Biting Dog Advice... Update - pg. 4

[Judy]

In your shoes, I would put him down immediately.

 

[amyc]

I guess this is an especially hard decision because he was my mom's dog and she passed away 4 years ago. 2 years ago my sister paid over $4000 for this dog to have back surgery (I told her she should have put him down then). So you have my dad and my sisters and myself who all have a little bit of say in this dog. I guess I'm going to pull my trump card and say my house, my rules.

I think I know what I need to do, which is to call the vet on Monday. This time it was my grandma who thankfully didn't get bit too bad - but who knows what may happen next time.

 

[JenEric Farms]

You may want to try contacting these people first (it's a couple that rescue dachshunds in Wisconsin).

http://dachshund-rescue.org/search/node/wisconsin

ETA: At the very least, they may be able to tell you what your chances with training or re-homing would be or they may agree with a lot of people here and say have him/her put down...

 

[Judy]

Quote:
That does throw a bit of a monkey wrench into the works. I certainly agree about the trump card. Whether you put down, or get somewhere with rescue, I feel he needs to go, in that situation, esp. with kids and an ex looking for trouble. Sorry you are having to deal with this.

If I had it to do over, I would never have married.

 

[citrusdreams]

One thing you can do is tell your sister to immediately pick up the dog, that it can't stay at your home. It's already bitten twice and you can't control it. Tell her that if she doens't pick up the dog by Monday morning, you'll bring it to the vet. And then follow through.

I'd especially watch my back with your ex-hubby. I've seen those get quite ugly, so in your circumstances, unless you're commited to really trying to retrain this dog, just get rid of him.

But I think talking to those at the rescue would be of benefit to you. Have you called them yet? Rescues sometimes work over the weekend. I would tell them the same, I'd tell them he must go or you'll put him down. They usually have a lot of resources at their disposal to help them out. And he really needs retraining or he's just going to get worse. Maybe they can hook you up with a trainer, if you can afford it, or they'll take the dog off your hands. At the very least, I would confine the dog so he can't bite anyone else.

So yes, imoho, it sounds to me like the dog needs some bigtime retraining, and yes, I believe it can be done. And I don't believe that once a dog bites that he will bite again. I've seen dogs who were fear biters and will proper training they were turned around. But you have to be commited to such training, and maybe be able to afford it. And of course, you'll have to take the risk of maybe having someone seriously bit and being sued (or seriously hurting your son). But you'll already had this problem for quite some time.

Good luck and whatever you chose, I'm sure that will be the best decision for your situation.

 

[amyc]

I did just email a rescue, I'm going to try to go that route for now - just not hopeful that they will take a biter (twice he's sent people to ER now).

On the bright side my ex just called with the "issues he wanted to discuss". He feels that I have too much on my plate right now, and maybe I should give him one of my two dogs (I have a german shepherd mix and a husky), he feels Chance (the shepherd mix) will be happier at his house with a fenced yard and being the only dog. I started crying and told him that the weenie dog will be leaving and that we will be putting my dad's older dog down next week (she's 15 and struggling - its her time). My ex said not to give him an answer, just to think about it.

So after I had a calm phone conversation I called my sister and swore like a sailor to her. Chance is my best dog, I've had him for nine years, he's my buddy. I offered him that dog when we separated two years ago and my ex said he didn't want him. Aargh!!! ddawn - you're right, if I could do it all over again I would have RAN when I saw him coming.

And I do know how sneaky ex-husbands can be. I'm an office manager for a law office than handles divorces, so I know to always be on guard.

(Sorry for getting side tracked)

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Alright. After reading through it. I get the feeling this doxie isn't trained.

I have a poodle (Pogo aka Demon Dog). He was never properly trained because my mom wanted a lap dog. When my mom passed away, my dad was going to take Pogo out and shoot him he hated him that much.

Pogo barked, whined, peed on things, ran out the door, humps my shih tzu, etc.

After training him THOROUGHLY we've gotten past the peeing on things. He has separation anxiety apparently so he gets to be crated while I'm gone, and also has to wear a bark collar. If he's not leashed up and someone opens the door...he's out of the house in a second and won't come back for hours.

BUT...he was my mom's dog. He is 9 years old now...so he won't be with us (much) longer. He has REALLY turned into a fairly sweet dog when you get him settled down from being crated and his anxiety drops from being left. But if you come at him swiftly, he will bite.

This is the reason I will NEVER get another small dog from an animal rescue again. EVER.

I think your dog needs to either be released to another person or group, trained EXTENSIVELY, or put down. I understand the emotional attachment. I REALLY do. I could not let my mom down by giving up her poodle, but it takes some REAL dedication sometimes. Knowing I'm making my mom happy is one of the things that keeps me loving Pogo the poodle.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

wow sounds like you are in a tough spot. in your circumstances i'd give that dog the boot in one hot second.

i think the mistake you made was giving him one chance without immediately correcting him - now he knows he can bite and get away with it. have you watched the Dog Whisperer? sounds like the d-hound thinks he's the boss dog and doesnt take you or people seriously.

if you didnt have the ex around you might try and retrain him. we took in a 'bad' dog and havent had any problems at all. but its been a lot of work and we dont have kids. all dogs that have come to us have all bitten me ONCE and then they get a firm lesson that i am the boss of them.

as soon as the family drove away that we got the 'bad' dog from my hubby and i wrestled that dog to the ground until he submitted. we did it ever day for a week until he understood his place in the pack.

if your dad cant/wont control that dog then either you have to or you have to get rid of him. sorry that you're in a tough spot.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
Well now, this sounds kind of severe. There are a lot of people out there that have no children that would love to give a doxie another chance. There are doxie rescue groups that I'm sure you could connect with on the internet that may give it another chance.
This dog has lost the love of its life, and is obviously having problems adjusting to a new living situation.
Training is an option, but everyone in the house has to be consistant - and if your dad isn't able to participate in the program, rehoming with a rescue group may be the best choice.
Please don't disregard the option of a rescue goup - sometimes they'll even drive hours to your house to pick up the dog.
Hope everything works out.

 

[Calebs Acre]

As has been said before, rehoming a biter is a real liability for you and is not the responsible thing to do. There are so many other dogs out there being put to sleep on a daily basis with no behavioral issues that it is not fair to the unsuspecting people who may be bitten by this dog in the future to rehome him.

You have no idea if the adoptive family will be responsible in keeping the dog from hurting others. Even a single person will have family and friends come to their home. The dog has to go to the vet and might have to be put into a boarding kennel.

I have a dog with fear aggression issues when strangers encounter him in certain situations. A girl who used to feed my horses KNEW he was afraid of her, but she decided to approach him one day, when I was in another room. He was in one fenced area of the yard that she did not have to enter. She decided to go in, for what reason, I will never understand. He bit her on the butt (she had screamed and run away from him and he chased her) and she needed two stitches. I was sued and she received almost $50,000. FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. She won just because I owned a dog that I knew had the propensity for aggression, even though he had never bitten anyone in the past. I just knew he had become fearful of strangers and kept him away because he was so big. Someone told me that she wanted a new car and did this just to sue me. I don't know if that is true or not. But, she bought a new Mustang after she got her check.

Please don't put someone else in that position by transferring the dog problem to another.

Good luck, it's a hard decision. In all of the temperament testing classes I have taken in USHS College, ASPCA and other organizations, it would be recommended that they dog be put down immediately.

Sorry!