Not really sure if this is the right place but I need some advice.

I have a rescued Shih Tzu I have had her for about 5 years now, over the last 3 years (no reason I can pinpoint) She has become aggressive. She is spayed and was a lovely friendly girl when I had her. Her age is unknown but is at least 7 if not older.

She have seen the vets and does have a mild case of Hip Dysplacia but it does not effect her at all, only showed up under Xrays when her behaviour changed and they run different tests at the vets, everything else seamed normal. She did snap at the vets when she was sedated for the Xray.

She used to be excellent with other dogs, but now she is very aggressive - I have taken to walking her between 4 and 5am so that we dont encounter other dogs. She then started attacking was my cats (who I have had since they were really young, now they are 12). Until the last 6 months she wasnt ever aggressive towards people. then out of the blue she jumped up on my lap like any other time but dived up and bit my face, Although it wasnt a huge cut it was deep enough to leave a small scare of about 1/2 an inch. More recently she bit my hand which have also left a scare and another occasion she bit my finger which was to the bone and I am expected to need surgery as there is suspected nerve damage - but this is not known yet!

She is also being aggressive to my other dogs (and towards my families dogs). It is to the point if I have to go to one of their houses I have to put her in a cage in another room (which I am sure makes her feel unloved) because she savagely attacks them - apart from 1 of the dogs (who is a 4 month old pup) she have been round them since I had her with no issues for the first 2 years, she starts a fight out of no where for no reason at all. she can be laying down then just get up walk over to one of them and attack them whilst they are sleeping. I dont spend that much time at anyone elses home but I cannot leave her home alone as she barks.

I dont know what to do now because tonight I was letting her out and the pup escaped through a small gap in the gate, She was really excited and run up to my dog - Luckily I grabbed her just in time as my dog seen her. I took the pup in and it caused an argument. my family member went mad, and said that if she ever so much as growls at another dog again she is going to make sure she is put down even if it means prosecuting me because I know she is aggressive

I dont know what to do now! I dont want to part with her I love her to pieces and when she is being good she is a darling to have around a complete pleasure!

Can anyone offer advice please?

I have tried a few behaviourists and every time we think we are getting somewhere she turns again just more aggressive

Have you consulted someone registered with either of these ?    Really what you need is for someone to come into your home and observe the dog and try to work out what's going on.   That will only happen if they visit you and possibly your family and see how she interacts in both places.

http://www.apdt.co.uk/

http://www.apbc.org.uk/

The ones I have used have all come to my home as she is not considered safe to go to any place where there are other dogs or people.

I am not sure if I am allowed to post the names of behaviourists on  here but 3 of them are supposed to be really good at their job and the forth is one of the best - this one witnessed one of the fights which happened and said there was no reason for it totally unprovoked.

You say she's been to the vets. Has she had a full blood count? Have you discussed neurological conditions and also had her eyes checked to make sure she isn't loosing her sight and also her hearing checked too

> I am not sure if I am allowed to post the names of behaviourists on  here

Not really, but are any of them on the links given above? "The Best" is highly subjective in an unregulated industry, which is why APBC/APDT are most often recommended as they do have standards.

Fights are rarely unprovoked, but we as humans often miss the subtle signals which pass between dog and dog. I sounds like you need someone much more qualified to come in and observe what's going on .

She have had blood tests, blood pressure, in house and external blood tests, hearing and eye. She has also had a ultra sound to check her organs and has been for a test where they take fluid from her spine. An MRI scan was considered but decided against because they said it probably wont show anything unless something happened at that moment.

Neurological is said to be unlikely (although cannot be ruled out completely).

These attacks are unprovoked most of the time there have been the odd occasion (maybe twice) where another dog have been aggressive walking directly past mine that have been lunging on the lead, but this was after her temperament changed We used to go out with friends dogs to woodland so they could have off the lead exercise and be safe but she is attacking unprovoked if the other dogs are sleeping she will get it in her head to hurt them and she will attack them.

The one I had come was recommended by vets and the local dogs home. the person has went to only works part time as a dog behaviourist/trainer, but has a degree in dog psychology (at a proper university not home study rubbish) I am not sure if the person is registered with either of those but has something to do with an accreditation to dogs trust and the kennel club for dog training and behaviour. Also a certified temperament assessor

Not sure if this means anything but is a member of British institute of professional dog trainers?

Was highly recommended but again you think your getting somewhere and she just attacks again, there is no way that the other dogs can be giving any type of signal when they are asleep. And there was no way I was being intimidating to her when she bit me the other night. There obviously is something going on but what ever it is isnt to do with confrontation in any manner, she is the only one thats confrontational - she is also making my other dog who is epileptic nervous to the point she tries to avoid walking anywhere near her - even resorting to hiding under the settee so she dont attack her.

I can't comment on the qualifications,  accreditation,  or ability of the person/people you have already seen,  but generally,  there is a big difference between a dog trainer,  and a pet behaviour counsellor.  

A pet behaviour cousellor would also likely be trained in dog training and as a dog training instructor (able to work with owners and their dogs)   

A Dog trainer/training instructor may or may not have also had training in pet/dog behaviour.   You would need to check that out.

Personally,  in your situation,  I'd try to have a pet behaviour counsellor to the home to assess what is going on,  and then advise you.

In the meantime,  have a read of this FAQ about agression,  which gives a guide to the different ways dogs try to communicate and which are often missed by humans.   It's also a link to the APBC

http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/dog-aggression-FAQs

Is she on any form of medication at all?

Has anything happened to her? Has she ever been attacked by another dog in your home or outside?

I too really think you need to get in a behaviourist from the list, they won't be cheap but you want to keep your dog and something needs to be done in order for this to happen.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">she is also making my other dog who is epileptic nervous to the point she tries to avoid walking anywhere near her

Could this be a part of the problem? Dogs quickly pick up that another dog is having an epileptic episode - even very mild episodes that might not be noticeable to humans - and it can make them very unsettled and some dogs will attack the dog having the episode. I would make sure the two dogs are never, ever left alone together even if it is just while you pop out of a room for a minute.

How long ago did your other dog start having epileptic episodes? Does it tie in with the time your dog started to display some aggression?

The closest we have to a regulator is the Animal Behaviour Training Council (ABTC) they hold a list of registered practitioners from the APBC, UKRCB, APDT. The APBC is for qualified, clinical animal behaviourists, the UKRCB are qualified, accredited canine behaviourists and specialists and the APDT is for dog trainers. ABTC accredited behaviourists must have a degree is animal behaviour, they must have demonstrable hands on experience and they will have been rigorously assessed in practice by their member organisation.

The British Institute of Pet Dog Trainers does not require academic qualifications. The KC has its own system but a degree is not mandatory. That said, very few hold a KCAI behav and those that do would be worth seeing too.

The ABTC list is found here:http://www.abtcouncil.org.uk/accredited-animal-behaviourists.html

Not sure if this means anything but is a member of British institute of professional dog trainers?

I am sure they have good members but looking at their website it strikes me that they have a lot of PROFESSIONAL people such as security dog trainers, and their website states they don't agree that every dog can be trained in the same way. That in itslf is correct of course but unlike all other training body websites I have seen, it does not state anywhere that dogs should be trained with positive and reward based methods. So personally I would much prefer somebody from the other bodies. Also when looking at their list of members I only recognised one single name.

If you can tell us the general area you live in, maybe somebody here has a personal recommendation of trainer or behaviourist to see? You never know as CD members of course are spread all over the UK and maybe somebody in your area has personal experience of somebody.

I'd be concerned about something neurological. A friend's German shepherd started attacking there other dog unprovoked. Much like u said there other dog would often be sleeping or just minding its own business not even looking at the dog. There boy would get up and for a few seconds it would freeze and stare at the other dog then attack it. At first it was the odd short attack but after a couple months he was going it more often and they were having big problems stopping the attacks when he turned.
Turned out he had a brain tumour causing it and had to be putdown.

> it does not state anywhere that dogs should be trained with positive and reward based methods.

The training classes that I attended were run by trainers from the BIPDT - several were senior members/trainers. The classes were very well run and training was reward based. I was extremely happy with the standard of not only the classes but the help and support I received over a period of 8/9 years. (Obviously I have no experience of the 'professional' side of the organisation)

The training classes that I attended were run by trainers from the BIPDT - several were senior members/trainers. The classes were very well run and training was reward based. I was extremely happy with the standard of not only the classes but the help and support I received over a period of 8/9 years.

Like I said, I am sure they have good trainers as members, but the fact they do not STATE training by their members should be reward based and positive leaves it wide open, whereas with for instance the APDT there is no such loophole for anyone to use harsh training should they so wish.

> She have seen the vets and does have a mild case of Hip Dysplacia but it does not effect her at all,

Are you sure?  I have seen dogs with barely detectable HD suffer disproportionately huge amounts of pain with it and one of those would try and attack any dog that happened to touch his back end.

Presumably there was a reason her hips were x-rayed - does she show signs of pain around her back end with manipulation?  I ask because some issues do not show on x-ray and MRI may be a useful tool, despite what's been said.

One of mine went in for a checkup after she refused to do some contact obstacles at agility, no other signs, and the vet found slight pain - x-ray showed mild HD in one hip.  She had 4 months of hydro and made no improvement so she went back to the vet, and some back pain was found.  I pushed for MRI, and it turned out she had a chronic prolapsed disc which had been there for years.  She was actually in quite a bit of pain but to the untrained eye, it was anything but obvious.  When she is sore she can also be very reactive to other dogs because of it.  It's a self-fulfilling prophecy with her - she worries that they will hurt her, so she tenses up, which aggravates the problem (pressure from the disc on her nerve roots causing back pain, muscle spasms and sciatica), which causes her pain which is then associated with those dogs.

Or from another angle, unprovoked aggression can be a sign of not only neurological problems, but hormonal and in particular, thyroid trouble - for that you would need to run a full panel (free T4, free T3, total T4, total T3, TgAA antibodies).  Anything less is not worth the money for diagnosis in a case like this.

On your family situation - I would not take her round their houses at all, I'm afraid.  Aggression is rooted in fear, and if she is as aggressive as you state then every time she's near another dog, it is intensely stressful and frightening for her.  So taking her there is only making it worse as it is too much for her and potentially, it will be driving a wedge between you and your family as well.  Rehabilitating an aggressive dog is very wearing at times, you need all the support you can get.

What I would do at this stage is get her to a vet behaviourist, not another "normal" one.  Lincoln vet uni has an excellent behavioural centre, and I believe Liverpool teaching hospital has one of Lincoln's people now too.  They will pick up on everything and if necessary, will also be able to advise you on behavioural medication with full knowledge - again if she is as aggressive as you say, she may need that extra help, especially with the lack of success in training so far.

What have you actually done with the trainers/behaviourists you've seen?

Just a shot in the dark - but have you considered that she might have what we as humans will call frontal lobe epilepsy which I think in dogs is called psychomotor seizures or something like that? There is no medical test that can prove conclusively that the dog has it; its an idiopathic epilepsy where the dog does not fit visibly but the frontal lobe part of the brain does so you have no idea it is having one..but while having the fit they can act very aggressive, out of character and unexplainably, sometimes showing fear and hyperactivity and sometimes just aggression - they are likely during episodes to snap at humans or attack other animals in what will likely appear to be a completely unprovoked and unexplainable attacked they may basically show non-sensical behaviour - and part of the disorder/seizures can mean they are having visual-hallucinations or audio-hallucinations and attacks can be a result of what they think they are seeing or hearing...... I dont know much about the disorder in dogs but I know they can get it and basically the reason we know what they are likely to do and what they see is because it is in line with what happens to humans when they have the same disorder...........

Just a stab in the dark - but if she is attacking out of the blue and sometimes even a sleeping dog - I was thinking it could be that type of seizure - and when an animal feels they are in a more stressful environment than usual such as being around other animals - or are in pain such as with HD - it can be a trigger for an episode I think ......

I'm afraid I can't offer much advice, but if she is randomly attacking YOU in you own home whilst not under any stress (that you know of) it is serious, I would be inclined to believe the 'something neurological'  myself. For safeties sake IMO she NEEDS to be muzzled. I would suggest a baskerville ultra muzzle, they seem comfortable for the dog if you can get it to fit a small nose., I would want her muzzled all the time if you can. certainly whenever there is the slightest possibility of her meeting other dogs or people.
good luck :-(

Has the vet done full thyroid tests ? behaviour changes like these can be caused by thyroid problems. May also be worth looking at jean dodds information on thyroid and getting the vet to send the bloods to her lab rather than standard places. Thee is a lot of discrepancy about what thyroids should be and dobbs is a leading expert on these things much more than most vets