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.

Oh yeah, he's biting your DH's head?! Wow, yes, rehome. Now.

What efforts have you made to train the dog? You have an untrained and u exercised young dog and are surprised it's acting up?!
Get a vet check. Do some training. Take the poor bloody thing out. Or renome and never have another pet

Another French bulldog post, I see...

When will people stop filling gaping voids in their lives with designer dogs?!

www.frenchbulldogrescuegb.co.uk/surrender-a-dog.html

Contact these (or any other registered bulldog charity) and tell them about the problems you are having. That way, the dog goes to foster carers who are experienced with the breed and they can work out if he is suitable for rehoming. You can't manage the dog, and your dog is probably very unhappy too to be behaving like this. And I mean this really nicely, but get a cat instead.

I've nearly always found that most 'problem dogs' are just not getting nearly enough exercise. Too many people in cities thinking that once around the block and a bit of a run in the park at weekends are enough... when really you have to put in so much time to exercising a dog that it's too much for almost anyone with a day job.

You have had 3 dogs and the common denominator is you. Unfortunately while you like or love dogs, you dont know how to train them or keep them. I can leave the gate open and Ddog wont leave the garden. He wouldn't attack the kids either.

Toys and chews are irrelevant to training, just as toys are irrelevant to whether a child is destructive or not.
If your dog attacks your child its unlikely any rehoming centre will risk taking him.

Look for a trainer that specialises in dogs that have bitten. Stop blaming the dog, stop making excuses and learn how to handle and train a dog.

Why would you get a rescue German shepherd who had been badly mistreated when you have kids?

And I struggle to believe trainers & behaviourists would say it’s just your dogs personality. Every dog (unless it has a neurological problem) is trainable. It’s almost always down to lazy owners who expect a result instantly & write their dogs off when it doesn’t.

I am fed up of people buying dogs like their disposable commodities, not training them properly & then chucking them off onto someone else. Please visit a rescue, or come to my house & meet these dogs that are repeatedly moved from one home to another & see the results. Rehome the poor dog & never get one again.

What Fissionchips said with bells on.

German Shepherds are fantastic family dogs! They are super affectionate and loyal. Couldn’t ask for a better ‘playmate’ for my kids. Very easy to train too if you know what you are doing.

You are not fit to be a dog owner.

They are meant to be for life.

OP your words.

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.

so your parents trained them if you were a child.

Hahaha he sounds ace.

But agree with PP's. Stop getting dogs, you cannot look after them/see them as disposable... especially ones with horrid health problems.

Good happy obedient dogs require consistent firm train in and are a huge commitment. I know because we have a rescue JRT who nips bites barks etc etc etc. Slowly we are turning him around and the trust is building and he is getting happier and calmer and we are seeing his gorgeous loving funny side more and more. OP you DONT LIKE DOGS. You just like the idea of them

OP, are you looking for people to tell you to get rid of your current dog and try your luck with dog number four?

Literally no one is going to tell you that's a good idea.

I have a feeling you'll do it anyway..

Somebody with a French bulldog came to view my house the other day. The poor thing's breathing sounded like Darth Vader, it walked like John Wayne - only even slower, and it farted like a motherfucker.

How are these breeds even allowed to perpetuate? Seriously, the poor thing looked and sounded half dead as it was.

One of us has to be around to give our dog between 2 and 3 hours exercise including interactive football every single day. Plus loads of input at home. That's what it takes. Thinking about hisdiet, mood, behaviour and actively loving him and disciplining him. OP you are interested in that.

Bulldogs are very different to labradors and collies. They are not know for doing exactly as they are told, they have a bit more personality.

You mention he is destructive, are you leaving him alone, bulldogs don't like being left alone, they thrive in human company.

He is still young, they are kind of teenagers at 2 years old and then calm down a bit.

I have a english bull terrier, a handful but a lot of fun. They do require a lot more than a labrador, which is why labradors are so popular.

As someone said, check if the dog is deaf!

What's the bets the OP doesn't come back, or does come back moaning that we're all bullies cause they didn't get the answer they wanted?!

PLease stop getting dogs. You are the common denominator here.

I hate threads like this. It is so distressing to think that a poor dog should be the focus. Awful.

You need a thunder shirt and a behaviourist if you want to keep this dog.

When you say the dog is not house trained, do you mean it toilets in the house? That should have been cracked a long time ago.

Does the dog go in a crate? Some people swear by them.

Market conditions @lookingforthecorkscrew
On trend dog = large market demand = accelerated supply = overbreeding = psychological and physiological abnormalities...

and a consequent spike in folk scratching their heads as to why the "pure" breed dog they bought for the price of a new kitchen is untrainable and dangerous.

Our dog can be stubborn in so far as he always looks as though he is deciding for himself whether or not to comply with commands. The difference though, between my dog and yours, is that I know that he is a sucker for a morsel of ham or a tiny bit of frankfurter and he knows that I am the keeper of the treats and to be in with a chance of a treat he has to do as he is told. If you can find what motivates your dog it's pretty easy then to train him to do what you want no matter how stubborn. So yes he might sit down on a walk because he'd prefer to go a different way but he soon gets up when he sees my hand go in the treat pocket.
It sounds like the trainers and behaviourists you have used haven't either been the best or you haven't followed their advice. Changing things takes time and effort on your part not a half hour appointment.
If you can't or won't put in the effort required then it's time to find a rescue and don't get any more dogs.

Are you the lady who posted a few days ago? It all sounds remarkably familiar, 2 year old dog, not house trained and not walked or getting enough exercise. The fault lays firmly at your door. Dogs generally just want to be part of a pack and to please. I can pretty much guarantee your dog is bored, not exercised anywhere near enough and untrained because you haven't invested any proper time with the dog. All of those things can be pretty easily fixed with the right owner which is not you.

The 'attacking' sounds like over exuberant grabbing/mouthing rather than actual aggression, from what you've described. Either way though, the problem is you; all of what you're describing is normal behaviour for a young, poorly trained, understimulated, underexcercised dog. All can be resolved with correct training and management though and no behaviourist worth their salt would tell you that things like grabbing, mouthing or urinating in the house are 'Just part of it's personality'.

You probably should rehome the dog, not because there's anything wrong with it but because you sound irresponsible and feckless and not prepared to put the time and effort in. Please do not get another.