5 year old Aussie

[MEGAN PLUYM]

My australian shepherd is 5 years old. I got him at 4 months. It is just the dog and I at the house. He is trained really well and does amazing....at home. 

Over Easter I took him to my parents. He loves my parents. My grandparents were there too but he freaked out. He is becoming more and more wary of strangers. He barked a little at my grandma but he freaked out with my grandpa and actually lunged and bit his arm (it did not break skin, thank god). He has never done this before with a person. I scheduled a vet appointment to rule out any medical issues to be on the safe side but I want to train him to stop barking with new people and work on calming him down so he can be better with new people. I don't want this to continue. I am extremely limited to access to dog trainers in my area as it is small and I have very limited funds. 

He generally barks and backs up and I end up putting him in a separate area so he is not stressed. Then he ends up barking from being alone.

What should I do? I don't want anyone getting hurt but it also breaks my heart to think of getting rid of him since I raised him.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Megan,

Welcome to the forums,

I have a few questions to better understand the situation with your Aussie. 

1) Has he always struggled being around people or is this this behavior of a more recent onset?

2) How much would you say has he been socialized so far?

3) You mentioned that he is becoming more and more wary of strangers, would you say that's because he is seeing more strangers/people lately?

4) What happened right before the bite incident directed towards your grandpa? Was your grandpa approaching him to pet him? Was he nearby you (some dogs are protective of their owners).

5) Did your Aussie give any warning signs before biting? Cowering, growling, barking? Describe what happened exactly when he "freaked out." 

6) Does he seem to struggle more being around men compared to women?

7) Are there any other fears he is suffering from? Like fear of noises, startling during walks, does he spend time barking at the mailman/ delivery people/people walking by the property? Any recent stressful events?

8 ) How often do you have family gatherings as such? How often do you have people over or have him see people in close encounters?

9 ) What training cues does your dog know so far? Sit/down/stay etc.

10) What is his normal day like? Do you take him on walks, do training, play games, any doggy sports?

Keep us posted on what the vet says, make sure to mention what happened exactly and all his medical history and if you have noticed any recent changes in his behavior/health. If he is muzzled trained, please have him muzzled (bite proof basket muzzle) for the vet visit for extra safety. If the waiting room causes him stress, keep him outside and let them call you when they're ready. Bring along treats to create positive associations, if he's not too over threshold to take them. 

Seeing a vet practice that adheres to the fear-free movement may help a lot: https://fearfreepets.com/resources/directory/