Help!....My son wants a dog!

[gg706]

It doesn't sound like a very good shelter environment, I have to say, but....I wouldn't have picked a beagle for a child. Or a JRT for that matter either. Honestly, if this were me, I would probably feel I had no choice but to return the dog to the shelter, but perhaps talk to the woman running it first and explain what you saw and ask if there is any way she can separate the pups from the adult dogs ASAP before they are all turned into non-adoptable dogs.

I wouldn't have a biter in the house period. Fear biter or not, biting is biting. My very first dog I begged my parents to let me get when I was a young teenager. She was a very protective dog and when the doorbell rang, it took one person physically restraining her before another could open the door. Ultimately she did bite - the neighbor's 3YO. Because we had a good relationship with us, they gave us a choice, rather than immediately report our dog to the authorities. We had the choice that we put the dog to sleep or face a lawsuit. Honestly, I couldn't blame them - why should their young children live in fear of our dog? So we had to put the dog - then about 2YO - to sleep.

Keeping a biter in the house is only asking for trouble. If not your son, then one of his friends is going to get bitten, and then you may be facing legal issues in addition to the medical. I'm sorry I'm not giving more positive advice, but as a mom, and someone who has had dogs all my life, and having read every one of your posts, that is my gut feeling.

I have also thought of that. It is scary. I don't know for sure what she is...she isn't a purebred anything I am guessing she is a mixture of several different things. She has not had an outburst since and doesn't act antisocial or anything I believe by her recent behavior she must have been well socialized at her birth home. I am NOT a Jack Russel fan AT ALL. As a matter of fact I am NOT a little dog fan either. I was very dismayed to see a Jack Russel resemblance.

 

[dainerra]

I don't see anything that says that this is a vicious dog and you should get rid of her. But I'm also not seeing a situation that is best for a child who wants his first dog. That is part of the problem with getting a dog for a child - dogs know that children aren't adults and, even if they respect the child, will look to the adult members of the family for instruction.

If she had wanted to bite him, she would have. Dogs can't talk so snapping and growling are their methods of saying "you're scaring me. I want to be left alone"

In the end, I would say that it might not be the right time to get a dog for your son. This "shelter" sounds like a nightmare and would be no help at all selecting a dog that will fit in with your family. Most rescues are instantly wary of a parent who wants a dog for their child so it might be hard to get through the application process with a reputable rescue.

 

[gg706]

I think you made the right choose. You reacting immediately was great, you have a 3 second window to react and show her that you are the boss, don't stop, and enforce that same thing to your son, so he is above her too. If everyone in the house don't do the same thing, you will have what I have in our house,I follow those rules with our border mix but my BF does not, the dog is always barking at him right in is face, drives me insane. I than have to step in, and he listens to me, all I have to do is snap my finger and point to the ground, he immediately lays down. My BF just looks at me and asks how do you do that,I say he knows what I want, he never knows what you want, which makes me alpha b@!%*. With your supervision, your son is old enough to learn from you on how to react to bad behavior and good behavior. Enroll the two of them in training classes. I commend you for changing your mind and trying again and giving her another chance. Watch Dog Whisper

Thanks for the advice! My son and I sat down together upon returning with her from the shelter and had a talk about all the requirments to make her a good dog. We had done this before he got a dog but I don't think he took it too seriously. I told him if he wasn't willing to scold her or put her in her place she WOULD have to go. He has a big responsibilty and owes it to her to provide good leadership. I told him about dog language and that dogs don't think like humans do....they crave a good leader and are happy when people take that role We talked about dog body language, vocal comunication, and how to recognize what the dog is saying. And how a human should react. My son is trying so I am willing to give it a chance at least.

 

[dainerra]

You don't want to correct her for growling!!! Bad BAD BAD idea. A growl is simply a warning - the only way that a dog has to communicate that they scared/upset/dislike something. If a dog is punished for growling you run a very real risk that they won't warn before they bite.

And yes to a training class BUT no on Cesaer. The average person (and especially a child) doesn't have the experience reading and understanding dogs enough to implement his techniques. I'm a huge fan of him and all that he has accomplished but I've also seen what happens when an inexperienced person tries to do what he does.

 

[leadwolf1]

Do you have a dog warden? There just has to be some higher up governing body that can oversee these operations.

If you have a local 4H that has a dog obedience/showmanship class, that would also be a great place for them to belong. Check it out before you join and make sure that the leadership is strong. My daughter loved 4H..she went 1st in State many times and now that she is in a Vet Tech program...she is just breezing through all the canine course work.

She used two akitas for both 4H and Jr Showmanship...a 90 lb, 5 ft tall girl with a 30 inch tall, 152 lb intact male akita made quite a presence in the show ring

 

[gg706]

I don't see anything that says that this is a vicious dog and you should get rid of her. But I'm also not seeing a situation that is best for a child who wants his first dog. That is part of the problem with getting a dog for a child - dogs know that children aren't adults and, even if they respect the child, will look to the adult members of the family for instruction.

If she had wanted to bite him, she would have. Dogs can't talk so snapping and growling are their methods of saying "you're scaring me. I want to be left alone"

In the end, I would say that it might not be the right time to get a dog for your son. This "shelter" sounds like a nightmare and would be no help at all selecting a dog that will fit in with your family. Most rescues are instantly wary of a parent who wants a dog for their child so it might be hard to get through the application process with a reputable rescue.

That is a very good point. She could have bitten his face off IF she had wanted too. I have told my son that I am going to step in and take more of a role because it is necessary. Our whole family is going to have to have a role in letting her know her position.

 

[gg706]

That is a great idea! I am going to check into some classes today. Although I think I will take your advice, I will take her at first because of the "dog aggression" issue. I am going to do some research this afternoon and see if there is some governing body over the animal shelters here in GA. I know that the shelters are required to have a license so there MUST be some higher up organization that oversees the operations.

 

[gg706]

You don't want to correct her for growling!!! Bad BAD BAD idea. A growl is simply a warning - the only way that a dog has to communicate that they scared/upset/dislike something. If a dog is punished for growling you run a very real risk that they won't warn before they bite.

And yes to a training class BUT no on Cesaer. The average person (and especially a child) doesn't have the experience reading and understanding dogs enough to implement his techniques. I'm a huge fan of him and all that he has accomplished but I've also seen what happens when an inexperienced person tries to do what he does.

She didn't growl when I corrected her...my Weim walked into the garage and the pup jumped up and ran at her expressing the "snapping bark" I had heard from her before.

 

[gg706]

On a good note she is VERY smart! She has already learned to sit and that she must wait to be invited in to come into the house and she is quickly catching on to the potty training. She won't go in her kennel AT ALL so crate training is doing wonders! Here are some pics I took of her

 

[leadwolf1]

She is very cute I think you can stop worrying...she doesn't look at all like a Jack Russell to me. Plus, at 10 weeks old she is way too big!!! I think she is going to mature into a medium dog, at least! How much does she weigh?