[DOGOWNERNEEDSHELP]

I recently adopted a lab/mix from the shelter 2 months ago. She was very excitable but I thought it was because she was in a cage all day. Ever since we've had her she's calmed down considerably.

My problem started when she constantly growls and barks when people pass by or come to the door. I've closed the blinds and inner door to prevent her from looking out. I try to prevent her from being where she can hear dogs barking because she goes ballistic and starts barking and growling at us. I've been using positve training and have had a trainer over as well. I work with her as much as I can treating her when she's behaving in a good manner. It seems like some days it's like starting all over and some days are good. She can do the basics at home like sit, stay, come, "watch me", "leave it", and give paw.

She's been good to my kids and to us except for the periodic growling (redirected agression?). One day my oldest daughter saw a friend with her parents walking their dog and began talking with them. My dog got to barking like crazy and as soon as my youngest opened the inner door, my dog opened the screen door and ran right to the dog. She did considerable damage to the dog and bit my hand pretty bad. We were stuck with a pretty hefty vet bill. We have had a personal trainer come by to work with her aggression/ fear towards dogs and I'm feeling like I'm at a losing battle. It's hard for my young children to follow the rules (keeping doors closed, keeping her away from things that get her wound up) and I'm on constant alert and it's just very stressful. She has escaped a couple times and luckily there were no dogs around. She has also become more aggressive towards us (snapping at my daughters and myself). She wakes up in the middle of the night in a fit barking and growling almost every day. I honestly feel like she is a time bomb waiting to happen. I know she was abused prior to us because she hovers when I lift a broom up to sweep or get close to her so maybe that is why she is aggressive towards us sometimes (thinking about the past?). I train, walk her alot, have her run in the fenced yard, and give her lots of love. Why is she doing this? I wanted the shelter to take her back and place her somewhere else but they refused to take her because she attacked a dog and bit my hand. I'm left with taking her to the APL where they will put her down. I'm honestly trying to work with her but feel like I'm at a loss. Is it wrong for me to take her in??? I feel so awful and never would imagine doing this. We are so tight with cash right now after paying for training, treats, vet bill, gates to keep her from the front window, repairs to damage in the house, etc. I can't afford more trainers or another attack and have to think about my familiy. There are dogs all over our neighborhood and if there was a next time we might be looking at a lawsuit now that they know it's already happened once.
This could take a long while to train her and that is in a successful environment. I have two young children and this is not at all a quiet, calm environment to begin with. I feel so awful thinking about doing this but what other option do I have?

[cigwyllt]

Your story is heartbreaking. You clearly love your dog and want to do what you can for her but sadly it sounds to me as though you are simply not the right match. The shelter where you got her sounds uncaring and unsupportive. In an ideal world they would have assessed her and her behaviour and visited your home to ensure that you would be right for each other but it doesn't sound like that happened.

First of all, I don't think any of this is your fault, or the fault of the dog. As you have said in a different home in a different area she could well recover from her bad start and the issues that she has may never have come up.

That said you are left with her now and a decision has to be made. Realistically, I think you need to have her out of your home before she does some serious damage to you or your children. I'm not from the States so I don't know what the APL is. Here in the UK there are several small independent no kill rescues but they can be hard to find. The first thing I would try would be to google no kill shelters in your area. There may be somewhere near you or a local shelter could perhaps give you details of others within travelling distance.

If that fails then I think you have to consider having her PTS. While I don't believe that any dog is inherently nasty sometimes the treatment it has received causes so much damage that it can not live peacefully with people.

My sister in law took on a very damaged dog. If love and patience had been all that was required he would have been rehabilitated but he was so badly damaged that every person, except for my sister in law, was at risk from him. Had she been able to live alone surrounded by land he would have been happy but this is the real world and she lived in a small house in a busy area surrounded by other people. He grudgingly accepted others superficially but the final straw came when for no reason that they know of he launched an attack on her work colleague and bit him on the thigh.

My sil was left with no alternative but to have him PTS which she did very reluctantly. She was/is an experienced dog owner, she exhibits of obedience trained dogs to a very high standard, but could not make this dog happy.

Please do what you need to do to keep your family safe and yourself out of the law courts. Sadly you may have to accept that your dog will never be the family pet you wanted but you can always remember that you did all you could and showed her more love in the time she was with you than she had known in the rest of her life before that.

[DOGOWNERNEEDSHELP]

Thank you for your kind words. That description sounds just like what I'm dealing with. She has several times tried to nip at visitors along with barking and growling. In a perfect world she would be so happy in a big field with no other dogs and just run her heart out.

I have called every local no kill shelter and they will not take her because she is a liability because she attacked a dog unprovoked and bit my hand. The contract states that if I have to return her, to take her to the shelter we got her from. Unfortunately they will not take her. If they won't, no other will. I'm stuck with the worse alternative ever and feel so awful about it. I just have to think about my kids first and try to cope with this.

[cigwyllt]

The contract states that if I have to return her, to take her to the shelter we got her from. Unfortunately they will not take her.

What a ridiculous situation. That is so unfair to you and to the dog. I am sorry but I agree with you that your family has to come first even if it means a heartbreaking decision.

[Todd]

Her agression seems to be territorial agression obviously. How much exercise does she get? How much does she get out of the house? The major issue could very well be the fact that she doesn't get out much and is threatened by the outside world because of lack of exposure. I feel she needs to be exposed heavily to the outside world and socialized with dogs and humans alike. Take her out on a leash and have her meet other dog and friendly people. Reward her with treats and praise. Make her associate meeting other people and dogs with positivity. Here are a few threads/links about socialzation. This should help matters because the dog will therefore be aware of the outside world. Being at the shelter and locked in a cage all day could have added to this because of being locked away from the outside world and unsure of what lies outside the boundries. Also, is the dog fixed? If not I would do so because it can easy aggressio among other things.

Try this and see if things improve. Good luck and I hope everything turns out alright.

Dog Tip: Socializing Adult Dogs and the Importance of Maintaining Socialization

How to Socialize an Older Dog | eHow.com

how to socialize dog - Google Search

how to socialize dog - Google Search

[drjekyll]

Hi, feel really sorry for your predicament.

I have rescue dog also who wanted to fight with other dogs. Dog trainer advised me to bring LOADS of treats out on any walks and as soon as he even sees another dog pop a treat into his mouth. Just keep doing this and eventually he will associate other dogs with having treats and not as such a bad thing. I also added the word "doggie" to the process. So when we see another dog I say "doggie" he looks up to me and he gets a treat. After only three months of doing this he can now see, meet, sniff, and has even played with a number of dogs which was quite an emotional thing to see after all the training payed off. He still has his off days with certain dogs but will never be able to work it out but on the whole a lot more of a pleasure to take out. I just need to train him with people now which is a lot harder.

It can be a slow process but a lot of patience is required on your part. I hope this may help you.