Giving back a rescue dog

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever had to give back a rescue dog? We've had ours for about a month. The dog's original owners turned the dog in to a shelter when the dog was a 9 month old pup. The excuse was that their 3 year old had allergies and the doc said the dog had to go. The dog was never fostered and was taken from the shelter to a kennel until placed with us. The rescue group did have the dog evaluated by a foster.

Fast forward to now, and the dog pees all over the house when stressed or excited and bites me and my kids. We've been working with a highly recommended trainer one-on-one, but stay positive and ignore bad behaviors until the dog learns the rules is not decreasing the bruises on my 6 year old's arms (or mine). The vet thinks the dog has psych issues and may never be a good family pet.

We've had two prior dogs from breeders we raised from tiny pups and I've never seen something like this.

I know when you adopt a dog you are supposed to see them through thick and thin, but do I have to wait until I've been sued by a playmate's parents so they can cover the plastic surgeon's bills before I say enough is enough?

[Anonymous]

If the dog has truly bitten (why do you say bruise when it is a bite?) you many times, you need to put the animal down. that is insane.

[Anonymous]

It seems as though you are doing everything you can do, and having you or the children get hurt, while stressing out the dog, is not an ideal situation, so I would give the dog back. I would make it clear to the rescue group regarding the problems you faced, so that they can reevaluate the dog and give that proper information to the next owner. Do not feel bad about it either. You are doing the right thing. Seems as though the dog is really scared and stressed. If the dog was not so aggressive, I would say stick with it and wait it out, however, you can not have you or the children get hurt. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

What kind of dog is it OP? Certain dogs need certain care. Some breeds are better with children than others. I've seen nasty little dogs that are extremely high strung and nervous and chill big dogs, and vice versa. It depends what they have been taught (or in your case, not). I understand your children come first.

[Anonymous]

Not to disagree with an expert but I don't really buy pysch problems in a dog, especially ones that young. It's a dog, not a person. For the most part, they live in the now. I've had several dogs over the years, all of them rescue. Sometimes certain dogs don't work in families. Some dogs need completely different environments. You can train them and temper the behavior, but the underlying dog is still there. Perhaps you need to consider re-homing the dog. You can return the dog to the rescue or find another home that can accomodate the dog's behavior. Someone who wants a primarily outdoor dog without a lot of human interaction. That might work best. I agree that you can't have the dog around the kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks to PPs. It isn't a breed issue - the dog is large and is a breed known for being good with kids. We've had this breed before. So far the bites haven't broken the skin (or at least not more than a scratch) but they are getting harder and harder. If the dog ever really clamped down, it would be ugly. The dog could easily take my 6 year old's hand off.

[Anonymous]

The dog has to go ASAP. A large dog that bites should not be up for adoption at all. Return the dog to the rescue group and explain the issues. They'll understand.

[Anonymous]

It's a problem if the bites are getting harder and harder. The dog is learning that biting is an effective way to get whatever it wants. At some point, it will break the skin. I had an aggressive rescue dog (actually, the dog probably would have been aggressive no matter what, rescue or no) and ended up working with a trainer who specialized in aggressive dogs. We spent a lot of time and a lot of money to address the behavior. In the end, we managed to soften the dog but not eliminate the tendency entirely. Even though we loved the dog, we had to find another place for him with someone who fully understood his behavior. It was either that or put him down. We have kids.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Is he play biting or biting out of aggression?

While it does appear that you are making an effort, would you give a child back after a month if they weren't behaving? I agree, biting is a non-negotiable but WHY he is biting is key! I had a dog that was just very grabby with her mouth, often on my hands/wrist. The solution was that I got a pair of heavy duty leather work gloves and she knew that only when those came out, was she allowed to play in such a way. Working one-on-one with the trainer and his alpha presence around your dog vs your authority over your dog are two very different things.

Have you added socialization? He's getting frequent walks, sufficient exercise? Considered hiring a walker or taking him to doggie daycare a couple days a week? Perhaps that combined with consistency will result in more positive results?

I'm not saying he isn't a bad egg, some are just spazz dogs, but I really don't think a month is sufficient.

[Anonymous]

That dog has to go. Tomorrow AM first thing.

Your child's hand is more important than any feelings that you might be having.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems as though you are doing everything you can do, and having you or the children get hurt, while stressing out the dog, is not an ideal situation, so I would give the dog back. I would make it clear to the rescue group regarding the problems you faced, so that they can reevaluate the dog and give that proper information to the next owner. Do not feel bad about it either. You are doing the right thing. Seems as though the dog is really scared and stressed. If the dog was not so aggressive, I would say stick with it and wait it out, however, you can not have you or the children get hurt. Good luck.

I totally agree with this. The rescue should be understanding. It's a good bet that the dog would be better off in a situation with no kids.

[Anonymous]

Is he play biting? My dog, a spaniel, play bit the first year. It was 100 percent non aggressive, but it did hurt! I cannot imagine that I would have been able to tolerate it had I had a child and the child was being bitten. So nobody would really blame you for returning the dog, except.....and I have to say it......getting a nine month old puppy when you have children is risky. It's not a little puppy, where the kids and the dog can get used to one another (although there are issues with this, as well) and it is not an older dog that has expended its puppy misbehavior elsewhere. It takes a lot of time and effort and patience to train a dog you're getting your hands on at 9 months. I think it was a mistake for you to get a dog at this age group.

Now, if the dog is truly BITING (as a dog owner previously, I'd think you should know the difference?) and not nipping, you need to make it clear to the shelter so that they can rehome or mitigate. But if the dog is playfully nipping (even inappropriately), then don't say it's "biting" your children. Be honest and describe the whole situation.

One last thought. At this point, if you return the dog, it will be rehomed and hopefully trained while still a puppy (provided it doesn't have an aggression problem). If you wait until the dog is 18 months old, no longer even slightly a puppy, and perhaps not trained at all, it will be much harder on that dog.

Return the dog and be honest about why.

[Anonymous]

He may do better in a home with adults only. Talk to the rescue people. I'm sure you can work this out, just not in your family with kids.

[Anonymous]

Give it back. You tried and it didn't work. If you go forward with another rescue dog, thinkmabout an adult. Puppies are hard to train with kids around, and even harder when the puppy got a rough start.

[Anonymous]

Tell the kids the dog has to go back to his Mom to learn better manners. Get that dog out of the house without regret and do it immediately.