Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Dear Dr Tobin, My dog has a condition where when he sees a dog or beloved guest, he simply suddenly gets extremely intense, the intensity skyrockets, then he explodes-- when he sees someone he wants to greet, usually a dog on our walks, or even a beloved guest in our home. (he has zero aggression, is very friendly) In training we work below threshhold, refocus him with snappy obedience in the presence of a trigger, correct before it escalates when possible, do desensitization, etc-- but the *tendency* to get suddenly intense, that intensity skyrocket until he detonates and blasts over to the other dog either dragging me or ripping the lead free, is a tendency that remains despite our 2 years of working on this with training. He is simply wired this way, possibly a neuro issue. (ironicly he is not a pacing nervous dog, is calm indoors, needs little excersise, being tired from excersise does not impact his intensity-skyrocketing-to-explosions) Which holistic method might help? We continue with the training, but look for a way to help with the underlying root of his sudden fits of intensity-to-boiling-over. Would Chinese Traditional medicine offer anything? Homeopathy? Thank you for your time!

Homeopathy would be a good modality to try. While a prescriber should take a complete case before making a prescription, I think it would be worthwhile to try a dose of homeopathic Phosphorus in this case.