Why your reactive dog might need a vet before a trainer

The question I ask before anything else

When somebody calls me about a dog that has started lunging at other dogs, or growling at the kids, or snapping when touched, they usually expect me to ask about the leash. What collar, what harness, what have you tried.

I do get to that. But the first thing I ask is: when did this start, and when did your dog last see a vet?

That surprises people. They called a trainer. Why is the trainer asking about bloodwork?

Because I have spent five years working with big dogs who were labeled “aggressive” or “reactive,” and a share of them were not a training problem at all. They were a sore hip, or a thyroid that had quietly gone off. You cannot train pain away. You can suppress the growl for a while, and then you have a dog in pain who has learned not to warn you. That is a worse dog than the one you started with.

So I ask about the vet before I ask about the leash. Every time.

What a medical problem can look like from the outside

Dogs do not have many ways to tell you something hurts. They have body language, and when that gets ignored, they have teeth.

Here are the things I bring up on the first call, because I have run into them often enough.

Pain. A dog with a sore back, hips, or elbows often gets grumpy about being touched in certain spots, being bumped by other dogs, or being asked to jump into the car. A young, bouncy dog who suddenly hates the dog park is worth a physical exam. Older large breeds especially. Seventy pounds of dog on joints that ache is a dog with a short fuse, and I do not blame him.

Ears. Ear infections are common, they hurt, and a dog with a throbbing ear can go from tolerant to snappy in a week. If your dog has started shaking his head, or objects to being petted on the head, that is a vet visit before it is a training plan.

Thyroid. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs, particularly in middle-aged and larger breeds, and it can change behavior along with coat and weight. I am not going to tell you your dog’s thyroid is the problem. I am going to tell you a vet can check it with a blood test, and that is cheap compared to months of training that goes nowhere.

Gut. A dog with chronic stomach trouble, food sensitivities, or parasites is a dog who is uncomfortable most of the day. Uncomfortable dogs are irritable. Same as people.

Medication. Some medicines list behavior changes as side effects. Steroids are the example most people have heard of: some dogs get edgy and ravenous on them. If the behavior change lines up with a new prescription, tell your vet. Do not stop anything on your own.

Eyes and hearing. A dog losing sight or hearing gets startled more easily, and startled big dogs react big. An older dog who “suddenly” snaps at people approaching from one side may have an eye that is not working on that side. Nobody has to guess. A vet can look.

I want to be clear about what I am and what I am not. I am a dog trainer. I do not diagnose anything. What I do is notice patterns, and refuse to build a training plan on top of a body nobody has examined.

What I actually ask on the first call

The free phone consult is fifteen minutes. This is roughly how the medical part goes.

When did the behavior start, and did anything change around then? New food, new medication, a fall, a fight, a move, a new baby. Sudden is the word I listen for. Dogs who have been leash-reactive since puppyhood are usually a training case. Dogs who were fine at four and are lunging at five need a closer look.

When was the last vet visit, and what was checked? “He had his shots” is not the same as “he had a physical and bloodwork.”

Does he react differently when touched in certain places? Hind end, ears, mouth, paws.

Has anything changed with eating, drinking, sleeping, weight, or the coat?

Is he on anything? Including supplements, flea and tick products, and whatever is in the treats.

If the answers make me suspicious, I say so plainly, and I ask you to see your vet before we book the assessment. I would rather lose a booking than take your money to train a dog who needs a blood panel.

What to ask your vet for

Vets are busy and appointments are short. Go in with a list.

Tell them exactly what the behavior is, when it started, and what changed. Video it on your phone if you can. A twenty second clip of the actual lunge is worth ten minutes of description.

Ask for a full physical with attention to joints, ears, teeth, and skin. Ask whether a pain trial makes sense. Ask about bloodwork, including thyroid, and whether a fecal test is due. Ask whether any current medication could be contributing.

Then ask the question most people skip: “Is there anything about this dog’s body that would make training harder?” Vets are often relieved to be asked that. It is a lot easier to answer than “why is my dog aggressive.”

If the vet finds something, treat it, give it time, and see what is left. Sometimes the whole problem goes with it. Usually some habit is left behind, because a dog who has been barking at other dogs for eight months has learned that barking works. That is where I come in.

When it is training, not medical

Most of the dogs I work with are healthy. Here is what a training problem usually looks like.

The dog has done it for a long time, often since adolescence.

It is specific. Other dogs on leash, men in hats, the mail truck. Not a general grumpiness.

It gets worse in predictable places and better in others. The same dog who loses his mind on the sidewalk is fine in the backyard.

The dog recovers quickly once the trigger is gone. Shakes it off and takes a treat.

The vet has looked and found nothing.

If that is your dog, we can work. That is what the reactive dog work is built for, and an in-home assessment tells us within an hour how big a job we have.

Why I keep bringing this up

I came to training through rescue, and I have watched dogs get surrendered, or worse, over behavior that turned out to be pain. A growl that turns out to be a cracked tooth is not a training failure. It is a dog who told everyone and nobody listened. That kind of thing stays with you.

So I would rather ask an awkward question up front. If your dog has changed and you cannot think why, call your vet this week. Then call me and tell me what they found. The free consult is at the contact page, and I am happy to talk it through even if the answer turns out to be “you need a vet, not me.”