To no the get rid of my dog?

[BossyPaws]

A year ago around this time of year i bought a Doberman puppy. The puppy proved to be super intelligent and I was able to train him in all basic commands (sit, down, paw, heel, fetch, stay etc) within months. By the time he was 6 months old he was utterly bombproof.

Unfortunately he's not great with other dogs or people he doesn't know. A stupid local woman kept walking her Frenchie around the same time as I waked my dog and she always lets him off the lead to "socialise". I have tried explaining to her that as her dog has NO recall whatsoever he should probably be kept on lead. She ignored me and insisted he needed socialising. This dogs idea of socialising is to clamber and jump at my dog. He gets pissed. Eventually he snaps and pins her dog to the ground by his throat. She reports me. Police come around and DH answers saying he has no idea as to what had gone on and the dog won't walk with him, therefore he never takes it out.

This us true. The dog is 100% devoted to me only. Follows me everywhere. Cries when I go to work and won't leave his vigil at the front door until I return. He won't "walk" with anyone but me.

Anyway with the police coming around and DHs failing relationship with me-obsessed dog he wants to rehome him.

AIBU to tell him to fuck off?

DS has a jack Russell type mongrel who goes for other dogs when we’re out. She’s wonderful with other family dogs and people she knows.
When we take her out she’s always muzzled so we can safely let her off her lead. We wouldn’t risk her nipping at any other dogs or people.
Sort out your badly-trained dog.

Report her and her dog to the Dog Warden. Her dog was out of control, they can go and have a word with her about dog etiquette.

It is not okay to allow dogs to run up to and climb all over others in the name of 'socialisation'. If yours is on a lead it will become reactive at feeling trapped and will quite understandably lash out.

The pinning to the ground by the throat sounds like a holding move, not an attack as such. He was putting the Frenchie in his place.

Unfortunately you have chosen a highly intelligent extremely loyal and protective breed in a Doberman.
He is doing exactly what he's been bred for centuries.
He's bonded with you.
Your husband needs to play with him in the garden and house and build a bond with him too so he'll allow him to walk him also. It may be easier if you leave the room to allow him to do this. If you're there your dog will want to stay with you.

Don't rehome the dog, he's really done nothing wrong. Take him to positive training classes, any IMDT accredited ones are good.

Avoid stupid Frenchie owner, her dog will come a cropper one day being allowed to run up to other dogs like that.

Be honest OP - was your relationship with DH already a bit shit before you got the dog? Is he a bit of a replacement?

It sounds like you have engineered a situation where the dog is obsessed with you to a degree that is really unhealthy for the dog. He should be part of the family pack and that would include your DH.

You say "I was able to train him..." do you mean you never took him to puppy school but trained him yourself?

I really hope the damage isn't irreversible but I would get him t dog training as soon as I could, and explain what you have done to the trainer. If DH sees that you are taking your dogs issues seriously and accept that you have fucked up, he might be more inclined to stay.

If your intention is to prioritise dog over DH then DH should go for his own sake. In the meantime, your dog should be muzzled when outdoors and on a lead.

Im a bit surprised that being reactive with a dog means the dog will behave the same with a child.
We adopted our dog as an adult so he came with a few issues, mostly quite reactive to other big males. He's got into a few squabbles in his time but never to the point of biting: spittle, paws everywhere, lots of noise but no damage.
However, he's always been absolutely wonderful with kids. He's very patient and caring with little ones.
I don't think reacting to an annoying dog in that way is terrible. If he'd wanted to bite it or cause damage he could have.
That said, you've had this dog since a pup, you can train him to be more secure. You can also make sure others can take care of him. Its all down to you. I'd do it now while he's still young enough.

I've reread this post again and can't help for think what people would be saying if frenchies owner had put up a post:

Took my dog to a park where lots of other dogs are. My dogs a puppy and I'm trying to train him. He wouldn't hurt anyone but it's playful. An unmuzzled dog attacked him and costs us £££ at the vets.

People who say train your dog obviously, but they would more be angry at the unmuzzled attacking dog!

The op said he'd pinned the frenchie to the ground. If he'd actually bitten him or caused damage that'd be very different.

t is an offence for a dog to be out of control or to make a person feel threatened. Yep. They don't have to actually harm anyone.

The way i read this is that it is the frenchie that is off lead, unable to recall, and is harrassing o/p’s dog to the point the dog gets fed up and warns it by pinning it to the ground, but causing no injury..

If o/p’s dog is on a lead and the frenchie owner won’t/can’t recall her dog when asked, then it is not o/p’s fault.

I would say the o/p has more right to report the frenchie as “out of control”.

I have a very small dog. I always put it on a lead around other dogs because i don’t know how that dog will react. If my small rat like dog runs up to a sighthound, for example, the expected result is the sighthound’s prey drive will trigger.

My dog adores my cat. The cat is harrassed to the point she just sits on the dog or pins it down by the neck. The dog is never harmed, and tbh the cat has every right to do it.

The only thing that concerns me o/p, is this seems to have happened more that once. If you can predict this happening, what steps can you take to avoid it.

I’d also contact the police yourself and explain your side. That may stop the visits, or at least reduce them to phone calls if they know both sides. It’s not really your dh’s role to be fending off the police.

The Frenchie owner is clearly irresponsible. Letting your dog hassle others is not “socialisation”. I have a large breed dog and frankly, am fed up of small dogs coming up to him, having a go and literally hanging off him, and owners thinking it’s acceptable presumably because they’re small. Luckily my dog does not respond, but one day he might.
A dog pinning another is basically a “telling off”. If a Doberman wants to hurt a frenchie, they they can. This dog was not injured from what OP says, so the dobie must have good bite inhibition and no intention to hurt the irritating thing. However, the Dangerous Dog Act does mean you can get into trouble if your dog is out of control and causes others to be fearful. The dog doesn’t have to actually injure. I’d think OP of getting a trainer in if, as you say, your dog is not great with people and dogs he doesn’t know. He’s a large, imposing breed. People will be less tolerant of a reactive Doberman than say, a spaniel or lab. Keep him on lead when out, think of muzzle training and him wearing a yellow harness with “i need space” or something suitable. Your dogs separation anxiety needs sorting too as it will get worse and possibly more destructive as he matures. But, no, don’t re home him.

I posted the op after a few glasses of wine so apologises.

My dog was on his lead, Frenchie ran up to him and started jumping at him, barking and nipping. I called to the woman to grab her dog as mine was getting irritable and she strolled over laughing saying he was a pest. I bent down to grab the Frenchie but it dived out of the way and jumped up at my dogs face, paws in his eyes and my dog went for him after tolerating this for a few minutes. Her reaction was horror saying her dog will be traumatised ... even though the bloody thing came back for more as soon as my dog let him go (which he did as soon as I told him to).

Yes he has been to puppy classes and does agility training once a week with other dogs. He also goes out for off-lead-walks with a couple of other dogs that he has come to know (a sensible overweight Labrador that just plods along beside him, an English bulldog who doesn't seem to be aware of anything or anyone around him and plods quite merrily in his own little world and a couple of cockapoo brothers who run around chasing each other - my dog will join in with them for a while but once he gets bored of them he comes back to me and the brothers let him - this is the difference!)

I tried to encourage DH to take him for walks when he was a puppy but he could never be arsed.

Frenchie owner totally 100% out of order and completely irresponsible.

I'm honestly surprised the police even took this on board.

Seriously, speak to the Dog Warden. She needs urgently advised on how to handle her dog before it gets hurt.

ummm being reactive with another dog doesn't necessarily mean it will be like it with a child. But you can't take that chance with such a large strong dog. It needs muzzling every time it is out.

You don’t need to muzzle your dog , although you may choose to to avoid this situation again , it just reacted to another dog harassing it
If the police do come round don’t be fobbed off with a dog on dog attack
Your dog was on its lead and under control
I’d work on the separation anxiety though that very unhealthy

I’d work on the separation anxiety though that very unhealthy

Absolutely. Poor dog.

I don't think the relationship between yourself and your dog is particularly healthy.

I have a dog who is probably slightly younger than yours (nearly 12 months) and he is an equally large breed with similar character traits, a Bullmastif. He knows me and respects me but - thankfully - he is equally trusting and tolerant of my DP, the dog walkers, my family and even strangers. As a large breed dog owner it is our responsibility for these dogs to be 100% in all situations, they can cause a lot more damage than most breeds.

I would stop feeding and messing with him and get your DH to take over all meal times. If you leave the room I'd advise you to the shut the door behind you and not allow him to follow you everywhere, give him a chew/toy if you thnk he will be stressed. He should be able to entertain himself and should not be sat for hours pining for you, that is not a happy dog.

With regards to walks I would muzzle him, you can't control other people's dogs and if your dog reacts it could be a recipe for disaster. Although my dog is brilliant with other dogs they all have a snapping point and I wouldn't allow a dog near him, off lead, barking and diving him etc, I would pull my dog out of the way and make him sit/lie down while the owner retrieves their dog. For your own dogs safety it may be best to muzzle just in case.

I bet he's a lovely dog OP and I wish you luck with him. They are hard work but so rewarding!

An off lead dog jumping up at an on lead dog while the owner of the on lead dog is completely wrong and the frenchie owners fault 100%.

My dog would warn, then snap. Socialising a young dog isn't that at all. That is just asking for your dog to be attacked.

Your dog needs to bond with your DH and learn to like other people though. Otherwise you are going to have big problems in the future.