Police dog question for Mic

ORIGINAL: marlania
...Brett was told that he was a customs dog...

Maybe the dog inhaled some bad drugs? [&:]

Is it possible that the puppers was abused???

Sounds like Happy's past is made up for drama.  I think he is a stray, abused, and maybe badly bred.  Even if pure bred he could still have genetic screws loose.  I know I know, I'm not Mic but hey it's my best nosey-buttinsky opinion lol.  I couldn't resist putting my muzzle in it.   Jules

i have heard of spaniel rage, maybe this is also a type of uncontrolled rage?
 
He could have also been in an extremely stressful situation where he sort of snapped. This happens to policemen sometimes?

Interesting situation....
 
First, it is unlikely the dog has forgotten anything; but that doesn't mean he is going to perform a command for anyone.  The relationship a handler builds with his dog is very particular, and it is not uncommon for one handlers dog not to accept leadership from another handler. 
 
There have been numerous incidents of working dogs becoming handler aggressive.  When that happens the dog is normally handled in a VERY aggressive way.  As most of us know here...this exacerbates the problem. 
 
I have heard of a few scenarios where a narc dog snapped at a new handler and was choked into submission (hung).  This is not an uncommon practice with a handler aggressive dog.  An already soft fearful dogs learns that humans are dangerous.  This cycle continues until the dog is extremely unstable.  Most agencies aren't going to admit to doing something like this in these words.  I am sure in there minds they attempted to "modify" the dogs behavior and the dog was just "crazy".
 
Finding good working dogs is VERY hard and takes years of selection skills to do well.  There is a learning curve, and mistakes are made.  I think this dog was a poor choice from the beginning as a working dog.  To much stress was applied and now the dog is having some serious issues.
 
A far as your husband getting to know the dog...well that may be tricky.  I am betting that most of the guards have very patterned behavior.  In the dogs mind, a guard walks by, he bark extremely aggressively, and the guards keeps going.  It is a self rewarding behavior.  He is doing his job.  Same thing happens in peoples home with dogs that guard there yards from the window. 
 
If I was going to work with the dog I would stand in front of his cage until he exhausted himself barking.  Then I would start to work on approaching.  Like I said this maybe tricky business.

We'll, sounds like it is an excellent guard dog, i wouldn't want to go near it without a fence inbetween us.  Any idea on how old it is?

Nope, no idea how old he is. From what I've seen of him, he's very energetic though that really doesn't indicate his age.
 
Thanks for the info. I'll pass it on.

It sounds like the dog doesn't have good solid nerves and temperament. When it comes to police training, personal protection training, and schutzhund training. They are steps in these training and one of the training is protection training this is the part where solid nevers and temperament come into play. This puts a lot of stress on a dog. And when a dog doesn't have solid nerves and temperament it will brake a dog.

He's a white german shepherd? I bet he's deaf and that's why he's so alienated and doesn't seem to hear anything anyone says. That wouldn't account for all his problems, but it would certainly not help.

Mic, that's very disturbing about police/government/agency dogs.[sm=sad.gif]

Jean, while white and deaf may go hand in hand in some breeds, that isn't the norm in shepherds.

Jeano,
Good point about the white GSD issue.  It is exteremly rare to find a white GSD with the nerves to handle much work of any kind.