Question About A Rescue

[swazzie]

This is for a friend.

She rescued a pup late last year, he's now 8 mth.

He had a really sad story , was beaten so badly as a pup that one of his front legs had to be removed.

He's a number of breeds, bit of Dane in there I think so he's already quite big.

They are the loveliest of families , the biggest heart and they basically fell in love on first sight and took him home.

So roll forward to now and he has settled in with them, however, he started to display some anxiety which they feel is based off his early life . He barks at the male neighbour and seems very scared of him. She said the man is the nicest ever , had never even been near the pup but thinks the pup is reminded of the male who beat him due to neighbours build. She's worried about noise complaints

On top of that he is showing a little bit of aggression towards one of the kids- the girls who's 6. They also have a boy 3 but pup isn't growling at him at all.

I've suggested trying to get some training for him ASAP as I worry about the growling . Also have said they need to make the dog understand where he is in the pack as right now it seems to be dad, boy, dog , mum , girl. As well as some basic training ideas especially around food as he is food obsessed .

They love the dog dearly, he is a dote- very loving , the girl in particular adores him, hugs him etc.

Any suggestions that would be low cost, that she can do with the dog maybe at home?

[RuralPug]

NILIF and TOT (links to both of those in DOL).

Please stress to her that every adult in the family needs to be on the same page with him and be really consistent with what they want from him and how to get there. They also need to work out what it is about the daughter's behaviour or movement type or whatever that is stressing him. Maybe she is hugging him too much or too hard??? Approaching him when he is busy with a toy or chew? They need to be training the kids at the same time to give the dog space - e.g. if the dog is on his own mat./bed he is to be left in peace. That way he will learn that if he gets uncomfortable for any reason that he can go to his bed instead of growling or whatever.

Anxiety issues at 8 months are not necessarily related to a horrible past, it might just a fear stage he is going through, in either case NILIF, TOT, consistency and common sense should get them through it. A very common mistake is to assume that any issues the dog has are due to a fraught past, and an even worse mistake is to let a pup or adolescent get away with poor behaviour because it is assumed that there is a lind of canine PTSD happening. Most young dogs are more resilient than people expect.

Try to get them to take him out and about a bit, even if it is just in the car at first, until he is comfortable with new sights and sounds.

[swazzie]

They walk him , have a special harness to help him with the missing leg. He's very energetic and they are very careful with him as he's keen to get in there with other dogs .

Thanks for your reply, I'll pass all that on to her.

[BC Crazy]

Excellent post rural pug ????

[Salukifan]

This is for a friend.

She rescued a pup late last year, he's now 8 mth.

He had a really sad story , was beaten so badly as a pup that one of his front legs had to be removed.

He's a number of breeds, bit of Dane in there I think so he's already quite big.

They are the loveliest of families , the biggest heart and they basically fell in love on first sight and took him home.

So roll forward to now and he has settled in with them, however, he started to display some anxiety which they feel is based off his early life . He barks at the male neighbour and seems very scared of him. She said the man is the nicest ever , had never even been near the pup but thinks the pup is reminded of the male who beat him due to neighbours build. She's worried about noise complaints

On top of that he is showing a little bit of aggression towards one of the kids- the girls who's 6. They also have a boy 3 but pup isn't growling at him at all.

I've suggested trying to get some training for him ASAP as I worry about the growling . Also have said they need to make the dog understand where he is in the pack as right now it seems to be dad, boy, dog , mum , girl. As well as some basic training ideas especially around food as he is food obsessed .

They love the dog dearly, he is a dote- very loving , the girl in particular adores him, hugs him etc.

Any suggestions that would be low cost, that she can do with the dog maybe at home?

That is a red flag for me.

This is an adolelescent dog. He may be feeling his way in the pack structure. He is large.

The consequences of mismanaging or failing to manage this behaviour could be tragic.

First step - off to the vet. Full check up. Amputees tend to have residual levels on pain if they aren't given remedial treatment. That could be an issue.

Next step - behaviourist - a good one experienced with dog aggression is a MUST. Childrens' safety depends on it.

They need to stop feeling sorry for him and excusing any behaviour based on the fact that he is a rescue and deal with this. NOW

Low cost? Nope. But what is the price they place on their childrens' safety?

If they cannot afford to deal with the issue then I'm sorry, but return the dog to the rescue. It's not worth the risk.

And the hugging stops. Today.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Haredown Whippets

[Steve]

Not a chance I would keep that dog - send it back .

[sas]

8 months....most likely 2nd fear period impacting here.

Anything to do with aggression needs a professional to come in to assess and give a program. After that, the family should decide if this dog is safe and suitable as a family dog with children.

Edited May 27, 2015 by sas

[persephone]

It's sad - these folks let their hearts rule .... I do hope the basic discipline /exercises help ...however , with a large dog , and children .. and owners feeling sorry for the dog and its past .. there may be a hard road ahead.

[*kirty*]

This dog doesn't need pity or sympathy, he needs leadership and structure. His past is irrelevant now. By feeling sorry for him, they excuse his bad behaviour and fail to address the real problem. They need professional help with this dog ASAP.

[_PL_]

This dog doesn't need pity or sympathy, he needs leadership and structure. His past is irrelevant now. By feeling sorry for him, they excuse his bad behaviour and fail to address the real problem. They need professional help with this dog ASAP.

I totally agree.

It's normal for people to baby a rescue dog because they believe it has suffered so much that they are doing the right thing by being kind and sympathetic. This has to stop immediately before he bites a child. All the warning signs are there.

Don't accept having to make excuses for awful behaviour because when it sinks in that there's 12+ years of awful ahead, people eventually crack, then move the dog on. And that dog will keep bouncing around homes for the rest of it's short life. That's when they land at the pound, unable to be rescued or rehomed because human aggressive dogs are not allowed out.

It doesn't matter that he has 3 legs and sad eyes, he could have 2 legs & one eye & been born starving and mangey at the dump, he's still a large teenage dog who needs intervention immediately. There's some good advice and help on Dol.

Or they need to send the dog back ...... If it's from a group who takes their dogs back. Some do have a behaviourist on board to help. Did the group desex him? Offer advice?

[Sandra777]

The one thing that leapt out at me was the little girl dotes on the dog and hugs him....

Some dogs simply do not like being hugged, some dogs take it as a threat. This dog might just be confused and anxious, but if they continue to let her hug the dog when the dog growls at her (whether in this context or not) it will not end well.

Agree they need to get some expert hands-on help, immediately. And in the mean time, please keep that little girl safe!

[swazzie]

Ok thanks for all the comments and advice , I'll send them to her .

She is a very sensible person and I believe she will get help for the dog, whatever it takes.

She knows the hugging maybe an issue, so is addressing that.

They visited the large rescue organisation to visit puppies, met this dog, fell for dog, said they'd think about it, little girl pleaded, rescue lady said yes little girl you can take him home today( mum was shocked and wasn't planning on that at all) couldn't say no ( due to a different reason involving a dog they were to get) so he came home with them?that day.

Very wrong imo, but that's what happened.

So yes, he was looked at ,but whether it was to the extend if dog was suitable to live with them- not sure probably no

[Maddy]

This dog doesn't need pity or sympathy, he needs leadership and structure. His past is irrelevant now. By feeling sorry for him, they excuse his bad behaviour and fail to address the real problem. They need professional help with this dog ASAP.

I totally agree.

It's normal for people to baby a rescue dog because they believe it has suffered so much that they are doing the right thing by being kind and sympathetic. This has to stop immediately before he bites a child. All the warning signs are there.

Don't accept having to make excuses for awful behaviour because when it sinks in that there's 12+ years of awful ahead, people eventually crack, then move the dog on. And that dog will keep bouncing around homes for the rest of it's short life. That's when they land at the pound, unable to be rescued or rehomed because human aggressive dogs are not allowed out.

It doesn't matter that he has 3 legs and sad eyes, he could have 2 legs & one eye & been born starving and mangey at the dump, he's still a large teenage dog who needs intervention immediately. There's some good advice and help on Dol.

Or they need to send the dog back ...... If it's from a group who takes their dogs back. Some do have a behaviourist on board to help. Did the group desex him? Offer advice?

All of this.

Edited to add.. the whole "my dog reacts to X because it reminds him of the abuse".. probably no. More likely, the dog reacts to X because of a lack of socialisation/exposure to whatever that thing is. As Powerlegs points out, excusing problems doesn't fix them.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Maddy

[Jed]

If she is in Bris (I see you are in Q) tell her to phone Val Bonnie of The Gap. She is in the phone book Top trainer. Your friend needs help FAST from someone who can genuinely help, not some half arsed behavourist. And Val will charge about 1/4 anyhow. Do it NOW - tell her.

[swazzie]

Yes she is in Brisbane -thanks for the name jed will pass it on.