Aggression in dog it need sorting.

Crisp_£_note

Im back again (some of you may recall the issues weve been having without dogs agressions) sorry I dont have time to go over the whole story again but a search should show it up.

Anyway last night I was sat on the sofa when our Collie X Lurcher really frightend me as he flew at my foot and bit hard down onto it. He had just finished a treat and hubby was getting ready for bed so got up to let both dogs out for their final call.
Thankfully I had my trainers on so wasnt hurt but I could really feel the grip and force and sure without trainers I would now be in hospital. We have learnt not only to wear our shoes at all times (apart from in bed or shower of course) and also not to react as this makes his agression worse. I just had to stop myself from recoiling until he had let go or he would have gone at me again, kicking makes it worse as well (not to hurt the dog but to get him to back off).

Its not the first time in the past few weeks he has gone for us this way. He did the same to hubby last week and almost dragged him off the sofa!!

Its obvious the situation isnt getting any better. We are now at a point where we have tried everything and think we need to intervene.

I am feeling very guilty and wondering if enough is enough and well I just cant bear to think of it let alone say it (PTS). Just because a usualy happy dog is in an occasional bad mood doesnt give me the right to take its life away.


Do we have to find a behaviourist via the vet? We really cant afford one, let alone the vet consultation. We do have basic dog insurance.

Trouble is its easy to say take dog to vet to be assessed but dog is normal when he goed there, butter wouldnt melt. Hes not long had his MOT and boosters end of last year and we mentioned it then but vet didnt think anything was to worry about and his health was good. We did stress the need for help but as I said vet couldnt see what we were making a fuss about as dog was behaving perfectly.

We have considered filming therse episodes but thats easier said than done at these latest episodes, its obviously something that we cant cause it to be triggered or that beats the point doesnt it.

How much does a behaviourist cost? Can we do it on insurance?

HELP, enough is enough now. We just want to live without fear and have 2 happy dogs

Polmop

Sorry havnt read your other thread so it may have already been mentioned, could it be something wrong in his brain to cause him to be like this. We have a lurcher so i know how placid they usually are.

vax2002

The dog needs to be destroyed.
Sorry, that is harsh, but any dog that will attack its master is a very serious risk to Children.
You just can not take the risk !

Crisp_£_note

Polmop its ok (its me who sorry as I couldnt be bothered to type it all out again) its just a long story of events and trial and errors and I dont really want to go into it all over again its exhausting and scary to me after last night.

It could be yes as he does go into like a 'red zone' and nothing we do can distract him, yet afterwards he knows he has done wrong but its like he just couldnt help it or stop it.

Does this sound what you said ?

bevhousehastings

Hi
We looked at getting a pet beaviourist, it isn't too hard. Just search through the RSPCA website, and look for behaviourists in your area. The one we found said her fees, of £150 I think, were usually covered by pet insurance, if the vet referred the dog. Unfortunately a couple of insurance companiesw don't cover this though, including Tesco.
Just check the RSPCA and give a local behaviourist a ring to discuss an appointment and fees.
Good luck.

Crisp_£_note

vax2002 wrote: »

The dog needs to be destroyed.
Sorry, that is harsh, but any dog that will attack its master is a very serious risk to Children.
You just can not take the risk !

We dont have kids and the dog is on a lead when out and muzzled, if anyone wants to pet him we tell them directly why they cant.

It was a bit harsh when we love our pet and just want to help it. I have strong views on euthenasia (sp?) but usualy in the past just have to go along with the majority for the interest and whats best for our pets.

Polmop

It does sound like there could be something in his brain causing him to just flip, would your insurance cover a scan to check that there is no build up of pressure.

Crisp_£_note

bevhousehastings wrote: »

Hi
We looked at getting a pet beaviourist, it isn't too hard. Just search through the RSPCA website, and look for behaviourists in your area. The one we found said her fees, of £150 I think, were usually covered by pet insurance, if the vet referred the dog. Unfortunately a couple of insurance companiesw don't cover this though, including Tesco.
Just check the RSPCA and give a local behaviourist a ring to discuss an appointment and fees.
Good luck.

Thanks. We are with AFI (Animal Friends) but take out their very basic insurance (£4.30 per month) as cant afford a lot but then again cant afford to be without it either these days either !

krlyr

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

Trouble is its easy to say take dog to vet to be assessed but dog is normal when he goed there, butter wouldnt melt. Hes not long had his MOT and boosters end of last year and we mentioned it then but vet didnt think anything was to worry about and his health was good. We did stress the need for help but as I said vet couldnt see what we were making a fuss about as dog was behaving perfectly

What your vet is doing isn't really assessing the dog. A thorough checkup is needed, this includes blood tests and possibly x-rays or even MRI scans to get the complete picture on whether anything physical is causing this. Thyroid issues, for example, can cause behavioural issues, a brain tumour can cause aggression, or the dog may be in severe pain (animals hide pain very well most of the time). Check whether your insurance policy covers this kind of diagnostic work. Your policy should also outline whether a behaviourist will be covered. You say you have the most basic policy, looking on the AFI website, is it the accident-only policy? I don't imagine much will be covered on this other than injuries caused by accidents, e.g. an RTA or a fall out on a walk.

Remember, YOU are the customer. If your vet won't listen, go elsewhere.

vax2002 wrote: »

The dog needs to be destroyed.
Sorry, that is harsh, but any dog that will attack its master is a very serious risk to Children.
You just can not take the risk !

Any dog can attack a human, it's just a risk we take with having a live animal rather than a Tamagotchi or robotic dog - there's that fraction of unpredictability. The aggression is mostly likely going to have a genuine cause, whether it's a physical cause or a behavioural one, so fixing the cause can fix the symptom. It's easy to say destroy the dog but if it's a thyroid problem that needs medicating, and then the aggression completely disappears, you can't blame the dog. It's like telling someone to disown their child for becoming moody and possibly even violent, without finding if the cause is due to a health issue.



Realistically, you need to go down at least one of two routes - a vet check and/or a behaviourist. If you cannot afford either then I would consider what future this dog has, anything you do is likely to be a case of managing the situation rather than dealing with it. If it's a health issue, the dog may go downhill to the point of being severely distressed or in pain, if it's a behavioural issue then it may become more severe or drift into aggression towards the other dogs, it needs to be dealt with. Try local rescues and trainers to see if they can offer advice or a discount, see if local vets will do payment plans to spread the cost, or see if you're entitled to any fere vet treatment, e.g. PDSA. Something needs to be done, even if you can avoid injury yourself, it cannot be pleasant for the dog to be in that mental state.

vax2002

Just a question, what do the other 2 dogs do whilst this one is trying to rip your flesh from you ?
Do they intervene or do they fear away.
Most dogs would intervene and attack the aggressor, it is common pack mentality to defend the Alpha members.
however if they fear away, then they see the aggressive dog as the Alpha and there lies your problem.
The dog is challenging you for pack leadership.
A dog that does not recognise its master as its master is a dangerous dog that will turn on you.
last time you had trainers on your feet, next time you might not be so lucky.
Often a change of ownership can sort such dogs, some people will not put up with challenges and will quickly put the dog in its place.

dizziblonde

Who's that trip-trapping under my bridge? Oh its the dog-hating troll of the pets forum.

First step - full vet check in case there's anything underlying that's causing the dog pain or distress that he might not be showing you visibly but would be enough to cause him a change in behaviour... if he's got a sore bit or something and thought your foot was going too close and might hurt him - could explain a lot - even toothache or similar would put anyone on a short fuse over time.

Ring the vet and ask if they know any decent, accredited behaviourists in the area - last thing you want is someone going wanna-be Cesar Millian on your dog.

The one bit that reads to me is he'd just finished a treat and your husband got up to move - did he get the wires crossed in his brain that you were going to take any treaty crumbs away from him (I know the crumbs from a biscuit can keep one of mine amused "hoovering" for a good 10 minutes more)? In that case it sounds like food guarding type issues - worth really looking at exactly what's leading up to these incidents very closely to see if there's one consistent trigger.

You've got some very energetic breeds of dog in that mix as well... is he getting enough exercise and stimulation to keep the collie part of him, and the lurcher bit that may or may not have a braincell (cos the sighthound bit of the lurcher part sure as heck won't!) occupied?