Help! Aggressive dog and newborn

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  • sm1zzle
    sm1zzle Posts: 920 Member
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    Sm1zzle. You are an idiot. Drag your *kitten* to another forum where you're not being a bullying loser...trying to call out an emotional 8month pregnant woman by calling her pyscho and a liar. This isn't gradeschool. You can get your opinion across in thoughtful sentences.

    Its an incredibly hard decision for her, ever think she just needed some back up reinforcement to say yeah, sucks but he DOES need a new home?

    She got offended at negligent comments. Know how to read or better yet interpret?

    Bully ? C'mon now that's silly

    Calling me names like an immature child s not going to change anything.
  • Maidofmer
    Maidofmer Posts: 908 Member
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    get rid of the dog. your baby is THE most important thing in your life. I love my cat, but if she ever scratched my daughter she'd be gone. worst case which is sadly common, the baby dies. get rid of the dog

    added.

    you don't have to put him down. take him to a shelter and tell them what's what. if they won't take him, you may have to put him down
  • heagler870
    heagler870 Posts: 280 Member
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    Please do not put the dog down.. it's not his fault. I don't know where you are located but use this link to obtain the information you need. You can also contact them to find the nearest Basset Hound Rescue to you. I don't mean to sound critical, but you could have prevented any aggression if you had taken the time to do proper training with the dog. You should have taken action at the very first signs of aggression, if that is in fact, what it is. There are many reasons dogs appear aggressive but are not. And yes, I have trained many dogs in my lifetime and guess what.. the dogs behavior is ALWAYS the owners fault. Take the time to learn about the breed, it's needs and training required before making a purchase.

    http://www.bassethoundrescue.com/maindefault.htm

    "Snapping is a control response. In most cases, you have to look at root cause. Ok - the dog snapped. Was it because I was playing to aggressively? Was I moving the food bowl during feeding? Many times, it is our fault, but we still want to blame the dog because we as humans do not like to be in the wrong. Bottom line is growling, snapping, and biting can all be corrected. The question is are you willing to take the amount of time needed for the correction. Make a good choice. "

    Perhaps you missed the fact the OP said she was a certified trainer?

    As well as:
    OP implied she is a certified trainer, yet still failed to stop the behavior
    She said the dog has bit her multiple times (once in the face!)
    Bit the BF twice now
    Attacked the other two dogs
    Tried attacking a young 3 year old girl next door!
    3 other trainers have failed with this dog
    Medication made it worse

    At what point do you weigh the safety of others over this dog? Seriously...

    Trust me, if your dog attacked my child, I'd sue the pants off you and use this thread as evidence.

    You cannot realise how horrible it is for a child to be attacked by a dog. I had nightmares for years and still am scared of dogs. The owner did what you are doing and made excuses for the dog (It didn't maul, it just bit, but you provoked it --I was riding a bike at the time, the dog chased me...I did nothing to provoke it)... I will never forgive the selfishness of that owner.

    It's as bad as parents who have weapons in the reach of their already disturbed children to me. I can and will only ever blame the owners and not the dogs but the dogs will have to pick up the tab for the owners selfish and unreasonable behaviour.

    Certified by whom? Certifications can mean jack squat. Petco and Petsmart trainers are "Certified" and I certainly would not take my dog there for obedience training because it takes nothing for them to be certified. Anyone that can read can learn obedience training in less than a day, the real training comes when you learn how to do behavioral training and behavior training is a skill and an art which takes time to learn .

    Like I said, re-home this dog (in case it was miss-implied in my first post, this dog should obviously NOT be around children) but make sure to find someone that knows what they're doing. It's called a responsible owner that would never allow this dog around children, and yes, that is also possible. And to the OP, I'm not saying that you're not responsible, I'm just making the case that yes, this dog can be re-homed with someone that knows how to handle aggressive dogs, fix the problem, and not allow there to be children around, and if there are children around the person would not allow contact between the dog and child. I have an "Aggressive breed," a German Shepherd that I do not allow around children unsupervised and I do not allow other people to pet him unless they ask me first. I put aggressive breed in quotations because many people label GSDs as aggressive. He is not at all aggressive and doesn't have any major issues (He has quirks but none that I am worried about turning into a liability for me). My point being here is that there are people that make sure their dog's are not allowed to be put in situations where something could happen, lets called it a "Controlled environment" that's what I like to have my dog in at all times. I don't allow him or other people to have any choices, I make all the choices and my dog and other people must have my permission before they have a choice. My example for that is my dog must do something for me before he gets to go outside to use the bathroom, he has to do something before I will pet him, he's not allowed on my bed unless I tell him he can and he does something before I say he can (Sit, lay, ect.) People must have my permission before they are allowed to touch my dog and I must tell my dog to sit and then lay down/ I never let anyone touch my dog unless he is in the down position first, especially with children. And my dog never goes out the door without a leash on and never first. I walk out first and go in first.

    Oh, and yes, I realize how horrible it is for a dog to attack a child because I was attacked by a dog when I was 6, (Bitten in the neck) and by all dogs a miniature poodle. I had to go to the E.R because the bite was pretty deep. I don't know that I can place blame on the owner here because I remember I was messing with this dog and probably making it mad by trying to play with it. There were also no people around, they were somewhere else in the house. I guess my blame would go to the adults for not being in the room with me and not telling me to stop, ah yes, that's where it will go! Honestly I shouldn't have been in the room with a dog by myself at such a young age. My point here is that there is always a reason that dog attack, even if it looks like there aren't any signs. There are ALWAYS signs, signs so subtly small that you have to know what you're looking for. This is why I firmly believe that not everyone should own a dog. I see it SOOOOO many times with little dogs especially. Little dogs get away with it more because a lot of people see the dog's actions as harmless. No, little dogs are capable of hurting people just as much as big dogs. For heaven sake a dog is a dog and they all have the same psychology. And as for you being chased by a dog while you were on your bike, yes, I think you had every right to place blame on the owner as he didn't have his dog on leash or properly restrained. That is an irresponsible owner.

    "It's as bad as parents who have weapons in the reach of their already disturbed children to me" That's really an awkward comparison. I can't teach a gun/weapon whereas I can teach both a dog and a child. I can only teach a child about proper gun/weapon safety and be responsible to keep my guns/eapons locked up (If I can't teach a child about gun/eapon safety and keep them locked up I don't need guns/weapon or children; thus I must be responsible enough to teach my child about how to properly approach a dog and be responsible to train my dog how to act around strange adults and strange children (Strange meaning members outside of my family) Oh and by the way, what do you mean keeping weapons in the reach of "Disturbed" children..... Does that mean disturbed children are going to mess with a weapon more easily than a non "disturbed" child. Curious as to what you mean here exactly

    "Trainers" are a dime a dozen. Not all trainers know what they're doing and a lot of them are full of BS. Most dog trainers that actually know what they're doing have a gift for it, meaning it comes natural to them, I don't think I can really explain it, rather you would have to see for yourself and then you would know what I mean.
  • 84woolf
    84woolf Posts: 153
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    Ironic...I'm an immature baby for calling names...which I called YOU out for doing. Hmm
    ..
  • sm1zzle
    sm1zzle Posts: 920 Member
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    Ironic...I'm an immature baby for calling names...which I called YOU out for doing. Hmm
    ..

    Well it's our mistake then. Shame on anyone who has offered any advice that goes against what she truly wanted. Which "ironically" was help.. said in her own words.

    More specific my bad for coming off as a bully after she labeled my opinion as coming from someone who was not a man.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    What upsets me is that this dog is only one year old and has already had this many instances of aggression. The whole situation is really sad. This isn't some dog with an unknown history with possible abuse that could account for his aggression... he was raised - I assume - the same as her other dogs who do not have behavioral problems. To me, coupled with the comments from other trainers and the shelter, that says this dog is seriously messed up, quite likely beyond modification.

    My dog was found as an abandoned stray, about 2 years old, with a severe injury to his eye which had to be removed. I have no idea what his past was like, other than whoever owned him didn't care enough to find him when he went missing. I know he's suspicious of strangers, does some resource guarding and can be a fear biter. I have been bit by him, once when I forgot about his blind side and startled him and once when grooming. Since then, he's learned to trust me better and I've learned his triggers and warning signs, and that he's ridiculously smart and likes to learn. I know what toys and treats he can't have, that he needs a muzzle to be groomed, and he hates the clippers.

    The point is... his problems decreased over time. They didn't escalate. This Basset's problems are only getting worse over time. Nothing so far has helped. He very well might not be able to be saved. That's terrible and sad, but you have to look at things rationally.

    One other thing I would suggest is to contact whoever you got him from. Some breeders - I've known a few that would do this - will take one of their pups back at any time for any reason if the owner couldn't keep him. It's worth a try, anyway.
  • AnahitaCanDoIt
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    What I'm saying re: parents with guns in the house who are irresponsible with them...

    They often say, "Oh no, my child knows the guns are off limits and he/she would never touch them." How can the parent know? No more than a pet owner not knowing how his dog (mostly) will react to a situation... This owner knows the dog is aggressive and attacks...provocation doesn't interest me...I don't care if the dog was poked, whatever,... a well trained dog won't attack unless threatened properly...a bike riding by is not a threat... parents with unsecured guns are responsbile when their children use them to hurt others. Dog owners are also responsible.

    Anyway, I mean to say, to me, the dog is a known biter, the owner knows the dog is a biter and passing the dog onto to someone else in the hopes it will be 'cured' of its aggression... it's passing the buck. It could be quite a costly buck for this dog owner.

    I applaud the previous poster who explained the strict guidelines used with his/her pets. Fair play.
  • Jongfaith
    Jongfaith Posts: 195
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    Wow I'm sorry this got ugly!
    I just wanted to comment that there are people who do knowingly adopt aggressive dogs do to the work with and train them.

    I had an abused Akita for many years who turned into the most gentle cuddly soul however he was not always that way. When I first brought him home he attacked my chow mix, my inlaws german shepard and any other dog who came near him. While breaking up these dog fights I was bitten multiple times for the first eight months to a year. I didn't fully trust him around children for another two years. Then one day he was eating laying down and before I knew it my 3 year old niece toddles over to him and lays on top of him and plays with his food. Nothing happened! From that point on knew I could trust him. Although he is no longer with me that bond we forged working though all of his demons is something I will never forget.

    I currently have a black lab with a few minor behavior problems mostly from being spoiled and alowed to run his previous owers over. Call Guardian Angel Basset Rescue. They have people who will foster and train the worst behavior problemed dogs and specialize in that breed. Someone will train him and fall in love with him.

    Good Luck to you and ignore all of these negative comments. You have to do what you can and don't feel guilty about it. *Hugs
  • snoopytwins
    snoopytwins Posts: 1,759 Member
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    Good grief! She knows the dog is aggressive. She knows what she needs to do. Perhaps, she doesn't like people's bluntness...but someone will get hurt, and she will be held liable. This post on the Internet perfectly outlines her knowledge of the dog's violent tendencies. Get rid of the dog.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    You can either have him trained by someone who specializes in aggression, or you may have to give him up to someone who can handle his behavior.

    You and your family are at risk if you continue to do nothing....
  • kokoforskinny
    kokoforskinny Posts: 91 Member
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    I am sorry but if I were you he would be gone. No if and's or buts about my health and my kids come first not a dog. I also would not give him up for adopton either. You tried to get him trained, your vet put him on pills. There is obviously a mental issue here as far as the dog goes. Please get rid of him before your innocent child comes in to this world.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,069 Member
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    I didn't read all of the posts, and wanted to ask if he has been neutered. We have 3 larger dogs. One had already been neutered. The other 2 had not. Neutering helped those two tremendously last year with reducing lots of aggression to each other and stopping violent fights. I'd get a muzzle in the meantime and continue looking for a home where he is the only dog in the house. Sounds like he doesn't need to be in a pack situation. When the baby comes, it will make unexpected noises at all hours of the day and night. The dog will see the baby as another member of the pack and try to dominate and control with how he does it best--biting. You fill in your choice of an outcome as to what will probably happen.
  • Alex
    Alex Posts: 10,145 MFP Staff
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    Dear Posters,

    I wanted to offer a brief explanation for the locking of this thread.

    In this instance the majority of respondents have weighed in with empathy and support. However when the community does not allow for objective responses the topic will become as a whole, divisive. When polarization of this kind happens topics will almost always be locked. The original poster has received a significant amount of feedback and the conversations can continue via personal messaging or within a group.

    With respect,
    Olivia
    MyFitnessPal Staff
This discussion has been closed.