Dog Agressive Dogs - Is there hope?

[altermetoday]

I just inherited my brothers dogs - he is too ill to care for them and probably won’t be returning to his home after his nursing home stay. One of his dogs is dog agressive. I was not aware of this when I agreed to take them - he just told me the dog would need to be introduced slowly… but I got him temperament tested by a local rescue and it was not great news. The dog didn’t just engage in snarly growly nasty behavior once but kept coming back to re-engage. He would leave the other dog or be re-directed by the trainer and then he was constantly watching that dog and would go back running over him and being a big growly barky bully. Thankfully the other dog was not engaging in return.

Now I don’t know what to do. I had told my brother I would try to find homes for both of them, but I’m not sure I can rehome this dog to anyone. They are at my house separated in a room and I have been spending time with them in the room and on walks and keeping them structured for now. They are pretty stressed by the move so it may be too early to tell.

But just curious if some of these dogs can come around? The dog is nice to me and he is friendly with his companion but he was raised as a puppy with the other dog.

I just don’t know what to do. I train dogs for sports so have some skills, but my house is pretty small and life will be very difficult if I have to separate him for life. Just not sure how to handle this. On the flip side, the dogs were in my brothers house alone whenever he was hospitalized so they are getting more attention almost now then they were before. The neighbors would feed them and let them hang outside in the yard… I’d do the same, but haven’t tested the cats out yet and currently my yard shares a fenceline with my horses - he was rushing the fence at my horses the other day as well so that is not a great option.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Is this dog re-homeable?

[Alterwho]

How old is the dog and what breed?

[OverandOnward]

OP, check your homeowner’s insurance for dog/animal clauses in case of lawsuit. Check for breed restrictions that could invalidate certain aspects of the insurance. It’s ridiculous, but stigmatized breeds in insurance are a thing these days.

[altermetoday]

@Alterwho

How old is the dog and what breed?

He’s 7 and is supposedly a cur mix… but I think there is pittie there too.

[altermetoday]

@OverandOnward

OP, check your homeowner’s insurance for dog/animal clauses in case of lawsuit. Check for breed restrictions that could invalidate certain aspects of the insurance. It’s ridiculous, but stigmatized breeds in insurance are a thing these days.

Thanks…didn’t even think of that. We honestly don’t really know what he is.

[4horses]

Maybe advertise him as good in a single dog home. Some people only want one dog and if he’s people friendly then that’s what I would attempt.

[OverandOnward]

@altermetoday

We honestly don’t really know what he is.

If he bites a dog or human enough to need medical care, to register a complaint to LE and a report, there is a strong possibility that they will classify him as pit. That will trigger a lot of things from both the local authorities and insurance (if insurance comes up).

The stigma against breeds is largely based on many years of totally uneducated reporting by random city employees tasked with filling out a form. For a great many, if it bites, it’s a pit. Regardless of appearance. Even though DNA science has extensively documented that there is no way to know how much pit is in a dog’s genetics just by looking, or just by behavior.

You mentioned that both dogs are stressed. My heart goes out to all of you.

I am so sorry for you and the dog and your brother to be in this situation. It is not fair to any of you. I hope for the best outcomes possible, all around.

[OverandOnward]

p.s. If you decide to do a dog DNA test, do Embark and no other. And keep it private. But that would be just for your curiousity if you have that, there is no reason to do it otherwise.

[DawgLady]

First, please take my response with a grain of salt, because I’ve never personally been in your shoes. However, I am heavily involved in dog rescue. We see so many “needs to be the only pet” types. These are by far the hardest to place, especially if they look pittie-like (no hate here; I’m a pit owner). So I would not bet that a rescue or no-kill shelter would be too keen on taking this dog in their programs. That being said, people are having luck rehoming pets themselves through Adoptapet.com, NextDoor, and local Facebook groups. Just make sure you check their vet references (ensure their other/past pets received appropriate care).

[altermetoday]

@DawgLady

First, please take my response with a grain of salt, because I’ve never personally been in your shoes. However, I am heavily involved in dog rescue. We see so many “needs to be the only pet” types. These are by far the hardest to place, especially if they look pittie-like (no hate here; I’m a pit owner). So I would not bet that a rescue or no-kill shelter would be too keen on taking this dog in their programs. That being said, people are having luck rehoming pets themselves through Adoptapet.com, NextDoor, and local Facebook groups. Just make sure you check their vet references (ensure their other/past pets received appropriate care).

Thanks… I had never heard of adoptapet.com before… will try that. I posted on FB today and got one bite, but its a home with a cat and visiting grandkids which I don’t know is great for him either…

[OverandOnward]

OP, thank you for doing your best for this dog. I’m guessing that his life is in the balance and he has no one else in his corner.

[ThreeBarPocoGal]

Take this for what it’s worth…
I had a dog aggressive dog. He was so sweet with people but he did not like other dogs in his space. Like you, I took him in and hoped he would adjust. He didn’t. The final straw for me was when he openly attacked a 3 month old puppy (owned by a friend of mine) who was laying on the owner’s lap, asleep and nearly killed her. Luckily he did not hurt the puppy’s owner, but scared him silly.
I was truly afraid, as he was a pit, he would be re-homed and used for fighting or bait or something and was sure he’d be euthed in a shelter. The trainer I called did some behavior testing on him and said he was too much of a liability. I had a young child at the time (who is now a teenager), 2 other dogs, and I also didn’t want him to fall in the wrong hands. I had him euthanized. The poor guy had clearly lost his place in the world, I didn’t want him to hurt anyone or anyone to hurt him.

[GSDgirl]

Hello, Sorry to hear about your Brother, I’m sure this is a very difficult time for everyone. How long have you had the dog? Do you have dogs of your own? I couldn’t really tell from your post.

I did German Shepherd rescue for 12 years, so have some experience with dog/dog aggression. My first thought is this dog’s world has been turned up side down with all the changes. When I would bring in a new dog, they spent the first 2-3 days crated in my kitchen, to decompress and learn the flow of the house. In extreme cases i would have to cover the crate completely so they could not see the other dogs. Sometimes I would muzzle the offender, while doing intros, when you take away the opportunity to bite many times they won’t.

The behavior may be due to lack of socialization as a youngster, he may have been attacked as a puppy, and now is going to throw the first punch so to speak, as in fear aggression. I’m not surprised at his reaction to your horses, he may have never seen one.

I would suggest giving it a little more time. If after a period of time, and you see no change in the behavior, you may have consider euthanasia. A dog like this needs to managed and In the wrong hands could be a huge liability.

[altermetoday]

@GSDgirl

Hello, Sorry to hear about your Brother, I’m sure this is a very difficult time for everyone. How long have you had the dog? Do you have dogs of your own? I couldn’t really tell from your post.

I did German Shepherd rescue for 12 years, so have some experience with dog/dog aggression. My first thought is this dog’s world has been turned up side down with all the changes. When I would bring in a new dog, they spent the first 2-3 days crated in my kitchen, to decompress and learn the flow of the house. In extreme cases i would have to cover the crate completely so they could not see the other dogs. Sometimes I would muzzle the offender, while doing intros, when you take away the opportunity to bite many times they won’t.

The behavior may be due to lack of socialization as a youngster, he may have been attacked as a puppy, and now is going to throw the first punch so to speak, as in fear aggression. I’m not surprised at his reaction to your horses, he may have never seen one.

I would suggest giving it a little more time. If after a period of time, and you see no change in the behavior, you may have consider euthanasia. A dog like this needs to managed and In the wrong hands could be a huge liability.

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I do have dogs in my home and that is the main concern. I have a very tiny house and it is hard to separate dogs without alot of difficulty. I don’t think I have a crate big enough for this guy so need to get one. Currently he is doing better though.

Our routine is that they stay and eat/sleep in my office. They get several potty walks a day and now they are being baby gated in the kitchen a few times a day as well or in the hallway to their bedroom. I’m trying to have them out as much as possible but I need to be able to get things done as well. Neither of my brothers dogs were ever crate trained as his wife thought it was cruel…ugh. Honestly I have not had the energy yet to dig through the shed to see if there are bigger crates there. I might have one. And I plan to try both in crates in the basement to see how they do. Unfortunately I do not have much space in the upstairs for crates.

We’ve been doing positive reinforcement when he ignores my dogs behind the gates and he almost seems to act like they are no big deal after 3 days which is great. Maybe there is hope!

I do need to find him or both of them homes, but the other dog is 12 and may be too old to rehome. The other dog is much better socialized than this one is.

With trying to travel to Florida to take care of my brothers needs its hard enough to get a farm sitter and someone for my own dogs much less someone who can manage the moving around of dogs to avoid one another. I’m also not sure how this dog is with my cats as his initial reaction was not good… so I can’t leave him outside in the yard to hang out, Thankfully they are both low energy dogs.

I’m hoping time will allow for improvement! And I’m hoping I can figure out his reactivity.

[Salty]

I am very sorry about your br, and about your entire situation.

We have a dog-reactive dog. When we brought home our hound mix, he tried to kill her, and that was our first clue. Since we had to keep them separated, we tied him on a long rope inside the house when she was loose, and when he was loose, we locked her in the bedroom. We took them for leash walks around our property twice a day, never letting them get close enough that he showed discomfort. In 10 days, he had accepted her.

We still take him for weekly group lessons with a dog behaviorist, and we never have him off our property without a leash. We also don’t take him anywhere where there might be loose dogs.

I don’t think he’ll ever be completely trustworthy. He was basically feral when we got him, and was found tied to a tree at an abandoned house, starving. He’s a Great Pyrenees mix, with no pit bull whatsoever, and a perfect dog when he’s at home.

Good luck, and I hope you can find a solution.

[altermetoday]

Definitely trying to give this time. I now have an additional issue though in that they both are attacking the cats. Thankfully they both are always on a lead, but this morning didn’t go well. The little older dog went after the cat and then started to go after me when I picked up the leash…

My one indoor cat will not come out of the basement ceiling… I am trying the crates today, however, I also have a building that I cleaned out yesterday… the dogs can stay in there when I go to work or have a long day I guess as the bedroom they are in is tiny and they are destroying the bed in it…

I was hoping things would get better, but not yet. I’ve ordered some calming products that a behaviorist recommended. Not sure if those work but will try.

I’m really afraid that I won’t be able to place these two. I did have someone interested, but he did not have a fenced yard and he was taking care of 90 year old parents. They may work out ok there, but there literally is no where to walk them and I’m worried that the guy will not want them after a bit with the work of having to walk them all them time. Also, he wants a hiking buddy and neither are good hiking dogs. Not sure if I should call him back and see if he wants a trial or not… he lives on a busy road, but so do i. The difference is I have control over them and know they wont be loose…

Not sure what else to do.

[luvmyhackney]

For the destruction, can you get some meds from the vet? I’m sure they have some anxiety and stress from all the changes. Might make your life easier.

Tbh, they are older and harder to place, it’s ok if you decide to keep them for x time and then give them a peaceful ending. You are doing right be them in anyway you choose.

[Djones]

the 12 year old is less socialized and more problematic? Put him down.

The change in situation for the remaining dog may lower the anxiety level to such a degree that he gets more and more at ease.

this sucks, I’m sorry.

[2tempe]

I may have read this all too quickly but I think the younger dog (7) is the dog-aggressive one, even though more people socialized. Ugh, this is tough for the OP. Neither dog will be easy…

[Simkie]

I know it’s very, very sad to think of euthanizing “healthy” dogs, especially with your brother so ill, but do give some thought as to this guy’s stress level. So much aggressiveness is fear based. He’s been through such a big change. Can you envision any living situation that would be ideal for him? How likely are you to find that perfect home? Even in the perfect spot, is he a safe dog to have around?

I’m so sorry things are so tough