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[Red Fox]

I will PM you details of a trainer in Vic that is experienced with Ridgebacks. There's nothing 'wrong' with your dog. She doesn't need to be put down, just needs better training and management.

[VizslaMomma]

As a retired pharmacist I know how quick this works.No pain,no struggle, just us on the couch cuddling him.

It was really strange,he seemed to look relieved as we went in to the vet,..he really loved the clinic and was happy to see the vet.

He was not for this world,he was unhappy and is now in a better,peaceful place,I believe.I am heartbroken but will always believe I did the kindest thing for him.

I apoligize to everybody for rambling a bit ,but I think other people may be interested,if they are ever faced with these issues.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do....Aleksandra.

Never ever think you are rambling on when you are talking about profound choices to aid your dog.

All of us have dogs and we learn from what others share here.

My position is the act of letting a dog cross over is the bravest choice their human can make.

It is the ultimate act of love.

[persephone]

There's nothing 'wrong' with your dog. She doesn't need to be put down, just needs better training and management.

this almost impossible to state without seeing this dog , and the owners....

[Red Fox]

There's nothing 'wrong' with your dog. She doesn't need to be put down, just needs better training and management.

this almost impossible to state without seeing this dog , and the owners....

That ^. If they want to do the work that's up to them. You seriously think a dog that doesn't love strange men and dogs in her face but is otherwise fine deserves to be put down? Or perhaps the dog is psychotic and the OP hasn't mentioned it... really?

They need to see a decent trainer I agree.

Tippi is a very loving dog towards myself, my husband and our cat

It is a very different story with unknown men and other dogs - she becomes aggressive and wants to dominate that situation. It takes a slow introduction before she is okay to be around a dog. Unknown women she doesn't seem to have a problem with

we have taken her to two trainers. First one was a group session with other dogs which she handled reasonably well as long as a dog didn't get in her face. At her graduation from the training class, she allowed another little dog to lick her face so she is definitely not all bad.

[Kavik]

I agree with Sir Snook. You can't say that the dog would be fine or not fine without seeing it. With the help of a professional, the dog may improve, but most likely will always need careful management and handling, and having had a dog that didn't like other dogs I know how stressful it can be to have a dog which will always require careful management and handling. It would be irresponsible to try to rehome a dog which is displaying the behaviour described by the OP. If the OP feels they cannot cope with the training, rehabilitation, and careful management and handling the dog will need, there really is only one other option.

[raineth]

There's nothing 'wrong' with your dog. She doesn't need to be put down, just needs better training and management.

this almost impossible to state without seeing this dog , and the owners....

That ^. If they want to do the work that's up to them. You seriously think a dog that doesn't love strange men and dogs in her face but is otherwise fine deserves to be put down? Or perhaps the dog is psychotic and the OP hasn't mentioned it... really?

They need to see a decent trainer I agree.

Please refrain from using the word psychotic to describe a dog. Dogs cannot be psychotic, and using the term here is inappropriate.

[persephone]

RedFox - yes , my point is that no one can say "there is nothing WRONG with a dog" from a few descriptive sentences on a forum.

That's all.

[Guest crazydoglady99]

I'm really sorry you are going through this.

Owning any pet should be a joy, not cause for anxiety or negative thoughts/feelings. And just think, if you feel like this, how must the dog feel to be constantly feeling like she's under threat?

Seeing a trainer or behaviourist is great in theory. The reality is it is very costly and A LOT of work. Only you know how much money, time, and effort you are prepared to invest.

I feel there is so shame is saying you feel like you have passed the point of no return. I pray, that you will do what is best for you and your fur baby and take her to the vet to be euthanized. It is the most awful thing to surrender a dog to the pound for it to be euthanized ~ imagine how absolutely terrifying for the dog

If you need someone to vent/talk to, happy to chat by phone or private message.

Good luck, and remember you gave her a loving home and that's what matters.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

hi Tippi

I hope you do what some of the others have suggested and contact one of the trainers in Persephone's posts.

I'm wondering what you do with your dog when it shows aggression. I have problems sometimes with my dog acting aggressively towards some other dogs and sometimes people - especially near my home but also at the park she regards as "hers".

Part of it was my fault - if I scold a dog for getting in our face - my dog thinks it's her job to help. I don't consider this as "dominating" - she just think she's helping as best I can tell.

And she's had some bad experiences with curly coat medium dogs getting in her face, stomping on her and sometimes biting - and she remembers - and all dogs she doesn't know, that look like this - she tries to "send away" quite fiercely.

So I do my best to prevent encounters and tell her she's being a "good dog" when she behaves appropriately on greeting.

If I punished her at all or scolded her - she would blame the other dog or human for that, and do her best to make sure they were "sent away" before they could get close - ie the aggressive unwanted behaviour gets worse if I use any kind of aversive - including scolding her - when she behaves aggressively.

I can't use food to distract her either - because then she "back chains" naughty behaviour together with good behaviour to get the food. Dogs are pretty good at back chaining.

You can't rehome your dog while it still has aggression problems - because it would be a danger to anyone and their dog(s).

Your current training methods aren't working and possibly you have given up too soon or not been sufficiently consistent about dealing with problems (I'm guilty of that), please try again with a new trainer. Make sure there is some practice (eventually) with the trigger situations so you can be confident about how to deal with those.

If this is something you don't want to do for whatever reason, then as some have said - PTS is probably the kindest and safest thing you can do for this dog.

[Ranga]

This is a very difficult situation. Very sorry you are going through this Tippy

Is it only me, or can anyone else see there is another aspect to this? If the OP's dog were a smaller breed of dog, then the situation would be, in my opinion, a lot more manageable. However, we are talking about a Ridgeback/Mastiff. If something goes haywire with a dog like this, there is little room for error It's not a toy poodle having a tantrum - it's a VERY large dog.

If the OP is finding the situation stressful and cannot afford the expense and time of retraining a dog who may never be completely trustworthy, then maybe the solution should be more final ...

[Red Fox]

Please refrain from using the word psychotic to describe a dog. Dogs cannot be psychotic, and using the term here is inappropriate.

Inappropriate is recommending the dog be put to sleep for what comes across as a management issue.

MY OWN Ridgie is not comfortable with strangers in his face or rude dogs and is therefore managed accordingly... But I guess I'd better forget about common sense and make an appointment with the vets instead. What a cop out.

The owner has already made it clear that the dog was responding well to training. The owners made the mistake of leaving the dog in the yard and allowing a tradie to enter when they knew the dog was uncomfortable/unsafe with strangers. The owners are the ones that bought a dog that may have not been the best fit for their lifestyle and now no longer want to deal with it. And still the dog pays.

[Kavik]

Please refrain from using the word psychotic to describe a dog. Dogs cannot be psychotic, and using the term here is inappropriate.

Inappropriate is recommending the dog be put to sleep for what comes across as a management issue.

MY OWN Ridgie is not comfortable with strangers in his face or rude dogs and is therefore managed accordingly... But I guess I'd better forget about common sense and make an appointment with the vets instead. What a cop out.

The owner has already made it clear that the dog was responding well to training. The owners made the mistake of leaving the dog in the yard and allowing a tradie to enter when they knew the dog was uncomfortable/unsafe with strangers. The owners are the ones that bought a dog that may have not been the best fit for their lifestyle and now no longer want to deal with it. And still the dog pays.

As you said, your own dog is well managed and you understand the situation and his triggers :) Nobody is saying to have your dog PTS. However, if the OP does not understand the situation and the dog's triggers and is not comfortable with the amount of time, work, money it will probably take to help this dog, nobody would blame them if they decide to PTS. It is a hard road with a dog with aggression issues, very emotional and stressful. Not everybody is willing to do that, and that is fine.

[Dame Aussie]

I don't understand why the LDH wasn't contacted as soon as this behaviour began? The OP has had the dog for well over a year so was it aggressive when adopted?

[raineth]

Please refrain from using the word psychotic to describe a dog. Dogs cannot be psychotic, and using the term here is inappropriate.

Inappropriate is recommending the dog be put to sleep for what comes across as a management issue.

MY OWN Ridgie is not comfortable with strangers in his face or rude dogs and is therefore managed accordingly... But I guess I'd better forget about common sense and make an appointment with the vets instead. What a cop out.

The owner has already made it clear that the dog was responding well to training. The owners made the mistake of leaving the dog in the yard and allowing a tradie to enter when they knew the dog was uncomfortable/unsafe with strangers. The owners are the ones that bought a dog that may have not been the best fit for their lifestyle and now no longer want to deal with it. And still the dog pays.

That has nothing to do with what I was saying; it is inappropriate to use the term psychotic the way you did because of the way it depicts people who suffer from psychosis, or those with psychotic personality traits.

[raineth]

To the OP,

As far as I can see, you have two options. Euthanasia is one of them, but as you have stated you are not keen on this. The only other option is to find a really good behaviourist to help you.

I feel for you very much, aggression is difficult problem to deal with and can be incredibly stressful for the owners and the dog. I think it is especially hard when this involves both people and dogs.

If you let us know whereabout you are someone may be able to suggest a good behaviourist for you :)

[Purdie]

Could it be the dog is showing normal protective behavior and you are reading it as aggression.

IMO the shelter did not match the dog to the right home as i do not think you are able to manage a large protective breed of dog.

Did you get a copy of the assessment done at the shelter?

Rule number one when adopting any dog is to research the breed well ;you should have read up on Mastiffs and Ridgebacks as the dog would show a mix of temperaments from both these breeds then you would have some idea about what is normal behavior and if you can manage that.

I had a large cross breed from a shelter who was friendly to all but i would never have left her alone with strangers.

When we had visitors she was kept secure and introduced with supervision.

No one here can say if the dog is able to be rehomed or not ;only a professional assessor can advise you if the dog would be suited to a home that is experienced confident and responsible with owning such a dog.If the advise is that dog is not suitable to be rehomed then you must be brave and responsible enough to PTS.

You can get the Vet to visit your home it may be easier for you and the dog.

[Christina]

Reading between the lines it sounds like you have had enough ,but don't want to pts, and are hopeing someone will take her.

Not going to happen.

You have nothing to lose by getting an opinion from one of the trainers Pers listed, then you can decide wether its something you can deal with or not.

As above however problem dogs can't usually be fixed quickly & some can't be fixed at all so the question is can you live with & manage a problem dog ?

Some can, some can't.

Any pound will only PTS.

You may be lucky enough to find a person who will fall in love with her & manage her but I doubt it. However miracles can happen. Good luck.

[aussielover]

Agree with Christina. This sounds like a dog that will always need careful management. It will take hard work to improve her behaviour. There is no easy fix with behavioural issues. The question really is have you bonded enough with her to put in the work?

I would get her assessed by a different trainer (perhaps one recommend here) and go from there.

[Salukifan]

This thread isn't about any other member here than Tippi and her dog.

Red Fox, may I politely suggest that comparisons to your dog are not only unhelpful but unfair. You have never met the dog or her owners. No need to make the owner feel like shite.

I have the greatest of sympathy for anyone managing a dog with aggression issues and frankly that appears to be the case here. A pet dog should bring joy and companionship, not anxiety and fear. It's a life of constant stress and in a big dog, worry about what she might do.

Tippi, if the second trainer was great, can I suggest you either consult with them or another trainer recommended here and talk about what the long term future for your girl is.

If the idea of having to manage these issues long term overwhelms you then, IMO there is only one responsible course of action and one that provides certainty for your dog. That is euthanasia.

LDH have not done right by your or the dog. That doesn't help you going forward.

Get a proper behavioural assessment and reassess your options. Rehoming should not be one of them. Don't do to another owner what LDH have done to you.

The only failure that I can see is the failure of the shelter to step up. You have done what so many have recommended and rescued a dog. I'm very sorry it hasn't worked out better.

[gillbear]

What she said ^