Philipe,
I may have to assign you to read *Elements of Temperament* again :O Your dog is naturally going to appear more confident on home turf, esp when you or your wife is around. You can't rely on that to tell you he is ok.
Rimadyl for pano??? I'd get a 2d opinion on that. Rimadyl has some very, very serious side effects and pano is not a serious condition. Your vet should be monitoring liver function closely if he is on Rimadyl. I've not hear of it causing behavioral side effects, nor have I w/Droncit (which is the meds for tapes). Of course, as has been pointed out, any dog who is not feeling well can be more irritable.

the rymadil is for a short period of time as in the last 3weeks now . he is to be taken off of them next week. yes that was the right name for the tape worm meds

I believe we have some vet techs here, perhaps they can tell us if a 3 wk course of rimadyl is the current protocol for pano?
The vet should be doing liver panels while he is on it.
Is your pup taking the rimadyl every day or every other day?

The vet clinic where I work will give Rimadyl for Pano sometimes...depends on the dog, owner, age and various other things. We do a blood panel before and after to check things out...mostly liver function. The most we usually put them on is 1 milligram per pound...we try to use less and we only let them give it for 7-10 days. We encourage more cage rest than medicine. The more common side effects are GI problems that you would see.

As for the droncit, Joy is right...that is about the most benign drug we give. Usually no side effects seen at all. I certainly can't see it causing the problems described.

Hope this helps a little bit.

I am to give rymadil to him every other day unless i see him starts to limp. then I am to give him a daily dose for a couple of days straight. I saw mention somewhere about liver panels. I asked him and he said for the short period of time there was no need.
I am going to work hard with this pup to build his confidence with strangers and will have to see if this issue resolves itself.
I will be moving out of state in a couple of months and had thought of taking him to the schutzhund club after the move but i think perhaps taking him to the local club now (of which I am still a member )even if it will only be for a couple of months. Having him meet other dog loving people as well as other dogs. I think it might also build his confidence. Another reason would be so that the training directory can work with this pup to build his confidence and to asses him first hand. I realize it is difficult for anyone to tell what a dog is like via someones typed word especially one that may not be properly interpreting things.
In the meantime, if he acts agressive toward strangers is a firm correction appropriate or reasurance and distraction?
Last month we took him with us when we visited family and friends whom are out of state. We stayed at friends' houses and also family members. My sister-in-law puppy sat with him when we were not able to take him with us.She also has 3 kids but no dogs. Other friends that we stayed with had dogs (all indoor). At no point did the pup misbehave or so agression toward family,friends, children or other dogs.
Come Christmas we will again be staying with family/friends and I do not want any incident to occur. Should I place him in boarding or taking him with us again?

speaking of training, I am about to place an order shortly. Would the "Building Drive, Focus and Grip with Bernhard Flinks" be beneficial for this pup considering my above posts? or would Ed's basic odedience video be better in this case? I have done AKC obedience and titled 2 dogs in AKC obedience (8 years ago) but now find myself a little rusty in formal training. Bruno knows to sitz, platz, and recall but as I said prior now he has become very resistant to any commands. All has been reward based (treats or ball reward). Thanks I do appreciate your time and comments

Philippe,

This is my first post on this list and I would like to offer another perspective on your dogs' behaviour. Perhaps not a good start introducing controversy but rather than get the whole thing wrong ..........

There are certain things that you say that do not ring true for a fear snapper.

The "frights" that he has had and his instantaneous recovery time.

The lunging to leads length as opposed to snapping/growling from between/behind your legs.

His response to eye contact whether misdirected or not.

The incident where he placed himself between you and the police officers. Admittedly he would be more confident on home territory but never the less.

I was not there to see these incidents, so I can be anything but definitve, but I have a feeling they are being misinterpreted.

You may have a stunning dog in the making here.

He is only 8 months old. That is very young to be showing such a confident attitude (if he is not fear snapping).

In either event you need to get him assessed. You do not appear to be very experienced (no offence) and you may find you lack the experience and expertise to handle him as he grows larger and more confident / larger and more nervous.

Do you have a police dog training school or a supplier of trained police dogs in your area. This is the place to go for an assessment and some advice.

I'd be very interested to know the results of the assessment.

Regards,

Geoff.

Geoff,
I disagree. You are not clear on what a fearful display can look like. The fact that the dog was not hiding behind Philipe does not signal confidence. In fact, that would be avoidance behavior. A totally different response to stress. Lunging most certainly can be part of a fearful display. The ultimate goal is to drive the threat back via this big display. There is an article on my website that may clear this up for you (Elements of Temperament: Drives, Nerves, Thresholds).
It is very common for folks new to training to oversimplify canine behavior, ie *oh, if he growled but didn't show teeth, it's not fear aggression*, etc. A dog can show one or many defensive behaviors in an inappropriate situation.
Put this in context, tho. This puppy is only 8 mos old. His behavior is alarming. He's showing fear agg toward a mom and a child. He does not yet possess *any* protection instincts, at 8 mos, he is a puppy and is showing an alarming amount of fear and suspicion in non threatening situations.
The incident w/the cops is overblown, if I recall correctly, that big show occurred while the pup was behind his own fence? I'd suspect territoriality at work, rather than some sort of genuine display of protection.

I have to agree wih you Joy. We see this type of behaviour with dogs that come into the clinc all of the time. It is NOT cute or "Adult" acting in anyway. It can be scary for those of us who have to handle these dogs while they are in a stressful situation.

I am having to watch my 4 month old male as well right now. He is greet with strangers (he does go to the clinic with me most of the time) but he is beginning to "alarm bark" when we walk in the front door (he will be in his crate) or someone else coming into the front door after we are home. He is quickly calmed (mostly just ignoring what he is doing...I don't want to encourage it by any means)and is fine. I can see where this could lead to future problems if we are not careful now. I really don't think it is nerve problems (I really don't <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> ) he is just expermenting I guess!! Not trying to change off any topic but any suggestion would be great!!