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aggressive puppy

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  • thanks Raksha,
    i thought the temprements of the mother & father would have an impact on any offspring but was not to sure thanks for that .i just hope when i speak to her she will listen on advice given,but my worst fear is she will not listen or sell it on to someone else who has kids,there is no way i would take it on either which is a shame for the pup,as i said earlier on in my post my cross staff which i have had for 15 years has never even shown me her teeth my cross rottie did it once but got such a telling off hence it has never ever done it again,but my friend must know deep down there is a problem with the pup as she will not leave her daughter in the same room with it unattended,i know the experts say you should never leave a small child in a room unattended with a dog (of any breed) but i trust my dogs enough to leave the kids in the room with them all the time,if i thought either of my dogs would attack them they would have to go .but on the other hand i have brought my kids to treat them both with care and respect,so they all get on fine
  • pboae
    pboae Posts: 2,719 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Completely agree with Raksha. Normally I would say start training ASAP, but with that genetic background and kids involved, it's just asking for trouble.

    Please though, if they do decide to rehome, make sure they go through a reputable Rottie rescue. That pup needs a very experienced home.
    When I had my loft converted back into a loft, the neighbours came around and scoffed, and called me retro.
  • WeirdoMagnet
    WeirdoMagnet Posts: 1,015 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Blimey! I was in the middle of a long post (OK this turned into a diffferent long post!), but having just popped back to the thread, seeing the additional information, I changed my mind! :rolleyes:

    With all due respect, from the information you have given us, I think your friend has made a big mistake obtaining a dog without first researching breed, breeders, training etc. In the interest of both your friend and her family, and the dog, I think that she would be better off talking to (and possibly reliquishing the dog to) a reputable rescue home (or breed rescue), giving them ALL the information in order that they can assess the puppy, and decide whether it can be rehabilitated in a knowledgeable and experienced home.

    If your friend is determined to keep the dog, she is going to have to make a huge committment to 'managing' the dog in terms of feeding/kids etc etc, and also to training him. In that case I'd advise getting in touch with a reputable behaviourist who uses up-to-date, positive training. Have a look on the Association of Pet Dog Trainers for someone near you.
    davsidipp wrote: »
    this breed is well known for unpredictable attacks
    I disagree - the majority of attacks are wholly predictable - just as Rashka says "a disaster waiting to happen". This may not be politically correct, but IMO the majority of the attacks that take place happen in dysfunctional families, where the dog has probably been bought on a whim, maybe as a status symbol, with no research done into the breeders or it's breeding; no thought going into it where it will live, how it will be with the children and invariably no training at all. The dogs are not 'pet' dogs; they live outside, chained up and are not properly stimulated or exercised.

    Dogs rarely attack without warning and for no reason - have a look at this thought provoking article.
    "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin
  • LuciferTDark
    LuciferTDark Posts: 1,525 Forumite
    When I bought my Rottie/Shepherd cross I only got to meet the father (Rottie) as the mother (Shepherd) was away because she couldn't be around people, maybe I should have had second thoughts you might think.

    My dog is now approaching 4 & is the soppiest great lump you could want to meet, I've never had to tell her off for going for people near her food bowl, in fact I can take food out of it right under her nose & she just sits down for me to give it to her with her tail waggling. Only once has she gone for another dog & that was in self defense as the other dog attacked her first.

    The only problem I have with her is she likes to hug people, if she can she'll put her paws on shoulders & slobber in faces, if not she'll hook a paw round the persons leg & shove her head in the middle between their legs. Painful is she catches you in the wrong spot, that I can vouch for.

    Has your friend tried the old rolled up newspaper across the nose trick when the dog is aggressive?
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  • WeirdoMagnet
    WeirdoMagnet Posts: 1,015 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Has your friend tried the old rolled up newspaper across the nose trick when the dog is aggressive?
    That approach is only likely to exacerbate the problem. It's much better to ascertain the underlying cause of the aggression and treat that, rather than treat the end symptom. :)
    "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin
  • Acehole_2
    Acehole_2 Posts: 202 Forumite
    Dogs rarely attack without warning and for no reason - have a look at this thought provoking article.!!!!!!!1 utter crap
  • davsidipp
    davsidipp Posts: 11,514 Forumite
    for the first time georgina i disagree my daughters friends dog had never bit before or showed any sign of aggression so when he went for my daughters friend this was not predicted at all as he was a most loving rottie. the only thing i would say is people forget they were bred as german guard dogs and some rotties must still have that trait.
    Before you point fingers,make sure your hands are clean !;)
  • WeirdoMagnet
    WeirdoMagnet Posts: 1,015 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    davsidipp wrote: »
    for the first time georgina i disagree my daughters friends dog had never bit before or showed any sign of aggression so when he went for my daughters friend this was not predicted at all as he was a most loving rottie. the only thing i would say is people forget they were bred as german guard dogs and some rotties must still have that trait.
    Maybe in the case you mention it wasn't predictable - I've altered my post to say that "the majority of attacks are wholly predictable". :)
    "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin
  • to be honest if she wanted a happy friendly rotty she needed to know what her plan for training was before she even go the the dog. the best way to go about training a pup is sto start training from the second they arrive, especially with a big dog. you need to be boss dog when it stands 8" tall, then when it is closer to 3 foot you are still boss. it is possible to train older larger dogs, but it is much easier to do it early. If the dog is from unpredictable ( or predictable in a bad way) parents then it is probably not the ideal dog for a first time dog owner with small children. At 4 months i think the dogs best bet wopuld be going to an owner experienced in raising rottys, ideally with no children, as I reckon it is still traininable at that age, you just have to ask if she is the person to do it.
    saving for more holidays
  • Somerset
    Somerset Posts: 3,636 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    My last dog was a weimaraner - they are fairly big and powerful. I'd had one before and knew the breed. This dog, as a puppy was dominant and aggressive. I tried behaviourists and training classes. She'd show her teeth and growl and snarl - I knew i had to sort it out early or I'd have problems. Well I kept her and she died aged 14 - we loved each other to bits BUT she wasn't trustworthy. She improved with serious on-going training but you could never stop reinforcing the training and being 'top dog'. She did bite people twice in those 14 years ( strangers wandering into the garden uninvited ) because she took it upon herslf to defend me/home. I would never have trusted her with kids. Point is, I spent a lot of time and money trying to change her behaviour - I would say I modified it to an acceptable level - she was just very dominant, that was her personality.

    Your friend has children, so reduced time to train. She also sounds a bit gormless tbh, she bought a dog as a family pet but the parents were guard dog stock ! She doesn't know the breed but bought a rottie blind ! she's not going to have the time,experience or energy to train this dog properly and without those things this dog is obviously going to be dangerous. It needs sorting now and like someone else said rehoming to a rescue centre would be best. If she's honest about the dog's behaviour and personality, they've got behaviourists and trainers to re-educate the dog, and will probably only rehome it to an 'experienced rottie' home. Hope everything works out.
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