Fides
Well-Known Member
WARNING - this may be a long one!
My fiance moved in with me and we have merged our packs. I have two dogs - foxhound lurcher and saluki lurcher, and he has two - mastiff x sharpei and GSD. My dogs are well behaved, respectful and have wonderful lead manners and recall. His dogs are boisterous to the point of luncacy, have only very basic grasp of commands (and usually choose to ignore you), pull like a steam train and have no recall.
My dogs have always lived out in a heated building whilst I have not been at home and for bed but alterations were needed to accommodate 4 large dogs so they have all been in the house since November! And I only live in a 2 bed cottage...
As you can imagine my nice peaceful life has gone... His dogs will come in covered in mud and despite being told to go on their beds (mine will stay put until I invite them into the living room) to dry off they will bound upstairs (no dogs upstairs is the rule) and jump all over the sofa (again a rule of no dogs on the furniture). I have taken a lead in training them as they are his 'babies' and he talks to them like they understand him - not really conducive to getting a dog to do something... They are better than they were but there is still a long long way to go.
The aggressive part - the mastiff x sharpei is the softest, mardest dog I have ever met! He's a lovely dog but quite nervous. OH has informed me that he has bitten someone in the past when scared. I am uncomfortable about this but have had to accept that he is his dog. But the GSD (who is his blue eyed girl and can do no wrong) is getting aggressive with me. She has, for a while "grumped" at me (not quite a growl - more a grumble) and my response has been to tell her 'no' but nothing else. Well recently she has outright growled at me when I have said 'no'.
There has been an occasion when she refused to come back on a walk so I put her into a sit and went to get her. As I went to get her collar to clip the lead on she lunged at me teeth bared. My OH witnessed this (he had not believed me about the growling up to this point) and said he would get her. I refused and told her to sit, then lie - which she did, and while she was lay I clipped the lead on. I put my lurcher's muzzle (he's not aggressive but will have rabbits without it) on her and walked her on the lead for the rest of the walk.
Yesterday she lunged at me again. This time for making her go out for a wee. I opened the door and the other 3 went out but she decided cause it was raining she wasn't going. I scooted round behind her to herd her out and she lunged at me and bit my hand. She didn't draw blood but I was very shaken up. I have to say I forcibly ejected her from the house with a mop as I wasn't taking any chances and she was still in the garden when my OH got home.
Today she growled at me again - so again she spent the day in the garden.
I have bought a muzzle and have insisted she is to wear it at all times - it is still in the bag! Not too much of an issue as I am at work tonight but OH will be gone before I get home in the morning and god I hope he has put it on!
A bit of background about me... I have two dogs of my own,have fostered for a charity for 3 years specialising in difficult, large breed and working dogs. I have had about 30 dogs over the 3 years and have had success with 28. 2 of them I had to take to the vets to PTS (under the OK of the charity) as they could never be safely rehomed due to severe aggression - the charity wouldn't take liability of homing an aggressive dog. Both I had with me for 3 months and were very very fearful. They took no delight in human company and actively avoided it. I had other fosters with similar backgrounds and fears who I did get through their problems and rehome - it wasn't that I didn't try. My foxhound lurcher is still with me 8 years on despite 3 trainers and a vet telling me to PTS.
So I am speaking with a little experience...
OH is talking children in the next couple of years and there is no way I would have either dog around a child...
The way I see it is that OH needs to stop babying her and start treating her like a dog and I believe the problems will stop. I believe that she resents me for making her do as she is told and he lets her get away scot free...
So the plan of action!
1) Muzzled at all times
2) Dogs to sleep outside in their doggy palace and when we are not there too
3) I am going to do all feeding to establish my role as provider
4) Dogs get fed last - he is a ****** for putting their dinners down while I am cooking and before we have eaten
5) OH is under instructions he is to not talk to her for a week and if he needs to, just to give one word commands (and a good girl if she does it first time) - currently it is "good girl sit"which drives me insane - rewarding the dog before it has done anything...
6) and not least - lots of praise when she does do as she is asked
What do people think - am I way off the mark here? Is there any way of dealing with this dog without me getting bitten?
I have told my OH if she lunges at me again either he leaves with his dogs or she is PTS... I will not live with an aggressive dog.
I want to do my best to help her but I feel until we are working the same way she is just going to get worse
Edit - OMG it was a long one - sorry for that
Just wanted to add I am not a total disciplinarian. The dogs get lots of praise when they behave and generally. They are much loved and do get lots of cuddles of course x
My fiance moved in with me and we have merged our packs. I have two dogs - foxhound lurcher and saluki lurcher, and he has two - mastiff x sharpei and GSD. My dogs are well behaved, respectful and have wonderful lead manners and recall. His dogs are boisterous to the point of luncacy, have only very basic grasp of commands (and usually choose to ignore you), pull like a steam train and have no recall.
My dogs have always lived out in a heated building whilst I have not been at home and for bed but alterations were needed to accommodate 4 large dogs so they have all been in the house since November! And I only live in a 2 bed cottage...
As you can imagine my nice peaceful life has gone... His dogs will come in covered in mud and despite being told to go on their beds (mine will stay put until I invite them into the living room) to dry off they will bound upstairs (no dogs upstairs is the rule) and jump all over the sofa (again a rule of no dogs on the furniture). I have taken a lead in training them as they are his 'babies' and he talks to them like they understand him - not really conducive to getting a dog to do something... They are better than they were but there is still a long long way to go.
The aggressive part - the mastiff x sharpei is the softest, mardest dog I have ever met! He's a lovely dog but quite nervous. OH has informed me that he has bitten someone in the past when scared. I am uncomfortable about this but have had to accept that he is his dog. But the GSD (who is his blue eyed girl and can do no wrong) is getting aggressive with me. She has, for a while "grumped" at me (not quite a growl - more a grumble) and my response has been to tell her 'no' but nothing else. Well recently she has outright growled at me when I have said 'no'.
There has been an occasion when she refused to come back on a walk so I put her into a sit and went to get her. As I went to get her collar to clip the lead on she lunged at me teeth bared. My OH witnessed this (he had not believed me about the growling up to this point) and said he would get her. I refused and told her to sit, then lie - which she did, and while she was lay I clipped the lead on. I put my lurcher's muzzle (he's not aggressive but will have rabbits without it) on her and walked her on the lead for the rest of the walk.
Yesterday she lunged at me again. This time for making her go out for a wee. I opened the door and the other 3 went out but she decided cause it was raining she wasn't going. I scooted round behind her to herd her out and she lunged at me and bit my hand. She didn't draw blood but I was very shaken up. I have to say I forcibly ejected her from the house with a mop as I wasn't taking any chances and she was still in the garden when my OH got home.
Today she growled at me again - so again she spent the day in the garden.
I have bought a muzzle and have insisted she is to wear it at all times - it is still in the bag! Not too much of an issue as I am at work tonight but OH will be gone before I get home in the morning and god I hope he has put it on!
A bit of background about me... I have two dogs of my own,have fostered for a charity for 3 years specialising in difficult, large breed and working dogs. I have had about 30 dogs over the 3 years and have had success with 28. 2 of them I had to take to the vets to PTS (under the OK of the charity) as they could never be safely rehomed due to severe aggression - the charity wouldn't take liability of homing an aggressive dog. Both I had with me for 3 months and were very very fearful. They took no delight in human company and actively avoided it. I had other fosters with similar backgrounds and fears who I did get through their problems and rehome - it wasn't that I didn't try. My foxhound lurcher is still with me 8 years on despite 3 trainers and a vet telling me to PTS.
So I am speaking with a little experience...
OH is talking children in the next couple of years and there is no way I would have either dog around a child...
The way I see it is that OH needs to stop babying her and start treating her like a dog and I believe the problems will stop. I believe that she resents me for making her do as she is told and he lets her get away scot free...
So the plan of action!
1) Muzzled at all times
2) Dogs to sleep outside in their doggy palace and when we are not there too
3) I am going to do all feeding to establish my role as provider
4) Dogs get fed last - he is a ****** for putting their dinners down while I am cooking and before we have eaten
5) OH is under instructions he is to not talk to her for a week and if he needs to, just to give one word commands (and a good girl if she does it first time) - currently it is "good girl sit"which drives me insane - rewarding the dog before it has done anything...
6) and not least - lots of praise when she does do as she is asked
What do people think - am I way off the mark here? Is there any way of dealing with this dog without me getting bitten?
I have told my OH if she lunges at me again either he leaves with his dogs or she is PTS... I will not live with an aggressive dog.
I want to do my best to help her but I feel until we are working the same way she is just going to get worse
Edit - OMG it was a long one - sorry for that
Just wanted to add I am not a total disciplinarian. The dogs get lots of praise when they behave and generally. They are much loved and do get lots of cuddles of course x
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