AGGRESSIVE DOG SORRY LONG
I have a huge problem. Several years ago I was given a dog from someone who could no longer care for her. I already had a dog for 8 years, so now we had two. Several months after we got the new dog she started become jealous and aggressive towards the other dog especially if I showed any affection to him. It started with growling and progressed to mauling for no reason at all. It got to the point we had to seperate the dogs to prevent this. Two years later, my older dog had to be put to sleep as he had trouble walking, cancer etc. Now we are down to one. We have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and 11 month old son. Recently this dog has been getting a little too snappy near my daughter. My daughter ran up to her to say hello as she was sleeping on the couch and woke her from sleep, the dog was startled and lunged and snapped in her face. While the dog did not connect, she frightened my daughter to hysterical crying. Tonite my daughter got down from her chair at the dinner table and the dog snarled and snapped again at her. My daughter screamed and cried for 10 minutes. We checked her face and there were no marks that the dog bit her. But later I saw my daughter rubbing under her chin and i noticed a scrape mark. I didn't notice this before because my daughter had on a shirt that had a turtleneck like collar and she did not touch her face or neck to show us any boo boo.
I do not know what to do. I cannot have this dog snarling at my babies. I will not have this. I do not have any family that could take her. This is not a matter of dog training or obedience school, this dog has had a mean streak for some time. My husband says we need to "monitor" the situation which means to me...wait till something happens. Sometimes this dog is so happy and friendly and other times she is trying to push herself into our arms while we are holding the kids. We give her lots of love and attention, treats, good food, her own leather oversized chair to sleep in in our bedroom. What else can we do? What would you do if you were me?
Re: AGGRESSIVE DOG SORRY LONG
I have two large breeds dogs myself. If I ever questioned the safety of my kids, they'd be gone in a heart beat. I'd hate myself if something happened to DD and I could have prevented it.
If the dog just shows aggression around the kids have you thought about re-homing w/a family that does not have children?
Not patronizing, but are you sure training won't help?
Why is training not an option? Can you teach your daughter to not startle the dog?
If you must re-home, I suggest NOT going to a shelter, because most shelters will euthanize an animal that has aggression issues. Find a fostering agency.
This dog was given to us by one of my H's friends. The dog ( she is an english bulldog) had issues with his two little maltese pups.....we later found out. At this point we kept her because we felt soooooo bad for her.
It almost seems like something snapped...I know that probably sounds crazy, like one day she just got pissed off. I asked my neighbor who runs an anmals rescue ( and she is also my dog sitter when we are away so my dog can stay home with out going to a kennel etc) and this woman told me that bulldogs at this age are impossible to train. She said even as pups they are difficult, and once any dog becomes aggressive it becomes second nature to them.
This is all bullsh!t. With a good trainer, any dog can be trained. If you haven't even tried training, and want to give up, then the fault is yours, not the dog's. And unless you're going to put the dog down (which would be a tragedy), the dog needs to be trained. Has he had ANY training??
I couldn't agree more.
I definitely think you should try to get training for the dog- being older, you may really need to find someone that comes highly recommended.
I have 2 dogs and we've had some concerns that we've dealt with. However, once the dog has already bypassed growling, baring teeth, and other natural warning signs and gone right to snapping.....I think that without some intense training you may need to find another home.
Find someone who can put in the effort to pacify the dog. No shelters!
This is all bullsh!t. With a good trainer, any dog can be trained. If you haven't even tried training, and want to give up, then the fault is yours, not the dog's. And unless you're going to put the dog down (which would be a tragedy), the dog needs to be trained. Has he had ANY training??
First of all it is not bullshit, it is a serious issue and the fault is not mine.
The dog came from a BREEDER/TRAINER with AKC PAPERS, and was with this breeder/trainer for 6 months before the dog went to a home. The dog was house broken, she comes when you call her, she sits, she is actually a very good dog and this is why it is so upsetting because she has always been great with people until now. If it was a matter of me giving up - I would have done that when she was mauling my other dog ( who was a mastiff) every chance she got, drawing blood and almost ripping his tail off. Biting him so badly that his wound turned into a giant blistery laceration that needed draining and stitches. She would go for the throat.
Ok so have you tried training? I don't blame you for thinking about giving up the dog if it is snapping at your kids but I would at least meet with a trainer and see what they say. Your neighbor is not a dog trainer so I would get a second opinion.
at that point why did you not turn to a behaviorist/trainer? if the dog continually attacked another dog and you did nothing then i think this is your fault and not just the dog's
I think if you could make sure the dog is kept away from the children at all times for the time being, then you should try training.
However if you cannot keep the dog apart from the kids, I wouldn't chance something happening. Your kids are a bit young to understand the situation and may provoke the dog.
I have two English Bulldogs and my son terrorizes them. DS has hit the dogs, grabs their tails, throws things at them, reaches in their mouth , etc. DS thinks its funny. My dogs try to escape from DS and he chases them. They have been very docile even though DS is mean to them. I have told DS that one days the dogs might bite him, but I know he doesn't understand.
thanks claire,
and i could never ever put her in a shelter. i would never do that. worst case scenario i keep a close watch and keep her away from kids when she is overly rough playing and best case scenario i find someone without kids and other pets to take her that i know who has a yard and will give her unlimited cookies and kisses. I called the breeder trainer and left him messages and emaild him, he moved to kentucky and i am not sure if her retired....no response. i asked my vet to recommend and he kind of laughed and said big dogs can play rough sometimes, nothing to worry about. she is always so good when we are there.
and yes i walk her everyday
thumper you understand
my daughter is really good with the dog, loves to hug and she puts her tiara and tutu on her ...but she does not understand the dog will hurt her or bite her. I do not want my kids to be afraid of dogs. I grew up with dogs and my h is the biggest dog lover ever.
ETA : I still vote training first and foremost. I just think you need to exercise extreme caution from here.
ETA : I still vote training first and foremost. I just think you need to exercise extreme caution from here.
With an attitude like this, I'm not surprised that you were inhumane enough to declaw your cat. Animals are not fashion accessories, at least not in my life.
Have you not seen the picture in your siggy? Your cat is trying to warn your son to stay away. That's what the ears down mean. The second my cat does that, I move the kids away. I don't want to see a post from you about your cat scratching your son because you're not looking for warning signs.
OP-Try training. Call a trainer and ask if what your neighbor telling you is correct. I asked one of my friends who works at a rescue and she said that while bulldogs are stubborn they can be trained. The first incident you talk about with your daughter is her fault. You never startle a sleeping animal. The second incident is what concerns me unless it was the same day then the dog may just remember and may be warning her off. If training is out, try and find a nice home for your dog before sending it to a shelter. Even if it's no kill, the second you tell them about aggression, they will most likely want to put the dog to sleep.
No. You don't have to drool over them but you should treat them with respect. Animals feel pain and hurt like people do. I showed my cat tons of affection before my kids came along. Sure he has gotten jealous but he hasn't tried to eat my kids or even hurt them. Animals do need to be shown who is alpha, etc in the house. Training can do that. It can be done with any age dog.
:::lurking from 6-9::::
I would normally be in the "train" camp, but, I'm sorry, from what OP described is going on with her daughter, I step over to the "re-home" camp.
Has the OP brought some of this on herself? Probably. Is it ultimately the dog's fault? No, dogs are just a product of their environment/training. However, the safety of the child is first. I know that most nesties/bumpies are HUGE animal lovers, but come on. Regardless of how much of it is her fault, do you really expect her to keep that kind of dog around her kid? Really?
OP, if you do decide to keep the dog and train it, you need to keep it away from your child at all times, IMO.
My question is WHY didnt you turn to a trainer when he was showing aggressive behaviors towards your other dog? Did you think that was okay? If a dog is being aggressive towards other dogs then is it any surprise to you that it is showing aggressive behaviors towards your child? Why didnt you attempt to take care of this behavior as soon as you noticed the aggressiveness? I just dont understand. Aggressive and violent behavior isnt something you should just "live with." Your first option is to work with a trainer to control the behavior. IF that doesnt work then I think your next option is to find a breed specific rescue and approach them about rehoming. But I would be very uncomfortable rehoming a dog with known (and un-trainable at this point) aggressive behaviors.
This is idiotic. Completely ignorant.
And so lets address your idea of simply re-homing to someone single. What happens when in the future they are not single and wanting to start a family? What happens if they happen to have a child that they werent planning for? The dog gets shuffled around again? "Find a single person" isnt a catch-all solution for any dog with problems. People dont stay single and childless forever. The dog needs training. THAT is the first strategy for fixing this issue that needs to be used.
This....exactly. I would seriously consider putting the dog down if you are not willing to work on the behaviors. Because rehoming an aggressive dog is not always a great idea. Both for the dog and from legal standpoint.
I agree with this. I am rolling my eyes at some of these responses. It is a dog. Yes, I said it, it is an animal. Her children's safety trumps the dog any day of the week. At this point, who cares whose fault it is? She is looking for advice on what to do with a dog who is being aggressive towards her kids, not criticism for what she should or shouldn't have done in the past. She may want to try re-training, but she has two kids. I am sure she doesn't have all the time and energy in the world to devote to the dog. She may have had it at some time, but circumstances change. It sounds like finding a new home may be the best option.
OP: I know how you feel. Your beloved pet has become a danger to your child for the time being. We went through something similar.
Consulted a very good trainer/behaviorist (not all trainers are behaviorist). If you vet doesn't have a recommendation - hit the net and see what you can find. Keep dog and child away from each other at all times - I can not stress this enough. It only takes a second for something awful to happen and if your child doesn't know how to treat the dog and the dog views child as a threat - then, definitely keep them away from each other until you know how to remedy the situation.
How old is the dog?
The question is whether or not you want to do everything you can to keep the dog. If not, then I'd start looking for someone that has no kids or other pets and rehome your dog. You can even ask around at the local dog park etc.
I've posted about one of my dogs who is not adjusting well to DD, especially now that DD has become mobile. We don't leave DD alone with either dog and are vigilant about maintaining boundaries, in the hopes that everyone can get along. If our dog does anything more than what she has (warnings to DD basically) then we'll seek training immediately. But, that's our personal choice.
You have to keep your children safe, first and foremost. But, when you take in an animal, you commit (IMO) to taking care of them the best you can. So, your dog deserves a good home, whether it's with you or not.
I saw your SN includes NJ. Are you in NJ? If you are in the same area as me, I can share some resources with you. Just page me if that's the case.
I have no idea about Brandi's history with animals, but she has a point.
Dogs like hierarchy. If you dote on an animal (really, a leather chair for it?) and give it treats all the time, it will think it is high up in the pack. Kids come along, the dog thinks they are lesser than it is, and will treat it like it is lesser. This is incredibly common.
The OP should get training for the dog, and in the meantime, stop doting on it. There's plenty of information on the internet on how to train dogs that think they are higher up in the family than the kids. Worked for my cats.