Rehoming unadoptable dog

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Describe the aggression.

My dog is aggressive with larger dogs, not smaller or same sized dogs. I've been able to foster a multitude of dogs, all smaller than he is.

She’s bitten dogs at the vet, and now has to be muzzled. She’s killed small animals in the yard. I tried to introduce her to my dog when I got him 2.5 years ago. She tried to attack him. She slipped the leash and my ex laid on top of her so we could get out of the yard.

I know it’s crazy. I think she should be euthanized, but my daughter says no. It is her decision.

Then your daughter needs to deal with it. Your daughter is essentially saying she prefers to have your dog killed painfully over having her father’s dog killed peacefully, and that’s not her choice to make.

She is swimming in grief and loss at the moment. She just lost her father.

Your daughter now hopes you or someone else takes in your ex's dangerous dog. If it's put at a shelter or rescue she won't be able to see it so I guess there's pressure on you. We have relatives stuck with pit care to help a DC. That is a line we are not willing to cross. At an apt building there were breed restrictions and some really nasty representaives of restricted breeds had "service dog" papers from sketch organizations.

When elevator doors opened no one got in if those thngs were there. FX has 31 dogs and 20 are readily identifiable as pit or pit mix. Out of all the dog breeds or mixes in that county.

[Anonymous]

OP, how did it go?

[Anonymous]

There are rescues that will take dogs who are dog aggressive. It isn't that rare for dogs to need to be the only animal in the home. They don't always need to be euthanized. It sounds like the dog is friendly to humans, yes?

Can your daughter break her lease, find a new place, and take care of the dog herself? Losing a parent is hard, absolutely I know that firsthand, but this is putting undue pressure on you which is not fair to anyone involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Describe the aggression.

My dog is aggressive with larger dogs, not smaller or same sized dogs. I've been able to foster a multitude of dogs, all smaller than he is.

She’s bitten dogs at the vet, and now has to be muzzled. She’s killed small animals in the yard. I tried to introduce her to my dog when I got him 2.5 years ago. She tried to attack him. She slipped the leash and my ex laid on top of her so we could get out of the yard.

I know it’s crazy. I think she should be euthanized, but my daughter says no. It is her decision.

Then your daughter needs to deal with it. Your daughter is essentially saying she prefers to have your dog killed painfully over having her father’s dog killed peacefully, and that’s not her choice to make.

She is swimming in grief and loss at the moment. She just lost her father.

Your daughter now hopes you or someone else takes in your ex's dangerous dog. If it's put at a shelter or rescue she won't be able to see it so I guess there's pressure on you. We have relatives stuck with pit care to help a DC. That is a line we are not willing to cross. At an apt building there were breed restrictions and some really nasty representaives of restricted breeds had "service dog" papers from sketch organizations.

When elevator doors opened no one got in if those thngs were there. FX has 31 dogs and 20 are readily identifiable as pit or pit mix. Out of all the dog breeds or mixes in that county.

It's not about you, Jan! Start your own thread. We are talking about this dog not your apartment complex!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, how did it go?

We did it today, over the last few hours, actually. There was work stuff that came up, so I didn’t get up here until this afternoon.

It went better than I thought it would. They have not been off leash with one another yet. The whistle and bean bag trick seemed to stop her aggression in its tracks, but I’m not ready to trust it alone. They will sleep separated in the same house tonight, and I will see how it goes tomorrow. I’m not convinced it will work out, but I’m trying to be hopeful.

I don’t know if she isn’t quite smart enough, or if she is not really trying, but her attempts at attacking are not very effective. She thought about going for his neck, but kind of tried with the side of her mouth, with it open. My dog was confused. It’s not playful, but not really an attack.

My daughter and I had a talk about options, and minimizing stress for the dog as the priority. I had to put down my favorite dog a few months after my father died, and it was traumatic. It’s been more than 10 years, and I still can’t talk about it without crying. It was the right thing to do, and it still wrecked me. I had the benefit of being in my late 30s, and not 21, when my father died.

I saw the suggestion about the behaviorist. Those people have waiting lists that are weeks long. It’s not possible to find one on a holiday weekend.

[Anonymous]

Scratch what I said about a behaviorist. One is available tomorrow for an in home consult. I’ll likely book that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how did it go?

We did it today, over the last few hours, actually. There was work stuff that came up, so I didn’t get up here until this afternoon.

It went better than I thought it would. They have not been off leash with one another yet. The whistle and bean bag trick seemed to stop her aggression in its tracks, but I’m not ready to trust it alone. They will sleep separated in the same house tonight, and I will see how it goes tomorrow. I’m not convinced it will work out, but I’m trying to be hopeful.

I don’t know if she isn’t quite smart enough, or if she is not really trying, but her attempts at attacking are not very effective. She thought about going for his neck, but kind of tried with the side of her mouth, with it open. My dog was confused. It’s not playful, but not really an attack.

My daughter and I had a talk about options, and minimizing stress for the dog as the priority. I had to put down my favorite dog a few months after my father died, and it was traumatic. It’s been more than 10 years, and I still can’t talk about it without crying. It was the right thing to do, and it still wrecked me. I had the benefit of being in my late 30s, and not 21, when my father died.

I saw the suggestion about the behaviorist. Those people have waiting lists that are weeks long. It’s not possible to find one on a holiday weekend.

Short term you could get the dog muzzle trained. Give him lots of good treats and put it in the muzzle so he puts his nose in. Read about muzzle up project:https://muzzleupproject.com/

Dogs who wear muzzles aren't bad dogs. My old dog should have worn one because she liked to eat whatever she could find!
I'm working with a behaviorist too and she suggested mat work. Making the met a safe spot. I only feed him there and give lots of good high value treats. This is to prevent him from begging when we eat! It really works!

Thanks for the update!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how did it go?

We did it today, over the last few hours, actually. There was work stuff that came up, so I didn’t get up here until this afternoon.

It went better than I thought it would. They have not been off leash with one another yet. The whistle and bean bag trick seemed to stop her aggression in its tracks, but I’m not ready to trust it alone. They will sleep separated in the same house tonight, and I will see how it goes tomorrow. I’m not convinced it will work out, but I’m trying to be hopeful.

I don’t know if she isn’t quite smart enough, or if she is not really trying, but her attempts at attacking are not very effective. She thought about going for his neck, but kind of tried with the side of her mouth, with it open. My dog was confused. It’s not playful, but not really an attack.

My daughter and I had a talk about options, and minimizing stress for the dog as the priority. I had to put down my favorite dog a few months after my father died, and it was traumatic. It’s been more than 10 years, and I still can’t talk about it without crying. It was the right thing to do, and it still wrecked me. I had the benefit of being in my late 30s, and not 21, when my father died.

I saw the suggestion about the behaviorist. Those people have waiting lists that are weeks long. It’s not possible to find one on a holiday weekend.

I'm so glad for this promising update, OP.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Today went even more smoothly! She wore a leash all day, but it mostly dragged on the floor. Instead of all the anxiety, they were calm enough to nap while in the same room! I gave treats when they were calm/apathetic in the same space. I am careful to police their behavior so they are not making the other one uncomfortable.

She has trouble with transitions and when my dog gets too rowdy. Voice command stops her now. The behaviorist is coming tomorrow, so I will discuss with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Today went even more smoothly! She wore a leash all day, but it mostly dragged on the floor. Instead of all the anxiety, they were calm enough to nap while in the same room! I gave treats when they were calm/apathetic in the same space. I am careful to police their behavior so they are not making the other one uncomfortable.

She has trouble with transitions and when my dog gets too rowdy. Voice command stops her now. The behaviorist is coming tomorrow, so I will discuss with her.

Wonderful news, op!

[Anonymous]

Good luck, OP! Sounds like a promising start, and good to hear you have a behaviorist coming. And even if it ultimately doesn't work out, I think your effort will give your daughter peace of mind that you tried and did the best you could for the dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck, OP! Sounds like a promising start, and good to hear you have a behaviorist coming. And even if it ultimately doesn't work out, I think your effort will give your daughter peace of mind that you tried and did the best you could for the dog.

Thank you for your willingness and patience to try to make this work for your daughter’s sake.

[Anonymous]

The behaviorist had great advice, and decided after the eval that this isn’t high risk. It does carry some risk, but she said she would be honest if she thought this was too risky to continue. She decided it wasn’t. I have some training exercises I need to do with them. She will need to be muzzled on joint walks because of the potential for being reactive and/or attacking my dog if she gets set off by encountering another animal.

I travel back home with them tomorrow. Hopefully, the new environment isn’t too stressful for her. I have the rest of the week off, and will be there to help her adjust.

The behaviorist was great. If anyone is looking for one, I give a whole-hearted rec for Instinct! Her advice was practical and easy to follow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scratch what I said about a behaviorist. One is available tomorrow for an in home consult. I’ll likely book that.

Good luck, OP, hoping it works out for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Glad the consult was helpful, pls come back with updates OP. Sincere condolences on your daughter's loss.