We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

aggressive puppy

1356713

Comments

  • Ophie
    Ophie Posts: 5,008 Forumite
    Every single one of my dogs has been trained from 8 weeks old, not to chew shoes, not to growl and NEVER to continue eating if a human touches them when they are eating, not to play pulling games as it then could become a battle of wills, that they have to give up whatever toy they are playing with with no possession.

    This has involved many hours of input and consistancy. Same rules, same training time and time again. I currently have a 9 year old rottie and a 10 year old springer spaniel and a 2 year old daughter. Both dogs will not eat if my daughter goes near them. However, as a responsible dog owner my daughter is never allowed to go near them if they have bones, are eating etc..

    We got the Springer when he was 14 weeks old... he was and is much more difficult to train than the rottie (a breed we have had 2 of). I don't know if it is down to the age he was when we got him or his breed, but I wouldn't have another one. I think your friend needed to be tough on the rottie (but not make it scared of them) from the moment they got it. Rotties need a firm hand and consistancy. They need boundaries and to know that their humans (every single human as its a house dog and not a guard dog) are top dog and no matter what happens they always come last.

    Your friend needs to go to puppy training classes and speak to the trainer to see about socialisation and appropriate methods of disciplining the puppy. If these don't work then they may have to consider getting rid of the dog to someone who is experienced with dogs.

    I don't agree with the poster who wrote that you never buy a puppy from a place where the parents have been muzzled. If the dogs were guard dogs then they need muzzles... its your responsibility as a dog owner to make your dog 'safe' and yes that takes lots of work. But I do agree that some dogs aren't meant for pets, they are meant to be guard dogs. Protecting and not being cuddled.

    EDITED to say sorry didn't read the post correctly... hadn't realised that the friend already had children and bought from known guard dog stock... I stand corrected.. bit daft to buy one for a 'pet'.

    Please get your friend to see someone asap as we responsible rottie/dog owners do not need any further bad press about unruly dogs (when really its the unruly owners that need slapping) and yet another perfectly trainable dog put down due to attacking/injuring/killing another person.

    Good luck to your friend.
    I saw two shooting stars last night
    I wished on them but they were only satellites
    Is it wrong to wish on space hardware
    I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care
  • Raksha
    Raksha Posts: 4,569 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Ophie, I don't know if you're aware, but it's natural warning behaviour for a dog to stop eating if it feels threatened - it's one of the pre cusors (along with freezing, staring and growling) to an attack - what you've actually done is train your dog to give a low level warning, but then not carry it through. With this type of training there is always the possibility that one day the dog will say 'stuff this, I'm warning you and you're ignoring it' and bam! Far better to socialise the dog so that it's happy to keep eating when humans are around, then any warning can't be mistaken for a trained behaviour.
    Please forgive me if my comments seem abrupt or my questions have obvious answers, I have a mental health condition which affects my ability to see things as others might.
  • Ophie
    Ophie Posts: 5,008 Forumite
    Raksha wrote: »
    Ophie, I don't know if you're aware, but it's natural warning behaviour for a dog to stop eating if it feels threatened - it's one of the pre cusors (along with freezing, staring and growling) to an attack - what you've actually done is train your dog to give a low level warning, but then not carry it through. With this type of training there is always the possibility that one day the dog will say 'stuff this, I'm warning you and you're ignoring it' and bam! Far better to socialise the dog so that it's happy to keep eating when humans are around, then any warning can't be mistaken for a trained behaviour.

    Actually what I have done is trained my dogs back away from their food and let us as humans put our hands in their food and do what we want, pet them, cuddle them and all sorts. They will go back to eating, there is no precursor to growling in my house, at all.

    It has worked for us for over 30 years with 6 dogs, and not one of my dogs have EVER bitten anyone in play or in aggression. None of my dogs have ever shown aggression to any human or animal in any situation.

    I am not saying that it works for everyone, but it works for us and thats all that matters to me.
    I saw two shooting stars last night
    I wished on them but they were only satellites
    Is it wrong to wish on space hardware
    I wish, I wish, I wish you'd care
  • supermezzo
    supermezzo Posts: 1,055 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    OP - IMHO your friend needs to ask herself only one thing - If a human came into her house and threatened to harm her kid/s, would she invite them back a second time?
    It aint over til I've done singing....
  • relay
    relay Posts: 313 Forumite
    JD357 wrote: »
    Hi there..
    not much you can do.. but considder selling the dog.
    i would not ever think about it.. a child always is priority. dont you think. i grew up with 14 dobermans..as a kid.. my dad was a breader, and i got bit many a times.. but never bad.. lol. i laugh, as it is funny looking back.. pups chewin my feet..and it all being fab. but this day and age, things are somewhat changed, dont you think?..
    and it is simply..baby..or dog?
    you have 3 seconds to decide..
    because thats all it takes.:eek:


    For someone with a history in breeding i am amazed you would suggest the OP consider selling the puppy. You surely are aware how many dogs like this get passed from home to home without ever knowing a stable life & they are usually the dogs we hear about on the news for all the wrong reasons, because nobody wanted the hassle of spending thier precious time training the animal.

    As the proud owner of a Rottweiler i think what you are suggesting (basically just hand the problem over to someone else) is wrong. You have said yourself that your Dobermans were boistrous - this is a 4 month old puppy for gods sake, you show me one 4 month old Rottweiler who isn't cocky!
  • LuciferTDark
    LuciferTDark Posts: 1,525 Forumite
    Georgina wrote: »
    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. :)
    True it can with some dogs & I apologise to the OP for suggesting it, really silly & irresponsible of me to suggest something that could cause them or their friends to be put in danger.

    At the end of the day I wouldn't have a dog with young children in the house, even a small dog. The father of my other dog, a Shih Tzu, had to be put down for ripping a childs face to shreds after them being left alone together, dogs may be domesticated but at heart they're still wild animals that should be treated with respect & caution at all times.
    Winnings :D
    01/12/07 Baileys Cocktail Shaker

    My other signature is in English.
  • relay
    relay Posts: 313 Forumite
    davsidipp wrote: »
    im sorry but im a complete dog lover but feel some breeds should not have the chance to attack a human being and remeber that is only a puppy.my daughters friend had a rottie and when she walked down the stairs and lightly touched him with her foot he went for her they had him put to sleep because there was no way they would risk further attacks. this breed is well known for unpredictable attacks and if this is only a pup god help it if it really attacks someone. they should speak with a vet and go from there.


    Unpredictable attacks? You mean like when irresponsible adults leave small children unattended with them? Hardly unpredictable.
  • supermezzo
    supermezzo Posts: 1,055 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    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,

    The child doesn't necessarily have to be left with the dog unattended for there to be an incident.
    And surely with one kid and another on the way she is going to drive herself demented trying to keep tabs on all of them.
    It aint over til I've done singing....
  • relay
    relay Posts: 313 Forumite
    thanks for all your advice. i knew people would give me honest advice here,i have alredy told my friend of my concerns regarding the pups behaviour,as i really do not want it to attack her or the children,or worse there be another story hitting the headlines .she could not take it back to were she got it from,personally i would have not got the puppy were she did as both mother and father were guard dogs (father had to be muzzled whilst they got inside and only after a command off the owner was the muzzle removed).i dont know if this would make any differance of the temprement of the pup but it would have put me off straight away:eek:


    It's people like that who cause half the problems Rottweilers have with thier reputation & quite frankly i have little sympathy for anyone who knowingly buys a Rottweiler from such dubious sources - that's why responsible breeders get tarred with the same brush and if people didn't keep buying from them there wouldn't be half the trouble there is with this breed.

    Personally i think people get seduced by the reputation of the breed and don't think any further ahead than tea-time, then when the puppy starts acting like a puppy they lose thier appeal.

    And yes - i do own a Rottweiler (from one of the most reputable breeders in East Anglia who wouldn't contemplate breeding from a dog that showd any hint of aggression).
  • sticher
    sticher Posts: 599 Forumite
    I would like to recommend www.champdogs.co.uk not only the OP's friend, but to some of the other posters on this board. There are a huge number of extremely experienced (with all different breeds and problems) dog people on there.

    Firstly, the dog in question is still only a puppy at 16 weeks and I think the biggest problem is that the owners have taken on ANY pup (let alone such a strong dominant breed) when it seems they have very little experience of dogs at all. The best thing for this pup would be to rehome it immediately - not because it is viscious, but because the owner doesn't seem to have the experience - and certainly won't have the time with a new baby on the way - to train the poor pup.

    Alot of pups would behave the same if they have been allowed to do so - they need to be trained what is acceptable and what is not. I personally trained my dog not to guard her food by only hand feeding her for a while - she learnt that me (or my children) going near her food bowl meant food would be coming, not taken away.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.4K Life & Family
  • 258.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.