[geekygirl]

thanks for your advice!

i typed a long message, and it just did not go through. so i'll make this one more brief.

i spoke to my vet.

she feels that all of the social places that i've been taking einstein to (dog park and doggie day camp) are the cause of his aggression. it may be that he is extremely fearful in these settings as he is overwhelmed by the presence and sheer number of these other dogs. thus, when i walk him in setting outside of the dogpark/day camp, he is displacing his fear through aggression and lashing out in this setting. i have to say that it is true that he is afraid of other dogs. he wasn't well socialize when i first got him.

she suggested that i stop taking him to all of these social settings and crate him all day until he knows that i'm alpha. i am allowed to walk him around my neighborhood, though.

this seems so counterintuitive. i feel as the he has gotten much better at the dog park when it comes to socializing. when i first took him to the dog park, he would constantly try to climb upon anyone's leg to escape the dogs. now, he's still shy and needs to be near me, but he's willing to venture away from me briefly to interact with other dogs. if he finds a dog he really likes (which is rare but is occuring more often), he's willing to forget that i'm there to play with the dog.

i don't know if her advice is legitimate, but she is the expert. my boyfried wants to try her approach before we get a behaviorist, but this seems too extreme for me. thus, i want to know what you guys think before i consider proceeding with this drastic change in einstein's young life.

thanks, once again.