It very well might have been something the staff there was doing to him. Give it another shot with a boarding facility that's got good dog savvy staff, and explain the situation. Considering how he only acted that way once would make me suspicious.

 

So, he was agressive at the vet & the dog boarding facility?

Was he ever crate trained?

I am wondering if it is that he does not like someone he does not know coming into his personal space? With feeding time, the worker likely did not approach him as much as he approached the worker/bowl of food. However, with the leash, they could have approached him quickly & stood over him & maybe he felt more threatened?

Could you find a boarding facility with indoor/outdoor runs where the dogs can be let outside without leaving their individual kennels? They usually have free access to the outdoors during the day & the door to outside is closed at night. The worker coming to bring him food sounds like it wouldn't be a problem. Especially for the short boardings, he could just stay in the kennel the entire time & skip the stress of needing to be leashed up.

Or look for someone who boards dogs at their home? There are a couple websites with listings/reviews. Maybe being in a home environment would be less stressful for him.

 

Why would anybody attempt to approach a dog that retreats to back of kennel. Many dogs when dropped off in strange place will go to back of kennel, why not the place and I are strange and new to them.

What happens more than not is after a couple days many will relax and all is good.

BUT!!! All it takes is "one idiot" to create/mold a normal dog into a problem dog. Dogs that retreat are fine it's the ones that challenge at the gate that can be bothersome.

If I had a dollar for every owner that told me their dogs were not aggressive that were I would now be on my 40 acre estate in Tahiti. Many owners do not have a clue as to what changes can happen in a new place.

Within 4 hours of leaving him, we got a call that whenever anyone went into his cage he showed his teeth, growling and crouching in the corner. They ended up giving him sedatives and making us come back to get him when we picked him up.

Makes me wonder how many times they went into the cage and I also wonder how they gave sedatives. In my experience a lot of dogs do not eat much if anything the 1st day or 2, especially retreat to back of kennel scared dogs.

 

I would NEVER board a dog at a vet facility unless it was in bad shape and required a lot of veterinary attention. Most of the vet boarding facilities I've seen are like dog jails. They give the dog no space. The staff often leave at closing time and no one is there to passively observe overnight. Care may be slighted when a pile of emergencies come into the clinic.
I used to have a regular boarding kennel. Hound x lab cross is one of the sweetest dog combos I've encountered, though they appreciate freedom and thrive on interaction with people and dogs. I can't remember one ever being a problem in any way. Of course there are always exceptions. But I'd encourage you to find a kennel that lets the dogs out and encourages interaction . . . hard to find at a veterinary kennel.

 

In my experience as well, veterinary boarding isn't the best choice! I'm sorry this is happening with your pup. The last clinic I worked at, boarding dogs are kept in runs in the basement and, if the clinic was busy, often given walks only every 12 hours for less than 10 minutes. Clinic protocol stated proper walks were to be given at least every 6 hours, more if the dog required it, but this was often overlooked. I would find somewhere that's not a clinic setting.

 

I appreciate all the responses. With our previous dog, boarding was never an issue as my father was able to come up and take him out for walks multiple time a day, give him food and water, etc. However he now can barely walk and that is no longer an option. I have considered paying someone to take care of him at our house but the idea of someone having full access to our house while we are away makes me uneasy. As a puppy he was crated t night and if we left. But not all day and night as my husband works third shift so he was around during the day and would sleep on the couch downstairs with him. Now, he doesn't get locked up but still will occasionally go into his crate if he wants. I at first thought this was a result of being in the cramped vets office but being that it happened at one of the best dog facilities in town I know that problem lies more with him than where he is. I'm assuming he feels threatened being in a new place with new people and when they approach him he just tries to defend himself in an obviously unacceptable manner. Somehow I need to find a stress free solution for both him and I.

 

I would search out an in home boarding place or someone to come & stay in your home. I would explain about the aggression and the last place with sedatives. If you find someone, see if you can leave him for a day, not overnight. Then try an overnight.

Good luck!

 

Is this "just" barrier aggression? I owned the sweetest boxer in the world. She was an amazing therapy dog. But she had barrier aggression. If someone was on the other side of a window or a gate, she would bark and act stupid. Once the gate/door/window was open, she was amazing and wonderful.

If your issue is solely barrier aggression and not human aggression, your solution is much easier.

When my boxer went to the vet, we sedated her in my presence and I removed her from the kennel when she woke up. This was not necessary, but it made everyone feel better.

 

I would have to consider something happened.................................... I took my Smokey to a grooming facility and they did nothing but praise him, he adored the groomer was happy when I picked him up and happy to be dropped off for the groomer to meet him in the lobby and take him to the back. 2 years he was fine.. When we had a different groomer for the other groomer no longer working there.. Smokey was happy to be taken to the facility, happily met and be taken to the back with the new groomer.. Totally an emotional wreck when I picked him up, and refused to leave from my side going back to the facility.. I was so taken back by his behavior, that I canceled the appointment and left with Smokey. When my Mom had Smokey when I was sent to Korea, she took him to her groomer and he was all happy and perfect again... Smokey is the most tolerant, happy dog you could know, I have never ever seen him so distressed in his life for all the years I had him before he passed, as when I did at that one time.. I feel I did the right thing for him to cancel that appointment with that groomer.

If you know you will be needing a boarding facility, I would start doing day stays, and a few over night-ers Before you need to leave them full time to go on your trip. So you and the staff can work on what your pup needs to have a happy stay and you a piece of mind that they are doing just fine for leaving them there....

 

Just throwing it out there.... Would it be possible to have a dogsitter come over instead?