Human Aggressive Dogs - The Extent To Which They Can Be Rehabilitated

[Gspsplease]

One of the speakers at the APDT conference a few years ago ran her own pound in the mid-West. Sorry I can't recall her name right now but she invented the "bite assesser" artifical hand that is widely used in dog pounds. Her comment on this type of problem is that owners often vow they will do anything to retrain their dog, work with it, monitor it etc, and they do -- for the first year they are incredibly vigilant and nothing happens. Then human nature takes over and the next year the owners are slightly less careful, and still nothing happens. When the owners become more complacent and less vigilant, often a couple of years down the track, there is a tragic attack and someone else (and the dog too) suffers. So the question becomes "Are you prepared to confine or closely supervise this dog for the rest of his/her life ? maybe another 10-12 years?

Sandra

[dancinbcs]

Cattle dogs are bred to have a hard bite. They need it if they are working rough cattle. They are also known for being prone to biting anyone other than their family in certain circumstances especially if they are guarding a family member. Good socialisation and training can make them wonderful dogs but it would be a very brave or stupid person that would threaten the owner of a Cattle Dog in that dog's presence. Having said that it is very unusual for them to "attack" as if they mean to really injure or kill anyone. When they bite it is usually just one hard bite that could do a bit of damage on the fragile skin of someone elderly.

If this was just one hard bite, then working with an experienced trainer could find out why it happened and how to prevent it ever happening again. If however it was a serious completely unprovoked attack with multiple bites then I would not hesitate to pts. If the dog is pts they should get an autopsy because things like brain tumours can cause dogs to suddenly attack, out of character. Most owners never opt for the autopsy so we really have no idea how common these types of illnesses are in unprovoked dog attacks.

[poodlefan]

One of the speakers at the APDT conference a few years ago ran her own pound in the mid-West. Sorry I can't recall her name right now but she invented the "bite assesser" artifical hand that is widely used in dog pounds. Her comment on this type of problem is that owners often vow they will do anything to retrain their dog, work with it, monitor it etc, and they do -- for the first year they are incredibly vigilant and nothing happens. Then human nature takes over and the next year the owners are slightly less careful, and still nothing happens. When the owners become more complacent and less vigilant, often a couple of years down the track, there is a tragic attack and someone else (and the dog too) suffers. So the question becomes "Are you prepared to confine or closely supervise this dog for the rest of his/her life ? maybe another 10-12 years?

Sandra

It was Sue Sternberg.

Two things worry me about this story.

1. The owner had never seen signs of aggression in the dog.

2. It appears that the attack was more than a bite?

No amount of rehab can guarantee that given similar circumstances, the dog wont' react similarly. Dogs that attack when 'startled' can do it again.

You can't keep a dog in a bubble for the rest of its life. Good natured, non-aggressive ACDs die every day due to lack of homes.

PTS and I'd strongly recommend the owner choose another breed. Sounds like a bit too much dog for them.

-

[Sheilaheel02]

KTB,

I'm very sorry to hear that your friend is having a bad experience with their rescued ACD and that his mother has been injured.

Just wondering if the rescue he originally adopted the dog from aware of this situation and has the owner been offered support, advice and assistance?

Sharon