Agreed on both!
Small. Dogs drive me crazy.
Many owners seem to think training and behaviour doesn't matter as they are small
Last edited:
Does something need to be done about dogs?
- Thread starter Dis86
- Start date
Small. Dogs drive me crazy.
Many owners seem to think training and behaviour doesn't matter as they are small
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,490
At the minute there's no such legal requirement, yet all our local dog training schools are packed with people voluntarily taking training courses. Even our tiny village hall has four separate schools operating out of there and they're always full to capacity.
Most people want to do it because having a well trained dog makes everyone's life easier and less stressful.
Any dog that is not obedient or have bad default behaviours are not enjoyable.
Thanks for your comment.
Nothing out of the ordinary, the first time I was cleaning the floor in the kitchen, with some wipes, he came running from the other room and got my hand, then my partners. I’ve done this with him around numerous times. The next two, he was just being petted. He will come to you, lay on his side and want his stomach stroking. On both occasions this has resulted in him attacking.
The only thing that that has changed is I’ve recently been made redundant. Before I would be out the house for 12 hours working nights. Now I’m with him more often, and the attacks are on my partner more than me, I’m wondering if he has become aggressive due to being possessive. I am seeking behavioural modification despite it all because I don’t believe deep down he is bad, which others would deem ridiculous.
Fair play for persisting. Not sure if I could ever trust a dog again that's done this.
People will say its silly/you can't. But I trust my boy completely. Despite being a rescue he shows absolutely no aggression to us. He even ran away when I said "fing flies" yesterday. I mean you can see he has potential. He can destroy tough toys very quickly.
Last edited:
Yeah, ours can destroy at you within seconds. The only thing that resists are kong rubber toys and huge ropes.
I feel I owe it to him to persist. Going down the route of euthanasia would be easy and what 99% of people would do.
But…. He’s been great until this point, really great. I genuinely believe he isn’t a bad dog deep down. If I did it would be a completely different story.
The saving grace is he does listen to me and my commands so generally behaves when I’m at home. 2 out of the 3 occasions have been without me there. Which is where to focus attention.
Sounds like a big risk, what happens if he goes even further when you're not around?
Yes, it's usually small children who die from attacks due to the size difference, but he could still cause lifelong damage to muscles or limbs.
Yes, it's usually small children who die from attacks due to the size difference, but he could still cause lifelong damage to muscles or limbs.
Soldato
- Joined
- 31 Jan 2022
- Posts
- 3,338
- Location
- UK
The problem is with a very large dog is that it only needs to be temperamental just once, in the wrong place, and a child is dead, and you, rightly so, would be in prison. I know it's harsh, but the truth is that large dogs are usually very placid, and if they aren't then they can't be given a second chance.
Yeah I get it. Totally get it. Can't really rehome a dog and as we love our dogs choosing to Pts is a really really hard call.
Horrible situation!
Totally understand what everyone is saying, luckily for me we haven’t got kids so there is just us two in the house.
I feel that once we have tried behavioural modification training, if the problem persists then we will take the hard decision unfortunately.
The risk is high, it may pay off it might not. I do understand everyone’s point of few on this breed though.
I feel that once we have tried behavioural modification training, if the problem persists then we will take the hard decision unfortunately.
The risk is high, it may pay off it might not. I do understand everyone’s point of few on this breed though.
Soldato
- Joined
- 21 Jan 2010
- Posts
- 3,830
It might be worth getting some liability insurance, just in case.
Also, having a nuclear plan with your partner in case there is a more serious attack in the house. What will you do if it is a life-threatening situation? Do you have the right tools, and know just to use them?
If ypur dog is a bull mastiff cross, you've already been lucky three times. Realistically, it's likely to happen again, and you might not be lucky next time.
Last edited:
So you've got a large bull terrier cross and it's attacked on more than one occasion but because of your dog whisperer beliefs about whether the dog is "bad" deep down you're not going to do the obvious.
This is a good reason for breed legislation, you're not far enough removed from the situation to make a rational decision here and I suspect in plenty of the cases where a dog kills a family member the dog has shown aggression. It's not always bad owners, some breeds are clearly more risky than others.
I saw a post on a local Facebook group in my home town re: an XL Bully that had gone missing... crazy, I'm sure the owners are otherwise nice, well-meaning people but that's the very breed responsible for a clear increase in attacks and they've allowed it to escape their home/garden.
Soldato
- Joined
- 31 Jan 2022
- Posts
- 3,338
- Location
- UK
I think that probably covers most dogs that go bad, so to speak. They owner makes a decision with their heart, not their head, and it all goes wrong.
Which if you have empathy is hard to get past.
I'm not sure what I'd do of my boy did this. I know I'd find being in the house uneasy. Especially leaving a partner etc. But I'd struggle getting him put down.
After 3 serious attacks though? Would be hard to keep trying after that.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,490
Thank-you for sharing.
Firstly, ignore the ***** like Dowie trying to get you to get rid of your dog.
Secondly, these things never happen without a cause - Even if it's something we missed or did not see, there will have been something that happened to trigger this behaviour. Any change can have an impact, from pregnancy to a new perfume, a change in routine or even a change in the time you do something.
Since the dog was in the other room on the first occasion, that reason can't reasonably be ascertained.
The problem with rescue dogs is that they come with a history, usually (but not always) of abuse and neglect, so you're already in a position of never being able to know everything. However, I've had nothing but positive (albeit sometimes exasperating) experiences with rescues over the decades, and the continuation of so many centres is testament that most other people have similar experiences.
The other two incidents may well be possession, as you say - Some dogs do bond to one member of a family more than others. In such a case it's often helpful to go through obedience training again (especially reward based) but with your partner being the one in charge.
Another common cause is an injury or illness, which again may not be apparent, so a checkup at the vet could also help.
Someone has already given up on every rescue dog out there, at least once, so I definitely applaud your determination and wish you the best of luck.
Thank you for the reply. Don’t worry I am ignoring the comments. Ultimately he’s our dog and he hasn’t caused any injury outside of our circle within the house therefore at the minute I’m willing to invest in him to improve his behaviour.
I didn’t post the comment for sympathy or reaction, more just to say I now fully understand people’s fears and reluctance around Bull breed dogs. They are naturally very loving, if not a liability somewhat from my experience.
I do appreciate everyone’s outlook (even those who’s are against). Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. However, no matter who you are, until you are in the situation, with a animal that is part of the family it’s not as easy and black and white as just making the most drastic decision.
That reply was very helpful, and good to have a useful, external outlook.
I know this isn't exactly a relationship advice thread but I'm most concerned for your partner. They better be totally on board with you wanting to keep the dog in a "twenty yeses and a no or any kind of uncomfortable hesitancy means get rid of it" kind of way. Otherwise it's pretty ****** up to keep the dog around them when it might eat their face.
Totally agree with you, fortunately or unfortunately depending how you look at it I would say this thought process is mainly driven by her.
She is very animal welfare driven and tries to see the best in them, despite their flaws.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,490
@Tr1p - I was mainly hoping to offer some insight or advice. As you say, this is your dog and your decision.
Something else that occurred to me is pancreatitis. Many dogs are quite susceptible to this, especially if their diet is high in fat (branded dog treats often have very high fat content). It's usually very painful, but also very sporadic and can be a reason for what seems like random aggressive/defensive behaviour regarding his stomach. It can also be fatal, so worth checking with the vet.
In general, you'll find lots of support and advice on the forum, especially from those with rescue experience, so again best of luck and feel free to ask for advice or opinions.
Something else that occurred to me is pancreatitis. Many dogs are quite susceptible to this, especially if their diet is high in fat (branded dog treats often have very high fat content). It's usually very painful, but also very sporadic and can be a reason for what seems like random aggressive/defensive behaviour regarding his stomach. It can also be fatal, so worth checking with the vet.
In general, you'll find lots of support and advice on the forum, especially from those with rescue experience, so again best of luck and feel free to ask for advice or opinions.
I appreciate any advice/insight. There is a wealth of knowledge that can be given.
Frustratingly I know people with the right experience and knowledge would be able to support rapidly however this is proving more difficult this time due to the severity of his actions and breed which coupled with demand means we are having to play a bit of a waiting game.
We have him booked in at the vets this week, we don’t want to rule out a medical condition. He does have a skin allergy of some description that flares up depending on heat/humidity. The vet has prescribed him two courses of steroids to support with this in the meantime however upon research these can also cause behavioural changes within dogs so that’s also another avenue to explore.