I have been advised to surrender my dog. Need emotional support.

[PatchonGSD]

What are you going to do about keeping him separated from your kids to keep them safe in the meantime?

Its obvious that you love this dog, but I think you are playing with fire, and I'm afraid that a child is going to get burned.

[jennifernikki]

I never ever leave him alone w/ any of my kids. If I go downstairs or upstairs, either he comes w/ me or the kids do. It's babygate central in our house.

[Debbieg]

Originally Posted by llombardo

Now they didn't know what to say and I threatened to turn them in for everything...lying about the dog being dead, its illness, charging for something the dog didn't have, etc. They decided not to worry about the check and my dog was fine..after she was dewormed.

This is horrible! A vet that would lie and tell someone their dog was dead should not be allowed to practice every again.

[llombardo]

Originally Posted by jennifernikki

I spoke to the vet today.My husband is the one that took him to the vet yesterday.....which was a mistake, I shouldve taken him.
I was under the impression that she was going to be able to find a home for him. But she just gave me suggestions of what to do. So I'm totally rethinking my route here. There is no way that i can give Finley to a shelter & have him be so fearful in a cage for who knows how long.

I may be out of my league here, but I'm going to try behavioral training with a one on one trainer she suggested. Or my other vet also suggested a training facility in Graylake, IL that she said specializes in German Shepherds.
I'm also going to get x-rays, to see exactly what is wrong. i owe it to him to try to work this out. From there, see what kind of therapy he would need. He's been in our life for 10 months, I can't just get rid of him like that. I understand that it will be very time consuming, but i will have to make that time for him & in the long run, it will hopefully benefit everyone.

I think this is what you'll have to do so that you know that whatever decision you make is based on weeding things out and knowing you did what you could do. The most important thing is to keep him and the kids separated for now. I sent you a PM with a trainer that I like and either she can help you or point you in the right direction. I have been to a local GSD club(not the one you mentioned) and most of the dogs there were either DA, FA, HA....just scary and I have never gone back. My agility trainer also trains at a GSD club in the suburbs and I like her to. There are lots of options and I'm sure I can find someone that can get you going. I'm not sure if this is the right situation to put yours in now(GSD Club). I think one on one with as much positive training will benefit him. Keep us posted and Good Luck

[GregK]

Originally Posted by jennifernikki

Or my other vet also suggested a training facility in Graylake, IL that she said specializes in German Shepherds.

'Tops'?

First things first - get that hip problem under control. He's probably in a lot of pain which can cause him to be aggressive.

[Good_Karma]

Originally Posted by jennifernikki

I'm also going to get x-rays, to see exactly what is wrong. i owe it to him to try to work this out.

I'm glad you are doing this. This is the only way to find out for sure if he has a problem with his hips. Can you get him on a joint supplement in the meantime? I'd also consider a pain reliever/anti-inflammatory. You might be able to get an idea of how his behavior is when he's not in pain. Like I said before, I would not expect it to be a miracle cure for his temperament issues, but if you see an improvement, it's an encouraging sign.

[jennifernikki]

Originally Posted by GregK

'Tops'?

First things first - get that hip problem under control. He's probably in a lot of pain which can cause him to be aggressive.

Yes, Tops. I've done a search on this forum & seems like they are very good. It's quite a hike from where I'm at, but I'm willing to travel that far if it means positive results.

[bocron]

Originally Posted by jennifernikki

So i went to one session & Finley snapped at him, when the trainer was trying to show him dominace.

I'm focused on this statement. What exactly was the "trainer" doing here?

[jennifernikki]

Originally Posted by bocron

I'm focused on this statement. What exactly was the "trainer" doing here?

Finley likes to lean on me, so the trainer was showing me how to correct this. He walked w/ the dog and would shove Finley w/ his knee and make Fin turnaround & face the trainer. After a few times of doing this, Finley snapped at him. The trainer was kinda creepy. So i don't know if I blame Finley for doing this to him.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by jennifernikki

Finley likes to lean on me, so the trainer was showing me how to correct this. He walked w/ the dog and would shove Finley w/ his knee and make Fin turnaround & face the trainer. After a few times of doing this, Finley snapped at him. The trainer was kinda creepy. So i don't know if I blame Finley for doing this to him.

I'm not a trainer, behaviorist, or expert but that does sound like either dominant behavior on your dog's part, or pain. If the trainer was to "shove" him the wrong way or put pressure on a painful area, yeah, I would snap at him too. But if your dog is truly dominant, he's simply not going to accept that kind of handling from a stranger. Did you try this technique yourself, and if so, how did your dog react?