HELP - Gandolf went after me!

ORIGINAL: willowchow

I understand what you said.  However, according to what Nancy wrote, he didn't understand "off" but he was thinking he didn't want to get down.  But, to me that means he was associating the word and the mechanics. 

Why would he be thinking, I don't want to get down, if he didn't know what off meant?  Wouldn't he just be sitting there looking at her with a blank stare? 

Good question, Lori, but not necessarily.  We should be mindful that dogs are masters at reading our body language, and even when we are speaking in our familiar language, they may simply be reading our intention as broadcast by signs we make that are as subtle as a raised eyebrow, or leaning just so.  If I had a video of the whole sequence, I could make a better educated guess, but since we are just reading the description of events, and since humans are often unaware of the subtlety of their own body language, we will probably not know this 100% for sure, but unless the dog heard that word, associated with that action, multiple times (50-75), then he may well not have understood. 

Wanted to post an update on Gandolf - he's been on prozac for two weeks and his hypervigilance is much better - we have also upped his exercise and that helps too. We met with the behaviorist today who gave us a "guarded" prognosis, based on his behavior and our behavior as the human leaders (she essentially thought we were doing a lot of great work with him, but noted that his triggers are inconsistent, his aggression is complex - it's a combo of dominance and fear related aggression -  and that his potential to cause damage is high due to his size and other factors).
 
So, she suggested we continue with the prozac and work on some "classical conditioning" since we have decided to still work with him.  We will work on training "happy" words, and "jolly" talk to get him more relaxed and less hypervigilant.  We will then, with willing human participants, do short sessions where he have him muzzled and dragging a leash, and have the humans toss treats on the ground to him, and attempt to keep the situation calm and more "fun."   She believed that although we have the NILIF stuff down, and that the obediance has helped us get him under control, that we have not done so well at creating a "relaxed" space.  And I agree - I've been so focused on controlling the enviroment he is in and I myself have been so hypervigilant about him potentially biting someone/thing, that I have inadvertently created a space that is filled with tension, and G. has picked up on that.  The muzzle will help to keep everyone safe, and we'll keep the sessions short so as not to create too much tension.
 
Anyway, DH and I still have mixed feelings about him.  We travel occassionally, and finding a place for him while we are gone is difficult, although we have a couple of friends who say they will still dog-sit even after all of this.  We also would like to train service-dogs, and that is on hold while we have G. 
 
So, I can say this - living with an aggressive dog is a huge challenge!  After my experience I do not judge anyone who decides to euthanize a dog for aggression, nor do I think they are foolish for trying to rehab them.  I just wish them a lot of patience, love, and help from a caring professional in creating an atmosphere of peace.   

I've been so focused on controlling the enviroment he is in and I myself have been so hypervigilant about him potentially biting someone/thing, that I have inadvertently created a space that is filled with tension, and G. has picked up on that.

 
I've been in exactly the same place at times with my 2 dogs (aggressive only to each other).  It's hard to relax when you've seen what can happen, but I am 100% sure that they can pick up on our stress.  I have a lot of mental conversations with myself and it helps [].
 
It sounds like you've been given some great advice from the behaviorist.  I know that I felt great relief after we had one evaluate our situation.  Heck, guarded optimism is better than no optimism at all, right?  I wish you all the best of luck. 

ORIGINAL: JaneyB

Anyway, DH and I still have mixed feelings about him.    

Be careful, he senses that and he wont trust you back either

So, I can say this - living with an aggressive dog is a huge challenge!

 
Yes, it really, really is.  And, there is no break from it.

So, I can say this - living with an aggressive dog is a huge challenge! After my experience I do not judge anyone who decides to euthanize a dog for aggression, nor do I think they are foolish for trying to rehab them. I just wish them a lot of patience, love, and help from a caring professional in creating an atmosphere of peace.

 
Janey, that's a powerful statement and I can't imagine what you're going through.  I wish you all the best.  It can't be easy to deal with.