Bentley MacIntosh

Question
I have an 8-yr old male neutered Miniature Schnauzer I purchased from a friend of mine 7 years ago(she was moving). He has experienced fear aggressive behavior towards people in general. He's full of anxiety & circles constantly. He's bitten several friends, family members including myself. If people are near when we go on walks, he'll try to run them down so I take him on walks early in am or late in pm when no one is around. I've become a prisoner in my own home. No one will come over for fear they will get bitten. I did take him to a dog behaviorist in the beginning who gave me back my money and said lock him up when people come over or put him down, he's a huge liability. I knew him in the beginning at my friends house, he did show some signs of aggression but I showed him I wasn't afraid of him and figured he was just a hyper dog. When he goes into the red zone, his fur on his neck and tail go straight up.  He's extremely protective of me and very territorial. Help.

Answer
No one should ever have to feel that she is "a prisoner in her own home". Sometimes the responsible thing to do in a situation like this is to realize that no dog deserves to be allowed to turn one's life into something that makes one feel so miserable. Some dogs are just not salvageable.

I would either try again with a different behaviorist or put the dog down. This is entirely your decision, but I would lean toward the second one myself. There are so many wonderful dogs out there deserving a nice home.

The next time around get yourself something easy-going and laid-back, and, yes, some schnauzers are that way....

Karen