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The doghouse

Rehomed dog not fitting in

5 replies

DoghouseRules · 20/04/2018 22:05

We rehomed a dog as a 6 month old pup six months ago, and are struggling with her. She is a very similar breed to my other dog (staffie x) so we thought we knew what we were getting. Have had staffies for years and love them.

She can't be trusted around children (my DD is 8 and dog savvy, we have another dog in the house) and has been seen to nip at smaller children (obviously immediately removed from the situation!), and the penny just doesn't seem to be dropping with her regarding things she shouldn't do - like chasing the horses - I'm a horse owner and keep my horses at home. In that regard she has been kicked already yet still persists with nipping, barking, chasing. She knows she shouldn't do it and runs away when told off. Keeping her away isn't really an option as they are practically in our garden! She seems to have a very high prey drive.

Our older dog has been nothing but easy but this dog seems sent to test me! She picks and chooses whether or not to listen to you which often results in her staring at you from the top step of the garden at night while we try to coax her in, or me trying to catch her to get her in the boot for a walk for example. She gets over excited and bites. I am aware that this is a training issue however NO AMOUNT of training seems to actually change her basic nature. She is quite food orientated but still chooses to completely ignore me! Her recall is terrible once she really locks onto something, she goes deaf.

I suppose this is a bit of a WWYD - am I a bad owner? Where have I gone wrong? What should I do? Essentially we thought we were providing her with a really lovely life - endless exercise, another dog for company, a nice home. It's just not working!

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JontyDoggle37 · 20/04/2018 22:10

Get a really good dog trainer in to assess her at home and give you a plan to work to. We did this with our Westie who was very tricky, when we had a baby on the way. Cost us £300 in trainee fees but omg we have a different dog now that coped brilliantly with the Tiny baby crying, with all the weird noises and smells, and now snuggles up next to DS on the sofa. If you’re anywhere near London/Home Counties pm me and i’ll Send you details of the trainer we used. She was brilliant.

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KarmaStar · 20/04/2018 22:12

Hi OP
She sounds like a very lively young dog pushing the boundaries to see what she can get away with.
Do you know what she is crossed with?
Do you know any of her history?
Without lots of information it's hard to help,seeing her in action is really the best way,have you thought about a dog behaviourist coming to meet her and study her?that might be a massive help.I think that would be my next step.as she is so young there's time to train her.
I use clicker training which is excellent with your dog living food.
Good luck I hope it gets resolved.

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DoghouseRules · 20/04/2018 22:30

Thankyou. I'm not anywhere near London unfortunately but am open to getting someone good to see her, I will do some research locally. She is a staffie crossed with a french bulldog (we think anyway) - staffie body with slightly snub nose and bat ears - she is incredibly athletic. French bulldog head on staffie body.

I am hoping that as she gets older she will calm down. I don't mind putting the effort in, BUT if she bites my daughter again I am going to have to rethink - although she hasn't bitten her hard it is still unacceptable!

As far as I know she went from the people who bred her to the lady who we got her off at 12 weeks, and we then got her at 20 weeks - which when I read it back is AWFUL for her! She wasn't rehomed through any fault of her own as far as I can gather (apart from maybe urinating and pooing in the house which she thankfully no longer does), the lady who we got her from didn't have the time.

99% of the time there is someone around with her, she may spend an hour or two in her cage during the day if there is a crossover period between shifts or I need to pop into town. She will be quiet in her cage for this time if she's been walked/on the yard - her plus points are that she has never chewed anything that she shouldn't and she isn't as barky as my other dog unless someone knocks on the door. We have a dog guard gate that doesn't contain her she just jumps over it, and if she gets a chance she BOLTS out of the front door.

We do spend time getting her to use her brain but none of it seems to stick!

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tabulahrasa · 20/04/2018 22:36

“the penny just doesn't seem to be dropping with her regarding things she shouldn't do”

“She knows she shouldn't do it and runs away when told off.”

“She picks and chooses whether or not to listen to you”

They’re all saying that you’ve got a training issue, some dogs naturally behave how you want them to, you praise them and think you’ve trained them... most don’t, they need to actually be taught what to do.

I agree with everyone else in that you need someone to come in and show you what to do.

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wombatron · 21/04/2018 08:24

I think as well, kudos to you for not simply dropping her off at the nearest dog shelter.

She does sound like she needs some training from someone who perhaps has knowledge that extends past the usual home training we all do. There may be triggers to her behaviour that you're missing and you're only seeing the reaction. I have heard that frenchies can be tricky to train and can have some possessive/jealous traits running through them. Perhaps there's something there.

I had a dog trainer come in for my two older pugs, I wasn't prepared for being told that they may not be happy with the life I was providing them- they seemed happy enough, but they were perhaps a bit bored and relished just learning a few simple tricks and having a different sort of interaction. It was hard to listen to, but ultimately I attributed human needs and wants to an animal that wasn't human. It was a real eye opener and did change my overall look on dog ownership. Definitely worth doing!

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