Need to re-home my dog

[googlybeat]

Hi
Please no judgers. I do realise how nieve I've been in retrospect.
We've been looking to get a dog for a few years but wanted to wait till the children were older.
Looking on pets for homes we found a dog which needed rehoming from a private ad.
We met the dog and she appeared perfect.
Previous owner had trained her and said she was really well behaved.
When we got her home she seemed to have the usual adjustment issues. Accidents on the floor and chewing which quickly stopped.
However, she is very aggressive with other dogs. This is our first dog and I didn't want a puppy because I was concerned about my inexperience. Instead we now have an older and much bigger dog with serious behavioural issues. To be honest I'm now scared of her and am very edgy with the kids near her.
She may be a wonderful pet to someone with more experience to take her in hand but I don't have that to offer.
Tried to contact the previous owner who isn't interested and became aggressive himself. Said we knew what we were taking on.
Feel completey trapped by this situation and don't know where to go from here.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

[sobersandra]

Ive got a reactive dog and it's bloody hard work.

For all the posters calling you names - give it a rest. All this does is put people off seeking advice.

In our case we had loads more time and resources to throw at the problem but it was hard work and I'm not sure I'd do it again.

For now - safe space in the home; crate/stair gate.

Consult a qualified behaviourist.

Don't worry about going out. Think about brain games to tire her out without the stress of being around others. There are loads of things you can do as a stop gap whilst you think about how to proceed.

Please keep posting

[mustbemad17]

OP has not answered WHY she is worried about the dog at home. All we have is 'dog aggression' - unless her 'children' are in fact of the four legged kind i'm failing to make the connection? There is a HUGE difference between an aggressive dog that will snap at anything that moves, in which case no way would i advocate it being kept at home, and a dog that simply hates other dogs.

I am all for the dog being handed to a decent rescue - in this case NOT the RSPCA as OP might as well just have the dog PTS herself. But in the mean time OP has to deal with the issues to some extent...unless she plans to keep the dog locked in the house until a rescue space can be found?

[pigsDOfly]

Whether the dog is only dog aggressive or not the OP is fearful of it; it's a large powerful dog, she has children and doesn't want this dog around them.

She's bitten off more than she can chew and she needs to rehome it ASAP because she doesn't have the wherewithal to deal with the situation.

It's not ideal but from the sound of it there's no going back from that and she's trying to right the mistake she's made in the only way she can.

Arguing about who's right and who's wrong in their opinions isn't helping the OP. She needs constructive advice.

Agree the RSPCA is not the best place to go but there are plenty of other rescues and there might be one that's able to help if the OP is willing to put in the effort to find one.

[SpanielsAreNuts]

OP I would start by talking to bull mastiff rescues, as although this is a cross he will have a lot of the same issues around handling and rehoming that pure mastiffs often have. So if a bull mastiff specific rescue will take him they are probably his best option.

If this was a smaller more manageable breed and you didn't have young DC then I would have said good behaviourist, muzzle train and "watch me" technique, could all make it possible to keep this dog. But this isn't a small dog that you have the strength to hold when things do go wrong. Add to that, that you are totally inexperienced with dogs and I think keeping him is a huge no.

And I say this as someone who had to retrain my disabled brother's dog aggressive Jack Russell cross who came from a well respected local rescue who had lied about the dog (God knows how they have such a good reputation locally). As we progressed we also had my dogs to help with very careful, micromanaged socialisation. It isn't easy, even with a small dog and takes a long time to sort - my brother's dog took over a year of focused work and still isn't perfect - she likes spaniels now (that's what I have) and will happily have a quick sniff of those but is still wary and uncertain of all other dogs and only ok if they don't approach her.

[mustbemad17]

But finding a rescue will take time. Believe me, i know! Hence why OP needs to find ways to ensure the dog is still getting what she needs...otherwise the poor thing will go stir crazy & the situation will change. Rescues are full to bursting, even breed specific ones; finding one to take on a dog that is being described as aggressive won't happen overnight

[Nesssie]

finding one to take on a dog that is being described as aggressive won't happen overnight

Probably won't happen at all I'm afraid. Waiting lists can be 6 months for these types of dogs even without behavioural issues, and by then I'll bet the dogs behaviour has worsened to the point of unrehomable, or the OP has sold it on.


You have to be really committed to have a reactive dog, and now the OP is saying aggression in the house around her children? I think we all know what is going to actually going to happen to this dog, and maybe it is for the best as it doesn't sound like this is going to end well.

[mustbemad17]

Nessie that's my fear. We have gone from dog aggression to aggression around the house with no real explanation.

I don't say it often but if OP isn't willing to work with the dog in the interim the kindest - and safest - thing would be to visit the vet. The longer it goes unchecked, the longer the dog isn't exercised & worked with, the more wound up she will get. Then there really will be issues

[pigsDOfly]

Agree, mustbemad. Sometimes there's no going anywhere with an impossible situation; not good for the OP or the dog.

I think it's more a case that the OP doesn't know how to work with the dog rather not being willing to.

She clearly can't go on living in fear of this dog and I think you're right, try all the rescues she can, even the RSPCA, and then take it from there. It's very sad, but the safety of the humans involved in this must come first.