"If she was out of the way, ie in a locked room. That would work but how would it help her in the long term, getting used to visitors and children? I would hope to integrate her eventually."
Honestly, I don't know, I'm not an expert, unfortunately (I'd save myself a fortune if I was, lol) - but it would take the pressure off a bit was all I was thinking.
My dog should be perfect, I've always owned dogs, usually rescues with issues that we've managed to resolve, I got a puppy from a breeder with children who'd socialized the puppies well, we picked a puppy that both me and the breeder agreed would be a good fit.
I carried him everywhere until he'd had his injections, he went to puppy parties, puppy training classes, adult training classes, classes with a behaviourist when he first started having what seemed like fairly trainable adolescent issues...
He developed elbow dysplasia at 4 months old, and was pretty much on house rest until he was 8 months old, so he was a bit dog obsessed and a bit excitable, but we did clicker training and scent games throughout that period, made sure he saw visitors and had controlled meetings with other dogs.
Feeling that he just wasn't getting better I signed him up for the behaviourist's classes and 3 sessions in he suddenly turned on her, no warning, no provocation...I was referred to a specialist vet, by the time he saw her he'd done it to two other people (he was muzzled a few days after the first incident) he was trying to attack dogs on sight and reacting aggressively to passing cars.
It seems there's something wrong with his back, he gets shooting pains and reacts to what he thinks is causing it, painkillers have helped a bit, but a combination of taking a while to get the right combination and dosage of painkillers and him learning that certain things cause pain means that training is very very slow.
So I have a lovely affectionate dog who knows about 25 commands, including things like empty the washing machine who I have to shut away from visitors, keep away from people on walks and reacts like a rabid tazmanian devil to other dogs and cars, who's always on lead and muzzled.
It's not what I wanted at all...in fact some days it's just horrible. But, the alternative is to have him put to sleep. (he's a Rottweiller with complicated health issues and a behavioural problem, even if I could find somebody willing to take him, I couldn't with all conscience pass him on)
I hope that one day he will make significant progress, but, in the meantime I've had to work out if he's manageable as he is...so he's muzzled and on lead unless he's either in a secure space or I drive (literally) to the middle of nowhere to walk him, he's kept away from anyone he doesn't know extremely well and I'm trying to sort out the shed and attach a run so that he can be out there if people are here so that I can do things like let my DD have friends in.
That's all very long and you probably didn't need to know half of it - but I just wanted to say, yep, it's rubbish and it could be worse, you could have my dog, rofl