Dog/Puppy help

[TimC]

I think you're doing the right thing, Ted. We have an aggressive beagle that we inherited and we've calmed her down quite a bit, but her aggressiveness never goes away and is always right there under the surface. We have to keep a close eye on her.

Edited May 18, 2010 by TimC

[Sugar Magnolia]

Tim C makes a point. I use an anology that a dog with aggressive tendencies is similiar to an alcoholic. It is always there and has to be managed. I own an aggressive dog myself.

 

I'm sorry this turned out the way it did with your puppy. The amount of aggression you saw either means this is hard wired or this puppy was extremely stressed. We can easily make dogs extremely stressed even when we are giving all good intentions. Often it is a combo that creates the "perfect storm"

 

Honestly, I am not a fan of no-kill shelters. No one, even trainers, want a dog that will take years of effort with the liability attached it, to rehab a puppy/dog with so much aggression. The problem just gets passed on to a new owner who can't deal with it, then passed on again. This makes the dog/puppy more neurotic. Or, the puppy/dog gets a life sentence living in a cell at the shelter. Sometimes euthanasia is the best alternative, IMHO. What can happen is putting down very good dogs that could have flourished in a different enviornment. But, all dogs can't be saved and it is always the owner's fault, and I hate when I hear new clients blame themselves. Ceasr Milan really does a disservice, in that regard, to make the owner feel responsible for their dog's behavior. It isn't always the case. I helped put together a temperament testing protocol for my local shelter to help reduce the number of aggressive dogs going out into the community and to make sure the right dog temperament gets matched with the right family.

 

Of course we never know if putting the puppy/dog in a new environment will bring better results and I've seen this happen. Sometimes with just a little effort these dogs do turn around. But, this is not alwayst the case with hard wired aggression. With that said, I just got an email from a person with a puppy, brought home at 10- weeks and showed immediate aggression. They didn't give up on the dog. Every member, including children have been bitten by this dog. The family feared this dog. It is now an 8 months old, 73 lb, soon to be 100lb,. Golden Retriever. He has not shown any aggression in 8 weeks--keeping fingers crossed. Their sticking to it and hugh efforts on their part are paying off. This puppy, unlike Ted's only showed one type of aggression called possession aggression. He would take things and bite if they tried to take it away. The broader the aggression and the more multiple the triggers, the grimmer the prognosis. These success cases make my job rewarding. But, the ending doesn't alway turn out so rosey.

[SEC=UGA]

Sug,

My basset hound likes to run and play with other dogs... non-stop. He demands to be walked or he will run around the house like a wild man. My question is, how do I make him lazy like other basset hounds. He literally ran my in-law's 3 year old springer until it couldn't move any more. TIA.

[SteelBunz]

Sugar!! Not to hijack this thread...but your PM box is full dearheart!

 

[SteelBunz]

Sug,

My basset hound likes to run and play with other dogs... non-stop. He demands to be walked or he will run around the house like a wild man. My question is, how do I make him lazy like other basset hounds. He literally ran my in-law's 3 year old springer until it couldn't move any more. TIA.

 

Anyone else getting the image that SEC would like his dog to be more like 'yellow dog' in Funny Farm??

[jetsfan]

Get a basset hound and call it a day. Though, they are stubborn as hell and hard to house break.

 

and stink.

 

We've got one now and she is a royal pita. Wife and kids love her to death though.

[westvirginia]

 

Anyone else getting the image that SEC would like his dog to be more like 'yellow dog' in Funny Farm??

 

 

Put the mirror under his nose to see if it's still breathing?

 

[MrTed46]

Tim C makes a point. I use an anology that a dog with aggressive tendencies is similiar to an alcoholic. It is always there and has to be managed. I own an aggressive dog myself.

 

I'm sorry this turned out the way it did with your puppy. The amount of aggression you saw either means this is hard wired or this puppy was extremely stressed. We can easily make dogs extremely stressed even when we are giving all good intentions. Often it is a combo that creates the "perfect storm"

 

Honestly, I am not a fan of no-kill shelters. No one, even trainers, want a dog that will take years of effort with the liability attached it, to rehab a puppy/dog with so much aggression. The problem just gets passed on to a new owner who can't deal with it, then passed on again. This makes the dog/puppy more neurotic. Or, the puppy/dog gets a life sentence living in a cell at the shelter. Sometimes euthanasia is the best alternative, IMHO. What can happen is putting down very good dogs that could have flourished in a different enviornment. But, all dogs can't be saved and it is always the owner's fault, and I hate when I hear new clients blame themselves. Ceasr Milan really does a disservice, in that regard, to make the owner feel responsible for their dog's behavior. It isn't always the case. I helped put together a temperament testing protocol for my local shelter to help reduce the number of aggressive dogs going out into the community and to make sure the right dog temperament gets matched with the right family.

 

Of course we never know if putting the puppy/dog in a new environment will bring better results and I've seen this happen. Sometimes with just a little effort these dogs do turn around. But, this is not alwayst the case with hard wired aggression. With that said, I just got an email from a person with a puppy, brought home at 10- weeks and showed immediate aggression. They didn't give up on the dog. Every member, including children have been bitten by this dog. The family feared this dog. It is now an 8 months old, 73 lb, soon to be 100lb,. Golden Retriever. He has not shown any aggression in 8 weeks--keeping fingers crossed. Their sticking to it and hugh efforts on their part are paying off. This puppy, unlike Ted's only showed one type of aggression called possession aggression. He would take things and bite if they tried to take it away. The broader the aggression and the more multiple the triggers, the grimmer the prognosis. These success cases make my job rewarding. But, the ending doesn't alway turn out so rosey.

 

Well we returned the puppy yesterday to the shelter and at first the shelter was very cold towards us and it seemed they did not believe what we were telling the manager working there. Well another employee from the shelter took the puppy and they walked by a Teddy Bear on the floor and the puppy wanted it but the employee said no, after that the puppy growled at the employee and bit her. After that the shelter was very appologetic because they obviously didnt believe us. They said they have animal behavior specialist on site that will train the puppy before releasing him to another family, but that dog is going to be HARD to break or even impossible as you stated.

 

Very sad day for both of us but we feel we made the right decision. This experience has turned me away from raising a puppy for a while.

[Square]

This experience has turned me away from raising a puppy for a while.

Hey bro, if you want a dog and are looking to adopt one, why not get one that is a bit older than a pup? Pups are hard. I mean, they can be a hugh time commitment and you never really know what their attitude/ disposition is going to be like when they are older/fixed. If you find a 3 year old dog, chances are you are going to get close to what you see. Might be worth a look.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Sugar!! Not to hijack this thread...but your PM box is full dearheart!

 

 

Thanks!!!