Hi, I'm new. I have a problem with my heeler. He's 2 1/2. Had extensive pro behavior training. Is well loves and cared for. But he has become extremely vicious. He attacks my wife if she grabs something that fell on the floor. He attacks my son's hands if he doesn't keep them above his shoulders when he walks through. My son is 27. He has been vicious with company; not with me. But he has pushed that limit. Today he attacked my son again. It was hard to get him off. I absolutely don't know what to do anymore. We can't keep him and I don't know what to do. We have raised Pits for years. Never has one of our Pits been like this. This is beyond time-outs and distractions. There's something very wrong here.
The first thing you need to do is get him a medical check. Make sure there is no health issue behind the problem. From your description, it sounds like hands are a trigger. Until you can get a certified behaviorist, try to minimize hands reaching out. You may need to crate or otherwise contain him to areas so he isn't triggered while your family goes about their day. You mention "pro behavior training" - what type of training was this? Certified non-aversive? Did the dog go to a board and train program? Etc. If they used aversive methods, it is very likely they aggravated the issue. Once you have him diagnosed, you can find a certified non-aversive trainere here: https://www.ccpdt.org/dog-owners/certified-dog-trainer-directory/ My last advice is to step back emotionally. He is not vicious. He is trying to tell you something. Whether it's that he is in pain or he is scared or stressed or something else. He doesn't WANT to hurt anyone, he just doesn't know how to get his message across otherwise. As he is right now, you cannot rehome him due to liability issues. Your options are to surrender him to a breed rescue, a shelter (where he will most likely be destroyed for aggression), or try the above. I sympathize. It is very difficult to live with a dog you don't trust. But these resources can give you quality assistance.
I meant to include this link to a directory of certified behaviorists: https://avsab.org/directory/ They should be your first step.
