At wits' end. Rehome or pts?

kerilli

kerilli

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I have a 2 yr old patterdale x ? (prob foxhound!) bitch who is, frankly, driving me crackers. she attacks my other dogs (the other day she attacked my oldest JRT savagely, a dear old girl who is not aggressive at all, mum picked the old dog up for some reason to put her on her bed and younger one went schizo), my other pets - ducks, chickens (none of my other dogs even look at them) and is generally dominant. never aggressive to me but growled at my aunt the other day...
i've never had a dog be aggressive like this... but my ex used to encourage her to play aggressively which i said every time was the last thing she needed... :( :( :(
she's a lovely looking bitch, looks like a miniature foxhound tbh. i think she needs to go to a home with no other dogs or just 1 bigger dog. or would a hunt want a mini mascot that could go all day?!
the trouble is she's in season at the moment so i can't have her spayed (was just about to but got my dates mixed up, she came into season earlier than i expected her to) and am v reluctant to rehome her unspayed for obv reasons...
the choices are: pts.
keep her in a stable for the next few months then spay, then try to rehome.
help/advice please.
 
I have a friend who had a Patterdale. He was vicious to other dogs and regularly killed cats and any other small animal he got hold of. He could not go out without a muzzle. She made the decision to have him pts. Some animals are just not destined to be in a home. Be brave and make the right decision.
 
I'd spay, then try to get a five star home (direct from yours) with the stipulations you mentioned, only dog, not other animals, and a very strict return clause if things go wrong, or PTS - but I think you know this already x
 
Have you had any professional advice on this? Might be worth seeking out a behaviourist that specialises in this kind of thing.

We have two Patterdales at work, and they are both great little dogs.
 
Ive known 4 Patterdales, 2 were actually crosses and 2 were the sweetest dogs you could hope to meet and the other 2 were nasty pieces of work.

1 of the crosses was spoilt rotten never had any training or exercise to speak of and was quite nasty at times. Couldnt blame the dog for that it was down to the owners. 1 other pure patterdale was kept as a farm dog and would fight anything and bite anybody had lots of training but was just nasty.

The 2 good ones were family dogs and although typical terrier in behaviour were lovely family pets.

I think your dog as others have suggested needs to be spayed and perhaps someone who understands the breed would take her on. As she is only 2 it might be possible to turn her around but she would need lots of stucture and training in her new home.
 
i have a kennel full of patterdales. they are great dogs but are workers. they do not make great pets at all im afraid. i have never come across one that was aggressive to people but i know i have one that does not like strange dogs. if you can not find the right home i would have her pts.
 
We have 2 patterdales - my husbands old bitch who was his van dog and has been a brilliant friend. She used to be feisty and has killed a chicken and a kitten in her time but for the past 10 years has been a great ratter and very popular when my hubby takes her on his farriery rounds.
She is now 16 yrs old, deaf and partially blind. We got a 'rescue' patterdale male and he is a nightmare - he has been neutered but he still intermittently goes for our other male sckipperkee dog (also neutered) - that has happened twice resulting in a vet's visit for the sckipp needing antibiotics for puncture wound.

I can't trust him with other dogs. He is really naughty with the horses and favourite trick is to hang off the mares tail and swing like a pendulum. If he tries this with the new aggressive 17hh WB I think he will be killed by him!! He won't listen out although we have gone through dog training and I do try distraction methods etc. He is frankly a little s**t and I think along with many of the terrier breeds like the English bull and Staffy they are not good with other animals or dogs.

I feel your pain. I would NEVER get another one handsome as they may be - looks are deceiving and whilst I have regrets with this one - we made a choice and believe we can manage him just about with care. He is also semi aggressive with some people - I don't trust him 100%.

She may calm down if she were speyed and I would say find a hunting home - excellent ratting, rabbiting working dog and that is an outlet for their aggression and feistiness. Good luck and sorry for your situation x
 
thanks everyone. i think a dog behaviourist is the next thing, i hate to give up on such a young dog. she's sleeping in the stable alone every night and it has seriously taken the wind out of her sails being excluded, i've never known her so submissive to me anyway...
so, retrain, spay, see how she is...
thanks.
 
kerilli said:
thanks everyone. i think a dog behaviourist is the next thing, i hate to give up on such a young dog. she's sleeping in the stable alone every night and it has seriously taken the wind out of her sails being excluded, i've never known her so submissive to me anyway...
so, retrain, spay, see how she is...
thanks.
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It sounds to me as if you've sorted the problem out for yourself!! By excluding her, she's come to realise that she actually isn't top dog. A "stable" life, and take that how you will ;) wont do her any harm at all. It will at least give you a breathing space so that you can make a rational decision, rather than shooting the bloody thing, out of temper!! :eek::D

All so many terriers can be so wooden headed. Walloping them doesn't seem to work, in fact pain seems to drive them on! Have you considered seeking out the terrier man, from your local pack? He may well have a use for her, and at least she'd be given a job.

I have doubts about neutering dogs in an effort to change their behaviour patterns. Some will find that it works. I've never done it, but have seen all too many, where it hasn't made a jot of a difference.

Good luck!!

Alec.
 
Patterdales are brilliant workers and can be the devil or an angel - there doesn't seem to be much inbetween with them. Alec is quite right too, you can't beat a good terrier into submission - it just games them up more! (not that I was thinking you were thinking of doling out a hammering anyway) and I find them terrifyingly obsessive, I believe they are prone to OCD anyway. Once they start something they enjoy, it can be hard to break the behaviour - but not impossible I'm told.
Rape alarm should split them quickly - apologise to the horses first, but you don't want to get your hand in there!
 
Well think about it..patties,lakies..all bred to go down a foxearth and deal with Charlie in the dark..you`d need to be completely focused ,a bit nuts, and have a very high pain threshold.
They come from the Lakes,no nice sandy earths to dig out there,stone pot holes more like,so dog does`nt so much as bolt Charlie as kill him underground .They are very very tough little people..BUT..if you win their heart and respect ,mostly by being a partner in crime,then there just is not another breed as wonderful.
As to focus,well one of my bitches attached itself to a labrador..I got it off and literally threw it up a wall...she slithered down gracefully and then straight back to attaching to it`s foe.
The terrier mindset is strictly only suitable for those who understand and love it,for others it is a nightmare.
 
to be fair, she's never turned on me when i've gone in with only my bare hands to pull her off another dog, usually need to literally prise her jaws apart.
i thought i understood terriers, i have 4 JRTs who are all angelic. most people who come here are amazed by how well-behaved they are.
so far so good anyway, she's a different dog now she's sleeping out in the stable, long may this personality change continue... she's shown no aggression at all since i posted about being at my wits' end!
thanks, everyone.
 
I'm quite frankly shocked that so many people have jumped to advise PTS.
Dogs a lot worse have been turned around, and no reason why she shouldn't be, too. Her breed is neither here nor there. Yes, there are general guidelines to go on for different breeds, differences in drive between a terrier and a hound, for instance, but in the end a dog is a dog, and much depends on early socialiation and training. Glad you've made the decision to consult a behaviourist, and hope all goes well and she continues to be a part of your family.
 
Terriers are bred for centuries to never turn on a human,even when attached to a foe it is NOT dangerous to handle them. Should it occur again ,the way to detach them is to grab by tail (that is why it is docked to a handy seven inches) and neck..collar hopefully? and either twist collar to cut off it`s air supply ,or do the same with your hand around the windpipe.It`s a good idea to have a thin nylon or leather BUCKLED collar on her at all times.She may be better sleeping alone as she may find 24 hours of lots of dogs intolerable. Believe me ,I have broken up many doggie punch ups and never been bitten,all terriers of course. They are so cool headed about what is a game to them and know exactly the difference between canine/fox or human.
 
A good behaviourist may surprise you with how quickly they can help, so it's definitely worth a try before you consider rehoming/PTS.

This worked with Jakey when he was attacking the new puppy for no good reason, so might be worth a try as long as you think you can do it safely, i.e. without being bitten yourself. When she displays unwanted behaviour, e.g. attacking other dogs, say nothing, take her by the collar and place her in an empty room on her own. Leave her there for 5-7 minutes and then let her out. If she is too difficult to handle, take all other dogs and people out of the room, leave her behind on her own and repeat as above. Repeat as often as necessary. Jakey got the message in 3 repetitions and that was the end of that.

Other things that might be worth trying are the spaying which you are aware of, a DAP difuser/colar and a change in diet.
 
I knew someone with a very naughty little JRT - an angel with people, but the very devil with other dogs. She saw a behaviourist and did some focus / distraction training - the change was amazing:)
 
YasandCrystal said:
We have 2 patterdales - my husbands old bitch who was his van dog and has been a brilliant friend. She used to be feisty and has killed a chicken and a kitten in her time but for the past 10 years has been a great ratter and very popular
I can't trust him with other dogs. He is really naughty with the horses and favourite trick is to hang off the mares tail and swing like a pendulum. If he tries this with the new aggressive 17hh WB I think he will be killed by him!! He won't listen out although we have gone through dog training and I do try distraction methods etc. He is frankly a little s**t and I think along with many of the terrier breeds like the English bull and Staffy they are not good with other animals or dogs.

Ix
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Please do not lump all staffies into that category. Yes there are some who prefer to be solo - invariably ones who have been started off poorly and not socialised. I have 2 who live together (both rescues), they get on with the yard dogs and friends dogs and are fine around the horses (leave well alone). My sisters staffie lives with her elderly cat as she came in after the cat. I know a rescue who takes in both cats and bull breeds and can make the majority of them cat friendly. Its not a given I agree but please don't help the misaphrension that all staffies are as you described. We always had staffies and in the dark ages when a staff was simply a terrier and not thought of as the devil dog, it would never have occurred to us that our dogs might attack another animal. They were socialised and trained accordingly and we never had a problem. I am incredibly careful with mine because I am well aware as a responsible owner that if my dogs put any paws out of place I would have just helped to further damage their reputation.

The only snotty dog we saw all day yesterday at Badminton was a Shitzu which flew at mine. Luckily they didn't react but the owner was embarrassed...
 
I have a terrier (meant to be borderXlakeland but looks like a long legged jack russel and the lady bred jack russels... :rolleyes:)
when i left home to go to college (weekdays) he very suddenly turned dog aggressive, I didnt get him back to live with me until I went to university and he was a TOTAL nightmare, if he saw a dog he would go straight for it and go straight for the throat, yet he had his 'buddies' who he would let drag him round by his ears..?!!
I couldnt let him out of the door without a muzzle/lead and came really close to rehoming him because he was such a nightmare,however!! the story has a happy ending!!
I found that with him he didnt really know how to play so misread the signals (before you say it, I did everything by the textbook, he went to puppy classes, socialised, had play dates, was well trained...)
so putting a muzzle on him meant that he couldnt fight the other dogs and learnt not to, he now is 99% (touch wood) trustworthy and i only muzzle him when im in crowded places,
my parting words - I now have the best dog i could dream of and Im so glad I stuck with it that extra bit of time and had a think outside the box!! I would recomend a professional, it might be a case of a really simple trick that you hadnt thought of!!
 
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