Show us your pets!

[Trekhawk]

Darby, I know you are trying your best to help this dog. I think you have gone to great lengths to try to modify his behavior, and you should be commended.
I feel I should tell you that if the dog has now bitten you more than once and you have a child at home who has become afraid of the dog....well if it were me I would not hesitate to have the dog put down. Not to 'punish' the poor dog, but rather to prevent a possibly very tragic biting incident where anyone might be the victim- you, your son, someone on the street, or a visitor...
The poor dog does not seem a likely adoptable prospect by others either.
I only say this to try to assure you that I would not think you were 'cruel' if you opted to put the dog to sleep. It's what I would do if the dog started biting.

I agree with Lisa.
I have three boys and if I thought our dog was a danger to them I would not hesitate in removing the dog.

I must add that I love our dog and it would break my heart so I understand that it would not be easy.

[Aggie_Ama]

I agree with Lisa.
I have three boys and if I thought our dog was a danger to them I would not hesitate in removing the dog.

I must add that I love our dog and it would break my heart so I understand that it would not be easy.

20 years later my Mammaw will still firmly tell you she did the right thing having her dog Joe put to sleep for biting just once after not being overly aggressive in the past. The animal control that picked him asked if she really wanted to euthanize Joe and she sternly replied "I have 5 grandkids I keep, he bit me and he will bite them. I am sorry but yes, you must do this." At the time I was 5 and there is one cousin younger than me but almost 2 years.

Sorry MTBDarby, you are trying very hard whether you think so or not!

[papaver]

About the fear agressive thing...

Meet Bertrand:



He is my 4 year old frenchy and at the age of 1 he was diagnosed as an fear agressive dog. I went to a dog psychologist and the first visit was a disaster. Bert was shaking all the time and was really really scared. The psychologist took a video of our first visit. She honestly thought that it was best for Bert to be put down because he wasn't having much of a live. But I wanted to try to work with him for six months or so and see if we could turn things around. AND WE DID!

It took a lot of time but now our little Bert is enjoying his life at the fullest!!!

What did we do?

- First of all you have to learn the dog that whenever he's scared he can flee away instead of attacking.
- If you walk the dog and you see that something frightens your dog, cross the street.
- If someone comes over to your house, before you let that person in, put your dog in a bench or in a room where he feels save. Give him a cookie.
- Ask visitors not to look your dog in the eye and don't let them pet your dog.
- Don't take your dog to busy streets or events.
- Learn your dog new things, and reward him lots. It will boost his confidence.

And yes, we gave him pills. Human pills for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fluvoxamine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluvoxamine

It helped to give him more confidence and at the same time learn his new behavior. We gave him these pills for about two years. Now Bertrand is already a year pill free and he is absolutely great. We still put him in a room first when we have visitors but after 30 minutes or so we let him loose. The first 5 minutes he barks and shows he's the boss of the house but after that he doesn't mind that there are people.

I'm glad that I didn't put him down. Bert is right now lying next to me, snoring very loudly.

At the last visit to the psychologist she showed me her notes and the video of his first visit. The progression he made is really amazing. She could even play with him.

[emily_in_nc]

Meet Bertrand:

...

papaver, thank you for not giving up on Bert. He is absolutely adorable and a wonderful friend, I'm sure. We are Boston Terrier owners who think Frenchies are delightful as well!

[papaver]

@Emily: I have a boston terrier too.

[mtbdarby]

Good news! We spent this morning with a dog behaviorist in our home to help with Rusty. He spent 3 hours working with all of us - me, my son, Zeus and of course, Rusty. We tackled the doorbell issue and the vacuum cleaner issue, which left the fly swatter a non issue (it no longer phased him) by the time we got to it

Both Rusty and Zeus were retrained to not lunge at the door when the doorbell rang or there was a knock. Rusty is still a bit nervous with the vacuum cleaner, but trusts me much more to make sure he doesn't get hurt by it. I am so very proud of all of my boys! (Bryce was the official doorbell ringer). The trainer commented that he was easier to work with than he had thought and he had even anticipated getting bit a few times, which never happened. He will be back on Thursday to do some outside work introducing one of his pups on Rusty's turf, and to work with Rusty on going into his crate on his own. He will also work with my son on how to behave around strange dogs, since he was bit by a dog at the park and is a bit afraid right now.

All-in-all, I was very pleased with the progress we made in just the first session! I will continue to work with him daily so that we both get the reinforcment we need. I know one session isn't the be-all-end-all and I'm willing to do the work. Rusty was pretty exhausted when we got done with the work and went and layed down at Bryce's feet. Bryce was so happy he gave the trainer a big hug and thank you! Rusty is gonna be a fantastic pet and I'm glad we stuck with it!

Signed one proud Mamma!

[andtckrtoo]

Dar - your whole post just made me smile!!! I'm so happy for you, Rusty, Zeus and Bryce!!

[tulip]

That's great, MtnDarby!

I don't know if your trainer addressed it, but I just wanted to add my two cents in about teaching the dog tricks. It's a great way to teach them success, give them an opportunity to please their person, stimulate them mentally, and wear them out a bit. Combined with a good long walk (or two) every day, I think many dogs will really settle down. Tricks and walks have been an important part of Shiloh adapting so well, and overcoming many of his fearful behaviors. It's helped us bond, too, so that when we are out and about, he trusts me and listens to me.

I brought Shiloh to the local farmers market on Saturday and he was great. He got lots of attention because he's interesting-looking, and he behaved very well. The only issue he had was with a young Aussie. Shiloh growled at him from a distance. Shiloh has issues with Aussies for some reason. Perhaps other herding dogs stare at each other, I don't know. He doesn't have those issues with other types of dogs. Strange.

[7rider]

Rusty is gonna be a fantastic pet and I'm glad we stuck with it!

Great news!!!

[PamNY]

Dar, that's such good news about Rusty. When I first worked with a behaviorist years ago I had no idea how much there was to learn. It really is a wonderful experience when things go well, as I'm sure they will for you!

Lisa, that's a beautiful kitty and I'm so happy for all of you.

Pam

[sundial]

Bryce was so happy he gave the trainer a big hug and thank you!

Awwwwww, that made my day!