To be really fed up of my dog?

[SweepDoggyDogg]

Name changed as I know I'm being unreasonable.

But basically I have been begging DH for a dog for years. I always had dogs growing up, clever working dogs like labradors and collies. When I got my first house I got a Rottweiler which unfortunately escaped and got run over and killed. After that I had a German shepherd which was a rescue. Unfortunately he had been badly mistreated before coming to me and turned nasty so I had to rehome him to somewhere without kids. I've been desperate for a German shepherd ever since.

DH always flat out refused saying they were too big and he got bitten by one as a child. No amount of reasoning would work and I was so desperate for a dog. As a compromise he said I could get a small dog but it had to be a French bulldog as he'd always wanted one . Out of desperation for ANY dog I agreed.

We've had him now for two years and I'm so fed up. He's completely untrainable. Doesn't seem to learn anything and when he does, he'll refuse to do it depending on his mood. Example, he knows "sit" and "down" - 50% of the time he'll obey, 50% of the time he'll just go wild and start biting and barking as soon as you say the words.

I can't take him for walks as he'll simply sit there refusing to move unless we are on a route he approves of. Many times I've had to drag him home as no amount of praise or encouragement will shift him.
He'll be sat a few feet from you but will flat out refuse to come to you when you call him, he'll simply turn his head away or go off and do something else. Even a cheery "come here boy!" With clapping and enthusiasm is met with the equivalent of a raised eyebrow and he'll simply ignore you unless you have something he wants.

And he's so destructive. Wrecks everything he can get hold of. Still not house trained as he refuses to go out if it's cold.

We've had dog trainers and behaviourists in, they just say it's his personality but sometimes he's quite unlikable! I said to DH last night we may as well have just got a cat, we'd get the same interactions (or lack of) without the mess.

He has tons of toys and chews and god knows what else, gets loads of attention - well he did but the kids don't like him anymore as he constantly attacks them for no reason.

I went into a house yesterday and they had a staffie. She was the most beautiful creature ever, responsive, loving, obedient - made me pine even more for a "proper" dog.

I 100% regret buying him and feel awful for it. It's the first time I've ever felt like this towards a dog.

[TooGood2BeFalse]

If a dog is constantly attacking your kids for no reason, rehome urgently.

[Rebeccaslicker]

I don't know enough about dogs to comment on the training etc - but I have noticed that most of these threads on MN seem to be about French bulldogs. Is it a particularly stubborn breed?

[GlitterUnicornsAndAllThatJazz]

Please stop getting dogs.

Your first escaped and died as a result of your carelessness.

Your second was rehomed because you couldnt be bothered to research its past.

Now your third looks likely to be rehomed because you couldnt be bothered to train it properly from the get go. You also specifically selected a breed known for its painful health problems.

Just stop.

[MatildaTheCat]

Rehome but don’t replace as your track record really isn’t great. That one staff it may have been adorable but the one you chose may well not be.

[SweepDoggyDogg]

If we had little kids the dog would be gone already has he's just a complete nutcase. He randomly jumps on the back of the sofa and bites DHs head etc. He attacks feet, ankles, hanging clothing, dangling hands, slippers - you can't walk around the house sometimes without being grabbed by the bloody thing.

Frenchies are known to be stubborn yes, but so are Rottweilers and I never had these problems with my rottie.

[Defender90]

I would suggest going to the vet to rule out anything medical (you maybe already have). If no luck from that, and you feel you have exhausted all behaviourist avenues, I would recommend re-homing through a breed specific rescue - they'll make sure he goes to the best forever home.

If he's only 2, you could be looking at another 8-10 years with him.

[TheLegendOfBeans]

You feel bad enough already so I won't go down the road of highlighting the relationship between the buying of certain breeds and massive psychological problems due to overbreeding...
...but I will say this. You've reached the end of the road with the dog. Contact the Blue Cross. They have experience in this type of all too common situation and will ensure your dog gets the right home, not just a home.

I'd advise against any more dogs again.

[SweepDoggyDogg]

The first dog escaped as the postman didn't close the gate properly.

The German shepherd I knew about its history and wanted to give it a chance. It was fine at first but then started getting aggressive (once it realised the beatings were a thing of the past). Even then I would have kept him and worked through it but I got pregnant and couldn't risk it with a new baby.

[10thingsIhateAboutTheDailyMail]

Good God, move the dog! He attacks your lids, he needs to go.

Then never get a dog again.

[Oysterbabe]

Good luck. You get more sympathy on here for disliking a child than a dog.

[Steamcloud]

Sorry you are not happy with your dog op.

It seems strange though that your main complaint is his lack of trainability in terms of walks, sitting and lying down etc, when he is hurting your dc.

When you say he constantly attacks your dc, what do you mean precisely? Is he growling and moving his jaws towards them?Is he nipping them or properly biting and drawing blood? What are your dc doing when he attacks them?

[FissionChips]

Have you thought about volunteering in a dog rescue ? You’d get the interaction and job of being around the dogs but not full responsibility and you get a nice break when you go home.

[expatmigrant]

I think you need to look into the French Bulldog threads on here and educate yourself about how psychotic their behaviour can be and their health issues. Told my DD a point blank NO as far us French Bulldogs are concerned. I actually feel very sorry for the breed.
And maybe as per PP...do not get another dog.

[Steamcloud]

So he is "playing" but in a too aggressive manner? How old is he?

[TheLegendOfBeans]

@rebeccaslicker it's a truism that not all dogs are created equally BUT it's usually problems caused by the humans that lead to situations like this namely
a) lack of research
b) failure to get basic obedience training done
c) mental problems due to inbreeding

Sure some breeds can be "buggers"; it's always been Yorkies IME - but all (sane) dogs can be trained I truly believe it. It's just up to the owner to commit to doing it right and that's a whole other bag of jumbones....

[Rebeccaslicker]

Thanks legend.

It just seems that a lot of people struggle with them and I was wondering if people think small = cute, without realising they are actually pure muscle with strong jaws compared to something like a bichon frise!

[welshmist]

The German shepherd and some other breeds to be fair have been bred in such a way that they are basically useless as family pets. They breed the brains right out of them in favour of a particular trait. We stick to labs. spaniels. but also working strains, no-one cares what they look like. We have a sprocker now, an intelligent working spaniel, but a wonderful family pet. Not that I would recommend one to anyone who cannot give them long walks and a lot of training.

Friends who are not up for this are buying crosses of cute small dogs who do not need as much exercise. The favourite dog one of my friends has is a labradoodle. What a gentle character, however he does need long walks.

[ladybirdsaredotty]

I'm another a bit agog that your main issue with the dog isn't that it is 'attacking' your children! I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'attacking' but I would not keep a dog that did that.

I'm not convinced that dog ownership is for you, either. And I say that as someone who is definitely not dog owner material!

[Jaygee61]

Are you sure he's not deaf? Common in that breed.

[FissionChips]

The German shepherd and some other breeds to be fair have been bred in such a way that they are basically useless as family pets. They breed the brains right out of them in favour of a particular trait

Eh? German Shepard’s are one of the smartest breeds of dogs! make wonderful family pets, they’ll always help keep the kids with you when out and about and are brilliant guard dogs.

[FizzyGreenWater]

What a coincidence that the one dog your DH had 'always wanted' is one of the current 'fashion breeds'

OP you need to rehome as the dog is aggressive and you have children. That's the bottom line - fucking hell, biting your DH's head?! You're a step away from one of your kids being scarred for life. You must get rid, and you must NOT get another dog, really.

And do have a read of what current 'breed crazes' do for dogs and dog ownership - overbreeding, bad personality traits being magnified along with physical problems. Fucking awful.

[falsepriest]

Some OPs make you wish they brought back the License to weed out those incapable of owning one.

[Only1scoop]

Stop having dogs