How to tell if aggression is EPI related?

[rich_jd]

Has anyone had experience on EPI associated aggression. Does it go away when the EPI is under control? Can it get worse under control? Can it be directed toward only one person as opposed to being reactive to everyone in the family? Hucklebeary, who we adopted 9 months ago, has taken to suddenly attacking our 17 year old son. My son did a lot of training with him, plays with him every day, feeds him, etc. But Bear will suddenly turn aggressive and go after him once every couple of days or more. Then 3 minutes later they are best friends again. Have yet to be able to reproduce an event to find the trigger. While I'm holding him by the collar and he is straining to get my son, my son can give him commands to sit or lay and Bear will obey but does not stop snarling and growling. His EPI seems to be well under control since he reached is target weight in October. Two weeks ago, the vet said his b12 blood test came back OK. I suspect it's not related to EPI but thought it was worth asking, in case I'm wrong.

[jilbert57]

Do you know the test result of B12? EPI dogs need to be in the upper high range, so 600 or higher. Normal is not high enough., so if you are not supplementing you might think of it.
Is there any new added stress in the house?
I would say its not EPI related if the EPI is under control.
Low B12 and stress comes to mind but someone else will weigh in I am sure.

Jill

[Olesia711]

Hi Rich,

I am so sorry this is happening between your son and Huckleberry. If his B12 is okay.... then you can rule low B12 out which is usually the cause with EPI dogs. .. or if it becomes a learned behavior from untreated EPI. Neither appears to be the case with Huckleberry. It almost sound like an illness... did your vet check for hypothyroidism? DId your vet check the cortisol levels? Any brain tumors?

if/when these things can be ruled out.....the only other thing i can think of is resource guarding..... is your son somehow approaching some "object of desire" of Huckleberry's... it could be something silly or weird that we wouldn't consider something to resource guard.... or a certain position of your son has become a trigger , or a certain object Huckleberry all of a sudden has become possessive of........... ????

Or it could be a certain smell.... is your son using an aftershave or special soap or something like this that may be setting him off? Check off things like (1) visuals (2) smells (3) sounds

If medical conditions have been ruled out..... the first thing i would consider is possibly how your son is holding is body (visual) when HUckleberry gets aggressive... it may be triggering a past bad experience......................and then go from there. Can you take cell phone videos of huckleberry and your son and see if you can notice something that is being done consistently to trigger these episodes....?

[Jean]

Good Morning from the UK

when you say agression how does it show its self, and manifest

I have had a difficult non EPI dog, and a dog reactive EPI dog and when they are large GSD dogs its hard

fisrst thing I learned was to get yourself a house lead which can be made from thin rope, and maybe 6-8 feet long and attached at all times in the house , so when the inappropriate behaviour starts you can get hold of the lead and steer them away from it and reward with whatever , holding the collar just starts the "head of steam"

I also learned that

no eye contact

someone else but me had to do the feeding as they become too relyant on you

dont let your Son play with him too much just lead walking

does he sleep in the same room as your Son ? if so try removing him, the dog that is!

As for the behaviour and EPI this can be an issue as they have been mal nourished for however long , it can interfere with their mind process, also as said any results of Cobalamin (b12)

the b12 is essential for EPIDOGS to process and digest food properly

"What does B12 do for dogs with EPI?
B12 has a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system via the synthesis of myelin(myelinogenesis), and the formation of red blood cells… so a dog needs adequate amounts of this vitamin for the proper functioning of his nervous system and normal cell development."

https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_exocrine_pancreatic_insufficiency

Have a look at a trainer called Victoria Stillwell who is now in USA she is the best trainer I have ever come across, there might be a blog you can join in with, or maybe on Facebook, where you can ask questions

you can turn this round ,

let us know


Jeanx