HONDA PILOT .ORG Archive - Considering getting rid of my dog

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Considering getting rid of my dog - Click HERE for Original Thread

tfrain

Well, I may have to get rid of our dog. Our dog is a lab mix named Dixie. She is about 6 years old and has been a really wonderful dog. She is very sweet, very smart, very fat, and a good dog for keeping my wife and child safe. Our son is about 1 year old and she has not even acted like she would ever bite him, has not growled, barked, or even looked at him mean, even though he has pulled her ears, played her like a drum, poked her in the eye, etc. You can never trust any animal, but we have sat with both of them and let him harass her within reason just to judge her reaction and she has been great with him.

The problem is with other kids. We have always been leery of her with other children. We got her from my wife's grandmother. She was the dog of her neighbors, and their kids would beat up on the dog, kick her, leave her outside with no doghouse, etc. - just generally being little bastards to the dog. She would feed her and love on her as they just let her roam around wherever. She saw one of the kids kick the dog, and she told him not to kick the dog and he said "it's my dog and I'll kick it if I want to" - well that was it so she dognapped it the next time she fed it and brought it too us. She was just a little 6 months old puppy at the time and we have had her ever since.

I feel that she is either protective or just doesn't like kids because of what was done to her earlier in her life. We have to put her out when kids come over and she just looks through the door. When my son walks up to the door, she doesn't do anything. When another child walks up to the door and, for instance, points with their finger on the glass - she raises her jowls and bites at their finger - it is very uncharacteristic of her nature. In the past, she has also nibbled on this one little girl that came to visit - sorta bit at her cheek - didn't really get any "meat" but still. I am the only one that saw it, but it bothered me a lot.

I just don't know what to do with the dog. I don't want to have her put down because she has never actually done anything to anybody, and if it is just us, she is great. She is not food aggressive - I can put my hand in her bowl and everything, no problem. I guess I could give her to my uncle down at my family land in Alabama, but those farm dogs always have a limited lifespan due to getting hit by cars, snakebites, etc. I guess I could go through one of my local animal groups to find a home for her that doesn't have children or something.

Any suggestions or anybody that has gone through something similiar, please chime in.

Tom

5Gs

it sounds like the best option for the dog is for it to stay with you. is it a problem to put the dog out everytime other kids visit? or are you worried about liability issues?

dustino8

When I was a kid, my parents took an old english sheepdog from another owner. The owner wanted to give the dog away to someone on an acreage because the kids in town would tease the dog through the fence. It was a great dog to our family, and never bit anyone or showed any aggression until we had him for about 5 years. That's when my parents were getting some work done on their house, and the one of the contractor's kids was there. Witnesses said the kid was teasing the dog, and it bit him in the face. My parents put the dog down to avoid any future encounters.

Your in a tough situation. If its not too much trouble to keep the dog away from other kids, you may want to keep it because it is such a great family dog. However, if you want to remove all risk, you may need to find it a new home.

I feel for you. We've got a one year old and a yellow lab at home. She is great with our boy and all other kids. It would be tough if it was the same situation as yours.

There are a lot of dogs out there who don't act favoribly towards kids. There have been a couple instances where the in-laws dogs have either growled or took a nip at our kid. These dogs were previously thought to be harmless. You definately have to keep a close eye on your little one when there are dogs around, no matter whose they are.

BCinTX

That's a viable solution when kids are young and always supervised, but when his gets older he will have friends over with less supervision it sounds like an opportunity for problems. If the dog nips another kid, it's a possible liability issue. If it bites a kid, that's a whole lot worse all around. There's the lawsuit aspect, plus he'll feel terrible if the kid is really hurt. And he'd almost certainly have to put it down then.

I'd check around for any dog rescue agencies in your area, or even your shelter. You can specify that the dog should not be with kids. You have some time to find the right place while your child is young. It seems like you could even monitor the shelter so that if the dog does not get adopted in time you could get him back and try other alternatives, like the farm.

Maybe there's something an obedience school could do, but it sounds like the dog's behavior is pretty ingrained.

stmc378

You're definitely tugging at my heartstrings here. I'm such a sucker for dogs, my favorite saying is
"The more people I meet, the more I like my dogs"

It seems like at heart you do want to keep the dog. I don't know if you've ever heard of or seen the Dog Whisperer, it's a show on National Geographic with a guy named Ceaser Milan. Amazing show, amazing guy, anyways the point is I can remember seeing at least 2 or three episodes that had very similar problems to the one you described. Pick up the first season on DVD from best buy, or amazon, or even blockbuster if you're lucky enough to find it there to rent. Look at the episode summaries and check out what he does with the cases similar to yours. I'm not sure where you live, but you could even try to contact the show through nationalgeographic.com and see if he'll come to see you and help with your problem, you never know.

Good luck

-S-

e2e

I'm a dog behavioral therapist with a large, nationwide organization, and have dealt with many situations similar to yours.

Based on the information you provided, I would say that you are essentially correct in your diagnosis. Dogs are very impressionable as puppies, and because of the abuse she suffered in the original household, it appears that your dog has developed a mistrust of children. To her, they are threats.

Dogs are pack animals -- your family comprises the rest of the pack -- and most behavioral issues can be traced back to the adults in the pack displaying insufficient, incorrect, or inconsistent leadership in the eyes of the dog. The dog then "takes over" in certain situations and behaves as it believes is appropriate under the circumstances. Once the owners' leadership is properly established, however, the owner is now in a position to communicate with the dog as to what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior in any number of situations, including those you are experiencing. Because the dog now regards the adults as the pack leaders, the dog is much more responsive to that guidance and these turnarounds can often be quite dramatic. We often first get called when the dog is one step away from being handed over to a rescue organization, and it's very gratifying when we can keep the pack intact.

You'll find this general "leadership" philosophy in Cesar Milan's materials. I would caution you, however, that he uses physical corrections as part of his technique, which is something we don't endorse. Whether he mentions that in his books & tapes or not, I'm not sure -- but he definitely employs these techniques off camera before he appears on TV. The American Humane Association has even petitioned National Geographic to stop airing his show.

I don't want to take advantage of this situation to plug our company, so if you are interested in more information, please send me a private email and I can steer you the right direction.

larryziegler

quote:
Originally posted by tfrain
Well, I may have to get rid of our dog. Our dog is a lab mix named Dixie. She is about 6 years old and has been a really wonderful dog. She is very sweet, very smart, very fat, and a good dog for keeping my wife and child safe. Our son is about 1 year old and she has not even acted like she would ever bite him, has not growled, barked, or even looked at him mean, even though he has pulled her ears, played her like a drum, poked her in the eye, etc. You can never trust any animal, but we have sat with both of them and let him harass her within reason just to judge her reaction and she has been great with him.

The problem is with other kids. We have always been leery of her with other children. We got her from my wife's grandmother. She was the dog of her neighbors, and their kids would beat up on the dog, kick her, leave her outside with no doghouse, etc. - just generally being little bastards to the dog. She would feed her and love on her as they just let her roam around wherever. She saw one of the kids kick the dog, and she told him not to kick the dog and he said "it's my dog and I'll kick it if I want to" - well that was it so she dognapped it the next time she fed it and brought it too us. She was just a little 6 months old puppy at the time and we have had her ever since.

I feel that she is either protective or just doesn't like kids because of what was done to her earlier in her life. We have to put her out when kids come over and she just looks through the door. When my son walks up to the door, she doesn't do anything. When another child walks up to the door and, for instance, points with their finger on the glass - she raises her jowls and bites at their finger - it is very uncharacteristic of her nature. In the past, she has also nibbled on this one little girl that came to visit - sorta bit at her cheek - didn't really get any "meat" but still. I am the only one that saw it, but it bothered me a lot.

I just don't know what to do with the dog. I don't want to have her put down because she has never actually done anything to anybody, and if it is just us, she is great. She is not food aggressive - I can put my hand in her bowl and everything, no problem. I guess I could give her to my uncle down at my family land in Alabama, but those farm dogs always have a limited lifespan due to getting hit by cars, snakebites, etc. I guess I could go through one of my local animal groups to find a home for her that doesn't have children or something.

Any suggestions or anybody that has gone through something similiar, please chime in.

Tom

We had a different issue with a lab/pointer mix puppy. She had so much energy, that even after a 4 mile bike ride with her running alongside, she was ready for more. A normal backyard was just too small for Shadow, as she barked quite a bit, which angered our neighbors. We found an older couple who lived on 25 acres outside of town and gave Shadow to them. I would suggest you seek out an older couple that your dog would be perfect for. There is no need to put a good dog like this down, just need to find the appropriate home for her.

JimB823

I'm an animal lover too and I'm sorry but I just don't like the sound of "he has pulled her ears, played her like a drum, poked her in the eye, etc. You can never trust any animal, but we have sat with both of them and let him harass her within reason just to judge her reaction"