people knowledgeable about GSD / aggression please weigh in

[NewOrleans]

We have ongoing problems with hypervigilance and aggression (toward people) with our GSD.

We located a board certified Veterinary Behaviorist and his partner who is seeking the same certification.  It costs 500$ for an evaluation and includes a treatment plan, a follow up appointment a few months in, and several months of follow-up email and phone access.  They do not do home visits; we have to go in.  For some reason I really thought a veterinary behaviorist would want to see the dog in its own environment...?   (huh)  Anyway, their location is not convenient at all, but it is what it is.  It also takes months for a weekend appointment.

We also have located a kennel in a more convenient location that keeps the animal for intensive training for 10 days and includes "family" training in the home afterward and one follow up visit.  It runs about 1K.  This kennel is a paradise for boarding your dog, but their staff does not seem to have any special credentials.  We made them aware of his issues, and they feel he is not confident, so confidence would be part of their focus in training.

What is the right choice here: a convenient location with intensive training and handling done by experienced but non-expert trainers who seem to understand the dog, or an expert far away who provides distance support but mostly you're on your own, and we don't even know what the treatment plan would be?  Or is there another option that you suggest?

Owning and loving an aggressive animal is a nightmare.  

[runs4qs]

Not a huge fan of board and train programs. One, owners are a huge component and need to do the work and be trained too. Second, it's not the same since you're having issues at home. Same concern as you had about not seeing dog in the home. Keep looking for another behaviorist. Not toe thin the trainer and a behaviorist are different. You need a behaviorist from the sound of it. Many board and train places use methods I wouldn't use on my dogs.

[Deleted]

I don't really see how the board and train place will work because the dog probably gets territorial/protective of his home and people, so his behaviors will likely be different in an unfamiliar environment. I currently have a GSD and grew up with one. My GSD now is very friendly with people, but my childhood dog was extremely unfriendly. My parents kept her away from people for that reason, and it was obviously very difficult and a huge hassle for them.

The reason I say that the training outside the home is unlikely to work is that my parents' aggressive GSD would be docile and friendly at the vet and at the boarding kennel if none of us were in the room. She was fine with letting strangers handle her, unless we were around. Her aggression/protective behaviors came out only in our presence.

What behaviors does your dog exhibit? How old is your dog and when did you adopt him? I know it's really hard to go anywhere or be around people when you have an unfriendly dog.  The key is to socialize the dog with people as much as possible when the dog is still a puppy, the sooner the better.  This is especially crucial in breeds that already have that hyper-vigilant tendency.  But this is not always possible depending on when you get the dog.  In my parents' case, they never had a dog before and had no idea that socialization would be so important. 

[suburbanzookeeper]

I volunteer with a GSD rescue and have for over ten years. I agree with the other ladies, a board & train is rarely the correct solution for this type of problem since the triggers that cause the problem won't be present. Do you have a rescue in your area that you could ask for referrals?

[Deleted]

I have every very little experiment with these breeds. My job had a contract with the police dogs and they were not joke. THEY ARE not AND I CAN not stress enough the ones I met with were not good for a family. They needed to be working at all times. If it was a reputable breeder is taking it back and finding a dog an option better suited for you guys? Your life, Your dogs life and peace of mind will be so much better. I'm not saying hold out hope the dog may turn around but just keep your option so open and abest of luck!