Fosters claim issues I’m not seeing

[caelesto]

@kingdomwaygh Oh thats awesome that someone was able to help him in the end. I’m lucky that I have a network of ppl that want to step in if this doesnt work out for me.

 

[kingdomwaygh]

@caelesto Yes, I think better environments for the dog can make substantial improvements on their own. I chatted with the vet, they didn’t have to do anything special, they just had other dogs (we didn’t) and because they had a doggy door (we didn’t), he could go potty whenever and didn’t have to be contained.

 

[kalenebari]

@caelesto Changes affect dogs in different ways. Just because you may not see the issues now does not mean they won't present 3 months from now once the dog has had the time to decompress and its personality has had time to shine through. You know this behavior is a possibility. Dogs are predators, it's always a possibility. Just enforce boundaries straight from the beginning, keep up on training, and don't become complacent. These behaviors may present or they may not. As a trainer I often get dogs in and can't even replicate the problem behaviors reported because I handle them in a way where the dogs don't feel the need to display those behaviors. Fulfil their needs and many problem behaviors tend to melt away on their own.

 

[caelesto]

@kalenebari Thank you for this. It is something I do forget when I have a docile dog. Its not just certain dogs, its all dogs certainly that can bite or nip or misbehave. It puts things into perspective.

 

[justjem]

@caelesto You can always muzzle train if you're nervous or there's any question and you're introducing the dog to a new environment or situation in the beginning, just to be sure. I would be Somewhat concerned about why there's been so many previous homes, but I'd be mostly trying to pinpoint how/why all those people could have failed her and do better in those areas. More exercise, more structure, basic common sense.. etc. But I wouldn't hold too much weight on the past since she's doing so well with you and you seem to have a solid foundation together already that she probably never got before.

I can't say if she would be safe to work, because I don't know what work you mean, but as a pet if you're aware she could Potentially ever bite because she has in the past, and take the appropriate steps to prevent that situation from happening again then I doubt she will give you much problems.

I had a foster that was so good with me. I had a family talk myself and the rescue up about how they were going to do XYZ with the dog, training and all this good stuff. Sounded like a great home. Was provided every training direction and resource they could have been provided. They just couldn't handle the dog, the dogs energy level, or breed compared to their dog previously and were in over their head. Tried to claim the dog was totally untrained and it's our fault though we had video evidence of the contrary. (They treated her very similarly to how you described with the tie out etc) We took the dog back, found a better home, and the dog had Zero issues and is thriving because the people followed the directions. Some dogs just need the right home to do their best in and they never have another issue.

 

[caelesto]

@justjem Muzzling is a good idea. Was in a pet friendly store and actually looked at one a bit wondering if there was value to it. Since we’ll be in the area of a local boutique pet store we may look into it today

 

[crimexx]

@caelesto The more strict and structured you are the more the dog will be successful with you. I have 4 rescues, all had serious behavior issues and multiple returns. Stay structured and strict, lots of exercise, and don't overdo the affection. Get good with crate training. Stay balanced

 

[caelesto]

@crimexx We work at it. She is still with me. We work on better and not perfect all the time.

 

[caelesto]

@crimexx Crate training is a must in my life. Top of the list with the trainer when we go if I haven’t figured it out myself yet.

 

[hall]

@caelesto So look at it this way

at this point ‘ due to human incompetence = the dog is now unreliable with her mouth but is predictable with her mouth

[leaving out the the option of escalatory physical painful correction ‘ which in the end would work ‘ but let’s not go there for now]

let’s focus on the things you can “predict” ,,,

we “can predict” that certain levels of “pressure” in her personal space will cause a certain level of mouth reaction from the dog ,,,

so ‘ if you are going to be responsible with the dog ‘ then you understand and are committing to the following [because of the dogs history]

• acknowledge that the dog has an unreliable mouth (biting tendencies)

• don’t trust the dog with it’s mouth around other persons ,, choke chain with leash for the next 2 years , muzzle always when unavoidable to be in close proximity to the public

• advocate for the dog ,, keep persons away from the dog’s personal space

• you yourself respect the dog’s personal space ,, i.e. keep your face away from it face, your hands, no cuddling , no sofas, do not humanize this dog

… it seems all this dog is asking for’ is to be respected, and to be treated as a canine,,, unfortunately it now has baggage that ,,,

can’t be trained out of it “reliably” but yes can be managed by the right person

hope this makes sense,, if it does not = then your not the person for this dog

great ‘ thx

 

[caelesto]

@hall I wanted to thank you. I wasn’t in a place to process all of this before. But after weeks of working with the dog and reviewing the advice, this was valuable. Your words are appreciated.

 

[caelesto]

@hall Thank you for taking the time to write all that out. Muzzle training will be happening. I have a trainer lined up already. A martingale was suggested but she slip harnesses so that’s out. A choke collar is not something I have worked with so before I can even attempt that I would need to research. You have given me something to think about, especially if we get regression over the next weeks.

 

[golgothaghostwriter]

@caelesto any working breed will "nip" and be mouthy until you train them to not pull that shit with humans and instead redirect it to a toy. it takes a lot of training and a lot of work but in the end is worth it. good luck(sounds like you have a GSD mix)

 

[caelesto]

@golgothaghostwriter I still don’t know what she is but we continue working. It is worth it.

 

[blv54]

@caelesto To share a counter obversion to what others have posted. We adopted about ~3 months ago. Mal-mix 13mo old.

They said she had leash reactivity... and that was about all they could tell me. I later got a lengthy print-out with history that was typed up during several fosters and the original surrender.

In any case, all the information provided has proved to be very accurate.

1) She is highly leash reactive. Even towards people at times.

2) She has extreme separation enxiety. The primary reason she was given up as far as we can tell. She will bark constantly if put in a crate and she will bark constantly if left out of the crate.

3) She is reactive/aggressive towards house guests and children. She will and has bitten people for seemingly no reason. As in they weren't trying to pet her, play with her, or even looking at her. She has jumped up and grabbed onto someone's arm that was sitting at our kitchen table ignoring her and talking calmly to the rest of us.

4) She has started to become destructive to anything she can get her teeth on in our house if left alone. This is new behavior that has only started in the past 2 weeks.

What does all this mean for our situation? We give her ~90 minutes of walking, poop/pee, play time every morning when we get up. We give her another 60 minute walk for lunch and then at least 1-2 hours if the evening. We feed her quality food. We do a lot of training in the house, giving her plenty of attention and "purpose" ~15 minute blocks at a time probably 3-4x a day.

In other words, she gets around 3 hours of outside time for walks and play. She gets about an hour or so of additional training inside the house every day. So we're up to 4 hours of dedicated attention time.

Unfortunately this apparently isn't enough. If left alone she will bark/whine constantly (much worse if in the crate). If left alone out of the crate she has started to destroy anything she can find.

As much as I want to correct this dogs behavior and make her a permeant part of our family... I'm really questioning if that can ever happen. What's worse, she has 2 people, with a house (not apartment) that both work from home. We're able to give her more attention and time than most normal people ever could and it's not enough.

 

[caelesto]

@blv54 That is a lot of work. And it allows me to pause and think. Of course I hope the best in my situation but I do need to realize that I am only one person and can only do so much. Thank you for sharing your story and putting forth another narrative. Hope for the best, but the best for the dog. If thats me, great, if not, hope we find her a place.