Is any level of protectiveness okay?

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

So, I had an uncomfortable experience at the vet today with Rooney. I had to take him in unexpectedly because we had discovered a small lump on his flank and wanted to get it checked out. It turned out to be a benign cyst and nothing to worry about but before we could get to that happy ending I had to endure the awkward experience of my dog growling at the Vet. 

Here is some background (just for perspective): Rooney lives in a busy household with people coming and going frequently and does fine with all of that. He goes to a doggie daycare periodically and always gets good reports for his interactions with both the dogs and caregivers (a man and a woman). We walk daily and he passes people without incident and can sit in front of Starbucks watching people pass by without barking or getting overly excited.

That said, every once in awhile if he is really startled by somebody (they kind of pop out of nowhere) he has been known to startle, kind of jump away (not toward anyone) and growl a little. He always stops when I pop the leash and tell him "No." He is definitely a bit more wary of men in general and is far more protective of me than my husband.

So, here is the scenario at the vet today: He went in the room with the female tech just fine. She gave him pets and checked him out and all was well. She left, closing the door behind her. Then the male vet came in. At first Rooney was quiet but as soon as he started moving toward us (remember we are in an enclosed, small space now) he stood up and backed away and started growling. It wasn't a vicious growl (no snarling) but it was definitely a growl.

The vet left and said he'd send the female tech back in and that they would take him in the back away from me. She came back in, Rooney was fine, went back with her just fine and she says he accepted peacefully the muzzle they then put on him and was fine for the brief examination.

So, she follows up the good report about the cyst with a recommendation for a dog behavior therapist and gives me her card. She also says that any aggression issues are likely to get worse with age so it's best to get on it.

I am completely fine with working with Rooney more on the things that make him anxious and I certainly don't like to hear him growling at people- but was his reaction so unheard of? I left feeling so sad and embarrassed and as though I have completely failed as a dog owner when I have tried so hard to do everything right with this guy. He has been VERY socialized since the day we brought him home, no one has ever mistreated him in the slightest and we continue to try and include him in everything we can in our lives.

Based on his 99% good behavior with people does he really need a private behavior therapist consultation, or is it enough to just step back up his regular training (which we do need to do)? I'm concerned this is going to be costly and I'm questioning if he is behavior is so far out of bounds that it warrants such specialized intervention.

Thoughts? Advice?

P.S. Just FYI- Rooney is almost two years old. And look how sweet he is! (So none of our DK'ers will worry, I'm updating this to add that my daughter does not hold him around the neck regularly and her arms are actually quite loose in this picture. It was just a very quick moment.) :-)

[Christine & Shelby]

I agree with so many of the statements and while Shelby has never growled at our vet or groomer, etc. she will occasionally - very occasionally - growl at strange men on our walk. She is a bit cautious around men initially but once she gets to sniff them, she'll be fine. When she growls at a man approaching us on our walk... I take it seriously and heed her warning that she senses something and we cross the street.
What I wish would have happened was an opportunity for Rooney to become comfortable with the situation. I don't know the vets story, schedule that day, etc. but I was very impressed with one of the vets in the clinic I take Shelby to where she got very fearful (we were in their big dog room and she could hide under the bench). I tried to coax her out and he told me to leave her alone and we would chat about what was going on and he would wait for her to relax before approaching her. Sure enough... We talked about what was going on for about 10 minutes... Shelby came out from under the bench during our chat - checked him out on her terms and we were just fine. She typically sees a female vet, but has seen everyone on the clinic at different times... Both men and women.
I wonder if the vet had given Rooney a bit of time and tried to put him at ease if that would have helped. I think some extra exposure to strange men is good. I work on this with Shelby. If she seems interested in a nearby Male and they appear dog friendly... I'll ask if she can approach and explain that she is hesitant with men at first and to let her smell them before reaching out to pet her. It is clear that you are concerned with the situation and exploring it thoroughly. I am sure you will work with Rooney as you see best and hopefully it will be an isolated incident.
In other news... I also talk to Shelby so she knows that she'll be getting groomed, going to the doctor or going to the doggie hotel.... :). I can't recall who said that earlier in this discussion.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Christine, we also talk to Libby when taking her to the groomers, vet, if we are leaving or going for a walk.  I swear she understands what we are say and I know it helps.  I can tell how she reacts that she knows.  If I say Marilyn (her groomer) she gets all excited, if I say Dr. Gary (vet) her eyes show a little question in them, so talking to them is very normal to me:)

[Julie and Charlie]

I think the vet did the right thing- he ended the situation, diffused the tension by leaving, and changed the situation enough to make it safe for everyone. You don't want a dog that has bitten someone, even if they didn't heed warning signs!

Agree with everyone here that a behaviorist is probably not necessary for this one incident. Keep exposing him to men in different situations, and follow F's advice in the first post.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Vern growls at our FEMALE vet at every visit. He is extremely uncomfortable at the vet and scared. She has tried to make nice with him, but he is not interested. She immediately told me he is guarding me and they take him in the back for his exam and he does fine without a muzzle. If you remove me from the equation, he seems to do fine. I just always remind them that he needs to go to the back and my vet has never suggested further training, etc. Since Rooney has never done this before, I think this was an overreaction by the vet, but I also know a growl can signify a bite next, so I guess they have to be prepared. If it were me, I would just make sure he always sees the same female vet that he is comfortable with and accept that Rooney is uncomfortable with the male vet. Frankly, you were in a small room and a strange man walks in and Rooney probably felt the need to protect you. Our dogs all have their own personality, just like us, and sometimes I think we just have to accept some of these things about our dogs.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Taking my dog away from me if he is scared seems counter intuitive to me, but I guess if it is a guarding issue it makes sense.  

Does Vern go willingly?

We see different vets at our office, but all of them come in and get down on the floor with him.  When he gets shots, I hold his leash and scratch his head. He is still young and puppy trusting, too. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Lori, Vern has gone to the same vet since I brought him home. He has always been this way with the vet. He never relaxes enough to allow anyone to pet him and the vet is very kind, young, and cheerful.  He is very treat motivated, but will not take any treat for motivation until we are paying. It is almost all women and he sees mostly the same one. Yes, he goes willingly with the vet tech to be weighed and back for the exam and they say he is very good once he gets back there.  Ideally, I would love to be in the room, but I think Vern's nervousness combined with my nervousness over Vern's nervousness makes it worse :) I also would much prefer him to be taken in the back with a vet I trust, then to risk that his fears would overcome him and he would bite. He is getting so much better on walks when strangers approach and with guests in our home, that I guess I consider the vet thing just something that we handle this way.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have written posts about Murphy's experiences with what I consider to be rough treatment or painful treatment at a vets because he has had so many painful ear infections. What had made it worse was the "taking him to the back" so that if the new vet even tried to take him away from me he acted like a bucking stallion on a leash! He growled and cowered at the vets until I got a new vet and explained it all. When he initially growled, she sat down on the floor a few feet away and let him come to her, treated him when he stopped growling, and just loved on him while she examined. It took several visits to get a calm relaxed dog at the vets and His new vets (both female) have worked so hard with me making his vet visits as pleasant as possible and I am always considered part of the team in helping him relax or hold still.
I'm not quite sure what the exact right answer is, but bottom line, if you were made to feel uncomfortable, then a conversation needs to happen, or a new vet. Dogs growl at vets......sounds to me like he just didn't have the time to deal with it and off he went with a muzzle. The fact that Rooney didn't even mind that testifies to how sweet and nonagressive he is. It once took 4 techs to hold Murphy down when he was "taken back"! But they still didn't tell me I needed a specialist.