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.

Unlucky? Really? Absolute bullshit, you don't get unlucky with a dog 3 times in a row
Yes you really can, the 1st one managed to escape, the 2nd dog the OP got, as a rescue, turned out nasty and couldn't be trusted around kids, how is that the Ops fault. She did the right thing and returned it. It's massive bad luck but doesn't mean the Op is irresponsible.

I have a French bulldog. We bought him from a well respected breeder with membership of the associated breed club after thorough research. We had to go on a waiting list and be vetted as suitable owners which included a promise not to breed ourselves because of the current negative associations of backyard breeders producing poor examples of the breed for a quick buck.

Our dog had both parents available for viewing and both had silver health checks and a five generation pedigree. He has a completely gorgeous personality, as did both parents, hugely affectionate and very gentle but is pretty stupid and was not the easiest dog to train although he does his best!

I see so many frenchies now that look just awful, really flat faces, out of proportion and really huge. People comment that my dog is really small for a frenchie but he is actually towards the top end of size allowable for the breed standard. He looks small because so many badly bred frenchies are out there now having been recently crossbred with goodness only knows what breed, resulting in less chance of getting the true frenchie personality that has made the breed popular in the first place. Or worse still they are interbred leading to health problems.

People spend more money for a "rare" colour like blue which reputable breeders won't produce due to health issues. If I see a blue French bulldog it tells me immediately that the owner hasn't bothered to do even the most basic of breed or breeder research and have bought the dog solely based on it being a fad breed.

I bet you have a blue one OP. Did you get it from Gumtree or pets4homes???

The French bulldog as a breed has been ruined, there are very little breed standard breeders left - many fad breeders that breed only for colour and flat faces - most frenchies are not fit for purpose, it's damn hard to find a well bred one.

For anyone that is looking to buy a puppy - research is paramount - of the breed and your chosen breeder

An animal is an animal.
Your family comes first.
The dog mad lovers will disagree but this is a creature that attacks your family!

Overbred fashionable breed. Did you research the breed? I wouldn’t touch anything so popular, they’re being churned out for stupid money and probably little thought to their temperament/trainability.

Some dog owners are fuckwits. I doubt very much that Op will come back to the thread because she's looking for validation in 'getting rid' of the dog that she's become 'fed up of' and can't be arsed to train or understand. And these people are allowed to have children!!!!

Fuck. I hate this special kind of person with a passion.

An animal is an animal.
Your family comes first.
The dog mad lovers will disagree but this is a creature that attacks your family!

Another fuckwit comment. The 'creature' "attacking" the family is likely the result OF THE OP'S FUCKWITTERY. FFS.

If anyone wants to really get to understand how these poor 'creatures' end up in rescue kennels then I suggest they go and work in a rescue centre/kennel, even for a few hours. Your faith in humanity will considerably diminish and you'll find yourself rooting for the animals and hating their people.

I can't see anyone is suggesting OP shouldn't put her family first. She just also shouldn't get another dog.

Poor OP. Poor dog. I have a Frenchie cross (rescued). They are renowned for nuttiness. He was also very late to grow up- you may find he improves over the next year. I think it's too late for him with you, though, as you don't like him any more. I think it can be very hard to train a dog in a family, as you need everyone to toe the line with how they treat him. If children get over excited and squeal and chase, that brings out bad behaviour in the dog. If the adults aren't consistent about walking train8ng and toileting, then you are in trouble.

Ugh. Get rid, and then don’t get another dog. Dogs are difficult, they need a lot of time and patience. We have a Saint Bernard and he’s amazing but the biggest pain in my arse! People always comment how well behaved he is and how much they want one etc etc... i just smile and nod, but I’m thinking if they knew the utter shite this dog has caused me to get to this point they’d run away crying. I love the daft bugger though.

Don’t just get a dog because you want that perfect dog, because it isn’t just “their personality” it’s how you handle them, raise them, treat them, how everybody interacts around them... it’s so many things. Also your dog trainers sound shit if they’re putting it down to dog personality.. so they can only train one dog personality type or something? id have tried another asap

Definitely vet check. Sounds like he could be in pain. Did he come from a decent breeder as if not this behaviour is very likely to stem from possible breeding defects.

My dog is a nightmare very high maintenance and pisses me off everyday but I love him so much that none of it bothers me and I forgive him anything.

You don’t love this dog that’s a problem for your dog.
As well as the training issue.

Rehome the dog and maybe get a cat!

It's not the breed of the dog, it's you. I have French bulldogs, they have a lovely temperament and are big characters, but like someone else said they are small breeds but not like the others, they are big and strong and stubborn, they need exercise and training but can be lazy and stubborn

No, don't get a cat either. Really. A cat might need special treatment or may not have the personality you're looking for and then you'll need to get rid of that, too.

I was surprised by the German Shepherd comment too. I have a family member who has kept them for years with no problems except they do seem to be prone to epilepsy.

I always wonder how people rehome dogs with behavioral problems. Surely it can’t be easy.

rehome asap and buy a soft toy

He sounds French. I think that's your problem.

Some people should not get a dog - End of!

OP, get a fecking pet rock instead! People like you truly boil my piss!

A good French bulldog is a mellow dog—likes to play, likes a walk, but they should not be aggressive. They are stubborn as hell, though, I’ll give you that.

I’ve met a ton of Frenchies (I lived in NYC for a decade, and they became popular when I first moved there). Unfortunately they are one of the most inbred breeds, and it seems that they have suddenly become massively popular in the UK, which unfortunately means plenty of unscrupulous breeding of unsuitable dogs. If you are saying that you’ve tried to train your dog and provide him with adequate exercise, I’d say that your dog doesn’t sound “right”.

Same here Drizzle.
However I have paid into the state As did my parents and grandparents and Neither of us have taken penny from it. (State)
My poor mum died at 61. She worked from when she was 15. Took 6 weeks off after having me and my sister.
If i ever did come out of work id have no qualms or shame whatsoever in claiming what is rightfully mine.

Arrrrggggghhhhhh. Sorry wrong thread.

It bothers me that people always want pedigree breeds. Even the most humanely and well bred pedigrees are essentially 'in-bred'. The gene pool will always be restricted and it is impossible to completely avoid common breed genetic abnormalities.

Mongrels are such fantastic dogs and there are literally thousands and thousands of them looking for good homes. Why people put themselves on wait lists and spend thousands on pedigrees baffles me.

OP, I had a frenchie.

He was completely untrainable (or so I thought!). I even paid for classes, for months and months and months. He was biting us all so hard to the point that I was covering my arms at work so people won't think I tried to commit suicide or that I'm abused. I tried so so hard and I loved the dog so much... in the end I admitted I can't do it and found an option of re-homing.

He's now for almost a year with a family that has another frenchie (a very trained one!), and now he's harmless, because the other dog trained him, if that makes sense.

I cried my eyes out when the dog left but I knew it was best for everyone. Including the dog.

Get rid of the dog. Not worth putting your children at risk over a dog.

Then think carefully about the next breed you go for. A German Shepherd probably isn’t the answer, certainly not if your DH has bad associations with that breed. Maybe a lab?