It's official, I hate that dog.

[OverEggstended]

Tryptophan that puppy!

My BF has a moose. OK... he swears it is a dog. I honestly want it tested for beaver DNA!

Before I moved in with him a bit under a year ago, this animal had eaten:
Halfway through a full oak fire door
Half a wall of drywall in the bathroom
Half the linoleum in the bathroom
A stretch of carpeting in his bedroom
The padding UNDER the carpeting
Scored the concrete under the padding!
2 cellphones
A modem
Enough wiring to encircle the apartment 3 times over
Countless shoes
Every stuffed animal ever brought in
Most of the kitchen implements (spoons, spatulas, etc)
Anything tupperware
A broom
3 dustpans
8 leases
2 halters
Enough collars to outfit the local SPCA

Shall I go on?

It did this after breaking out of 3 different kennels. 2 were made for pittbulls according to the label and were even reinforced with carbiners and duct ties! (Like cableties but 1/4 inch wide and a full 1/8 inch thick)

All this on 40mg of people prozac prescribed by vet and picked up at Walmart pharmacy.

She also attacked other dogs and occationally snapped at my BF and his teenage son.

When I moved in, I started "Baby" (yeah... nice name, eh?) on doggy herbal seditives. It made a WORLD of difference. We still came home to missing loaves of bread and a strewn garbage can... but I could deal with THAT!

The meds were only the first step though. This dog needed training! But a dog that has seperation anxiety, a high activity drive, and is still a "tenager" of 1 1/2 years old and the attention span of a knat cannot really focus on training!

Working with her for just 20 minutes a day to teach her tricks and keep her dominance down is the key. If I skip more than 3 days... she starts regressing.

Dogs do not WANT to be alpha... no matter how much they fight for it. Just like human teenagers. It is a stressful position. They want to know their boundries and have a predictable life. But... they are usually very bored and unsure. We expect them to lay about the house and do nothing all day except for a few 5 minute excursions outside to do their business. Try lying in bed and doing nothing all day for a few weeks sometime. No TV. No Internet. No hobbies. Sounds great... but gets old FAST!

Give the dog some herbals and an actual outlet and I can almost guarantee things will turn around. Especially where you and it's view of you are concerned.

If you are doing the training and reinforcement.... your husband "letting" the dog get away with stuff will actually start making the dog question HIS dominance... not yours!

 

[PineappleMama]

There was a worker at our kids' school... her hubby took in this dog, the dog loved him, but wasn't great to anyone else. It was supposed to be a temporary thing, so the wife just grinned and bore it. Then the dog bit her. Took a big CHUNK out of her thigh. Emergency room, TWO surgeries, huge bills. He refused to get rid of the dog. Dang thing ATTACKED and he won't get rid of it. So the wife took the kids and hobbled away (now a year later can finally walk without a limp thanks to those surgeries, crutches and extensive physical therapy). I completely side with mom on this one. They have children. Had the dog gotten one of them instead of her it wouldn't have been thigh level, it would have been chest or throat! The dog is a threat to her, and their, safety. Last I heard hubby still had the dog. She is still kicking herself today for not putting her foot down earlier. But thankfully she did after ONLY she got hurt, and didn't wait for one of the kids to be attacked. She'll be scarred for life (which BTW ruined her modeling part time) but it could have been a LOT worse.

That is a pretty severe example, but when a dog takes a shine to one person, and doesn't like anyone else, it can develop into a severe problem. Before and since the hubby never saw one scrap of aggressive behavior, nothing but a sweetie. But, when he's not around... that's when the bad stuff happens. At first it was small things, like you've described... eventually escalated to the insane attack. After seeing that lady's scars there is no way I would stay near a dog I knew hated me, or one who didn't love my kids. If it's a chihuahua you (or even a kid) can drop kick the beast if it truly attacks, though worst case is probably a bloody calf/ankle, but that's not possible with a larger breed. And that is totally regardless of breed, just based on size that can be a huge difference esp. when children are involved. Any animal (humans included) can do stupid things in the right -or wrong- circumstances.

I can't tell you what to do, could be the dog will totally settle down and everyone's happy... but there have been those scary cases... I'd speak up, just because I'm a paranoid, but that's your call. Best best best of luck.

Oh, and I agree that his dog isn't your responsibility... isn't that the whole argument kids use to get a dog when they're little "I'll do all his feeding, and I'll bathe him, and I'll walk him, and I'll clean up the yard pwease pwease pwease!!" He wanted the animal, it's his responsibility. If he cannot take care of her, then he should find someone else who can.

 

[the Pollo Loco]

Quote:
rusty hit it right on the money!!! you say he's a good man... you won't believe the # of women who are in such situations, that just won't do what is right for fear of being alone again. Now I'm not preaching to you, but just worried that you too are just another statistic. just a thought, if he still responds to you in the same manner concerning the dog, (overiding your judgement) and just won't change, then next time he feels like cozying up tell him to cozy up next to his dog!!!!