ilovemondays321 asked:
We found a neutered 2 year old male at a rescue home, he’s been returned twice because he bit members of the family for no apparent reason. We have no children or other pets and believe this is the dog for us but am I being naive thinking he won’t bite again – do you think there is always a reason for biting?
We found a neutered 2 year old male at a rescue home, he’s been returned twice because he bit members of the family for no apparent reason. We have no children or other pets and believe this is the dog for us but am I being naive thinking he won’t bite again – do you think there is always a reason for biting?
as long as you dont plan on having children there is no reason why you couldnt take this dog on….there are plenty of animal behaviour specialists out there that might be able to help you with the dog and possible prevent any more biting, just make sure when you take him home that he knows who is boss…..good luck
if he bit once he will bite again.some dogs just have a taste for blood once they get it they always want it find another one its plenty of dogs to adopt in your area im sure you should look into it
At home is one thing, but think about when you take him out for a walk and whether you would be able to trust him off the lead?
You need to ask the rescue centre for advice. Often animals have been mistreated and are given training when rescued. Some animals change and others can not be guaranteed to be safe in certain circumstances. For example a dog may be fine with adults but can not stand being pulled about by children and might snap. They could advise as to what the likelihood is and if there are special requirements like what it needs if being taken out in public in order to be safe. The rescue centre will know the dog individually and will know all the pros and cons.
slamdunk is totally wrong dogs do not get the taste for blood
i congratulate you for willing to work with a dog with a behavioral problem i would suggest getting a behaviorest to help you and obedience classes
biting can happen for many reasons, get too exited, food, dominance all of them can be worked with
good luck and you are a saint to that poor dog who was probably never taught any different
yes you should
Is there always a reason for biting? Unfortunately no. Some dogs do just turn suddenly, and for no apparent reason. Having said that though, there are some dogs that can be retrained, especially if there was a reason for the biting – abuse, neglect, dominance issues – but this does take a LOT of time and effort – training, socializing, and attention – and if you can’t put it in, get an easier dog.
I would be wary of introducing the dog to any stressful situation until you were sure you had him under full control. While you don’t have kids or pets, are there visitors with kids? Keep the dog and children separate, unless YOU are there to supervise.
And I would be very surprised if a rescue home would release a dog with a biting history. Too much a danger of Well, you knew it could be a biter.
Yes, there is a reason (whether it be fear based, negative reinforcement based, rage syndrome, etc., there is a reason) and it is an iffy situation. I have suggested the yahoogroups.com many times. Go there and search dog behavior and training. The forum I really love there is Campnaughtydog, they deal mainly with English Mastiffs, but all breeds are welcome. They have quite a few trainers there that have dealt successfully with aggressive dogs. It sounds like you are a promising home as you have no small children, and with much work and consistancy a dog can be rehabilitated. Please contact V (Virginia) on that list, she will be happy to guide you to the neccessary resources. Good luck!
Has the dog been assessed by the rescue home? When you say the dog has bitten, do you mean a proper full on attack or do you mean its ‘nipped’ people? There is usually a reason a dog will bite, maybe its been badly treated. Another thought might be that it believes that it is the ‘alpha’ dog and the highest in the pack, leading to it bullying other family members, very often when people adopt a rescue, they tend to feel sorry for it and spoil it, the dog then thinks its the leader, this is something which is correctable. I adopted a german shepherd who was vocally aggressive and a real bully and had various other difficult problems, with training I sorted this out. If you can honestly say that you will have the patience and love for this dog to re-train it, then I would go for it, but if you are not sure, then dont adopt as the more homes this dog has, the more confused it will become and the less the chance of rehoming it. I’m very surprised the rescue centre havent discussed all this with you.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Why on earth would you want to take this dog on where there are so many other nice natured dogs, begging for a home. Why ask for trouble? I feel very sorry for the dog but feel that it should only go to a VERY knowledgeable home where this problem has been encountered before. If this is you, well fine go ahead, but think VERY VERY carefully.
I’ve had dogs all my life and I wouldn’t take it on. Like I said, why look for trouble when there are so many other lovely dogs needing homes.
Think……if you take him on, will you ever be able to totally relax with him?
I believe that dogs that have been maltreated definitely remember
Look I take off my hat to you for wanting to give this dog some love and attention
Just remember if you take this dog on as your responsibility you still have to set boundaries
You HAVE to be the boss (that doesn’t mean being cruel but firm in your commands)
I have pack dogs and I am the pack leader. They don’t eat until I eat. I give the command and they must do as they are told
All good is rewarded
This is going to be the oddest thing to do but I tell you it will work…
Only use the dogs name for praising
This sounds crazy but make the sound BARRR in a deep authoritative tone if the dog does something wrong (do not use it name)
When it has responded well then praise with its name
Keep a chain wrapped in a bag as a secondary form of obedience
Do the BARRRR sound if the dog for some reason continues use the bag by throwing it on the ground
It stops the dog (startles him) when he stops… praise him
Remember dogs only hears ^%$*%((
They get used to commands
Give lots of affection and I’m sure you will have a beautiful dog on your hands
N.B I would still be weary at this stage of putting your dog with children
Good luck
i personaly wouldnt but i would never trust him, when you take him out i think i would buy a muzle for him just in case.
This dog is very disturbed and should not be given another chance to bite someone.
Do not take this dog.
He has probably been mistreated by people
try not to make any sudden movements
or get excited near him until he has really
well and truly settled in to your way of life
you will have to gain his trust ,look upon it as
a worthwile cause and give him the benefit of the doubt.
But if he does bite and go for you without warning that will be another matter entirely
No – the dog has issues and unless you are prepared to get him assessed and into therapy (I am serious!) then you take a hell of risk letting him live with you – children or not.
I am an ex army kennel maid and we used to have dogs like this donated to us as a last resort, and very often (not always) we would end up having to put them to sleep because the poor dog would be so traumatised, 1/with whatever happened to them originally. 2/because they had been shunted here there and everywhere so as to make the matter worse.
I personally (as an experienced dog owner and handler) would not want to take this dog on, and neither would my husband who is a dog trainer, it is not worth the risk to yourselves and others around you, you would never feel at ease taking it for a walk or if friends visited you at home, you would be on your guard all the time, even if you pay for the professional help that you will obviously need, you don’t know what is going on in the dogs head.
PLEASE PLEASE be careful!
**EDIT** For instance, when I was in the army we had a dog come in because of biting tendencies (biting for no reason, and yes they can bite for no reason) within 4 months of being accepted into the army he ‘nailed’ 3 kennelmaids and 2 dog trainers, and I mean he hospitalised them! he was put to sleep, but it took 3 times the normal dose of anesthetic to do the job!! He obviously was like this from birth, ie. Bad Breeding! It’s not always caused by bad treatment!
A dog bites for two reasons. One: It likes biting; this can be a problem dog. Two: it has been placed in a difficult situation and has felt the need to fight its way out; This is trainable. You need to assess how much of each reason is present in the dog and work appropriately. Whatever you do don’t take it on if there is any possibility you will have to give it up, that’s just not fair.
If you are experienced with dogs then there is no reason that you should not give this dog a second chance. You have obviously not let your heart rule your head.(Yet!) You will need to ask as many questions about the dogs history. Be aware that rescue centres are not always honest as they prefer to tick the box marked Re-Homed rather that the one marked Euthanased. You mentioned that the dog has been castrated. Please remember that it takes about three or four months for the testerone levels to fall so if the Op. was recent you have time on your side.
From my experience one of the main things to enquire about is what the dog has been fed on? Too high a protein level will manifest itself as , aggression, fear, courage, adrenaline, being noisy or whatever. Put that dog on the lowest protein level that you can find. If you can, and I know that this may be difficult, take a look under it’s jowls to see what the colouration of the pigmentation is like. I would hazard a guess that it is fairly dark pink going on grey. As the weeks go by you will see that colour lighten to a pale pink. This usually takes six to eight weeks but I have had results as early as two weeks. That was when a GSD had started to attack the owners grandchildren. (He delivered a huge bunch of flowers to my door in gratitude for sorting the problem!) The food that I recommend is Davis Ranger CHICKEN RICE AND THAT ONLY!!! I cannot emphasise that enough!!!I can assure you that I am nothing to do with Davis. I only wish that I was as I have sorted so many dogs out with a change to their diet.
I realise that I have gone on a bit but I think that it is necessary if we are to save a dogs life!
Good Luck. I wish you well.Please ignore the idiot who said about a dog tasting blood!
I feel sorry for the dog, but you are taking on a load of trouble with that dog. I would be very wary and if you really want to take this dog in be prepared for a lot of hard work. Try and find out the reasons behind his biting, sometimes these Rescue Centres don’t know and will just keep re-homing a troublesome dog. I wish you all the best of luck and admire you immensely. I have been very lucky with my three rescue dogs, they haven’t caused me any heartbreak. I want a dog I can trust and enjoy taking out for walks and I would always be very tense and on edge if I took on a dog like the one you’re considering. Good luck with your decision, but think very carefully and weigh everything up.
we’ve got two dogs from our local rescue,and they are fine now? the last one we got we are her 3rd and final home. after she was beaten by her first owner,locked in a cage by her second from morning till night…bastards? firstly have you any concrete history of his previous owners..and what they did to him,i don’t believe he bit for no reason at all one bit? does he show a bit of aggression at all with his food,his toys,his lead, does he cower if you make sudden movements,or raise your arm suddenly, these are a few ideas that you can look at,and work on him from there? don’t forget dogs are usually not in rescue by there own admission , but by people who show brutality,or neglect,your dogs been in rescue twice and been from pillar to post and probably doesn’t know whats happening to him? give him lots of love and affection and in time when hes gained your trust,im sure you will be rewarded? do me a favour from a genuine family of animal lovers…..PLEASE DO-NT GIVE UP ON HIM..
I don’t see why not. Might be an idea to consult a vet to see if there is any physical reason for his biting,and if not the vet may be able reccomend a behaviourist. I would advise you to chat to a dog behaviourist before you take this dog home so you can know excactly how to begin with this dogs training before he even gets to your house. You’re gonna need some patience. There is a syndrome called rage (idiopathic biting) This is when there is no reason for a dog to bite. They just sort of go into a trance and attack. After the attack they seem completely unaware of what they have done. Make a note of the times the bites took place (if possible), and see if there is any pattern to his biting. I think it is really kind of you to give this dog a chance and I really hope it works out for you both. Good Luck
Yes, absolutely there is a reason for biting. Shelter dogs seem to do more biting because of the environment. They may have been abused, stressed, not socialized, or they could be fear biting. These poor dogs usually need to be handled much differently because of the baggage they all come with, and most people don’t realize that-they think they are just getting some nice happy dog. The biting could have been because of something as simple as a hand put above the head, or touching a spot that has been abused in the past. If you really want this dog and are willing to take it on, I would suggest a behavior evaluation from a professional. Some dogs never get over past abuse, but handled correctly can still become great pets and loyal companions for the right people. I am very impressed that you are considering taking this on; with so many of these poor animals being rejected and returned because of lack of patience or knowledge, it is refreshing. I thank you with all my heart.
Can anyone put their hand on their heart and guarantee that this dog will never bite again? No dog can be 100% guaranteed not to bite but one who has shown aggression will always have the potential to show it again which could put people or other animals in danger. All the rehabilitation in the world will not fully prevent it happening again and could you imagine how you would feel if it did bite anyone,knowing full well that this dog has a history of aggression? I would look for a dog which has less problems and not a time-bomb waiting to go off.it’s sad but you have to think of other humans too.
Dogs don’t bite for no reason. Something triggered him to bite. It could have been a slight body movement that he thought would lead to a challenge of some kind. I have found that dogs that bite have usually been teased at some time in their life. Dominant dogs use biting to get what they want. I think you should give this dog a chance but seek some advice from people who really know dogs. Look at Tellington touch clicker training to help you win this dogs trust again. I took on a dog that bites. He is great with me so loyal. I don’t threaten him in anyway or tease him. I wouldn’t trust him with strangers though. I don’t put him in situations he can’t cope with. He’s a big baby really who just needed to feel loved understood.
dogs dont bite ‘for no apparent reason’ , there is always a reason, very often it is fear related, much aggression is fear related anyway.
This dog needs to build a strong bond with its owner, it can be done. he has been terribly let down, give him the chance of a life.
I run a support group for owners of rescue and x puppy farm dogs, come and join us if you wish.
Mary
This is real difficult. In most probability the foster home he resides in has him under control.
You need to ask questions about the biting. Many rescuers are die hard to save everything. You want to know everything they don’t bite for no apparent reason In most cases they bite out of fear. They get spooked and scared and that is their defense. You want to make sure if he does bite you can handle it. Are you dominant enough to put him on his A S S. In most all likelihood the foster family has more experience than the families that had previously adopted him and returned him. There are plenty of ways to deal with a biter are you willing to do so?
I would say they should be willing to let you guys try. I think you need to find out why he bites and what sets him to bite. What spooks him I am willing to go as far as telling you it is fear. Especially since the foster home has him under control. Fear is the #1 reason dogs bite. Unfortunately there are plenty of other dogs that you dont have to take the special precautions with that are dying everyday.
If you do get him we have had great results with agility training in groups with biters. Gets their confidence up and social skills going.
I hope it works out.
Personally I wouldn’t take the chance. Even though you don’t have children personally, there are children in everyone’s lives. Neighbors, etc.
As a rescue I have to pay huge liability insurance premiums. Reputable rescues can’t afford to take on a dog with these issues. This dog should be pts and it is the rescue’s duty to do it. No rescue wants the reputation of adopting out dogs that bite. Why this rescue does it is beyond me. If this dog does bite and he has known incidents, you can be sued and possibly lose your home. Meanwhile thousands of dogs are euthanized everyday who would never think of biting anyone. Unfortunately we can’t save them all.