[Dailydrool] Agressive dogs vs Rage

[Kr1204]

This has been a very helpful and I think almost cathartic discussion for many of us who have had to make that difficult decision. One of the important things to remember is that some dogs bite due to various "triggers", possibly from abuse or perception and can and should be worked with to identify those triggers and desensitize them. The Canine Rage Syndrome is very different. As most have described the dog get a look on their face as though they don't know where they are, then comes the sudden violent and vicious attack. I kept wooden baby gates handy to back my foster into his crate where he would often bite the wire of the crate. When it was over, I could wave a hot dog in front of his nose and he would not react. Then there would be a shake of the head and a return to normal. 
I made the decision the night I saw the trance coming and hustled him outside onto the deck. He literally flung himself at the glass and bit on the frame of the sliders to try to get to me. I closed the drapes but could hear him growling and pacing. If I showed myself in any way, he went berserk. Finally after 2 hours, I opened the drapes to see a wagging tail. The next morning I escorted him to the Bridge. 
As Val pointed out, there is a lot of stuff on the Web and not all of it agrees. Usually articles from the big veterinary schools are reliable sources and of course your dog should be checked out to make certain there is not an underlying health issue. 

Kathy with  Crackers, Loki and Jordan and Drummer and Gracie the houseguests. 


Kr1204
kr1204 at aol.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20111031/d849ab1c/attachment.htm>