Dog advice please [kinda long]...

[The Mystery Machine]

Good luck! I hope you get things figured out.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Try these VCA-related animal hospitals to see if they have an ear specialist on staff. http://vca.know-where.com/vca/region/US/NJ.html

Be sure to let the groomer know what's going on with the dog so they can be careful with him and not mistake any aggressive behavior for anything other than what it probably is. (As the poster above mentioned, I have to in good conscience make sure you saw this too. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=977024&referrerid=70088 - pay particular attention to post #41 ).

Let us know how you make out with the dog. Poor baby, he looks like a sweetheart.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Check out a holistic vet - I LOVE THEM!!!!!! I actually just got home from mine this morning. There is a difference - and they are no more expensive then traditional vets yet they have much more education and training.

I found my doc through this site: http://www.ahvma.org/

I bet if you get the ears cleared up, the dog behavior will fix itself When you feel like crap or in pain, you don't always cooperate!

 

[disneynutt1225]

Thank you both for the links! It turns out there are several vet hospitals in my area, so I'll be sure to see what they can do for Toby's ears. I can't say thank you enough for all the help!!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just wondering how Toby is doing?

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Wow... you need to stop that snapping and fast. Has he ever done that before now? I agree with the poster that said walking away is the worst thing you can do. He knows that is the way to get you to stop... he snaps and you leave.

Search on the internet for help with training an alpha. We have one and were very successful at helping him understand that he was not in charge of our family. He is a 100+ lb lab, but he never snapped at us.

Good luck!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Wow... you need to stop that snapping and fast. Has he ever done that before now? I agree with the poster that said walking away is the worst thing you can do. He knows that is the way to get you to stop... he snaps and you leave.

Search on the internet for help with training an alpha. We have one and were very successful at helping him understand that he was not in charge of our family. He is a 100+ lb lab, but he never snapped at us.

Good luck!!!

Just to say, she found out it was his ears....
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1001101

 

[Disney Doll]

My dog used to get these terrible rashy infections on his belly. We eventually found out that he was allergic to wheat, and once we got him on wheat-free dog food and treats, he was fine. Never got another one.

I would look into a physical cause for the infections first, such as allergies. Does he wear a flea collar? Maybe he's having a problem with that, and they can sometimes sit near their ears, depending on the length of the dog's neck or ears. Think ourside the box a bit on this one...does he sleep on a pillow? What do you wash the pillow with? Do the ear infections flare up more at certain times of year? What shampoo does he get bathed with? Is he in the water a lot...beagles are hunting breeds and think nothing of slopping through water, sitting in water etc. My dog is a Springer Spaniel, also a hunting breed, and he likes nothing better than water!!!!

As far as the behavior...you must make yourself the alpha dog. Right now Toby is the alpha dog. You must do obedience training. You must be the leader, in control and in charge. You start with sit, stay down, force him to be obediaet. It takes work, consistency and effort. Once he gets the little stuff down, you move on to the bigger stuff.

You might want to consider obedience training. They teach you how to train the dog. We did it with Ted, and it made all the difference in the world, to him and us!!!!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks for the link, TMM. I must have missed that update. So glad things worked out for Toby!!

 

[Pembo]

I wish you lived by me, you need Don the Dog Guy! Call the APL and ask if they have anyone they recommend as a good trainer. For us it's Don. He worked for the APL for years and recently opened his own training facility. I've been amazed at how well and how easily he gets dogs to calm down and do what we want them to.

As for his ears, my golden retriever gets constant ear infections. He gets a shot when they get bad, then we do still have to clean them and he gets an oral antibiotic as well.

I think you are on the right track calling other vets about his treatment. Not all vets are alike, just like not all doctors are alike. Keep looking for one that you get along with and listens to your concerns and actually helps.

We switched vets because of convenience and cost but went back to the more expensive, farther away place because of those very reasons. I just didn't like the guy.

Good luck to you and Toby!

 

[disneynutt1225]

Toby's doing much much better, thanks everyone for your advice. He was on an antibiotic for the last two weeks to knock out a bad yeast infection and ear infection in both of his ears. The snapping has ceased completely, and we figured out that it's only when we use medicine that has alcohol in it because the alcohol hurts him. We're able to clean his ears with just about anything now except for products containing alcohol, so I'm happy to say that we've completely narrowed down the problem.

Anyway, he's doing much better. We just moved to NY and I'll be looking for a holistic vet in the area. We're willing to try almost anything to get these ear infections to go away and stay away. Thanks again!