[ Michele's Answer: | Michele Gauthier's Dog Q & A Board ]
Posted by Michele on January 31, 2006, 6:50 am, in reply to "Is our dog adoptable?" And some people are stupid enough to not believe things like that will happen when they are warned and then their child, themselves or their small animals are mauled or worse. I have seen it happen many times to the point where children have been killed. This is NO JOKE. I don't think that dogs like yours are adoptable. For one thing chows can have very bad dispositions. And your dog is a chow mix. You would have to find someone that was a trainer who knew exactly how to handle an aggressive biter and I doubt you will find that. So I would put the dog down. I sure wouldn't keep him in your household, because your family isn't able to handle him, and your husband isn't handling him too well if he is growling at your daughter and attacking your cat and your Chihuahua. And you sure don't want to give him to anyone so he can growl and eventually bite more people, and kill small dogs and cats. Also you have a big problem because if someone comes in your backyard or if he gets out and bites someone you can be sued for everything you own and the person suing you will win. Mean dogs are no longer accepted in this society, because mean dogs are dangerous and can kill people. Maybe your dog would never kill anyone, but I guarantee he would sure bite and lets don't forget all the little small dogs he would be happy to do away with and the cats he could knock off. I have very little sympathy for a mean dog, because they can do so much harm. Yes, you are some what responsible for this dogs disposition. Because people go out and adopt large breeds of dogs and they don't train them properly (by that I mean taking them to puppy classes and then continuing on by taking them to obedience classes and they usually need to attend more than one set of classes), and the reason they don't train them properly is the person doesn't want to spend the time with the dog or doesn't have the time to spend with the dog. Why did the person get the dog anyway just to throw in the backyard???? Large dogs don't make good companions when they are not properly trained and when they live their lives in a backyard. Now, some large breeds can live their lives in a backyard if they are properly trained and have human contact of at least an hour a day such as going for walks, being trained, going hunting etc. etc. But dogs that live their lives in the backyard and are just fed start behaving badly. They either bark constantly, jump on the owners uncontrollably when the owner comes outside, destroy the yard, begin to get aggressive. Dogs are pack animals and there is a leader of the pack. Your dog thinks he lives in a pack too. Your family is the pack. Your dog has matured and is now asserting himself and announcing to the rest of the pack (your family & pets) that he is taking over as the leader. That is why when he attacks the Chihuahua or the cat or growls at your daughter he is telling them you do what I want, you stay out of my way, or you have had it. He is becoming the leader of the pack. Eventually he will attack your daughter and if you handle him enough he will growl and probably bite you too. With time he will also exhibit aggressive behavior towards your husband. Unless he is put in his place. But your family doesn't know the proper way to put him in his place. You could find a trainer that was well trained in working with aggressive dogs and the trainer could work with you and your dog. But once a dog has shown the aggression that your dog has shown it is very likely it will happen again. Dogs that show aggressive behavior 9 out of 10 times will show the behavior again. So those dogs should not live in households where there are any children or any other pets and where any of the adults are scared or taken back by the aggressive dog. That is why I say put him down. Now, if you took your dog to puppy classes and attended more than one session of obedience classes, and if your dog will sit, down, stay, and come on command and will do all of this off lead and if you spend at least an hour a day with your dog everyday then you have NOT caused the problem, because your dog was born with a temperament problem. But I doubt if you did all the above things I mentioned. Many Americans don't understand aggitation either. If you keep a dog in the backyard 24 hours a day and the dog sees other dogs run by and watches other people and children walk and run by to some dogs that is a form of aggitation. Aggitation is the way they train dogs to attack. So dogs and people walking and running by the dogs yard are a form of aggitation or teasing the dog in the yard. This is another reason that it is a good idea to keep dogs in the house as housedogs and members of the family. The more attention a dog has and the more training a dog has the better the dog will relate and mind and become devoted and bond with the entire family. Also with this close contact the family will become aware at an early stage if there is a temperament problem developing or some other type of behavioral problem developing. Many people in the USA just don't know how to handle large breed dogs. That is why there is dog bites and small dogs and children and adults are attacked and killed by dogs. People don't train the dogs beginning as young puppies by taking them to classes and as a result the dog develops bad habits such as jumping up on the owner etc. and the owner just doesn't want to fool with the dog anymore so the dog is just kept in the backyard. Americans do this time and time again and I am not sure why. Large breed dogs are a pain if not trained or worked with properly. For example the lab is now the #1 most popular breed of dog in the USA and you can find them dumped out on country roads and in every shelter and pound across the USA, because they are obnoxious puppies/adult dogs until they are properly trained. But they are popular so Americans buy them and then Americans dump them. A well trained lab makes a great pet and family companion. Also Americans like to buy or adopt aggressive breeds to protect their homes or themselves. Breeds like Rotts, German Shepherds, Dobes, Pitt Bulls, Chows etc. etc. And Americans don't have a clue how to handle breeds that can become aggressive and Americans never contact a trainer or open a book to find out how to handle the aggressive breeds they just buy one or adopt one and if there is a problem then the American blames the dog. So Julie if you haven't trained your dog properly and if you have failed to educate yourself about your dog and about dog training and if you have housed your dog in the backyard without daily attention of at least an hour then yes, you and your husband are responsible. But Julie you are certainly not alone as millions of Americans make this mistake everyday, but not all of their dogs become aggressive some just bark constantly, or become too obnoxious in their behaviors to be around. So next time if you decide to get another dog do NOT get another breed that is considered one of the aggressive breeds. Do some investigation and find out about the breed you are getting ready to buy or adopt. And if you are adopting from a humane shelter or a pound make sure someone can tell you a lot about the dog you are getting ready to adopt as many behavior problems come from the pound and the humane society.And if you yourself or your daughter is hesitant or scared around large breed dogs or breeds that can be aggressive for goodness sake don't get a puppy/dog from that breed. If you are happy with Chihuahuas then stay with Chihuahuas. Always stay with something you are your family can handle and can give plenty attention to the dog. Use the experience you have had with this chow/mix as a learning experience so you never repeat the mistakes that you have made. Thanks for your question Julie, and thank goodness that you have the intelligence to inquire now about whether you did right or wrong and how to handle the problem you are dealing with now. ANd you really have to be commended for that, because many people would just get rid of the dog and go out and buy/adopt another aggressive breed dog/puppy or aggressive breed mix dog/puppy. If you have further questions please just re-post and I will get back to you. Michele --Previous Message--
66.112.104.57
Hi Julie, you have a big problem. And the problem is not your cat or your Chihuahua (but they are in danger too) the problem is your child. Your child is going to get seriously hurt if you don't stop allowing her to have contact with your mean dog. First it is a growl then it is a snap then it is a loss of face or hand or more.
: We have a 3 yr old chow mix. He is loving,
: however very dominate over his food and his
: yard.
:
: For the 1st year of his life, he was fine
: with our other dog, and up until recently
: had been find with our cats. But he has
: attacked our chiwawa 3 times, almost killing
: it the 3rd time. This past weekend he
: attacked our cat who had gotten out, but
: thankfully we heard them before he could
: bite her.
:
: My husband is the only person who the dog
: will obey. He has never snapped at me or
: him, but has growled at our daughter when
: she came too close to his bone in our back
: yard. He will not allow any strangers in our
: yard or our house. Is a dog who has bitten
: another dog and will continue to bite other
: animals and growl at anyone or anything that
: gets close to or enters his yard/house a
: candidate for adoption?
:
: Would you cinsider our dog to be a danger to
: society?
:
: Is this our fault?
:
Message Thread 
« Back to index