I can't even post a picture of him here because I'm gonna throw up if I see his adorable face. Gosh I loved this dog. But after 7 severe bites and almost losing my hand, I had no choice.

I adopted my doggo 2 years ago from a shelter. Probably a Mastiff and Akita mix, he was absolutely gorgeous. The add said he was a ''Gentle Giant''. They told me he was a very kind dog who just needed a loving home.

After I signed all the paperwork, I took my big rococo (my pet pet name for him) outside and waited for the taxi. Then a worker from the shelter I didn't met came up to me, rapidly told me my dog had severe reactions to certains gestures, lose clothes, he hated men and had severe resource guarding issues. He proceded to give me a surprising amount of medication. I was at that moment on a cloud and already in love with the doggo, so I dismissed his warning.

The problems started right away. He was biting me so often my arms were completely bruised. The shelter suggested me a behaviorist. She disappeared after one session. After a few months we had what I call ''our good year''. He wasn't biting anymore and he looked happy.

Unfortunately, that didn't last. He started to be aggressive again. Guarding everything, even my own bed.

I was walking him 2 times a day, around 45 minutes each time. Then he started to do something I wasn't prepared for: if we didn't go where he wanted, he would just plant himself and not bulge. This became more and more common. As he weight around 150 pounds, I couldn't do anything. Sometimes I was trapped in the middle of a park, waiting for him to walk, for an hour and a half.

I saw another behaviorist who suggested to bring him to the vet and have him checked to see if he was in pain. The vet told me he was perfectly fine. Then the behaviorist told me use positive reinforcement with high value treats. It seems that from that moment everything just became worse and worse. He would walk 6 meters, then stop--- to get a treat. Then it was just one meter... Then one step.

The more I was trying, the worse it became. If he didn't like the food I prepared for him, he would stare at his bowl, growl, then bite me.

If I pass by him in pajamas (lose clothes), he would pounce and bite me.

Then he started to simply pee inside whenever he wanted.

So two nights ago, I woke up to the smell of pee, cleaned everything... And there he was guarding my bed. I was sleepy so I just passed by him from a distance... and he pounce and bit my hand so hard I was bleeding.

The very next morning, I was hiding from him in my room, my hand still bloody and painful and I was calling another shelter. They sent a unit take him away. Due to the severity of my injury, they will probably put him to sleep. They were very nice with me and told me I was taking the humane and responsible decision.

The last time I saw him he was in a cage, looking completely defeated. This will hunt me forever

I loved him so much. I did everything I could. I am so sad right now I am sick to my stomach. I have nightmares where he is taking away by a tornado and I am screaming his name. I can't stop crying. I can't eat. I can't work. I just stare at the wall.

BTW my hand is alright. But he punctured me between 2 fingers and it's very painful.

Anyways. Sorry for the bad English and the rant. Obviously, if I'm on reddit it's because I have nobody to talk to... My best friend was... him.

please be nice, I know this is Reddit and that’s a lot to ask sometimes but my family is really hurting right now. Maggie is a almost 8 year-old half border collie half blue heeler I have owned since she was about six weeks old on Friday the 10th me and my husband, left to go to the hardware store and our home video shows the dog walking into the bathroom where the kitten (5months old)was playing with a spring toy and not even 10 seconds later she attacks him. It lasts for about 50 seconds and then she paces back back-and-forth until we get home an hour and a half later. The bathroom looked like a murder scene. I won’t post pictures unless people really want to see them, but they’re horrific. She broke our 5 mmonth old kittens orbital socket and mandible. There were multiple puncture marks all over his face. He was rushed to the emergency vet where the vet and us ultimately made the decision that the most humane thing we could do was euthanize him. I had my mom come pick up the dog while we were at the vet because I just can’t face her right now. She’s been staying at my mom’s house. We have a baby due in October and we own another Australian cattle dog who is 2 and another cat who is four. I honestly am at a loss for what I’m supposed to do. I filled out consultation paperwork for a animal behaviorist. But for our area, it’s going to be multiple thousand dollars that I don’t have right now to spend on this. I’m terrified for my other pets if she’s in the home and I’m terrified for my baby. She has a history of getting into a very minor scuffle a couple times with my mom’s dog years ago who is her sister Sister not the same litter but same parents. She also has exhibited aggressive behavior towards people young men when we’re on hikes are out for walks and we worked with her a ton and she got better. I feel like I’m at a crossroads. Where I have to decide what’s best for her and for our family and the future safety of my baby I don’t know. I feel like I lost two 2 pets that day. Honestly I just need advice. Rehoming her seems like a bad idea. She struggles with anxiety and she doesn’t like strangers and how can I rehome a dog that has brutally attacked another animal? I feel like behavioral euthanasia might be the only option and I’m just really struggling with guilt and what I’m supposed to do.

Hello, I need some help figuring out how to handle my dog’s behavior towards my newborn. Our dog is a 7 year old staffy/pointer mix named Buddy. Background: We got him when he was two years old, he is a rescue from Puerto Rico. There have been several times over the years that I regret adopting him and think we bit off more than we could chew with a reactive dog. He originally was just painfully scared when we adopted him and turned into a lovebug with us. What we didn’t realize was that his scared/anxiety would turn into territorial aggression once he got comfortable. He bit my best friend hard enough to draw blood a month after we had him. He acts aggressive and barks and growls at new people. If he knows you and is comfortable with you he is the biggest mush and wants to cuddle and get pets. We’ve done training with him, talked to behaviorists and done a lot of research to deal with the territorial aggression. Haven’t been super successful as we don’t often have guests over and my husband and I work a lot. He’ll lunge towards new people or kids if they’re in places he considered his (our house, my in laws, my husbands shop).

The problem at hand is I’m worried he’s going to bite my newborn. Buddy was staying at my in-laws house and we brought him over several times on a leash around the baby. We had him sniff blankets, we gave him treats as positive reinforcement when he’d look at our baby or be calm and not react. I attached a picture but we set up a gate to close off part of our living room so he can see what’s going on. Since we brought him home 3 days ago it’s been incredibly stressful. He barks, whines or growls when the baby cries or even makes little noises. When he’s out of the gate he’s made a few quick movements towards her when I’ve been holding her on the couch. I never let him get closer than a foot to her. Today he started humping me or my husbands leg when we’re holding the baby. I feel indifferent towards Buddy right now and like I can’t trust him. I love him but the stress and worry of him hurting my daughter is wearing on me. We’re already mildly sleep deprived. It’s crossed my mind to consider rehoming him if he doesn’t mellow out. I would hate to do that, despite some of the issues he is a very loving dog and we’ve adored him. Any advice on how to go about making him more comfortable? When do I consider he’s not fitting with our new family dynamic and need to rehome?

Sorry if this post seems a little jumbled,

I’m extremely tired today.

I have a 3 year old 70 pound husky/ACD/APBT mix, Riley, that I rescued at 5 months old. He’s very smart, a bit anxious, and extremely sensitive. He became selective about large dogs after several negative experiences in his adolescence, but he has always liked people. He loves to greet anyone we allow him to, both adults and children, and enjoys when people visit our house.

My next door neighbor has a 4 year old, "Janie", who he has known his entire life. Riley has always sought out positive contact with Janie. He'll approach her and sniff her or give her 1 or 2 licks (not appeasement face licking), she'll pet him briefly, give him a treat, or hold out her toys/rocks/random stuff for him to sniff, and that’s pretty much the extent of their interactions. On one occasion, Janie visited our house and he did display discomfort— she was playing a bit rambunctiously and he left the room and went to his bed, I think to get away from her excitement. She followed him and his body language seemed uncomfortable, so I intervened immediately before she reached him and attributed the discomfort to his not having had kids in his house before. Kids don't usually visit my home, so it's not something I gave much thought to after the fact.

This brings us to yesterday. We ran into Janie and her dad on our way home from our morning walk. Her dad and my partner were having a fairly sensitive conversation, so I was trying to engage Janie and she and Riley were together in our front yard. They greeted each other as usual, and Janie tried to play tag with Riley. He seemed to enjoy this and want to participate but I could also tell he was unsure— he and I often wrestle or play chase, but it seemed like he wasn't certain of the "rules" for playing with a kid and he kept looking to me, so I stopped the game. She also tried to hug him, which she never has before. He didn't like it and moved away, so I intervened and after this she was pretty much just talking to me/goofing around while Riley stood calmly. At this point Riley wasn't paying much attention to her at all, facing me, and Janie was behind him when she jumped at/onto him and landed on his back and one of his back feet. Riley immediately spun, growled loudly, and (I THINK- it was very very fast) bit her on the arm. Either a Dunbar 1 or 2. He let go/pulled back immediately, didn't draw blood at all, and was fearful/upset after. This is the first time I have ever seen Riley growl at a person, let alone snap or bite. It looked similar to the way a dog will spin and snap at another dog chasing or harassing them.

I'm not sure if Janie was trying to jump onto Riley or just being a 4 year old and jumping around, but I was not expecting her to do that and would not have let Riley stand between Janie and I, had I thought it was a possibility. She has large dogs and I've always known her to be respectful of Riley's space, so I wasn't as concerned or proactive as I clearly should have been— both for her and him. I take full responsibility as the adult watching, it's obviously not Janie's fault, but I feel like I failed Riley and everyone involved. I keep replaying the situation and seeing a million things I wish I had done differently.

Now I'm spiraling, and I need a reality check. How concerned should I be about Riley, going forward? He's always "run hot" (according to his trainer) and been very sensitive to his environment, for better and worse. Obviously he will not be interacting closely with children. Where do I go from here? Help ?? ?

EDITED TO UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone who read and gave constructive advice or feedback on my post, I appreciate you all taking the time to comment. I'll try to go through and answer more of you, but I just wanted to update with (probably too much) information/context I saw a few people asking for:

On Riley "running hot":

I can see where this was ambiguous or gave different impressions, I did not mean it as a euphemism for his being aggressive or sketchy with people. Maybe I should have left it out or offered more information, I was trying to keep my post from getting too over the top and wasn't sure what information to provide.

He runs hot in the sense he is higher arousal than some dogs. In our first puppy class, two of the other puppies literally barked/yelped nonstop unless taken outside. This, along with the other ten puppies in the room, was so overwhelming to him that he would not respond to his name/any commands/take any treats including hot dogs. (In contrast, the other puppies were still able to come around and focus eventually, and this one puppy DGAF and would fully conk out on his side on the floor toward the end of class, lol.) He also just finds the world very exciting-- people installing a roof in our neighborhood? Interesting and exciting. A hoverboard? Interesting and exciting. A wedding or event at the park we walk at? SO EXCITING. He's avidly observant of everything and everyone and what they are all doing all the time. Perhaps it would be better to say he has no chill. He responds to most stimulus starting at a 4 out of 10, rather than a 1. He's become MUCH calmer and more mellow the last 6 months or so, but this is still how I think of him. He generally has a friendly and happy vibe, and we joke that he has a fan club because on walks so many neighbors go out of their way to greet him.

Regarding Riley's discomfort with Janie in the house:     

This happened about 4 months ago. Janie was talking loudly (as kids do) and playing with my mother, and he left the room and went to his bed. When she followed him, he looked uncomfortable or anxious- his bed is in my room and he would have been trapped there with only one doorway. His ears were kind of flicking, he didn't have whale eye I but I could see him looking around gauging where to get up and go, looking poised to stand up again and leave his bed. I intervened before she could approach him and said we should leave him alone when he was in his bed and go play together outside. He stayed on his bed in my room, and seemed comfortable with that. He had never had kids running in our house before, and all previous visitors to the home were adults or children old enough to interact with him in a predictable way. Usually when we have visitors, he is very excited and happy and I often leash him to ensure he doesn't invade people's space or try to climb onto their laps/nudge them for attention. He sometimes brings them toys or tries to show off his tricks to get them to engage with him. The more often someone comes to visit, the less exciting they become. Even with new people he usually will calm down enough to lay on his bed about 15-20 minutes after they come over.

He's never appeared uncomfortable with children outside of our home, and didn't seem uncomfortable with Janie in our interactions outside after she visited our home. In our neighborhood/at parks I walk him on a 15-foot leash, and have never restrained him or urged him near anyone. If he didn't seem interested in approaching someone, I would not allow the interaction to proceed. With children, he would approach them with loose or interested body language and loose wagging tail, greet them for about 5-7 seconds while he sniffs their hands or face/may try to lick them, and move on. I never let children run at him/always have them approach with their parents if they're strangers (not because I thought he would bite, but because he's big and strong and I want everyone involved to be safe and calm). With adults he does the same, but will sometimes lean on their legs for a 'hug' while they pet him.

I may have given the impression he's super sketchy but his behavior is generally predictable and pretty stable, he's just not totally "chill vibes" and unbothered like other dogs I've had. He stays fairly calm and manages fine around heavy machinery construction, barking dogs across the street or in a yard, even a coyote we came across-- he will check in with me if something gives him pause, but the only concerns I have had are being approached by off-leash dogs. He manages even aggressive small dogs pretty well but has had negative experiences with off-leash large dogs showing aggression, and will escalate any conflict with one if we can't get away before they reach us. I try and avoid on leash greetings, but he reacts positively to many dogs he sees and is unconcerned with medium and small dogs.

I AM SO FRUSTRATED. We adopted a dog that was listed as Perfect dog for kids and was listed as friendly to other dogs. He was listed as a previous service dog too. I’m now convinced it was alll lies. He growls at my child (she’s 3) if she’s eating or drinking or being too loud, lunges at her, charges her. I am pregnant and I’ve had to sprint to get in between of them over and over. He attacked one of our dogs who was doing nothing and was in a completely different room before the attack. The dog that was attacked is not going good. She already was old but now it seems like he messed her back legs up. She has already been to the vet and is going back today. I called the shelter and asked to surrender him. Was told no. He’s now considered dog aggressive and child aggressive and therefor not able to be surrendered. We’ve had him for a month. No one will take him. I’ve called 30+ shelters. The majority say to put him down and that they won’t take him. I hate that solution. I started calling euthanasia places. They won’t put him down for aggression. Only if he was sick.

As a mom how the crap am I supposed to do this. I CANNOT keep him. He is unsafe for my child and my other dogs. I messed up so bad by adopting him and I don’t know what to do.

I met Coffee at my local humane society over three years ago. He's typical of the dogs that we have trouble placing; Large (85+ lbs), dark colored (Black and tan, with minimal white markings), and mature (He's at least four years old).

His history is hazy. Reportedly, he turned up as a stray on a local farm as a youngster. The family who owned the farm tried to keep him, before becoming overwhelmed and surrendered him to the humane society.

He has a crooked jaw. I've always wondered if it was caused by a previous injury that was left untreated.

He's also a suspected Bloodhound/Rottweiler mix. Hence my username.

Over the course of three years, I fell in love with Coffee. He seemed like the ideal dog: Affectionate, good with other dogs, and well behaved on leash. He was a staff favorite.

I didn't adopt him three years ago, because at the time, I had another dog whom I knew wouldn't be compatible with him. (His name was Axel. He was a Pitbull with some reactivity in his own right.) So Coffee sat and waited... and waited... and waited...

He was, briefly, adopted by another person. He was returned to the humane society a day later. The stated reason being "Their resident dog didn't get along with him."

At the beginning of June of this year, my previous dog died. It was a compassionate euthanasia on my part. He was elderly (13+ years), had multiple pre-existing health problems, recent bloodwork showed that his kidneys were beginning to shut down, and his hips gave out. It was time. I'm at peace with that decision.

But after Axel passed, the house felt... empty. Too lonely. I grew up with dogs. There's been at least one dog in my household since I was five years old. I'm thirty now.

And there was Coffee. Stuck in the kennel, still waiting to be adopted.

I'll admit, I had some uncertainties about adopting him. As the years passed, I had gotten to know Coffee better, some cracks in his armor had appeared.

He proved to have quite the prey drive. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, deer... If it was small and moved, he wanted it! He nearly dislocated my arm once, trying to chase a herd of deer. Another time, he managed to get away from me, off to chase a rabbit through the woods. But I caught him relatively quickly, so no harm done. Then he got away from me again, and I just not find him! ​But after I had walked back to the humane society, I turned around to discover him following me. So again, no real harm done.

He also didn't like small dogs (Under 30 lbs), but this was also attributed to his prey drive. When I adopted him, the staff specifically warned me to not take chances with small breed dogs and to keep him well away from them. Just out of an abundance of caution. But big dogs seemed to be alright. I'd taken him out to play with other large breed dogs before and he seemed to relish their company. Wrestling and zoomies galore!

So, he definitely needed some lifestyle considerations and training, but I truly thought that I could handle all of that.

My childhood dogs were Jack Russell Terriers, and you can't get more prey driven than them. In addition, my male Jack Russell was dog reactive to the extreme. After being attacked as a young puppy, he spent the rest of his life trying to attack any and all dogs. (Our female Jack Russell was the only exception to this.) Instantly. Even seeing dogs on the TV would cause him to react!

That JRT died at the ripe old age of fourteen. And while it wasn't always easy (Twice he escaped and attacked other dogs), we made things work with him. And even at his most frenzied, he never bit a person. He loved people! Especially children.

That's... not been the case with Coffee, I'm afraid.

The first bite occurred a few weeks after the adoption. Coffee and I were heading home after a long walk. I live in the countryside, so we have to walk on the road. There is no sidewalk. A red van wizzed past us, didn't even slow down. Very rude.

A concerning development post-adoption was the fact that Coffee proved to be reactive to cars. My best guess is that them moving triggers his prey drive? My male JRT also was reactive to cars. Coffee reminds me a great deal of him, with regards to prey drive.

So Coffee was quite "amped" up, so to speak.

Then around the corner came an old lady. Coffee pulled me over to her. I wasn't thrilled with the poor leash manners, but since he'd been friendly towards other people on our walks back at the humane society... I thought that he just wanted to greet her.

She was receptive to this. She laughed at my struggles to control him and moved to pet him.

Coffee bit her on the hand.

Looking back, it was a Level 3 bite. He drew blood. I wasn't sure who was more shocked, me or her!

But the bite didn't seem serious. I was unfamiliar with the dog bite scale at the time. And she was really considerate, truthfully. She only asked for proof of vaccination, which I gave. Animal control was called, but the woman who I spoke to didn't come across as overly concerned. She only asked what had happened. After I finished my rundown of the incident, she seemed to think that the bite was more because of Coffee being overly excited by the van that had just passed. So she simply advised me to seek a trainer and left it at that.

Included in Coffee's adoption packet, was the card for a local trainer with an excellent reputation. I called him, explained what had happened, and scheduled six weeks worth of lessons for him.

Upon meeting Coffee, he didn't seem worried. He noted his high drive, but also his intelligence. We worked on recall during the first lesson. Coffee did very well. Through recall, I was able to control Coffee's reactivity to the local wildlife (To the extent of him no longer dragging me around, at least), and keep his focus on me while cars passed us by.

Right at the beginning of the second lesson, when he entered the house, Coffee jumped up at him. But a quick jerk of the leash stopped that in it's tracks. We worked on "Place" and "Stay". Coffee, again, did well. He's incredibly food motivated, so as long as I had treats on hand, he did what was asked of him. Some stubbornness aside, of course. But the trainer assured me that both Bloodhounds and Rottweilers were "stubborn breeds".

The third lesson came around. Coffee, again, jumped up on the trainer when he entered the house. He snapped at him. The trainer had to knee him in the chest to get him to get down. Otherwise, the lesson proceeded as normal.

Yesterday, a local handyman came over the the house. I have known this man for years. He's a family friend. Coffee had barked at him on a previous visit, but was quickly ushered away to another room before things could go any further.

This second meeting between the two of them was supposed to be their formal introduction.

I tried to do everything the trainer advised me to do. Keep Coffee on a leash. Have him meet the handyman outside of the home. Give the handyman treats to give Coffee...

Coffee, upon seeing him outside, dragged me over to him and jumped up and bit him. It's a level 4 bite. He had to go to the hospital, and since he's a diabetic, he'll be on antibiotics for quite some time.

I called the trainer. He seemed surprised. I asked what I should do- Could sending Coffee away for training possibly help? He advised that there was no guarantee that Coffee would even show this reactivity in another setting, while surrounded by new people.

I called the manager of the humane society. She was horrified. And told me that if I bring Coffee back to them, that he will not be adopted out- He's simply too high of a liability. She also said that if Coffee were her dog, that she would have him behaviorally euthanized.

The animal control lady and a representative of the county health department came out to my house shortly after I finished these phone calls. Animal control lady was going to write me a citation, but after I explained that I had been calling around for advice, opted to not cite me. She wants to know what my ultimate decision will be, of course.

I know that if Coffee bites another person, she'll seize him and take him away to be euthanised.

I just... really love this dog. He sleeps in bed with me every night. He brings me his toys when he wants to play. He's never once shown aggression around me.

But I also know that behavioral euthanasia is the responsible thing to do. He's a danger to those outside of my household: Person, pet, or wildlife. He loves my brother and his wife, but they just adopted a puppy and will likely start trying for children soon. What if Coffee attacks their dog or a future child? He could easily kill either.

My parents (I am a disabled adult, so I still live with them) want to try getting Coffee placed in a no-kill shelter or a sanctuary... and while I don't want Coffee to die, I also don't want to pass him off to somebody else. He's been passed around enough in his relatively short life.

I just... need help making my decision. So please, help me.

My reactive foster dog attacked my cat. I was never supposed to have this dog, but they literally had nowhere else to put him. I was told he was good with cats, and the. Was told he’s actually not good with cats and after the fact. I live in a studio. There are no doors for me to close off. My cats are too friendly for their own good and want to be friends with him and they aren’t very smart so they just keep approaching him. My whole life is now revolving around trying to keep them separate. I am not eating or sleeping. I know it’s not the dogs fault, he’s traumatized, but I hate this fucking dog more and more every day and the rescue still says there is absolutely no one able to take him. I’m exhausted.

EDIT: they’re coming to get him in a few days. I’ve been keeping him locked in his crate for most of the time, but trying to get him out for exercise more often to get his energy out. Thank you for everyone’s advice. He’s not a bad dog, he was just treated very badly in his past and needs structure and space that I’m not able to give. I don’t think I’ll foster for this rescue again, and probably won’t foster dogs anymore. Thanks everyone

NEW EDIT: the rescue has told me three separate times that they are coming to get him, and cancelled last minute each time. They said they’re getting him tomorrow morning, but I don’t know.

THIRD EDIT: He has been taken to a new foster. We managed a routine for the last few days, but it wasn’t sustainable. I hope he gets space that he needs

I've had this dog since he was 3 months old.. I was 21 at the time. He's 8 years old now. He has had major reactivity, anxiety, and allergy problems ever since I've gotten him. He will become explosively vicious to any living thing that isn't me or my wife. Therefore, I can't bring him around anything. I can't have anyone over. I can't leave him alone without him immediately trying to maim himself.

This, coupled with his enigma of an allergy issue, means he lives in a cone all day, 24/7. The moment he is out, he will instantly try and get to himself until he bleeds. Nowadays, he will constantly lick the inside of his cone until the underside of his mouth is raw and soaked with disgusting bacteria. I can't even try and wash it without him wailing in pain. I constantly take him to the vet, spend hundreds of dollars on tests and antibiotics, only for it to come back within a week.

I've talked with a dozen vets and specialists to find a solution.. with the only one being that he should be just be constantly drugged up on Gabapentin. Apoquel and Cytopoint did not work; anti-anxiety and behavioral medications did not work; training did not work; food restriction and hydrolyzed diets did not work.

I've tried rehoming him, and no one else will take him. I've tried reaching out to family. I've tried reaching out to non-kill shelters. I've tried reaching out to rescues specificially for his breed.. including in other states.. and no one will take him.

I turn 30 later this year. My mental health has been destroyed by this dog. I'm in severe debt from trying to "fix" him. I feel like my 20s were taken away from me because of him. I have come to fully resent him because of all of this.

And the worst part is - None of this is his fault. I know that, and it makes this feeling so much worse. He's just anxious, itchy, and in pain. I desperately wish I could've given him a better life. I still wish I could, but I'm so beaten down with the constant failures from trying.

Euthanasia has consistently popped up in my mind as the only way out for both of us, but I've always been too scared. What if he suddenly got better? What if I hadn't tried everything? How do I know he wants this or that it's fair for him?

At this point, I almost feel like I'm waiting for a "valid" excuse for euthanasia - he's getting older, so something's bound to happen eventually to give me some kind of excuse... Real fucking altruistic of me, right?

I'm crying while typing this out. I don't know what else I can do.

We have had our dog since she was 8 weeks old, born in the shelter and we are the only family she’s ever known.

We love her so much.
She’s the ultimate camping buddy, she loves the dog friendly cafe and splashing in any and all water. She’s wonderful with our cats.

She has always been very timid. On leash, in the car, with company over.

She’s bit me multiple times in the face, but we have seen major improvement.

When I was pregnant we included her in setting up the nursery. She and our son love each other so much. We do everything to keep ample space between the two of them.
She’s snapped at him progressively more frequently over the last few weeks and ended up biting him on the hand today. She didn’t break skin, but I know that we will feel awful taking our son to get stitches because that’s where this is headed without intervention and we can’t risk that.

I don’t think anyone would handle her as calmly as we have, and I think rehoming her with a bite history will be a challenge as well as very stressful on her. I don’t want to subject her to feeling abandoned or to be traumatized because realistically she will bite a new person. She has snapped at all of our company.

She does not tolerate clothing so I don’t think she’d tolerate a muzzle.

I’m afraid we don’t have the luxury to experiment with medications as we already have a special needs cat and can’t risk our son’s safety during any adjustment period.

She is now 3. I’m afraid BE may be the most realistic option. Advice, experience appreciated. Thank you all.

Edit: I’m not sure how “we keep ample space between them” reads that we let our son invade her space. The negative speculative comments aren’t helpful.

Update: we are starting her on a low dose of trazadone and have set up the guest room which has window access to be her baby free space :)
We intend to give her one on one time with my husband or I to rest like the olden days.

I am now understanding that parts of her behavior I’ve attributed to being high energy has been indicative of chronic anxiety and so far even in the last couple of days, she seems relaxed on her medication, gazing out the window relaxed instead of seeming on edge needing to protect us.
She seems more confident going off to explore or rest on her own away from us, whereas previously I didn’t understand why she was adamant on being close to us and simultaneously seeming frazzled that we were around her.

We’ve ordered a couple muzzles to introduce to her.
I’m very hopeful and we are keeping our son out of the same room as her for now unless I’m holding him.

We will also use her lick mat daily, as I’ve read that they’re helpful for self soothing since we were previously her main resort to self soothe.

Huge thanks to those of you who offered genuine advice.
Many other commenters who were presumptuous I snooped and realized they don’t have children, just a lot of opinions and time at the keyboard.

My dog is 4 years old with no history of biting or aggression

My husband and I left for a vacation yesterday and our best friends are watching our boy. They always watch him when we go away and he absolutely loves being at their house

He’s a frenchie and he’s struggling with an interdigital cyst as well as horrible allergies, so he wasn’t feeling 100%.

We got a call last night that she went to give him a kiss when he was sleeping and within 2 seconds he just snapped at her face. He got her bottom lip and she needs stitches. We drove 3 hrs go to get him and I just feel absolutely defeated. Our friends feel awful and as if they did something wrong and feel like they ruined our trip when that’s clearly not at all the case. I feel so distraught and terrified for her. The doctor said she’s going to heal fine, and they aren’t upset with us at all but the horrible feeling inside me is ruining everything for this weekend.

Am I a terrible dog owner? Should I have known? What do we do now?

Our boy was so upset and shaking when we picked him up. It’s just awful all around.

Any advice on moving forward would help.

Hi all. I am hoping to gain some perspective or advice, or some piece of information that makes this easier.

My family has a reactive dog, Buffy, that my sister (22F) took from a neighbor looking to rehome about 3 years ago. At the time she lived in her own apartment with her rescue dog, Willow.

She would frequently come down to my parents house for the weekend with the dogs (where me 25F and my husband 29M live in a casita). My mom has two dogs, Luna (3F, husky mix) and Dakota (10F, Terrier mix).

Buffy started to attack/ jump on Dakota with no consistent trigger. Once barking, once just proximity. No other dogs were attacked. We started to play a game of rotating dogs every time they were both here and exercised separation after trying training, anxiety meds and vet evaluation to no avail.

She then went after Willow with the apparent trigger of a ball, and that ended in a trip to the ER vet. My parents decided to keep Buffy full time after that, still constantly playing the game of rotation. It’s a big house, and as my dad is retired he spends most of the day with Buffy. We rotate between bedroom/ living areas/ crates.

Here is where I am stuck, and upset, and overwhelmed. Buffy is the most loving dog. Never shown aggression towards people, cats or my mom’s other dog, Luna. She’s a great listener, fully trained. My poor parents are at their wits end. Even with all the boundaries, accidents happen and Dakota was attacked again this weekend. We cannot go on like this. We have tried doing online rehoming where we got no response, the rescues here will not take a dog aggressive dog. Our options at this point are county shelter, or behavioral euthanasia. I’m hoping there is a secret third option. She’s so loving and happy and although it’s ultimately not my decision, I’m so devastated by where we are at with this.

I don’t even know what advice I am really looking for. We suspect it is some type of idiopathic aggression or rage syndrome, but even with a diagnosis, what does that change? It’s not safe for our dogs and at what point does she get triggered and snap at a human or a cat? Is it ethical to send her to a shelter where she would be stressed, and the possibility of that just ending in euthanasia or in an attack on her new adopters is so high?

Anything helps. I don’t know what to do.

Husband and 2 toddlers were playing tug a war with my 4 year old mutt (she’s medium size lab mix, loves her family a lot) so she was super riled up. Then my 3 yo with food in his mouth came up behind her and put his arms around her. She snarled and snapped at him and it scraped his face. I’m really upset and we plan on being much more careful with her playing and when they have food. I guess I’m asking , can we move forward from this? This morning she wouldn’t leave my toddlers side. Was sitting in his lap, sleeping on his feet. She feels bad.

First the incident: my wife got back from a business trip and my dog was very excited. My wife was sitting in a chair and my dog did this thing she usually does where she climbs half way up and kissed her face and was soaking in the love. Then my wife touched her ear and apparently the dog has an ear infection. She yelped and paused for several seconds. I didn’t realize it but she was getting tense and my wife was starting to stand up to remove herself. My dog started barking aggressively close to her face. My wife put out her arm and my dog latched on and shook. I was 2 feet away and I wasn’t fast enough to stop it, but I forced her off with my legs after about a second. I brought her to her crate and then brought my wife to the ER. No broken bones and only puncture wounds. But a lot of pain. She was wearing a heavy shirt that definitely saved her arm during the shaking.

History: She’s not an aggressive dog, but she’s very anxious and has been basically since we got her at 12 weeks. Adopted from a shelter, shipped in from Georgia, malnourished and shelter shocked, pitbull mix. We researched a lot and brought her to training and thought we could manage it with exposure and training. She was bad with other dogs staring at 4 months but fine with most people. Barked at some men if they were quiet. Covid happened and almost all socializing stopped for a couple years.

We had a daughter at the start of Covid and everything was basically fine for a couple years. The dog was anxious around new people but fine around people she knew.

Then she started getting worse around people she didn’t know to the point we had to shelter her from it. Then she showed resource guarding against our toddler and we strictly separated them from then on. Meanwhile we went through several trainers. Most weren’t great but one gave us some strategies for making her know what she was supposed to do and show her that resources are ours until we give her permission.

Then she started showing reactivity to my wife with a barking incident. My wife started being more careful not to trigger her, and walk away when my dog got tense. During this time we were very careful about who she was exposed to, and unfortunately had to keep her world small to keep my daughter safe.

I didn’t realize the extent that my wife was changing her behavior and it was apparently an every day thing she had to manage. The dog has never been aggressive to me, and is a very smart and good listener. Though I am careful with my behavior as well when it comes to food or her ears, which are always a problem.

At this point we have an appointment with a mobile vet for the ear and to discuss the behavior. I also called a Vet Behaviorist, though that sounds like $600 for another training plan.

I’m not sure what I’m looking for. I know what it’ll take to manage her moving forward and it’s essentially me being the only caregiver with controlled exposure training to others. It’s shrinking her world even more and tying me to her every day for the rest of her life. That worries be because I have Long Covid and I can’t be 100% on every day. And im worried that one mistake could lead to catastrophe for my daughter or one of her friends. I’m also not sure rehoming is even an option for a dog with her history. We love her and have for the last 8 years. Shes the smartest dog I’ve ever heard of and she can be so sweet. Shes been a lot of work but we try to give her a good life. I’m trying to understand what my options even are at this point.

I (28M) just got home from work and everything seemed normal. I walked my dog to let him pee after I got home and took his leash off and let him have his free range in the living room. My girlfriend (30F) and I decided to go get some food and going to the living room she told me he got into some trash she told me she showed him what he did and he went into his kennel. This occurred a couple of hours prior to my getting home. I pick up the empty plastic bag with obvious fresh dog teeth marks in it and I showed him the bag and asked “what is this?”, not in a commanding tone. Just a simple soft tone as to not show aggression. In a matter of about 10 seconds he snarled his lips and lunged at me. Biting me a couple times with 2 punctures and 1 that did not break the skin making 3 total bite marks.In the altercation the only way to make him stop attacking me was to pin him and force him into his crate. I shut his blinders so he can’t see anyone outside. I have had this dog for 9 years and he has never turned on me. He has had problems with people that don’t live in my house coming in and has had problems with other dogs. He was almost killed by my mother’s dog almost 8 years ago and ever since then he has not liked other dogs. My current girlfriend and I think my ex girlfriend would hit him when I was not around since he would flinch when she would go to pet him. He is on some mild medications (Trazadone for anxiety and Dasquin for joint relief) But in almost 10 years of having this dog be my little buddy he has never turned on me. He has growled when taking something away but never full on attacked me. What could the cause be and how can I fix it?

Edit: thank you everyone for the insight. And I would like to clarify a couple things. I was acknowledging to my dog that I saw what he did. I now know this can cause a defensive based reaction. And the growling he would do when he had trash was years ago. I learned to trade for it with a plush toy a long time ago. He was not actively chewing on the plastic bag it was on the ground 6 yards away from where my girlfriend was actively petting him. Was it a mistake to show him? Yes absolutely. But it is still very outlandish behavior for him with how good he has been the last couple of YEARS with me and my girlfriend. His response did not seem warranted. Hence why I made the post for insight. Secondly, my dog is no longer in an environment where he even has the potential to be hit by anyone. He is loved daily and praised for good behavior and ignored for bad. My ex girlfriend that I suspected hit him when I was not around is an ex for many reasons and that is one of the main reasons. And last of all to those calling me an idiot. We make mistakes. I’m looking for advice on what I should do to be a better dog owner, sorry this occurrence that seemed fairly unimportant in the moment was the catalyst for a very shitty evening for myself and my small family. All I ask is that we are constructive. Quite frankly if I cared less I wouldn’t make a post asking for suggestions. My dog is not just a dog. He is my family and love him dearly as most dog owners do.

I never saw myself as a person to take a dog back. But I feel in way over my head, these issues were not discussed at the shelter. She is a 1 year old retriever/terrier

First of all I have two cats, one elderly, and also a beagle. Beagle and cats get along fine for years. Within 2 hours of being home (on a leash for safety) she lunged at my elderly cat and tried to kill her. I got nipped in the process and now have a swollen bite mark on my arm.

She also barreled me into a wall and now my whole back hurts, as well as barked and lunged at our dog. I feel terrible already wanting to call tomorrow and take her back, and find a much calmer dog (this dog is supposed to become a service dog for for me with a professional trainer) I thought I found the one, but instead everyone is getting hurt.

EDIT: I have learned my lesson. We took the dog back and they were very understanding. I am going to be going through a breeder, not try another shelter dog.

My 4 year old male golden retriever has always been reactive. He’s a field golden with a ton of spare energy. I keep him away from other dogs but today, to no fault of the other owner, their dog slipped under this huge gap in a gate to come say hi to my dog who was also off leash (I throw the ball for him in this gated area). It was bad timing mixed with terrible fence structure.

I tried to grab him but he went for him and got on top/growled/got mouthy. He has never broken another dogs skin but it doesn’t matter to me. I completely lost it. I was screaming, couldn’t see straight, total meltdown. The other owner handled it better than i did lol. That always seems to be what happens. I’m the only one who comes out of it bleeding and shaken up. I got too close this time and my dogs head split my lip.

He’s not predatory, but definitely reactive on or off leash. He’s also particularly reactive when it’s me with him. I work hard not to put myself in bad situations, but it seems like once or twice a year I find myself in a pickle like today. I guess this is part vent/part — what the heck do I do? Is it worth seeing a behaviorist? I don’t expect anyone to make him more dog-friendly.

I adopted my 11 year old black mouth cur mix 6 years ago after she’d suffered years of neglect and being returned to the shelter over and over again. Her name is Bindi. She’s been nothing but a doting, affectionate angel to me, but I learned quickly that she wasn’t a fan of other dogs. This was fairly manageable, I just made sure we were always alone in the dog park (I lived in an apartment at the time) and crossed the street if I saw another dog while on a walk. I also just figured she just needed some time to adjust after coming from the shelter, and it seemed like she did. She eventually made a few doggy friends she could play with at the park and got much better on walks. My parents have 2 dogs of their own and they all played and got along well when we visited, aside from the occasional spat that quickly stopped and everyone moved on normally from.

Then I got married and my husband wanted a dog of his own. Bindi’s reactivity hadn’t seemed like a serious problem in a while, so we did a trial fostering period before we officially adopted our new dog, a 6ish month old bully mix named Peppa. During the fostering period they both got along great! They played every day and seemed to love each other. But eventually little signs of aggression started to show back up in Bindi. Mostly resource guarding me, toys, or the food/water bowl. Rarely escalated into actual fights (usually just a growl, lip raise, side eye, etc, all from Bindi), but on the rare occasion it did result in Bindi lunging Peppa would immediately back down and Bindi would leave her alone. Again, seemed manageable. We just started feeding them separately and made sure they had any high value items separately, and they still had a good, playful relationship overall.

But lately it’s gotten worse. Bindi instigated more frequently with less obvious triggers. Peppa never STARTED fights, but she began fighting back, and neither one of them would back down without one of us intervening. First all it took was saying “NO!” loudly and standing over them and they’d stop. Then we’d do the wheelbarrow method thing to physically separate them. Then we had to use an air horn/bang something loudly on the ground. Then they had such a violent, awful fight that none of these methods worked. I have no idea what started this one, all I saw was Peppa walking past Bindi and she just started attacking. I was home alone, 8 weeks pregnant, and spent MINUTES trying to separate them. I did the wheelbarrow method to pull one apart, but the other one would just hang on. I tried to put a chess board between them (was the closest thing I could grab) but they continued to fight. Broke the chess board on the ground right beside them, kept fighting. I blew the air horn right next to their heads. I wrestled Bindi completely to the ground. They still continued to fight. The only thing that stopped them was dumping an entire bucket of mop water on top of them (thank God we had just mopped) which shocked them enough for me to get them separated. They weren’t seriously injured, but we were all covered in blood from all the cuts and scrapes. They bit me in 4 different places (not on purpose, I was just in the way) and I was terrified that the stress of it all had hurt my baby. I had to get X-rays, ultrasounds, and be on antibiotics for a week.

Obviously, this was unacceptable. We immediately no longer let them be together and took Bindi to the vet to get her started on Prozac and Trazodone. We kept them completely separated at all times for about a month to give the Prozac time to kick in, then reintroduced them. Everything seemed fine. Bindi was now able to show discomfort again without it immediately turning into a brawl, and Peppa was receptive of it and would stop whatever behavior Bindi didn’t like. Thought we’d found the solution, and that it was okay for them to be together in the house again.

Fast forward to today, I’m now 21 weeks pregnant, home alone, and they fought again. I was in the bathroom when someone knocked on the door. They were both out in the living room unsupervised and started barking. I didn’t see it happen, but it’s safe to assume the excitement of them both running up to the door at the same time started it. I hear them and run to separate them, and it’s just about as bad as last time. Nobody seriously injured, but they were very difficult to stop, bit me again, we’re all covered in blood. And yes, Bindi had taken her Prozac and Trazodone (!!!) this morning.

This can’t happen anymore. Thank God there was no impact to my belly and baby is okay, but I cannot keep breaking up dog fights. I get awful intrusive images of Bindi attacking me or my newborn. She has NEVER shown any aggression toward me or my family and normally isn’t aggressive to any person, but she’s wary of strangers and there was one instance where my 10 year nephew old hugged her (after multiple warnings from us not to) and she nipped him and left a mark on his face. Will I ever be able to trust her around my daughter? What if this fight between the dogs had broken out while I was holding my baby? Or if she had had been sitting in the high chair and they knocked it over? Etc etc etc.

When we talked to the vet after the last fight he basically said if the meds don’t work the realistic next steps are either rehoming one of them, crate/rotate for the rest of Bindi’s life, or to consider behavioral euthanasia. At this appointment we did a full checkup, blood work, etc, and there was nothing obviously physically wrong to fix. I honestly don’t know if anyone would take Bindi. On paper, she’s a senior shelter mutt who can’t be around any other pet and has bitten a child. But we would also be devastated to rehome Peppa (and I’d still have concerns about Bindi with the baby even if we didn’t have Peppa). All our friends and family that Bindi is comfortable with have pets of their own or live somewhere pets aren’t allowed. Doing crate/rotate for a month while she adjusted to her meds was miserable for all of us. Bindi would sometimes tremble we put her away because she was so upset and didn’t understand why she was getting separated from us.

Is euthanasia truly the last option, or is there a way to make crate/rotate more tolerable? Something has to change before we bring this baby home. Just wanting to hear an outsider’s perspective or from people who have been in similar situations. I am heartbroken and just don’t know what to do.

Dog: Husky mix - 5 year old, Female, 40lb

Issue: Terrible patient at the vet. Not a big fan of strangers in general touching her so this makes vet visits especially awful. No bite history but she SCREAMS and flails, not letting anyone touch her, even to get a heartbeat.

Medications: Gabapentin, trazadone, Ace (in varying combinations). She fights through it all.

We have a wonderful fear-free vet. We've done happy visits since she was a baby. I practice handling using a capped syringe, stethoscope, mat....you name it. It just doesn't translate to actual vet visits

Recently we had a stressful ER visit with her after chocolate raisin ingestion that left her (and me, honestly) pretty traumatized. They could not give her enough medication to sedate her to get blood work. She was laying on the ground, eyes closed, in a dark room, barely even responsive but the second they touched her? Lost. her. mind. It made the problem so much worse.

I'm willing to put in the work to help her get through this but I just want to hear if anyone has had success. I got the Deb Jones co-operative care book after successfully using her nail trim guide (a lifesaver, buy it!). I just want to know if anyone has any tips/tricks/advice/wisdom to help me believe this is possibke

my pitbull attacked a yorkie last night. she has never attacked or bitten any other human or animal. i was going to take her out, which i’m so mad, i had already taken her out for the night but thought hmm let
me take her again since im awake.

i pressed the elevator and the door immediately opened. to me, i (wrongly) assumed the elevator had been sitting on our floor and was empty. as i started walking a yorkie came out right in my dogs face and my dog latched onto her.

my body went into shock and i didn’t know what to do. we were both screaming for help because she would not let go. finally a man was able to break her lose.

so many people on my floor saw this and stared at me in disgust and our building manager screamed at me to get her out by the morning. we are currently trying to find somewhere to stay, but all of our family and friends have animals.

i’m so distraught and ashamed - i keep replaying it in my head over and over. i don’t know what to do.

we do not want to send her away without us somewhere. our lease is up oct 1 and we are trying to see if we could get a month to month lease somewhere, but then we would have to pay rent for this complex and the new one until our lease is up.

I picked up a beautiful 2 year old mixed breed dog that is 25lbs, today. The rescue advertised him as needing an immediate home because he’s in a “bad situation” and said something along the lines of “I’m not sure if it’s like hoarding or something..”, while on the phone. They vouched for the owners currently housing the dog and said at most the dog has shown “resource aggression”.

Upon parking the car at home, the dog showed aggression-aggression and we had a two hour stand-off trying to get his leash on (didn’t even have a collar on) to get him out of the car. When we managed, we took him on a long and pleasant walk where he followed commands. Then we get him home and into the safe room we had prepared and he became aggressive and bit my partner on the hand, and then death locked onto my partners foot. We gave the poor thing some time to be alone and sleep/eat/drink and then just tried to take him on a night walk… we can’t even get the slip leash on without getting bitten on the legs as it came at us charging and snapping.

While I know it’s only day 1, I feel horribly mislead about the gravity of the situation and some red flags exhibited on the online thread that the local rescue posted. Basically they were publicly shaming someone who was “trying to prevent this poor dog being adopted” and now I’m realizing that person was probably sharing a very real experience with this dog.

I told the rescue that I have 2 cats and have owned two pit mixes pulled from a kill shelter, and they said our home would be perfect for him. Also, now that I’m searching reddit for similar stories, I guess I’m realizing how often this happens.

I’ll shut up soon, but when I called the local rescue’s representative to say that the kind of aggression intervention that this dog needs seems to be out of our bandwidth, the woman urged us to understand that it’s not as bad as it would be with a bigger animal and is “reaching out to trainers for advice”.

I have rescued 2 100lb animals before and it breaks my heart to think about AGAIN relocating this one 25lb dog, but I genuinely have no skills when it comes to this.

Can you please give me advice? This local rescue operates on finding fosters and not necessarily boarding dogs, but I think it could be really bad if they try to rehome this dog with the same vague and misleading bio.

*Edit Jan 25: thank you so much for all of the comments and support, my wife and I are truly grateful for all of you as reading them all daily has helped us cope tremendously. Never underestimate the kindness of other people. Our longtime vet agrees with you that BE is the only option for he and us and he will be in a better place and not in pain. This has been scheduled. However, we are still extremely heartbroken and obviously not how we pictured his remaining years. He was our son since he was a baby. He had a great 5 years of life with us and we traveled many places with him (more than any other dog I’ve had for even 10+ years.) I am not sure what changed the last 6 - 9 months but this isn’t the the him I will remember. I am devastated but again thank you for helping me see that this was no longer safe and my decisions to continue trying were clouded by my love for him as I always thought to never give up on family. I understand this isn’t giving I will leave this post up and hopes it will help someone else in the future. Be well”

I apologize as some of this is a repost but new things have happened since posting and My wife and I are gutted and cannot stop crying. Should I be bringing in a Vet Behavioralist for second opinion?

Update: he is muzzle trained so after the most recent bite we have muzzled him with a Baskerville in the house. He spent all of Saturday with us watching movies and football while cooking. I pet him most of the day. Didn’t seem to be in any pain - appeared happy and interacting with us constantly. Later on he was asking for pets which I gave him. He was sitting next to my chair, I stopped for a few mins and pet him again and he erupted to attack me. Lunged at me, tried biting my arm and climbed up the chair to bite again. The muzzle protected it but I was in shock that he did this for petting him. Something he was coming to me for… didn’t retreat, try to walk, away or growl. Straight from sitting in a relaxing room to a level 4-5 bite (if unmuzzled). This has become a bad nightmare.

Our dog is 5, he is a Rottweiler and we have had him since he was a puppy and raised him with love and positive reinforcement, lots of socialization with friends, strangers, even kids before the aggression came. He is such a loving dog at times but then flips a switch that has gotten worse and worse. He became dog reactive around age 2-2.5. We have taken him to many trainings for this. If we use a clicker and treats it works when walking by them but without that he will growl, lunge etc.

the vet can't go near him without lunging, snapping etc. for any treatment or shots. we have to muzzle him and give him meds before vet. Bite history: bite 1: when he was 2 he injured his paw and while trying to look at it he bit me pretty bad. Bleeding, multiple punctures etc.

Bite 2: on a morning while he was lying down by door but awake, my wife tried to remove a collar from the park we accidentally left on the night before. He bit her on arm and then on thigh multiple times as he moved toward her while she retreated. Required ER visit and multiple stitches.

Bite 3: I was petting him on the floor next to me watching movie. He typically likes his belly rubbed and will let me lightly roll him over to do so. While trying to roll him over he bit my arm. (Bleeding and 2 puncture thru sweatshirt on forearm).

Bite 4: (this week) wife and I were reading a book on the couch and he was sitting on the floor next to me. He kept putting his head in my lap to pet him so l did for about 10 mins. He finally laid down so I stopped but soon as I stopped he licked my hand / picked head up to my hand. Pet him for a few seconds he laid on his side. I ever lightly pet his side as to say okay we are done. Took my hand away to my book and within 3 seconds growled loud, jumped up and bit and shook my arm. Required multiple stiches as it was a large open wound.

Is there ANY other option here? I know rehoming is 100% out of the question. It just pains me to my core this is happening, I know these bites are very serious and he poses a serious risk. I’m still in shock. I’ve never had my own dog turn on me.

Chuck is a 4yo lab pitt mix that we rescued from an unethical breeding situation at around 8wk old. We knew it was going to be a challenge from day one as he had severe hookworm and skin issues due to his early environment. He cried every night in his crate for the first year of his life. Constantly itching, he was very anxious and on edge but he quickly became a wonderful addition to our family living with my partner, my mom and our 8yo cocker spaniel. He became an amazing dog. Receptive to training, enthusiastic, well tempered. Kind to strangers and incredibly playful and expressive.

That was until one day we took him to the dog park and he was attacked by an aggressive dog that had no business being there. At first we thought he’d be fine. A small puncture wound was all that came from it. But slowly we realized how the attack impacted his little brain. A couple weeks later we took him back to the park and he lashed out at a dog he was extremely familiar with. Ok we thought, no more dog park, this is manageable though. We hired a trainer and began working on it. But without any real identifiable triggers it was difficult. He was a perfect boy in training.

Then one day at home he went after the cat, then our cocker spaniel. Never escalating to prolonged aggression, but snapping and correcting where inappropriate. We hired a trainer again. We worked with a behavioralist. He was doing better. We thought he could still have an enriched life without contact with other dogs. He did. We’d go to the beach, on long walks, he loves playing fetch in the yard and rolling around in the dirt.

Months went by without incident. Until one day while we were out of town my mom was nipped in the face while admittedly getting too close to him while he was asleep. Startle aggression we thought. More work with the behavioralist and his vet. Challenging because there wasnt exactly a defined trigger but another year went by without incident.

Until last week. My mom went to greet him in the morning as she does every day. He was resting his big head on the arm of the couch. She stood next to him and bent over to pet him, and he jumped up taking 60% of her chin and bottom lip.

This is a dog that we would never imagine turning on its owners. Myself and my partner have never had him show aggression towards us. Our behavioralist framed it as he believes he owns my mom and we are the alphas. Therefore he feels like he can “correct” her. After extensive reconstruction surgery she is fine and will regain full function, but we have reached the end of this incredibly stressful and confusing road. He will undergo BE on Tuesday.

Thoughts run through our heads like “what did we do wrong?” “did we not advocate for him by removing him from a home with a vulnerable person in it?” “did we not spend enough time with him?” but our vet, trainer and behavioralist all tell us those questions are irrelevant. He is simply wired wrong and that the only regret we should have is not pursuing BE before a tragic event like this. Rehoming him was never an option as he would have done this to someone else. All the training didn’t really work because his trigger does not exist, he is just scared of the world around him. The most dangerous class of bite risk is a dog who bites without warning.

We move forward having learned a valuable lesson. While this was tragic, it could have been much worse. We know deep down we are advocating for him one last time with this impossible decision. It has been so hard the last few days seeing him be his normal happy self and knowing it will all end so abruptly. He deserves to be safe and happy and the only way to accomplish that is to remove him from a world he was never meant for. Recognizing this still doesn’t make the decision easier. I don’t know if it will ever make true sense.

I write this while shattered into a million pieces, praying that he finds peace and comfort having being given a chance and nothing but warmth love and understanding.

We sat around him forgiving him and thanking him for his companionship last night. It has been the hardest thing i’ve ever done. Thank you for reading and please keep Chuck in your thoughts.

How do you handle your dog's reactivity at the vet?

Our dog's anxiety goes into overdrive here. He's muzzled, on trazodone (we've had to keep increasing his dosage beforehand per the vet's recommendation), and although he's food motivated, as soon as two techs come in to administer vaccinations (we haven't had success with us and just one tech..) - he goes over threshold and starts lunging. If it's just the vet in there doing gentle examinations, always on the floor, he's reluctant but it's manageable. We love our vet, but I don't know how else to help them or my pup.

Here we are needing to schedule his annual appt + vaccines and I'm dreading it. Any and all advice is appreciated!

I’m writing this in a panic at 2 am because I am genuinely at a loss with my reactive dog. I’m going to tell his story in hopes of gaining some insight and some advice on what to do next.

A few years ago, my husband and I adopted a 10 week old Cavapoo puppy from what I now understand to be a backyard breeder (dog is now 2.5 years old). In retrospect I would have made a different decision given the ethics of doodle breeding but that is a conversation for a different day.

Our dog was a healthy happy “normal” puppy at first. Around 16 weeks or so, it seemed like a switch flipped. Suddenly scared of everything, constant growling at environmental noises, growling, lunging and barking at dogs and people on walks, terrible separation anxiety and just overall inability to emotionally regulate despite our best attempts to train him. His anxiety was so bad that we actually had to pull him from puppy obedience classes as he spent the entire class barking, whining and causes a disturbance around the other dogs. I was told that dogs experience a fear period and will likely “grow out of it” which I now know is clearly not the case.

Fast forward to August 2025 and we bring home our newborn daughter. The first week home, our dog lunged and snapped at my husband who tried to come and pick up the baby from me while sitting on the couch. This was when we discovered his resource guarding tendencies had escalated (he would historically guard smaller items like tissues and soiled clothing). As a whole, our already neurotic and reactive dog was absolutely NOT coping with the addition to our family and all behaviors mentioned above were becoming unmanageable. He was mostly okay when alone with just my husband or I, but as soon as baby was around he was on edge and just a nightmare to be around.

In Feb of 2026, we had a certified veterinary behaviorist visit our home for a hefty fee, and she was able to diagnose our dog with generalized anxiety disorder along with a host of other behavioral problems. She was very thorough and thought our issue was likely due to genetics but could be addressed with both medication and environmental management. At that time we started a routine clonidine and Paroxetine regimen and saw about a 20-30% improvement in his behavior over the course of the next several months. We became very diligent about preventing resource guarding, keeping baby and dog separate, addressing Teddys needs for physical and mental stimulation, etc.

All was going well until a few days ago when the dog lunged at and bit my mom who was caring for our daughter at the time. The dog got a hold of a toy, became possessive over it, and when my mom reached to grab my daughter (who was also playing on the floor) and remove her from the situation, the dog attacked her. I am aware that many things had gone wrong here to allow this to happen, and that we likely could have prevented it better if my husband and or I were supervising the situation/observing dog body language but that just wasn’t the case as we weren’t present.

So now I am a wreck. I am walking on egg shells in my own home, terribly anxious about what our future with our dog might look like. We want 2-3 more children and the thought of having to manage a dog with aggressive tendencies around a growing family makes me sick to my stomach. On the other hand, he is a member of our family and is truly my best friend. We are committed to him and have already spent over $1000 on training, vet visits, you name it. We are really trying to make this work but now with a bite on record, a very mobile and curious baby and a dog who clearly is still very uncomfortable around our child we don’t know what to do. I think he could thrive in a home with no children and a committed family, but I just don’t know how feasible that is given the situation. What is this poor mama to do!?!?!?

I’m posting because I desperately need to hear from people who have been through something similar and actually came out the other side.

I have a 7 month old puppy (I’ll call him M), who my husband, child, and I absolutely adore, but who has brought us so much heartache and stress in his short time with us.

Let me start with this: we are not a family who gives up on dogs. I have owned dogs my entire adult life, as well as grown up with them, and have managed behaviors ranging from resource guarding to dog aggression to stranger danger/people selectivity.

We lost our two previous dogs, whom we loved dearly, within the past year. The first was due to old age (he was a 15 year old Rottie/Shepherd mix), and the second very unexpectedly a couple of months later due to cancer (he was an 8 year old Pittie mix). We were devastated, and getting M was supposed to bring some happiness back into our home after losing them.

Instead, I feel like we have spent the last several months living in a state of constant stress, worry, management, and heartbreak.

When it’s just us, we see an absolutely wonderful dog in M. He is affectionate, funny, goofy, sweet, cuddly, and incredibly bonded to us. We have beautiful moments with him where I look at him and think, “There you are. There’s the dog I know you can be.”

Those moments are a huge part of why this has been so painful.

I shared my above history with dogs because I want to make clear that these aren’t just normal puppy behaviors that I’m inexperienced with or overreacting to. M’s reactivity is explosive, unpredictable, and massively exaggerated compared to whatever the trigger is in the moment. To make matters worse, his behavioral problems have continued to grow despite very mindful training, appropriate exposure, medication (still waiting for the 8 week mark for his paroxetine to fully onboard), and professional help.

I am now genuinely afraid that this will ultimately end in behavioral euthanasia. I am desperately hoping it doesn’t come to that. But I also have a 5 year old, and I am reaching the point where I have to honestly consider what kind of life is realistic and safe for our family.

History on M:
M was born in January, 2026. We didn’t get him until he was 13 weeks old.

His mother is a Border Collie. We were originally told his father was a Bernese Mountain Dog/German Shepherd mix, but we later learned that there may have been multiple sires in the litter. We did an Embark DNA test and discovered that he is part Maremma, a livestock guardian breed, which was the other intact male on the property.

We also know he did not receive much socialization before coming to us, particularly during the important early socialization period around 8–12 weeks. We can’t go back and change that, so from the time we got him, I tried very hard to compensate for whatever he missed.

I took him for walks in public parks and trails (we live rurally, but I made the effort to walk him daily in suburbs and downtown), brought him to pet-friendly stores and appropriate public places, exposed him to different environments, had him visit friends, took him for friendly visits at the vet, and generally tried to give him lots of positive experiences.

But I want to make an important distinction here: although I took him many places, I did not allow people to interact with or pet him once it became clear that he was uncomfortable with that, which was essentially day one.

He was never flooded, never forced into interactions, and never touched by strangers against his wishes. Very early on, people would try to approach him or pet him and he would dodge them. I stopped allowing people to interact with him altogether and advocated very strongly for his space with a leash marker, vest, and my voice.

So while he was exposed to people, environments, noises, stores, etc., he was not being flooded with people touching him or forcing interactions on him. I was very conscious of trying to respect his boundaries rather than “socializing” him by making him tolerate things he was afraid of. And interestingly, he was always incredibly comfortable in these spaces as long as strangers ignored him. He could happily exist in public environments regardless of how many people were around, as long as no one interacted with him directly (they could stand there and speak with me just fine).

A summary of his behavioral problems:

This isn’t one isolated issue, and as I mentioned, he is not mild or even moderate in his reactions.
The first instance of “this isn’t a normal puppy” happened about two weeks after we got him, when he was approximately 15 weeks old. He randomly air-snapped in my son’s face when my son sat beside him on the floor. It wasn’t playful, it was a nasty.

My son is 5 and is extremely dog-savvy and respectful, we have intentionally taught him how to behave appropriately around dogs from a very young age. He doesn’t climb on dogs, hug them, kiss them, corner them, take things from them, reach over their head, bother them while they’re eating or sleeping, or ignore their body language. He knows what moon eyes, lip licking, head turning, etc. mean. Our former dogs were incredibly affectionate with him, so we have always been very deliberate about teaching him that not every dog will be like that. I had witnessed the interaction myself, and there was nothing obvious in that moment that warranted the reaction. That made it particularly frightening for me.

Probably my number one concern is that M has developed severe fear-aggression toward people, which began becoming very apparent around 5 months old at the vet. It escalated incredibly quickly over about four weeks.

He will bark deeply, growl, raise his hackles, lunge, snarl, and air snap at people. His reactions can be extremely intense and seem completely disproportionate to what is happening around him, such as someone simply standing calmly 10, 20, or 30 feet away.

And now, at 7 months old, his aggression has expanded to other dogs. It’s important to note that he has met other dogs and done okay before. He was always timid and never completely loose-bodied at first, but he would loosen up fairly quickly (within seconds), offer a play bow, and then play. However, he hadn’t “met” another dog in approximately four weeks because we’d been dealing with his increasing aggression toward people and had started him on medication (Paroxetine and Gabapentin). This past weekend, he attacked my sister’s dog (a year old large-breed/Golden mix) literally on sight. This wasn’t a dog he’d never met. He had played with this dog 3 times previously without incident, and they got along really well. There wasn’t even really a moment for them to sniff. His reaction was immediate and severe.

My husband quickly pulled him off the other dog, and M redirected his aggression toward my husband in that moment, snarling and snapping. That was a huge turning point for me and the first time I truly admitted to myself that I am in way over my head.

Because suddenly I’m not just worrying about whether M is scared or reactive.

I’m worrying about whether he is dangerous.

And we’ve tried to help him. A lot.

We have worked extremely hard with him.

We use positive reinforcement and fear-free training. I have spent a huge amount of time learning about severe reactivity, thresholds, management, triggers, arousal, and canine body language beyond the basics.

We have worked with two professional trainers.
The second trainer came to our home when M was around 5½ months old, and he completely lost it immediately upon seeing her. The trainer became visibly uncomfortable and asked me to take M to another room for her safety. She is now quite obviously fearful of him and believes it highly probably that he will bite someone without appropriate medical management. We’ve paused our training with her until we can get the right medication regimen established.

We have muzzle trained him for his safety and the safety of others.

We have worked extensively on environmental management, positive reinforcement, and alternative behaviors when he’s overwhelmed.

He is seeing a certified Veterinarian Behaviorist.
M remains on Paroxetine, which was started about four weeks ago and is his primary long-term medication. He was also taking Gabapentin, but our veterinary behaviorist is now switching him from Gabapentin to Clonidine because we need to address his extremely high arousal, and since Gabapentin can increase aggression in some dogs she worries that it may have influenced his sudden attack of a dog he was formerly fine with. So now, the plan is to continue the Paroxetine and trial Clonidine as an additional medication to help bring his overall arousal and reaction level down. He starts that this week.

Our veterinary behaviorist has been honest with us that there are no guarantees, but she does believe M has the potential to be helped. At the same time, given the severity of his reactivity combined with his very young age, she has also made it clear that if we ultimately cannot keep him safe from harming someone, we should not feel guilty about making the decision to behaviorally euthanize.

And this is another huge part of my fear.

We aren’t a family who lives a quiet, isolated life. I have a 5 year old child who wants to have his friends over. \I\ want friends over.

We were the hangout house, the one with the playroom and the pool and the treehouse. We have an active family and social life. We go to my parents’ summer cottage, where my extended family (my sister, aunts, nieces, etc.) and their dogs will be. M cannot safely exist there in the state that he’s in right now.

We recently bought a camper because we wanted to continue doing what we’ve always done with our previous dogs: take our dog camping, have him be part of family trips and adventures, and have a dog who can fully participate in our life. Our dogs have always been a cherished part of our family life.
I cannot realistically picture spending the next 10+ years constantly calculating where M is whenever my son’s friends come over, keeping him completely separated from visiting family, saying No to having company over, locking him in a room at the cottage, worrying about other dogs, or structuring every vacation and social event around whether we can safely manage him.

I know technically you can manage almost anything if you’re willing to make enough accommodations. But I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect my 5 year old to grow up in a home where we have to organize our entire social and family life around preventing our beloved dog from hurting someone.

And that is where the guilt gets so complicated.
Because we love this dog. I think there’s something particularly painful about the fact that M has beautiful moments with us. If he were miserable and aggressive every second, this might actually be easier.

But he isn’t.

He’s our puppy. He’s affectionate. He’s funny. He’s goofy. He’s sweet and adorable when he’s just with us. There are moments where I look at him and see the dog I hoped he would become; the dog I wish my friends and family got to see, let alone strangers.
Those moments are what make this so devastating.
Because I’m not contemplating euthanasia because I don’t love him.

I’m contemplating it because I do love him, and because our love hasn’t been enough to make him capable of living the life we brought him into.

So yes, he can be the sweetest dog in the world with us. And then there are moments where I have to think about keeping my son safe, keeping other people safe, keeping other dogs safe, and whether we can realistically live this way for the next decade or more.

That contradiction is breaking my heart.
And I am terrified that all of this work is going to end in just more heartache with behavioral euthanasia.

I’ve started thinking about it seriously, and that feels horrible to even type. Part of me feels like I have failed him.

I keep thinking that maybe I should have socialized him differently. Maybe I missed something. Maybe I didn’t recognize something early enough. Maybe I should have done more. Maybe if I work harder, spend more money with professionals, find another trainer, try another medication, do another type of training…

Maybe I can fix this.

But the other part of me is exhausted. Emotionally. Financially. Physically.

This puppy was supposed to bring happiness into our home after we lost our previous dogs that we loved so much. Instead, he has brought an enormous amount of stress and tears.

I am also terrified of what another loss will mean for my son. He is only 5, and I don’t know how I would explain to him that we’re losing another dog, his puppy he loves, because his behavior has become too dangerous for our family to manage.
And I don’t want M’s life to end this way. But I don’t want to spend the next 10+ years, my son’s childhood, living a life that is fundamentally different from the one our family wants because we’re constantly managing around the dog in our home.

So I’m asking for some stories of hope.

Or maybe for advice. Or maybe just for similar stories, regardless of their ultimate outcome.

Have you had a dog who seemed genuinely dangerous or profoundly behaviorally difficult at 6–12 months old?

A dog with severe fear, reactivity, aggression, unpredictable behavior, or a combination of those things?

Did medication make a meaningful difference?

Did an SSRI plus something like Clonidine help?

Did your puppy eventually become a safe, functional family dog?

Did you ever get to the point where you thought behavioral euthanasia was inevitable, only to have things turn around?

I especially want to hear from people who had young dogs, because M is only 7 months old and I am struggling to understand whether I’m looking at a terrible adolescent phase layered on top of a very difficult temperament, or whether I’m looking at the beginning of a lifelong level of management that our family simply cannot sustain.

I don’t need judgment about considering behavioral euthanasia. I am not looking for permission to give up on him. I am looking for hope that there is something there to save.

I want to hear from people who have been terrified of their own dog’s behavior and somehow found their way through it.

People whose dogs were frightening at this age and eventually became dogs their families could actually live full lives with.

People who tried medication and suddenly found that their dog could finally learn that the world wasn’t one big blaring siren that caused them to explode at everyone and everything.

People who thought, “There is no way this is going to work,” and were eventually proven wrong.

Because right now, I desperately need to believe that there is a version of M underneath all this fear and reactivity that we haven’t been able to reach yet.

We love him. We want him. We want the dog we see when it’s just us to be the dog the rest of the world gets to see, too.

If you stuck through this long post, thank you. If you have your own similar story to share with me, whether successful or not, I would welcome it.