Most veterinarians won't prescribe mental health drugs without a set behavioral modification/training plan. Because of Ivy's issues, I know *many* people who've used mental health drugs (Clomicalm, Prozac, BuSpar) on their dogs. However, most of them use it sparingly - only enough to decrease their dog's arousal and anxiety levels to a workable level. At that point, they rely solely on behavioral modification and NOT the drug. Most of the people I know have stopped using the drugs, mostly because the behavioral modification they've been doing is so successful. If that's not the case, they use the drug only in extremely high-arousal situations like shows, trials, etc. Certainly, I do believe that there are dogs with abnormally low amounts of serotonin and abnormally high amounts of norepinephrine (more and more, I believe Ivy produces too much norepi). However, with the *right* kind of behavioral modification (and I'm really not talking about dominance-based stuff; I could care less about that stuff), you can work through most issues. To date, I've only met one dog who was so anxious and aroused that he could not be worked with without medication.

"Springer Rage Syndrome" is a very very very controversial topic and, according to the research I've read and the folks I've talked to, most people believe it should be dropped from behavioral jargon. My personal suggestion is this: If you yourself have limited experience with the issue and can't quite put your finger on what's ailing your dog, it's absolutely paramount that you find a professional to help you. Mental health follows the same protocol as physical health. The fact is - none of us are true professionals unless we've gone through vet/animal behavior programs. When something's wrong with our dog, we have to turn to the professionals. I wish you lots of luck! Just remember. "Problem" dogs = more fun