Rehoming a dog that has previously lightly bitten a few people?

[Anonymous]

My SIL has a 6 y.o. Australian Labradoodle that is normally very nice, but over the years has bitten a few people sort of randomly. The last was two weeks ago and at that point, they realized it's been about 5 people over the years--not family members but strangers or aquaintences. It's not been bad enough for medical attention but she has broken the skin. They realize they are very lucky they have not been sued, and also realize that it is likely to happen again and the dog belongs on a farm or in a different situation.

She's normally a very well behaved, calm dog. She's very well loved by the kids and what my SIL would like to do is find somewhere great for the dog, so her kids can feel good that she wasn't just thrown in a shelter, but is having a good life.

Is that possible with the biting history, and where should they start?
TIA!

[Anonymous]

I think this is when you tell the kids you found a great home on a farm and put the dog down.

[Anonymous]

There’s no responsible way to rehome this dog.

I mean for gods sake, a farm? WTF do you think happens on a farm? A farm dog needs to be BETTER trained and LESS aggressive than other dogs, because they’re often loose in areas where visitors appear.

Your SIL needs to accept the responsibility she signed up for when she took on this dog and either keep it contained away from acquaintances and strangers or have the dog euthanized.

[Anonymous]

“Lightly bitten!?”

There’s no magical farm that accepts all the unwanted pets. You should know that by now.

[Anonymous]

They either need to commit to crating the dog when anyone outside of known family members are around or put the dog down.

No one is going to adopt a dog with a bite history and there could be a liability if they lie. And it would be cruel to send the dog to the shelter after living a comfortable life in a home.

[Anonymous]

They should have had the dog in training years ago. It's their fault, not the poor dog's. But yes, she definitely needs a different living situation than living with your sister and her kids. Your sister should talk to the vet and see what they recommend. (They do take her to the vet, right?)

[Anonymous]

OP here. I was thinking a farm, because we own an Aussie that was given to us by a rancher because she was too submissive for the sheep. Herding dogs often nip and are bred for that. Ours won't nip. So it's not so outlandish of an idea to give a well-trained but nippy dog to a working situation, 20:21.

My friend with a golden retriever who has epilepsy is now on a farm. But no bite history

Thank you 20:30 I will ask her to call her vet for leads. Also I'm going to mention that maybe the breeder will have leads.

[Anonymous]

Contact a reputable labradoodle rescue in your area. They will try to help remove the dog with someone who can better manage it and doesn’t have children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I was thinking a farm, because we own an Aussie that was given to us by a rancher because she was too submissive for the sheep. Herding dogs often nip and are bred for that. Ours won't nip. So it's not so outlandish of an idea to give a well-trained but nippy dog to a working situation, 20:21.

My friend with a golden retriever who has epilepsy is now on a farm. But no bite history

Thank you 20:30 I will ask her to call her vet for leads. Also I'm going to mention that maybe the breeder will have leads.

Well trained dogs don't bite 5 people.

Given the incredible amount of time and effort that goes into a raising and training a herding dog, no one is going to start with a 6 year old, who is a breed not known to herd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contact a reputable labradoodle rescue in your area. They will try to help remove the dog with someone who can better manage it and doesn’t have children.

Except what happens when the dog escapes the new family’s house and chases after the local kids on their bikes? Or when brownies come to the door to sell cookies? Or when there is a kid in the waiting room at the vet?

Don’t make this dog someone else’s problem.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me this dog is never in a room with anyone's children, including the family it lives with.

[Anonymous]

I would try multiple approaches.

training
crating
ensure you have a good fence
shock collar
muzzle

This dog should never be around visitors. No, you can't rehome him. The only other choice is to put him down. Unless you can find someone who will do "dental disarming".

[Anonymous]

It depends in what circumstances. My herding dog, when he was a teen, nipped a human teen who was playing with him after a long day in the snow. He was super riled up and tired. He never did it again, because I made sure he was never riled up and tired and around excitable people. Now at 5 years old, when he gets excited, he pees (ugh), but doesn't nip.

The circumstances you describe are more concerning because we're talking about a behavior that has not corrected itself for years, and now the dog is well into adulthood. I doubt this comes out of the blue, however. Your SIL has to figure out what's triggering the dog - is it guarding resources, getting overwhelmed, or what?

I also want to add, in case your SIL doesn't know, that adult dogs have insanely quick reflexes and are entirely capable of avoiding contact with human skin. That slips a bit when a dog isn't well trained or has fear or fatigue. But this dog is making sure never to hurt people. Otherwise he could bite WAY harder. He's sending a message. Your SIL needs to find out what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contact a reputable labradoodle rescue in your area. They will try to help remove the dog with someone who can better manage it and doesn’t have children.

Most rescues won’t touch a dog with a repeated bite history, for liability issues.

[Anonymous]

Rescues don't want dogs with bite history. Vets are not going to advocate clients adopt a dog with bite history. If you lived in most parts of Europe there'd be an automatic euthanasia for repeated bite history.

Good luck finding a farm.