How to deal with aggression and when to let go

[Jax08]

Here you go Andy. Your own words were just fine.

Originally Posted by Hunter Jack

As a general topic about what do we do with dogs who have issues, (medical temperament, aggression) etc...maybe we could all learn something. The thread is very informative but the subject has gone beyond the OP's dog.

A lot of people can't take care of aggressive dogs so what do they do with them?

As I said before in my case I will not have another dog who bites.

Someone else mentioned children. I would kill if necessary to protect my children. Large powerful dogs have injured, maimed, and killed children. So this subject is a very serious one.

[PaddyD]

What are you saying here?

[Jax08]

I'll start...


I live with two boxers. One is people aggressive and the other is dog aggressive. For Banshee, kids were fine. She loves kids. If she knew you before her littermate died, then you were fine. Anyone after was fair game. The mailman will not come to our door because she charges the door with her hackles raised behaving like Cujo.

Nobody..and I mean NOBODY is allowed in our house unless we have her contained. Even outside family are not allowed in the house until the dog is contained. The only people that can come thru that door is me, DH, DD, DS and DS's best friend who as far as Banshee is concerned is one of us. And he shocked the **** out of me when he came through the door one day and she didn't make a peep. When people are inside, we do not let her approach the people. The people can toss her treats from across the room but they are not allowed within touching distance. Even though she never bothered a kid, she was still not allowed free rein around them.

This is management...pure and simple...and it is tiring. You have to be on your game 100% every second. Would we do it again? Absolutely. But we also were very diligent about her aggression. If you are to take your dog out on a leash, then you need to identify him as a dog not to be approached somehow. You need to be watching every second for a child who might decide petting him is the best thing in the world to do at that moment. Otherwise, put up a 6' fence around your yard, clearly marked and let him get his exercise that way. But the word CONTAINMENT is the key word here.

ON the topic of dog to dog aggression, it's very simple. You do not bring more dogs into your household. I read stories of dogs being surrendered or euthanized because they are dog aggressive towards the "new" dogs. My opinion is last in, first out and any outcome that involves euthanizing the dog that was there first for dog aggression is 100% the owners fault. Sierra is truly dog aggressive towards strange dogs. For the most part, she is fine with Banshee and Jax. She's been with Banshee since she was a baby so there is a strong bond there. We got Jax when she was a baby so Sierra was here as she was growing up. Those two do have their issues and are not left alone together. For the most part, Sierra will start the fight over who knows what.

As far as bringing her around strange dogs, again the key words are management and containment. She never makes a sound before she strikes. There is no warning other than the tenseness of her body. We can't control other people or loose dogs but we can protect our dogs. I don't take her places where there will be loose dogs. We can go to the local pet store, no loose dogs. In our yard, go for rides. You find things your dog can enjoy that will limit the exposure they have to what can get them into big trouble.

[Jack's Dad]

Thanks Jax08.

I'll start with my own situation from the other thread
The rescue dog that we got some years ago turned out to have major aggression issues and bit a friend of my son's within the first week we had him

We wound up keeping him and spent a lot of time and money to no avail.
Once we had kept the dog for awhile and the behaviorists didn't work out. I realized that in my mind there were two options PTS or try to lie to someone and push the problem down the road.

Well I couldn't do the lying so we kept him. It was miserable with worry and probably not to great for him.

The part I did'nt reveal in the other thread is that someone did leave the gate open and he got out. We don't know what happened to him. I then worried about that. Did he get hit? Did he bite someone? We checked the shelters etc.. but do not know what happened to him.

So what are the ideas about what should be done in these cases.

[Jax08]

As far as my opinion on when you let go...

It is wrong to rehome an aggressive dog unless it's to a trainer that can handle the dog. You can NOT pass your problems off on another unsuspecting person. It's wrong to surrender the dog to a shelter. Your dog will never make it to a cage with a bite history. He will die frantic and confused in a back room with strangers. It's far kinder to take him to a vet and make his last moments calm, surrounded by people that love him.

When to let go? I guess that is up to the individual, living arrangements and ability to contain the dog. If one of our dogs bit someone with the intent of doing serious damage then yes, I would euthanize her. There is a line where we no longer have control and containment is not an option. There is a time when the kindest thing we can do for our dogs, that we have chosen to care for, is to release them from their demons and anxiety.

[LaRen616]

When your dog has bitten multiple innocent people with the intent to do serious damage/harm, then it is time to let them go for the safety of others.

[Jax08]

Andy, there was always a fear of Banshee dashing out the door in front of us. When we opened the door, we always had her collar. We don't have a fenced yard so the dogs are let out to do their business on a tie out. Jax is the only dog that is allowed out without being on a lead/long line but she has an e-collar on and I am always with her.

I'm sorry that happened to you. Not knowing what happened is often the worse part of a situation.

[Jack's Dad]

Originally Posted by LaRen616

When your dog has bitten multiple innocent people with the intent to do serious damage/harm, then it is time to let them go for the safety of others.

If the people are innocent then one bite is it for me.

[Jack's Dad]

A human being can not go over to their neighbors and get to beat them up several times before anything is done about it. A dog is our responsibility and should never get several bites.

[DharmasMom]

For me it depends ENTIRELY on the situation surrounding the bite and the seriousness of the bite. My mother got bit on the bottom lip by my late great aunts chi mix. My mom had her face in the dog's face at the time. It was my mom's fault and I told her that. She required 3 stitches. My cousin (an adult) got bit same spot by the same dog doing the EXACT same thing 3 weeks later. Even after my aunt told her NOT to stick her face in the dog's face, my cousin did it, got bit and got stitches.

I would not advocate putting that dog to sleep. Both my mom and my cousin were wrong. They should not have violated the dog's personal space- esp my stupid cousin who already knew that my mother had been bit.

Despite what people think, not all dog bites are created equal. And it is not always a black/white situation.