I need to rehome don't I.....

[letsallcountsheep]

I have a 7 month old Collie cross. She is lovely, well trained and full of energy.

She came into season about 3 weeks ago, the temperament has changed a little, she's become a little possessive over me and food

2 incidents worry me, when my daughter and I were stroking her my daughter leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek and she nipped her nose, she sometimes gets over excited giving kisses but it scared me enough to pull her away and smack on her nose to stop her. The second happened this morning, I was making my dogs lick mat, I was walking to the freezer to set it and my cat(12) walked across my path, my dog snapped and went for her, she didn't actually get my cat as she ran away. I locked my dog in the kitchen while I checked my cat.

I have a dog walker while I work part time in an office. So she's not home alone all day, she says both incidents are completely out of character and could be because she is in season but I don't think I can relax with her now.

I mentioned we might have to rehome her to my daughter and she was heartbroken as am I, I tried to explain it to her but she's SN and 7 loves our puppy to bits. 😢

WWYD rehome now or see how she is after her season has finished. I will be getting her spayed so no more seasons after this

Not everything that's fluffy is a soft toy. Your daughter won't know this yet, but you should.

Or, in other words: 'ner-ni-ner-ni-poo-poo-waggy-waggy-finger'. Did that give you a little lift? What was it for, if not?

If you smack a dog you may end up with fear aggression.

A child needs to know not to kiss any dog face to face/get in their face.

Usually rehoming is passing a problem on, but in this case it sounds like the problem is the way the dog is being treated.

Yes. I read how the story changed as the replies came in

Keep you child away from your dog's face. I am sure your dog was communicating with you before she snapped but you didn't pick up on it.

Collies are highly intelligent, active dogs bred to do a job. Not sure how much research you did into the breed but maybe this is not the breed for you.

Why do you jump straight to rehoming after that? It’s quite an extreme reaction, there is a lot in between!! Dog doesn’t behave exactly as you expect… ‘time to rehome’ Jesus, no wonder there are so many in rescues

Teanbiscuits33 was asking for advice and whether I was overreacting. I don't want to rehome

Puppies sometimes do get nippy, especially in heat, I'm surprised your first thought is to re-home her. Your kid shouldn't be getting in her face at this age, especially when she's on season. You need to take the dog to puppy training classes, clue up your daughter to leave her alone, get her neutered if you can't handle normal dog emotions that come with their hormones.

Other saying she's too young to be left alone, I'm not so sure, my family dog as a kid was home alone during working hours, but was trained and socialised, bit a phone and destroyed a wallet, but after adequate punishment and training he literally never destroyed anything again. He was content being left alone, he was potty trained, and so on.

They all have different personalities too. If you aren't equipt to raise a dog, re-home. But if you want genuine advice that might hurt to hear or offend you but is in your best interests, listen to these comments. You don't appear to be serious about owning a dog and all that it entails.

@letsallcountsheep I wouldn't be happy with a dog trying to get at one of my cats, and the cat hasn't done anything 'wrong.' That could really harm a cat.

And kids are going to act random sometimes.

I mean, you could've given the dog the snip already and this possibly wouldn'tve been an issue.

But I personally could not risk keeping it.

Yes, sounds like Op you're better off with a lab or another relaxed more family type dog, not a working dog (if any dog at all). Although you should also expect most dogs to be rambunctious as puppies, as you would expect the same from a child.

What about the cat? A dog bite could really harm them.

GoodieMcTwoshoes - Can't until 12 weeks after first season

Wordsofprey - You don't appear to be serious about owning a dog and all that it entails. - ODFOD

It's not true that you can't get a dog spayed before her first heat. We have a rescue puppy and as part of the terms of getting her, we got her spayed before she ever came into season.

others have said what else I would say - please don't hit your dog.

I have young children and a dog - it is possible but you just have to show them over and over again how to treat the dog and not let them eg get in their face

madamovaries - This was advice from the vets

You could have them done before their first season. I definitely would. Apparently it reduces their risk of breast cancer too.

But anyway, you are where you are now.

I would let her season finish and see how she behaves. Our frenchie is a different dog during her season and we keep children away from her and warn people she’s not her self.

Welshmiss10 - Thanks

Thinking of moving to Bradley Stokes area of Bristol, any views on area, schools for 7 year old?

Why don't you just get her spayed?

You need your own thread

A young dog, in season, and in the heat of summer, is going to be out of character. Mine has just finished her third season (giant breed so has not been spayed already due to health/growth reasons) and she has been kept away from my young children each time. It isn’t easy, but as a responsible dog owner I’ve juggled it to ensure nothing like you’ve described has happened.

I'm glad you’ve listened to all the comments about the ‘tap’ on the nose - this is never a training method to be used with any dog and the fact that your dog walker agreed with this worries me hugely. A child (or any human) should not get in a dog’s face, they can easily react to that and you are at the sharp end!

‘locking a dog away’ isn’t awful (it’s not a punishment, and it shouldn’t be made to sound like it is) - my dog spends the majority of her time at home ‘locked’ in the kitchen with access to the garden, unless I or another adult am able to give 100% attention to what she is doing, where the kids are, what’s lying around, what the other dog is up to… it’s exhausting but necessary! she is ‘locked’ away overnight and whenever we are out. She was crate trained as a young puppy but outgrew the crate quickly and this works really well for her. My old boy has the run of the house but he is a different kettle of fish. The kitchen is her space, she loves it, and quite often retreats there of her own accord.

A collie is a hugely intelligent and active breed, and at 7 months you’ve barely started - They are working dogs for a reason and your set up isn’t exactly ideal for burning out that energy. She is still young, and her energy levels will still be increasing, which can lead to destructive behaviour if you are not careful. Another reason to consider ‘locking her away’ somewhere that is dog-proofed with little for her to cause havoc with.

I would take this as an opportunity to really think about her needs and whether you can fully meet them. I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion of rehoming (as a ‘worse case’) quite so quickly as you have, but focus on training, both her and you and your daughter. No leaning in for pecks on the cheek - dogs don’t need those and it’s a recipe for disaster. Increase mental stimulation and ensure she has a good amount of off lead exercise in a variety of places.

I would also be very careful with walks while she’s in season - just because the dog walkers pack are all neutered doesn’t mean that every other dog is. If a male dog smells her and breaks away from their owner, there’s very little you can do to stop it getting what it wants, whether your dog is on lead or not.

I know it’s hard having a young child and a young dog. I’ve been there. But at seven months there is still so much more training to do and that incident should never have been able to happen. Even once she’s been spayed, if she’s ill or tired or it’s too hot - this could happen again if you don’t learn from it (I’m sure you will, but I just wanted to clarify spaying won’t solve your problem)

WellyBootsandPuddleSuits Thanks for taking the time to post, very helpful

Literally was about to suggest this! Brilliant group, saved my sanity and it was my nose our rescue bit! Seasons are brutal on puppers, ours turned into a whirling dervish!

I've got nothing more to add OP but just wanted to say well done on listening to what people have said (the contructive ones) and for taking it on board. A lot of people would have left this thread ages ago after the first pile on.

MyBreezyPombear - I learned a long time ago to let stuff like that wash over me and just take in what I need to hear