To think the advice to rehome aggressive dogs is irresponsible?

[continuallychargingmyphone]

Threads about dogs who bite are always advised to rehome but surely this is irresponsible advice?

When rehoming a dog why would people choose a dog with proven aggressive tendencies? I am genuinely asking by the way.

Surely if the dog is definitely aggressive then being PTS is the kind and responsible route.

Depends. If a dog bites because it is scared etc then a home away from what scares it could be the best.
And then there are the people who get rid of a puppy because they hadn’t figured that “mouthing” means biting. And all puppies mouthe.
A truly aggressive dog that randomly attacks with no warning? As rare as pixie dust.

It depends what you mean by no warning wolfie

I get that you are a dog lover: so am I. But I do not think it is ultimately compassionate or kind to rehome a dog that bites.

OP it doesn't sound as though you have much understanding about dog.behaviour. What is meant by aggressive is very subjective. Although it might sound strange to say it, so is what is meant by "biting". If you want to genuinely understand, why not read up on the subject?

Sorry....as though you DON'T have much understanding

Yes, I do understand there is a difference between a puppy mouthing and a dog bite. I also am not an expert and will cheerfully admit that.

But what I am talking about it dogs biting Not puppies mouthing, not accidentally catching a dogs teeth if you are say holding a toy and the dog means to bite the toy and gets your hand instead. I am talking about dogs who bite, which is why I start my post by saying that

If a dog is frightened in a household that allows a child to climb over it or pick it up? Removing that dog to a home without kids and not putting it in that situation means it won’t bite. Simplistic example.
I grew up with a dog that probably could have bitten in a different home. Never did with us but we managed his behaviour to avoid any issues.
Dogs bite for so many reasons. Pain, fear etc. It’s rarely truly aggressive or a desire to eat someone.

“It depends what you mean by no warning”

Many people are unaware of how to read dog body language. 99.9% of dogs will give numerous warnings that they are uncomfortable/fearful/ via body language/vocally before resorting to biting. This infographic by Lili Chin is cutesy but actually really informative.

I work in dog behaviour (veterinary) and I do think sometimes for some dogs the best thing is pts.
There have been some I have worked with that have not been able to be rehabilitated despite medication/behavioural therapy so what’s the alternative for these? A lifetime of being stuck in a cage is no life for any dog.

Nervous/aggressive/fearful dogs are not happy dogs and spending years in kennels waiting for the chance of a home is cruel IMO.

I agree with this OP:

“Surely if the dog is definitely aggressive then being PTS is the kind and responsible route.”

Because whilst there are people like myself who can rehome and rehabilitate dogs with behavioural issues, most dogs need to be able to cope in an average home.

If you are an expert in canine behaviour, then by all means make the call on whether or not the dog could be safely rehomed and pts if you think not.

Otherwise, why not be upfront and honest with a (good, responsible) charity and take their advice? After all, surely they should know better than the average pet owner?

All dogs have "aggressive tendencies". Every single one. Aggression is a significant part of canine communication. A dog without aggression does not exist. What varies is how and how far they need to be 'pushed' before becoming dangerous.

As wolfie says, the key is understanding the root and trigger and whether or not you are in a position to avoid and train to help the dog.

Would I take on a dog who had bitten a child, for example? Yes. If I understood what had happened, why and had support form the charity or behaviourist to help work on that. I don't have children and none of my family, friends etc do. Avoiding them while we work on it would be easy for me. It would not be easy for a family with children so I could totally understand why they might decide the dog is not right for them.

Sorry, OP I am not trying to be patronising but your comment just proved my point. Puppies mouthing is just one example of the spectrum of behaviour which dogs display with their mouth/jars.

For example, there is a difference in severity and intent between a nip to display dominance or over exuberant play, and a bite intended to do real harm. Also, the chances of the dog being safe in a different environment are vastly different.

It sounds as though you want your position affirming rather than genuine answers, which is why I am suspicious. There are lots of good books our there, why not take a look if you are genuinely interested?

It depends what you mean by aggressive.

As a child we had a dog who would snap, not bite, if she was pulled around by small children. She would take herself off out of the way and the only child who ever got snapped at had been given ample advanced warning that that dog didn’t like to be played with and would go off into her corner and sleep there so to leave her alone. Said child went into said corner, tried to pull the dog out, dog growled, child persisted,and dog snapped. Didn’t draw blood, didn’t even break the skin in fact it’s fair to say she snapped at the child iyswim.

In that case the child had had ample warning and the child was at fault. No sympathy what so ever here. And would never have considered rehoming the dog.

Similarly these parents who claim that their dog is so soft and the kids can crawl all over it etc etc etc and then claim the dog is aggressive when the kids get bitten, those dogs aren’t aggressive.

However, as a three year old I was attacked unprovoked by a mastiff who was tied on a running wire at the garage where we took the car to be repaired. He literally took one look and jumped at me with teeth bared, snarling and wanting to get at me. But for the fact he was on a chain he would have probably killed me but as it happened he knocked me out of the way. Afterwards the garage owner told us he’d been given the dog because it had bitten a little boy, and here it was, out on his forecourt. That dog should have been destroyed not rehomed.

I agree that simply rehoming dogs when they have a history of 'poor' behaviours isn't always the best answer.

We have a rescue dog who is absolutely adorable, and lovely natured. But she was rehomed because she'd bitten one of the previous owners children, yet they didn't tell us that when we agreed to take her on, so of course she bit one of our DC, suddenly the previous owners told us sob stories about how their DC were scared of her, and we had two choices; retrain her or put her down.

We trained her, and we continue training her, and the end result is that she's lovely and rarely shows any kind of anxiety or aggression. We've also involved the DC in her training to ensure that they recognise her signals and adjust their behaviour accordingly. In our case I wouldn't have risked giving her away or rehoming simply because she was so potentially volatile that our only viable option would have been to PTS had she not responded to training.