Dog bit Delivery guy..should I adopt? Advise needed

[Roxy'ssibling]

Hi--I am a female..live with my husband and have children who are away in college and visit...we have a small 1 yr old playful terrier mix.

My husband works in the travel biz and is gone most of the month..but home consequtive 12 days.

I am home always...as I work from home --so I really never leave the house much.

We have a cat that comes and goes.

Fenced yard. pool yard area small though..not enough to really run in.
SO would need to walk.

I found a dog that is 8 yrs old..but the man just disclosed that the dog bit a delivery man. The dog is supposed to be a former "police k9" but he owner said "he doesnt know who is a threat and who is not" when at door and suggested I put him away or leash him when someone comes to the door..but if I invite them in..he will know they are ok?

What should I do? We can hire someone to help evaluate and retrain if neccessary--but I am not sure how a police k9 would bite unprovoked like that..so I am confused.

We want an older - calmer dog..one that will be ok with small dogs and cat but that still protective as I am home alone a lot..and feel less secure.

This dog is beautiful and he says very loving..what do you recommend..why would he bite like that? Is 8 years too old to be re-trained? Is he too old for a young dog companion?

Please help!

[N Smith]

What is your skill level in handling a dog like this? Do you have any ScH clubs in your area, that you could call and ask one of the experienced handlers, helpers, training directors, if you could pay them to assess the dog for you?

Remember, any dog trained in bitework is a liability(In the eyes of the law). Most well bred, strong nerved protection dogs are not going to bite unprovoked, plus their handlers have usually spent a lot of time training them and teaching the dogs that the HANDLERS control what, when, how and who they bite. Are you ready to take this on?

This does not mean he can't be a great pet, but will require constant vigilance and precise handling. I am assuming he is a German Shepherd, has he been around small animals before? Again, proper handling and A LOT of training can control prey drive, but it may never take it away fully and you may have to crate and rotate dogs, and keep the cat completely seperate. Can you see yourself living like this?

These are a lot of things to consider, and possibly a retired breeding dog, who the breeder can tell you more about, or retired sport dog, might be a better fit.

[Roxy'ssibling]

Yes, he is a pure GSD. To answer your questions honestly..I am not sure I have any "skill level".

The dog was around small dogs -and a young dog at his owners parents and was fine..ignore them. So I would hope the rotation wouldnt be neccessary.

I would have to hire a expert up in the area..and have them meet me at owners house I guess.

[kiya]

Why is the dog being rehomed? Was the bite recently? Has he met your other pets?
Are you afraid of this dog or do you feel comfortable handling him?

[Roxy'ssibling]

The bite was recent and yes, that is why he is being rehomed..animal control will take dog if another bite occurs he seemed to suggest. He lives 4 hours away from me.

I have not met the dog..I could not hold him back if he was lunging..(my husband could of course..but he is not home a lot) I was interested in this dog as it was trained and thought I would not need to over power him...to stop him from attacking someone (

[sashadog]

As NSmith mentioned, this is your opportunity to be completely and totally honest with yourself before you commit to a potentially "high maintenance" dog. Hire the trainer to do an eval, meet with the dog and owner, and then be 100% honest with yourself about whether you are prepared to possibly have to commit hours a day managing and training this dog. Not that this will be the reality but it's possible. If you aren't ready to take this on, don't adopt this dog.

[Roxy'ssibling]

I am not sure what you mean by managing? Do you mean to keep him away from others? I have plenty of time to train him, but I need to know if a 8 year old dog..who is biting delivery men..is going to be with some certainty "trainable"..because, no I do not want to have to hide him (manage?)every time someone comes to the door

[fuzzybunny]

Honestly, I would walk away from this dog. There are plenty or rescue dogs that don't have a bite history so why would you get a dog that bit someone when you readily admit you don't have a lot of skill level in dealing with it? JMO.

[Holmeshx2]

So these are just my opinions so take them for what you'd like. One thing I see WAY too much with GSD's is people claiming they are police dogs or come from police dogs which drives me nuts. We have someone all the time here claiming the pups they are selling are from 2 active police dogs and he constantly has pups there is no way a police unit is constantly going to have a dog out for being pregnant and whelping. Pretty sure people feel like it "adds the the dog" to say it was a police dog and most people blindly follow it since in the general publics mind a GSD is naturally a police dog.

I personally would not believe the dog is a police dog and would not take this guy's word for anything. If you have no experience I would not take on a bite case even with experience I still wouldn't take on a bite case especially since it feels like this guy is doing half truths if he admits the dog has bitten once and now trying to get rid of him before animal control steps in tells me something. Also, in rescue you see stupid reasons all the time for someone giving their dog up and they try to make the dog out to be great the whole (can't tell good guy from bad guy) tells me the dog hasn't been socialized and just goes after everyone on it's own whim which is a liability for anyone especially you. If you are home by yourself and this dog turns on you how are you going to protect yourself? Honestly, it sounds like a lot to take on especially for an 8 year old. Can you train an 8 year old... quite likely, but the amount of work and money in trainers when you already know it's a problem dog only to have a few years just seems unfair. My personal recommendation since you want an adult would be to either go to a reputable breeder for a dog they held back to grow out some to get a young adult or a retired breeder for an even older dog. If you would rather have one sooner then I would go with a reputable rescue that has a dog that has been tested in everything you want older, pretty trained also, good for a green handler, stable around cats and small dogs (prey drive is hard to deal with when you have smaller animals so having one that has already lived with and gets along with the cat is lovely and will make your life easier)

[Roxy'ssibling]

yeah..thank you for your opinion. There are not "plenty of rescue dogs" that I can find..I have written to so many..pure GSD adults and have either gotten no reply--he dog is adopted or they feel they don't match (ie my small dog, cat ?)

The ones being adopted via owners..they go in 1 day

Originally Posted by fuzzyb

unny;2352210

Honestly, I would walk away from this dog. There are plenty or rescue dogs that don't have a bite history so why would you get a dog that bit someone when you readily admit you don't have a lot of skill level in dealing with it? JMO.