Sir, I have a unique veterinary repertory.

Do you notice anything specific about the animal's appearance, paws, teeth or otherwise about his parts?

[ 21. July 2003, 10:41: Message edited by: Hahnemannian444B ]

Hello I'll try to answer your questions and thanks so much to everyone for their expert help.

I didn't notice a change in Ginger's behavior after her rabies vaccination. But with the bortedella, which was only 4 weeks ago, could be. This latest episode of destruction (which was her worst to date) could be a result of the vaccination and/or boarding her. I suspect she did not like being away from home very much. I know displaying the behavior 4 weeks after a vaccination may be a long time, but I may not have left her alone very long in those weeks and didn't give her the chance to do such damage.

She has a dry patch of skin on her front legs right at the "elbow". It's about an inch in diameter. She has it on both front legs in the same spot. I've seen this on other dogs before so maybe it's not a dry patch at all, just a marking that is characteristic for her breed. She doesn't fiddle with it (no scratching or chewing of the area) so it must not bother her. She's not being cooperative about letting me check her teeth but from what I can see, there's nothing striking there. She has very little tartar build-up. I was able to notice a cut she has on her bottom lip. Maybe this came from chewing up the blinds, which were made from a very hard plastic.

Take care,
Christine

[ 21. July 2003, 15:19: Message edited by: Fishie ]

Hey guys, thanks for the vote of confidence but I'm not sure if I can help to fix anything. This dog's ears may hang down but she looks like a shep and I'm afraid acts like one too. I love sheps (probably because they remind me of the siamese nature), they are loyal and good companions but can be extremely territorial. I found whenever I've taken home a shep, they basically ignore you for a week or 2 and then suddenly "instant-I will die for you-bond" happens, and this is when things can happen. I would be interested to know how the dog reacts to strangers when she is on a leash and off the property. Her stay at the "doggy motel" might confirm that she not overly confident in strange surrounds and in fact tucks her "bully" nature away -this is good, she obviously knows how to react in a group. I would also submise that she enjoyed her vacation and find it no accident that she would act out upon her return, craving that leadership that allowed her to just be a dog. Shame on the vet and the shelter for throwing in the towel, but the fact of the matter I suspect is that they know the problem is most likely tied to the relationship you have with your dog, which requires "fixing" both of you. I don't believe and in fact experience teaches me (as too the incident of the doggy motel confirms) that this dog could definitely be OK in another home. Just as my border-lab would be an excellent dog in a home other than my own, where he is territorial, terrible with the other animals and agressive to strangers (especially women). Unfortunately I haven't been able to place him, so I have had to adjust my way of dealing with him so that order can prevail, and we manage. (By the way he loves it when I board him -he never wants to come home!)

I'm not suggesting you find a new home for your charished pet, but if you are going to keep her, you will have to do some work. A friend of mine has a shep, she's great with the small kids and other animals in the house. Her husband has control of the dog, but she doesn't (not that she really needs to, unless people come over to visit). I stopped visiting her after an incident where she went upstairs to see to the kids and left me alone with the dog who had been growling at me all night. This dog waited until the owner was out of sight and then got up and sat beside me on the sofa, staring at me, daring me to move. That is not a fun situation to be in and in fact can be terrifying for some people. This dog has never bitten anyone, but I know she is capable of it in a heartbeat even though she is the sweetist family pet!

I'm not sure if any of this relates to your situation but if it does you need to stop allowing the dog to care for the family and you must step up to be the leader. This is done through training and lots and lots of rules. Its about treating a dog like a dog and setting up a clearly divisible line between the humans and the animals. I would definitly crate train -this you have to do slowly (you don't just get a crate, put the dog in and leave the house), you try to get the dog to accept the crate as a den. A place where she can feel safe and protected, not confined and stressed out. Sit-stay command is very important when answering the dog or when people/strangers come into the house. Set limitations, give her her own bed, don't let her sleep with you or be on the sofa (or other human perches). Make her "work" for everything -this is actually fun for them, as it keeps their minds active. Have you tried obedience training around other dogs? If she isn't very territorial off the property and if the instructer is warned about her possible reactions around other animals -you should be able to find a safe training facility for her.

As for thunder, fireworks etc. I have yet to know a dog (that wasn't deaf) not to react to this -I wouldn't use this as a rubric. And I would not recommend constantly reassuring the dog because that can be perceived as mutual consolment. Instead ignore the behavior, and take a "whats the big deal?" attitude (if you stay calm, she will p/u on it and realize she is not in any danger).

I also think that her destructivness is due to anxiety and not hatred or anger.

I don't think she hates water, rather has a fear of the unknown or out of the ordinary. I bet if you started to take her to a river or lake on a regular basis, you would find her an exuberant swimmer!

Sorry there is more: its normal for dogs and cats to chase, swat and try to gulp up flies -its fun for them and allows important practice of their hunting instinct.

However, where there is mental stress, physical stress is sure to eventually follow, so homeopathy can be really helpful in this type of situation, but we must be realistic and not depend on homeopathy entirely, to magically get the dog under control.

Recommended reading about behavior and training would be WC Meisterfeld (Story of Jellybean and also at home training guide). He is an American authur and trainer I believe from S.California.

Hi

I've got no magic solutions - sorry - but I just wanted to wish you luck. I've had a shepherd from a rescue service before and she was a beautiful girl with everyone - except when she decided to defend me from other dogs. Like Krista said, rules and training help. What I really regretted was missing out on the dog's early months of socialisation - she learnt the wrong behaviour patterns somewhere. One thing, having a shepherd teaches you heaps about being bossy because if you're not, then she is.

Have you ever read Joyce Stranger's (an English writer) book "Three's a Pack"? It's about her experience of training a shepherd and is a delightful read (for all the homeopaths listening, and yes, I remember this is a homeopathy board and not a shepherd devotee site) Joyce Stranger found homeopathy helped with arthritis (I think it was arthritis, it's been a few years since I read the book).

Best of luck, you've got a gorgeous dog,

Jenny