t matter if male or female - it also happend that he bit another dog without any recognizable reason). Can’t stay alone at home (just in the car), is very pendent on me and a little less on my girlfriend. If one of us is away (also if it’s just for a short time) or if another person who he loves is visiting us he is extremely joyful (e.g. he barks, runs to the person, jumps up, licks the person, tries to chase his tail and/ or takes a shoe in his mouth to calm down); he is very protective with food so it’s just for me possible to take away food from him; it’s not possible to touch him everywhere for anyone excluded myself; just in the morning he likes to cuddle, in the evening he doesn’t like to be touched; I can do everything with him even brushing his teeth; it also happened that he understood certain situations wrong e.g. when my girlfriend bowed down to the vacuum cleaner which was around 5 meters away from him (he lied at the floor) he tried to attack her; most of the time he is relaxed at home and is very close to me or my girlfriend e.g. he lies under her working desk or behind her chair

Energy: high energy, loves going on walks (could walk all day), sniffs a lot

Appetite: always hungry; eat lots of grass during the walks

Thanks

9: Diet: raw food and vegetables and supplements (in German we call it „barfen“, I guess it’s bare?)

10: Vaccination history: only the first vaccination all puppies become

11: Primary Problem + when it began:
Primary Problem: his aggression against other dogs and also the misinterpreting of some situations which can cause him to attack even family members like my girlfriend or my mum (even if he really loves them). As he was young everything was fine. I guess our relationship and also his behavior got a break as he was 2.5/ 3 years. An incident happened: my previous girlfriend and I left him alone at home in his box for some hours and as we came back Jake has corrupted the box, shitted on the floor and was extremely anxious. I assume it was a panic attack.
12: In the evening he likes not to be so closed to us and it’s more dangerous for others; when he is jaded (which is very difficult to achieve) he isn’t so aggressive against other dogs (with people its difficult to say)
13: Yes, he has a slightly bigger prostate; everything else is fine
14: My girlfriend usually let him wear a muzzle when they are going on a walk as she isn’t as strong as me and might not hold him closely when he really wants to bite another dog; she doesn’t clean his paws as he didn’t like to be touched there from her (in the obedience school they trained together in a certain course where she had to touch his paws, and as she did it more often he tried to bite her - he had a muzzle on so it was not a problem but I guess you are getting the point)

15: His aggression is mainly because other dogs - as I wrote previously the other dog didn’t do something. He has no dog friends, he had one, an older female dog he knew from growing up. He is very protective related to food and lesser related to toys; his aggression against people is related to misinterpreting situations (as an example like mentioned above), being touched when he didn’t want to be touched - also in the described situation he didn’t even barked before he started his attack.

Outdoors it’s usually a little bit more relaxed with other people, it’s not such a problem if anyone bows down and also with touching he has less a problem, even if he isn’t a cuddler outside as he is mainly interested in the surrounding; I don’t think that it would indoors be better with other dogs and food is in- and outdoor problematic

Pattern: in the evening his aggression potential is higher and he isn’t that near (spacial) to us as during the day
 

aruna

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Hi, @JulianK , Holistic Actions! support here - thank you for such a descriptive description of Jake's struggles. I would like to make sure you get the best support here, so I have a couple questions for you:
1) what options have you tried to address Jake's anxiety? How did it work?
2) do you have any specific questions? Do you just want general support?

A good place to start doing some research is our brain and behavior resource section (click here to access). Best of luck!
 

Dr. Jeff

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Hi Julian-

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post! ?

It sounds like Jake has an energetic blockage that hopefully can be relieved over time so he can have a happier and more fulfilled life. Homeopathy and other methods that work with DEB (dynamic energy balance) can definitely him be the best Jake possible. :D?

In addition to Aruna's great questions, I have a few others.

1. Has he received any rabies jabs?

2. Did he manifest *any* anxiety symptoms before the incident when he was 2.5/3?

3. Does he currently exhibit anxieties or fears in any way (like with thunder, fireworks, riding in the car, etc.)?
 

Dr. Sara

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Dear Julian,
German Shepherds are a breed known for their alertness and reactivity. These are useful attributes in working dogs. though they cause conflicts in dogs that are pets. Please read my document in the files about anxiety, as that is the root cause of most reactivity. (Aruna can point you toward it if you can't locate it easily.)
The anxiety document will give you a better idea of what is going on with Jake, and how to best approach it. I would suggest working with both an holistic or homeopathic vet and a veterinary behaviorist.
Stay well,
Dr. Sara
 

JulianK

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Hi all, I just spotted a bump at the back of my dog. It's 3 centimeters in diameter and rather hard. As I just recognized it yet, I assume it grew very fast. We are a little bit concerned now. As a visit at the vet is very stressful for him, do you have an idea what we can do? Maybe a special tincture or anything else?
Thank you in advance.
 

Dr. Jeff

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How's Jake's BEAM?

Is the bump movable?

Maybe try sending a query (and picture) to your vet to see what they say.

I use no special tincture for bumps unfortunately.

In some situations, Pau D'Arco liquid, calendula, aloe, etc. can be used for skin eruptions.
 

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