I think Wallace has "rage syndrome"

[Giselle]

There's a LOT more to behavioral modification than just NILIF and DS/CC NILIF/DS/CC work for most dogs who don't have serious issues. However, for dogs with serious issues, there are more intensive methods. I suppose one broad general term for it all is "emotional modification". However, to address most aggression, you need to find out what the trigger is.

Truly authentic cases of "hair-trigger" dogs (dogs that aggress out of nowhere in reaction to seemingly nothing) are extremely rare. So, chances are 99.999% that Wallace does have triggers and that he does have signs leading up to his aggressive outbursts. The trigger can honestly be as simple as too much stress or anxiety or arousal. For example, I train Ivy in agility. She has very low stress levels. If I ask her to perform an obstacle more than 3 times because she's not "getting it", she'll take off and exhibit stress symptoms: zoomies, erratic sniffing, and, yes, even lunging and attacking. She is also intensely sensitive to the environment and has an odd case of leach reactivity. Now, guess how long it took me to identify her triggers? There is no one general term that I can use to describe Ivy's issues. Fear aggression doesn't work. Neither does "dominance" aggression nor stranger aggression nor resource aggression, etc. She just has reactivity issues, and that's how I explain it!

So, again, I suggest finding a certified behaviorist and getting a consult. An experienced professional will be able to scope out little signs that maybe you've missed, and s/he will be able to help you manage Wallace's issues more efficiently. I also discourage a "trial" plan for mental health drugs. From what I hear, many dogs don't react well to the drug initially, and that they need time to adjust to the medication. I'm worried that, if you intend to use the drugs only as a trial, you'll go through all the negative effects and won't have adequate time to scope out how well the drug is really working for Wallace. And remember, drugs are only tools to help you train. Drug or no drug - *training* is the most important aspect of behavioral mod.

[IRescue452]

I was hoping a trial would maybe help my mom to see the little changes that make him more of a normal dog and maybe she'd see the need to continue forth with some sort of plan for him. Maybe I'm just seeing too much of myself in the dog though. Even when he's waggin his tail and chasing a ball around and everybody else would see a happy carefree dog, I see an unhappy dog who is just occupying some time at the moment. I spend the most time with him though and I feel like I almost know him inside and out, except for this one tip of the iceberg. I guess though, she's never going to go for even trying something if she sees nothing wrong. Its not going to hurt him if he stays the way he is now and never does get more aggressive, but its certainly no quality of life in my eyes if nobody tries. He eats, he sleeps, he plays, he goes for walks, he gets into the garbage -just like any other dog, but at the end of the day he still looks like he's ready to walk off into a mist and never return.

I think he's bringing me down, I was at a high point lately. Depressed people should not have depressed dogs.

[Giselle]

If you're really uncertain about this, again, contact a behaviorist.

Understanding and training come before medication. And, I hate to say it, but maybe you are seeing him too much through your own personal, emotional bias. Maybe you can set up a relationship with a behaviorist and have them observe your dog over a period of time. If a second pair of eyes also sees something wrong with Wallace, then, by all means start behavioral mod. and drugs. If the behaviorist sees little wrong, then just try not to let your emotions color your judgment too much

Also, to narrow down Wallace's triggers, I highly suggest looking at this pictorial:
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/
This clearly demonstrates that dog body language is MUCH more than ears, teeth, and tail. Once you understand dog body language well, you can start applying it to Wallace and that will help you in determining at what point he starts to aggress. Then, write it in a journal and try to find some pattern (sometimes they're really esoteric, but they're there!).

[K9soul]

Has he ever had this thyroid checked? Thyroid problems can cause really weird behavioral issues at times, and when you mentioned he seems to sleep too much and display some depressive behaviors, I started wondering about it. If it hasn't been checked before, it may definitely be something worth ruling out.