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Original poster

To keep or not to keep rescue dog?

27 replies

Apulina · 15/03/2018 06:08

Hello, desperately needing advice. We have a 6yo JRT on trial from his owner before we decide whether to take him on.

Unfortunately he has gone for several dogs - including our landlord's! We understand he is under stress, guarding his territory (2 of the dogs wandered into our garden separately) or food bowl, plus he has ripped his dewclaw and in some pain - so lots of stressors. I think he is probably defence attacking. He went for 3/4 dogs without any warning growls and chose to approach them. One was on the lead in the street and both wanted to say hello, but ours literally snapped straight at the other's face as a first greeting! One of the dogs (a very placid chap) he grabbed straight by the neck - no warning growls or snapping - and it was very upsetting.

We have been told that he is usually good with other dogs and does not rise to provocation (apparently his owner's baby poked him in the eye and he didn't react. We are planning a baby of our own and whilst we know no dog is risk free, don't want one that is high risk. Should we give him time to heal and see if he improves once he settles / heals, or are we living in false hope? Our plot is part of our landlord's estate, so difficult to prevent visiting pooches.

He is otherwise a very friendly and amenable chap, though he did get a bit growly when we told him to get off the bed. He has growled at me when I wanted to see what was hurting him, but apologised straight away.

Any advice gratefully received. We are feeling very upset at the moment. I have had dogs before and never seen such a high reactivity.

OP posts:
Original poster
Apulina · 15/03/2018 06:36

I should add that all this has happened since Saturday evening!

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 15/03/2018 06:40

He does sound incredibly stressed out

Is he on painkillers for his dew claw? That can be very painful to tear

You can't predict it's behaviour in less than a week. The poor dog has been uprooted from what it knows, placed into a home of new people and new smells, hurt itself whilst having to adapt to change.

You need at least a month to see if he will settle nicely

Veterinari · 15/03/2018 06:41

You’re right in that he’s suddenly surrounded by lots of stressors - plus suddenly has access to lots of ‘good stuff’ Which he’ll be feeling guardy about.

Can you phone the rescue - do they offer any behavioural advice?

There’s a thread in the Doghouse called ‘useful resources’ If you search for it it has lots of helpful training links that are reputable.

Was any damage done on the bites? If not it was likely fear/noise rather than a real threat. Dogs on leads can’t run away and may often snap if their fight or flight response kicks in

Ultimately though it sounds as if he'll Need a reasonable amount of work. In the meantime try and keep everything as calm as possible and reduce stimulation.

abbsisspartacus · 15/03/2018 06:43

Not keep, it doesn't sound like the right fit for him

TheBakeryQueen · 15/03/2018 06:48

I feel really sorry for the dog but I wouldn't keep him if you're planning a baby soon. Too much stress for him and I wouldn't take a risk that he might go for the baby at some point.

He needs a calm home without children.

Slumberparty · 15/03/2018 06:49

I wouldn't keep if I were you. It's a shame as he's probably a nice dog most of the time, but if he reacts badly to stress then once you have a baby he would be too unpredictable.
We had a dog with aggression issues when I was a teenager. Although he was mostly good with us, he was terrible with strangers and other dogs and was a lot of work. If we had young children in the house I don't think my parents would have kept him around for long.
Just not worth the extra hassle tbh. Poor dog, hope he finds a suitable owner tho.

Original poster
Apulina · 15/03/2018 06:55

He's come from a friend of a friend who saysbhes never acted like this before.
He's on painkillers for his dewclaw, but he's still yelped a few times.
He was on lead once when he went for other dog, rest of time off lead. Every time he went towards other dogs. I'm guessing attack as a form of defence.
With 3 of the dogs no real damage, but not sure how hurt the one he got round neck was. Seemed ok though.
With 3/4 attack was his initial contact, no build up at all!
I understand he's under stress & a 'normal' reaction under circumstances. But if his go-to under stress is fight, rather than flight then I am worried about the future. With a baby long term, and more short term him going for landlord's dog and getting us kicked out!
I've been crying my eyes out

OP posts:
MrsJoshDun · 15/03/2018 07:00

Doesn’t sound like the dog is happy here so no, it’s not the right home for him. Your friend ought to look at approaching a rescue where he can be assessed and the right home found for him.

Greyhorses · 15/03/2018 08:09

Having had a dog aggressive dog before I would never consider one again.

The constant stress of worrying if a dog is going to approach mine, walking in unsocialble hours to avoid dogs, unable to go to busy places, worrying about DS being caught up in a dog fight etc.

The dog should never be allowed off lead if it’s going to go up and attack other dogs and in my opinion should be muzzled. Even if it’s done it once it’s once too many.

Just because the dog is dog aggressive does not mean it would attack humans but any sort of aggression is a nightmare to live with.

DailyMailEatsSnails · 15/03/2018 08:13

Why are you calling him a rescue when there is no rescue involved?

He needs a firmer more confident owner, OP. Without prospect of vulnerable people in the house, too (anticipated child). Sorry. At least you tried & gave him some love when you could.

Bubble2bubble · 15/03/2018 08:18

That's incredibly tough, but the sad fact is that many people who rehome their dogs do tell lies.

I am guessing he's never been socialised, or has had a bad experience with other dogs which has caused him to behave like this. While you can work with this, it can be a lot of work to rehabilitate a dog with these issues and you may well need professional help.

Slartybartfast · 15/03/2018 08:24

So he fights rather than flights.?
If he is on lead you can restrain him from going for another dog
you can lean to read the signs to see how he behaves, which dogs he tends to like and dislike
if you dont want the hassle dont take him.

Slartybartfast · 15/03/2018 08:26

guarding is territory, you garden, his dog bowl, is totally understandable though op.

Slartybartfast · 15/03/2018 08:27

Our plot is part of our landlord's estate, so difficult to prevent visiting pooches
going to be hard to work that one out then.

Veterinari · 15/03/2018 08:36

So not a rescue then.
Why was he rehomed?

Gingefringe · 15/03/2018 08:38

We visited friends recently who had adopted a rescue dog. We were told that he was territorial and very nervous.
The whole week-end was a nightmare where we had to be very wary of the dog who barked and lunged at us aggressively. When we were on a walk he bit my husband on the arm - it made a hole in his jacket and there was some bruising but nothing worse.

My friends are trying to persevere with this dog but it's putting a massive strain on them - being constantly on the look out and they have no social life as no-one wants to visit them.
I would say a big 'no' to keeping this dog - especially if you are planning a baby.

Original poster
Apulina · 15/03/2018 08:38

His owners have got divorced, hence rehoming :(

OP posts:
GruffaIo · 15/03/2018 08:40

He doesn't sound like the right fit given he doesn't have a fenced safe space, which is probably what he'll need at the start (and maybe always). However, if it were me, I'd be worried about what would happen to him if I didn't take him. What will the owners do? The fact that his injury doesn't seem properly treated would worry me.

Our dog-aggressive rescue (stray for 4+years) took more than a year's work to get to the stage where he's not unpredictably aggressive. But he's muzzled and on the leash in public, now mainly for his protection (ie. in case anything were to happen, I couldn't live with myself if he hurt another dog and there were consequences for our dog). Muzzling also helps you relax as you know that the dog can't do any damage, so the dog is in turn less likely to pick up on any fear from you and less likely to be aggressive.

Original poster
Apulina · 15/03/2018 08:40

He has lived with other dogs before & from what I've been told this is all completely out of character. But then I know all dogs have fight or flight under stress. That his go-to is fight is the worry.

OP posts:
MsHomeSlice · 15/03/2018 08:47

I wouldn't believe a word she says tbh, it's totally in her interest to move this dog on and salve her own conscience

Only you know how adept you are at reading this dog and how much time you have to invest in rehabilitating him, but I'd be extremely wary with a baby on the scene.

GruffaIo · 15/03/2018 08:55

Just to add, our dog-aggressive dog loves our other dog. That's why we took him.

All rescue dogs have issues and we needed a companion for our other dog (our oldest has passed away and our second dog has medical issues that mean the stress of losing her friend would have severely impacted on her life expectancy, so we visited rescue centres looking for a friend; our dog-aggressive dog was 'dog friendly' according to the rescue centre, but, just like with your owner, I've learned to take what they say with a pinch of salt).

I wouldn't believe what the owner says. Instead, you need to independently decide if you have the time, energy, and home set-up to work with a dog with known and unknown issues no matter how long they take to resolve or become easier to manage.

TheDogHasEatenIt · 15/03/2018 09:12

I wouldn't take him on. I've had a dog aggressive dog, and whilst I managed him before I had children, it was a whole lot more difficult afterwards. In fact, loved him though i did, life was much easier without him. Also, the fact that he has growled at you, rings warning bells if you are considering having children in the future. There are lots of nice, problem free dogs out there, do not rush into getting a problem one, just because he's there.

Ginger1982 · 15/03/2018 09:44

I have a JRT who is 2.5 and has similar issues. If he loves you, he loves you and he adores being out with his doggy daycare friends and running about crazy on a trailing lead. However he will chase joggers and bikes and if he meets other dogs on leash in our estate he will growl and snap, so o tend to not let him approach other dogs. He will also run the fence at our house and bark at neighbours in the garden, the post man, window cleaner etc. Friends can't easily come to our house when he is there as he can't be in the room with them and needs to be crated where he will bark. He can also growl if you try to move him off the couch. We believe his issues with dogs and people is a fear thing whereas the couch is just guarding.

I also have DS who is nearly 1 and while they seem to have a good relationship so far I am under no illusions that I will need to keep a very close eye on both of them, particularly once DS is crawling and walking.

It is stressful but I am managing it. I love him and will never get rid of him unless something very bad happens. If I were you, having seen these issues before you commit, I wouldn't do it.

Hoppinggreen · 15/03/2018 11:33

Are you going to believe the person who desperately wants you to rehome this dog or what you have actually seen?
Sounds like you aren’t a good fit for the dog and vice versa, especially if a baby is going to be added into the mix

MrsJoshDun · 15/03/2018 15:02

I wouldn’t believe for one minute that this dog has never shown any dog aggression before. I could maybe believe it if it was just in the house if he felt threatened in an a closed space with strange dogs.....but out on a walk like that.....nope, don’t believe it.

So if owner is lying about that what else are they lying about?