Rescue dogs

[BlckBox04]

A little over a year ago we adopted a dog that was pretty much starved to death. We were told a couple dropped him off and wanted him euthanized because they couldn’t take care of him and it was clear he was just neglected. We were told other than being malnourished he was a healthy dog.

After the initial timid getting used to his surroundings stage he turned out to be a good dog. Until now.

I’m not sure what’s going on but all of a sudden he’s becoming viciously aggressive to only me. He’s tried to attack me twice and today he finally bit me pretty badly. I don’t do anything to provoke him, it’s like all of a sudden if I move the wrong way he snaps.
As much as I want to try and find a solution to his behavior, I’m afraid that his aggression might become worse and I might have no choice but to have him put down, and that hurts. We’re going to bring him to a vet and have him tested to see if there’s something actually wrong with him but I don’t think there is.

Anyone else have similar experiences or have any suggestions?

 

[SSCOBRA03]

Today he bit you, tomorrow might be your family or someone's kid.

Get rid of him.

 

[BlckBox04]

Yea that’s what I’m afraid of

 

[BrunotheBoxer]

Does he have any “bully breed” in him that you know of?

 

[Lambeau]

Immediately isolate the dog, call the Vet. Go from there after receiving professional advice.

Every situation is different. Yes, I've had similar experiences with a dog that bit, but I'll stop there.

EDIT: I'm very sorry to hear this and hope you will quickly and fully recover!

 

[BlckBox04]

Does he have any “bully breed” in him that you know of?

we never had him gene tested but he looks like a husky maybe lab mix

 

[BlckBox04]

Every situation is different. Yes, I've had similar experiences with a dog that bit, but I'll stop there.

EDIT: I'm very sorry to hear this and hope you will quickly and fully recover!

no I know every situation is different but I want to gather multiple opinions. Sometimes vets don’t have the best advice.
What was your outcome?

 

[BrunotheBoxer]

we never had him gene tested but he looks like a husky maybe lab mix

That’s good news.

He May still be able to be saved if you want to but it’s gonna cost time and prolly money.
If he’s wired wrong there’s nothing you can do. He must be put down. If he’s just trying to establish dominance to become the alpha it is fixable.

At the first sign of aggression he should have been put in his place immediately like the alpha of the pack would have done.
I am not gonna tell you what to do to put him in his place but my American pitbull terrier learned who was the alpha right away. Never challenged me again.

If he is not wired wrong and you want to save him now you will have to hire a respected proven dog trainer in your area.
There will be many bad dog trainers so you will have to do your homework if you want to.

 

[VegasMichael]

A little over a year ago we adopted a dog that was pretty much starved to death. We were told a couple dropped him off and wanted him euthanized because they couldn’t take care of him and it was clear he was just neglected. We were told other than being malnourished he was a healthy dog.

After the initial timid getting used to his surroundings stage he turned out to be a good dog. Until now.

I’m not sure what’s going on but all of a sudden he’s becoming viciously aggressive to only me. He’s tried to attack me twice and today he finally bit me pretty badly. I don’t do anything to provoke him, it’s like all of a sudden if I move the wrong way he snaps.
As much as I want to try and find a solution to his behavior, I’m afraid that his aggression might become worse and I might have no choice but to have him put down, and that hurts. We’re going to bring him to a vet and have him tested to see if there’s something actually wrong with him but I don’t think there is.

Anyone else have similar experiences or have any suggestions?

When I was in college and living at home my parents bought my younger sister a Basset Hound puppy. She named him Barney and he was playful and pleasant. When he got older my parents had him neutered and holy crap did that dog change. He would let you pet him but if you put your head near his he would bite you on the face. He actually tore out the conjunctiva in my right eye and I had to go to the eye doctor to get fixed up. He bit my gf in the face and would always growl at my parents if they came near him. Never before his neutering had he displayed this type of behavior. The only one who could control him was my sister although he did bite her once or twice(she responded by biting him back and I daresay I don't think he bit her again). My parents grew very concerned with his newfound viciousness so they gave him back to the breeder we purchased him from. My parents then bought a Kuvasz puppy which was a gorgeous dog but this one was mean from day one. He even got kicked out of obedience school. This time, though, I was the only one he would obey. We put up with him for about a year but after he bit my mother on the neck and wouldn't let go that was the final straw. After that we got a Golden Retriever and never looked back.

 

[Lambeau]

no I know every situation is different but I want to gather multiple opinions. Sometimes vets don’t have the best advice.
What was your outcome?

In bullets:
- Got dog, Sheltie, as puppy from supposed "breeder".
- Dog was runt of litter, last one left, very skittish, and snappy.
- When dog was probably 4 years old, two year old son grabbed dog around mid-section.
- Dog snapped and bit 5 year old daughter in the face.
- Choices:
1) Keep dog, separate from kids, train it, assume risk, take chances.
2) Have dog wear a muzzle around kids (basically all day).
3) Give dog away.
4) Have dog put to sleep.
- We had to choose #4 and had dog put to sleep.
- Original owner abused dog to make it that way.
- We did a lot of research before choosing next two Shelties.

EDIT: This is just our experience and our decision. We did talk to at least 2 or 3 different professionals (Vets).

Seriously, I wish you all the best. Ugh, the situation sucks.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Find a pet behavior specialist, not a dog trainer to evaluate along with the vet.

my moms lab had some behavioral episodes including attacking another dog it knew. Turned out she had a tumor on her brain they believe was responsible for these seemingly out of nowhere behaviors

 

[BlckBox04]

In bullets:
- Got dog, Sheltie, as puppy from supposed "breeder".
- Dog was runt of litter, last one left, very skittish, and snappy.
- When dog was probably 4 years old, two year old son grabbed dog around mid-section.
- Dog snapped and bit 5 year old daughter in the face.
- Choices:
1) Keep dog, separate from kids, train it, assume risk, take chances.
2) Have dog wear a muzzle around kids (basically all day).
3) Give dog away.
4) Have dog put to sleep.
- We had to choose #4 and had dog put to sleep.
- Original owner abused dog to make it that way.
- We did a lot of research before choosing next two Shelties.

EDIT: This is just our experience and our decision. We did talk to at least 2 or 3 different professionals (Vets).

Seriously, I wish you all the best. Ugh, the situation sucks.

Thanks man, I really appreciate it. I’ve had dogs my entire life and this is the first time something like this has ever happened and no I’m actually nervous around him. It really breaks my heart but I know what’s going to be the ultimate outcome.

 

[BlckBox04]

Find a pet behavior specialist, not a dog trainer to evaluate along with the vet.

my moms lab had some behavioral episodes including attacking another dog it knew. Turned out she had a tumor on her brain they believe was responsible for these seemingly out of nowhere behaviors

Yea, we’re going to exhaust every option within reason to see what can be done

 

[Lambeau]

Thanks man, I really appreciate it. I’ve had dogs my entire life and this is the first time something like this has ever happened and no I’m actually nervous around him. It really breaks my heart but I know what’s going to be the ultimate outcome.

That happened to us ~25 years ago. I had never heard about a dogs "pack mentality".
Our Vet gave us docs to read and then make a decision. If there were behavioral shrinks for dogs, I had never heard about them.

That's why, when we got our next two dogs, we did our best due diligence with a puppy temperament test and tried to contact valid breeders.

Sadly our granddaughter, (daughter of our daughter who was bitten) got bit twice about 6 months ago by the neighbors dog. A dog that she knew. Thank God is was not on the face. Went to the hospital, police report, etc...
A few weeks ago we took our granddaughter to a local horse ranch that my buddy owns and she was understandably scared.

 

[RedVenom48]

Sometimes it just happens with rescue dogs. While they arent on our level of self awareness, dogs put through pain, torment and neglect remember that. Some can get over it, but they dont forget it. Combine that with a potential chemical imbalance in the brain thats manifested then it could explain the dogs hostility with you.

It could also be a victim of in-breeding. My sister in law had a dog that looked normal but was fundamentally broken in the noggin. Like a switch that would go off from dumb happy to angry and aggressive. Had to get rid of him to an owner with no other animals who worked with dogs.

Exhaust your resources, but be prepared to do whats best for your family and the dog.

 

[CobraBob]

I know you'll put the safety of your family (and others) at the forefront. Scenarios like this are so difficult, because you don't have full control of the future. Difficult, and sad, situation to have to go through.

 

[Blkkbgt]

I recently heard of a very similar situation where a dog just snapped one day and bit one of its owners in the face. The dog was a rescue as well.. He needed several stitches and the owners ultimately decided to put the dog down.

This is after spending a ton of cash to try and find out what was wrong. Turns out they found evidence of head trauma and a prior skull fracture that by best estimates happened when the dog was a puppy.

The rescue had no idea this had happened to the dog obviously because the prior scum bag owners didn't disclose it.

My point is no matter what a rescue says you will never know exactly what the dog has been through and you can't fix everything. Put your family's safety first.

 

[GNBRETT]

Ive been training dogs for 25 years now and currently compete with my Belgian Malinois. Thats completely normal and natural for a likely abused dog. And the abuser was most likely male. Ur dog is maturing faster than his memory can forget his past abuse.

There is a pecking order and right now he thinks he's Alpha cause he's scared and doesn't want to be dominated in a physical way as im sure we was before. U have to make him understand that he is NOT Alpha. He needs a hard correction and fast! But will also needs lots of love to come with it.

He has gained confidence by u not correcting him. He sees ur fear and feeds off it as it gives him confidence to protect himself. Do u have an electric collar? If not, get one cause ur gonna need it.

Personally, id get a what we call a "Training Collar" which means it has spikes. That dog would get jacked off the ground and chocked the **** out and learn really fast that behavior is not acceptable. All dogs come from wolves and all wolves have a pecking order within the pack.

Honestly, it doesn't take long to establish the pecking order but yelling at him and telling him he's a bad boy aint gonna do shit for ur problem. U need to use force and if ur not willing to choke ur dog the **** out when he acts like that then u will have to resort to an electric collar. Ud be surprised how well an electric collar can work.

 

[98 svt]

Why not get in touch with a dog trainer. I think its crazy that the first thing you think of I'd killing it.
Why kind of dog is it? Is this your first dog?
My guess is there is something wrong with him.

 

[Bdubbs]

Why not get in touch with a dog trainer. I think its crazy that the first thing you think of I'd killing it.
Why kind of dog is it? Is this your first dog?
My guess is there is something wrong with him.

I agree. I can't understand just putting a dog down so fast without trying a personal dog trainer that has a great reputation.

I understand, some can't afford a dog trainer. But this is the type of responsibility of being a dog owner. They cost money, just like children.

There might be another family out there willing to rescue the dog and pay for training or what ever else the dog would need.

My little beagle dachshund mix is a rescue dog. She seems to have had a pretty hard life before we got her. We think she was abused in some way. But we got lucky, she is the most loving dog we've met. I think she knows how fortunate she is.

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