To get rid of the dog

[BananaLeafs]

So here goes..my first post and I am open to hearing if I'm being unreasonable.

Around 6 months ago I got a reactive rescue dog, she wasn't from a rescue center but from a home where she was mistreated. She doesn't listen at all, she knows her name and will only respond if I offer her human food. She is dog and people aggressive, lunges and barks on lead, cannot be near anything, guards her crate and toys and food, very viciously, even guarding the hallway.

She will also lunge at you if you have something she wants eg food or plastic bottles. She has been spayed and I have had a dog trainer which hasn't helped. I am exhausted I just want to cry, she even barks at neighbours and lunges.

She is not the dog I thought I was helping, I knew she had a few issues but nothing like this. She has put her ears back and attempted to bite when we go anywhere near her things, she destroys blankets and beds and growls if you pick her up.

She will not let me answer the door or even leave the house,its like I'm a prisoner in my own home. I cannot go anywhere and have to take her everywhere I go or she barks until I come back.

I don't know what to do anymore I have tried so many things and leads and harnesses, she destroys everything including my social life and confidence to go out. She drags me about on walks too

I cannot take her to a rescue center as they will not take her, this is why I took her in or she would be euthanized or bred in a puppy farm. It's not getting any better.

I suffer from depression and wanted a dog to get me out more so I wanted to help a dog rather than buy a puppy so we could both be helped in one way or another.

I want to cry all the time as I don't know what to do anymore.

I don't know what I want for sharing this, I just need to let it out somewhere thank you for reading x

Given the breed I would try a large rescue eg. Dog's Trust/ Battersea. You shouldn't feel guilty at all though. You've saved her life.

@girlmom21 is absolutely right.

Dogs trust never put a healthy dog down.

I am always pretty horrified by the number of people on these threads who go straight to ‘put to sleep!’. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT TRYING ABSOLUTELY EVERY ALTERNATIVE.

I think it is deeply wrong to jump to that solution on the basis of a single post you’ve read and (with respect OP) what sounds like a situation in which the owner has taken on a dog with very significant needs, who really shouldn’t have been given to someone who was just looking for company and didn’t have significant experience with difficult dogs. I’m sure you’re doing your best but you may be struggling to do the ‘right’ things which could be exacerbating your dog’s behaviour, and it is really unfair and wrong that the dog should have to die because irresponsible humans have passed them around. It’s not a great idea to rehome dogs from private homes as an inexperienced owner for this reason.

I speak as someone who was also given (but from a charity) a dog who had more significant issues than we were told. Honestly, he significantly restricts our life but he is getting better over time, we love him, and a lot of training/support has addressed some of the more serious issues (including guarding behaviours).

Please contact dogstrust:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/giving-up-your-dog/what-next

This! It’s not ok to take a life because they are just being a dog reacting normally in dog terms to human mistreatment particularly when she hasn’t even bitten. If you don’t have it in you to work on her, there are people who will. She deserves a chance to live. There is nothing more rewarding than turning a life around!

signed the owner of a rehabilitated traumatised dog.

🙏 This

Lhasa apsos are originally guard dogs so that instinct will be high. Southend dog training is a good place to start - an affordable online training platform. It will take a lot of time and effort but if you’re up for the challenge then it’s possible!

You need to find an animal shelter that will take her.

It is ludicrous to suggest not a single one will.

I really don't understand why we keep having these threads about people who take on animals without thinking of the long term issues and potential problems and then just decide ''oh well, I will just them put them to sleep''.

If you struggle with a health condition yourself you should never have taken a dog with behavioural issues to start with.

I also don't get what you mean by ''puppy farm''. No respectable shelter would send a dog to a puppy farm.

Have you tried a home trainer? Or at least an assessment?

Someone always pops up to suggest these people on threads like this
Since the owner of that company is known to frequent this section of MN it might make some people suspicious

Have you ever had a dog before @BananaLeafs ? If not then you chose the absolutely hardest option of dog ownership there is, you took a dog that someone didn't want for a variety of reasons, someone who probably lied or downplayed any issues, to get you to take the dog.
Taking an adult dog as opposed to a puppy is to be applauded, its the option I prefer for a variety of reasons, but can I ask why you didn't go through a reputable rescue to do this ? A place that would have matched what you had to offer with a suitable dog ? I know hindsight is a marvellous thing, but there is a reason they probably wouldn't have matched you with the floofy hell hound you currently live with !

When you say a dog trainer do you mean a behaviourist or actually a trainer - because a behaviourist is what you need.

I don’t believe rescues not taking her, many do take traumatised dogs and work with them.

I don’t think pts is at all appropriate given her age. People shouldn’t take on traumatised animals dogs to improve their own life but to improve the animals.

If you go away from main stream rescues then you will find many smaller ones who take any dog in no matter what the problem is and will not euthanise any dog. One rescue that might help is ‘all dogs matter’ - we went there and we adopted a lovely but ‘difficult’ dog! I agree it wears you out. I have had dogs before who were so easy going.

i had a horrifically reactive dog a long long time ago. We put the dog down in the end and it was not an old dog by any stretch. Unhappy in life, reactive, bitten, behaviourists and vets involved. It was the vet who said to me there are fates worse than death and advised euthanasia.

I stand by my decision. as hard as it was. I do not agree with palming dogs who are thoroughly miserable off onto a rescue.

Agree here.
She’s not a happy dog, If she came from overseas initially,a lot have severe behavioural issues according to our vet who was seeing s lot over lockdown.

Owning a dog should be fun and rewarding, sounds like you were lied to by the people who you got her from ,@BananaLeafs

Bad genetics, poor early socialisation, all can impact on how a dog is.

I’d personally hand the dog over to a rescue- If they deem her untrainable and genuinely aggressive, she will be euthanised, but they at least will try.

They’ve got 700,000 followers on facebook but you think I must be the owner 😂😂

I just follow them and have seen them work with reactive dogs, just passing on a suggestion.

Edit@BananaLeafs If she attacks a human, you will definitely be liable, and could end up in court .It’s a very likely scenario from what you have said, sadly.

Which supplements if any, have you tried for the dog?

I've met a few reactive dogs. My last dog before I got the one I have now, was special needs.

First of all, if you can afford to please get one of these:

www.thundershirt.co.uk/

Secondly, if you haven't already tried it:

NutriPaw Calming Treats For Dogs - Stress, Fear, Separation Anxiety, Barking, Hyperactivity, Reactivity - Perfect for Small, Medium and Large Dogs - 1,000+ 5* Website Reviews amzn.eu/d/67d1FXs

OP if you want to keep trying then you need a behavior counsellor, not a trainer. They will get to the root of the problem and work from there. Go to the APBC to find someone. You will need a veterinary referral to rule out physical issues.

If you feel you have reached the end of the line then pts is a legitimate option. A dog like that will be very difficult to rehome. If PTS then it is not suffering.

Reactive dogs are hard to live with. I have a reactive rescue and even with the benefit of experience and knowledge about behaviour it can be exhausting at times. Progress can be 2 steps forward one step back. I don't think the TV shows that show quick fixes really help. They make it look easy and reality is not like that.

The issue with online training platforms is that the dog just being assessed before training starts to ensure the best approach/method is used. When I have used a behaviourist they come and meet you, the dog, view the home, talk through the issue and observe behaviour and body language. Dogs communicate so much by body language, so it's important the behaviourist meets them. Only then is advice given that is tailored specifically to your dog.

As for TV programme trainers, remember you are watching a heavily edited and scripted (in places) show designed for entertainment!

Spot on!
As first time ( Potential) dog owners, RSPCA matched my son and I with a very poorly Lurcher puppy- She had been left behind when Travellers had moved on.
She was like a little skeleton, but what a great match!
She was a soulmate.
Forever grateful to the manageress for matching us.
The mainstream rescues tend to be pretty good at matching- I went in wanting a large adult male Greyhound and was matched with a small 12 week old female puppy who grew into a sweet natured adult.
Leave the choosing to the staff- they are pretty savvy.

The issue with online training platforms is that the dog is not being assessed before training starts to ensure the best approach/method is used.

My dog wasn't reactive but as a rescue ex street dog had a lot of bad behaviour.
Rob was super helpful for us (he works full time at Battersea) and can do remote training and behaviour if you get in touch.
www.hereboydogtraining.co.uk/blank-page

I really feel like you need some more help from an expert, whilst you're clearly doing your utmost, there are people like Rob who look into all behaviours.

Try Doris banham dog rescue - they help in situations like yours where other rescues will not help!

Sounds like she is very dominant?
You absolutely should be the guardian of your home.
You, the human, says who can come in and go out, It sounds like you might be afraid of her?

She will absolutely pick up on this.

Dogs like to feel “ Safe” as in , that their human is in charge, all they need to do is relax and be a dog.

My current dog loves adult son, follows him about like a little lamb, as he is boundaried but loving.
He once said when current dog was going through a teen phase
” I’m not being bossed by someone who has been on this planet six months!”
That calm inner energy dogs seem to like.
They pick up fear and indecision so easily ( as do horses)

That calm inner energy dogs seem to like.
They pick up fear and indecision so easily ( as do horses)

Mine just like me because they know the wolves will eat me first, and my horse liked me because he was paddock ornament and I knew the exact spot that made his lip droop
Seriously though OP, you have a little dog who is known as a breed to be very intelligent and feisty/guardy and is at the peak of teenage angst and has had a traumatic past, she ticks so many 'dog not to rehome' boxes !
That doesn't mean that little Miss Sasspants ( slayer of blankets and all dog related soft furnishings ) can't be a great dog with the right input, she just needs you to decide sooner rather than later whether you are able to provide that input ?

These are typical breed traits for llasos. She also needs to be checked for pain as a lot of her behaviours sound pain based.