Should I get rid of this dog?

Question

5 weeks ago I adopted a 5 year old female dog that was advertised on Craigslist as "Free to a good home." The owner claimed he couldn't keep the dog because of his family. According to him the dog barked, not excessively - and only when a stranger approached the house - but it was waking his newborn baby up.

I adopted the dog. Fastforward one month. The previous owner told me said dog was housebroke, the dog actually drops turds throughout the house and when I tried crate training the dog made such an unbelievable noise that my neighbors got upset (my neighbors are gnereally VERY tolerant).

Today, I was crouching on teh floor near to the dog, telling her to "come" (she knows no commands at all and I am trying to teach her). She suddenly growled and bared her teeth. She did this two more times and then ran off to another room

Then she hopped onto teh sofa. I walked past the sofa and she bared her teeth and lunged at me and tried to bite. I ran away.

Answer 1

give the dog away. honestly some of you people would rather get mauled by a dog before you would do the right thing. like all humans are not good people not all animals are good animals.

Answer 2

if you give this dog to someone else you are just passing along a dangerous situation. there is no such thing as a free dog as you are finding out. first off never put your safety at risk with this dog. you need to contact a trainer, not someplace like petsmart or the like, but a trainer that is well versed on serious behavioral problems. and you need to do this soon, this dog sounds like it is very dominant and can be dangerous to you and anyone who may come over. also as a tip most dogs find you on the floor at eye level a threat and will react this way. although no dog should ever show aggression, but until you get the behavioral problems under control and your safetly from being bit is a low chance, i would aviod getting eye to eye with that dog and any dog you don't know. good luck, i'm sorry you were trying to do something nice and ended up in a bad situation. also you could just call the person you got the dog from and send the dog back if that is an option for you.


you do not need to feel bad as some have suggested if you so called "give up" on the dog. yes this dog has had a bad lot in life, but why should you be afraid in your own home? you safety and others is top priority, and having an aggressive dog could open you to legal issues. you never said what kind of dog it is also. also is the dog spayed? if she's not start there, it won't make her behave better, but might curb the aggression enough to make training easier, plus it's just better all around for the dog.

Answer 3

I'm intrigued by this. I wonder...are you married, or is there an adult male in the house with you? I ask because it sounds as if the dog will respond only to an Alpha Male. Some do, and if you aren't the Alpha in the dog's life, it will take a long time for it to respond to you as its master. If there is no male in the house with you, then perhaps you need to try and show no fear at all. Is there evidence of dandruff on the dog's back? That's stress, and it needs a calmer environment. It also needs a solid, unwavering routine. Dog's respond well to treats, rewards, and this could help you in a big way. DON'T GIVE UP.
This dog needs love, and it needs to know that it is loved. Fast, spastic movements will freak her out, so will too many loud noises and overly bright colors. Crouching on the floor can intimidate some dogs, so do this only if you are going to engage her in play, which it seems this little guy needs.
Time, patience, and love. You can provide all of these. Good Luck!

Answer 4

You could take the dog to a trainer.

Let me guess, you are a first time dog owner and the dog is a little dog who has clearly never been trained. And you thought it would be cute to look like Paris and Britney.....and now you have a free cute dog but it isn't like owning a toy......

Step up and do the right thing. Invest in a trainer, or send the dog to a rescue who will work with the dog before adopting it out...or if money is an issue, call the rescue and ask for help.

Don't mean to be harsh, but you ran away from a tiny little dog? This dog is clearly hear to teach you some life lessons about responsibilty and being a good leader, not only to your dog, but to yourself. Take this opportunity that life has given you.

Answer 5

You've had the dog for a month and there's been only two instances of aggression? The first thing to do is to not overreact. A snap is not the same thing as a nip, and a nip is not the same thing as a bite. It was unclear to me from your question whether or not the dog was actually trying to hurt you. She may have been mistreated or she may still be unused to you and the household - it's only been a month after all. She may still need to learn your signals and you may still need to learn hers.

First thing is not to punish the dog for aggression. That will only make it more fearful and therefore increase the likelihood that she'll continue to be aggressive. Be sensitive to the dog's behaviors. Try to pay attention to the cues she gives you and be consistent in the cues that you give her.

If you can't commit to changing the dog's behavior, then you should put it in the hands of someone who can make a determination about whether or not she has a problem and who can reform her if need be. That would be the ASPCA or some other animal welfare organization.

Answer 6

I highly commend you for taking this dog. Old dogs can learn new tricks. You took the responsibility of adopting this dog and now you must do the responsible thing and find it a behaviorist. I relize the previous owner lied or the dog could have started this behavior arriving at your house. If you do not take the time and train it then the other option is euthanasia. Do not pass the dog on to a shelter because you do not want to put the dog in a situation that you are now going through. From what it sounds like the dog just needs professional help and seems to be an issue that can be worked out. The only other option is to find a new home for the dog with someone that can deal and handle the issues and you tell the whole truth to them (which will be hard to find) or to euthanise it. It is much better for a dog to be put down in the arms of someone it knows than to sit in a crumy shelter until its time is up and have it put down in the arms of strangers.

Please contact a trainer through http://www.apdt.com/

Good luck

Answer 7

On average, a dog will not become accustomed to the new home for 3-6 months. Taking in a new dog is a huge responsibility and takes work. Do you work with her for 10-15 minutes a day on teaching her commands? Does she have a good solid hour of exercise everyday? Was there a change in diet?

I don't know the entire background. But the overall solution would probably be obedience training.

Answer 8

The previous owner lied to be able to give the dog away and now it is not his problem. It is however yours.
The dog is 5 years old and not house broken. It may never be housebroken at this age.
And it soulds like it has no respect for humans and is challanging authority of humans. If she has tried to bite you and lungeing at you this dog has some serious issues.
I would not have it around children EVER at all. If you do not trust this dog get rid of it. Do the responsible thing if you give it up to a humane society or rescue tell them the truth about why it is being given up so they can take the correct action.
The problems could be worked with but it is going to take time effort and one on one work with a behavioral trainer.

Answer 9

From Reading How You handled The Dog(Running Away When it Bared its Teeth) I can tell you already that you are not the person this dog needs.If she is a Purebred Try Her Breed Rescue..If a Mix Try Some Rescues that take all Kinds Or advertise her Truthfully Somebody Has the Know How to Work with Her ..What is her Breed? Mix? Are you near SC? I would gladly take her in and foster Her If She isnt a Pit or a Breed that Makes MyHomeowners Insurance Soar..These are the Dogs who Tug at my Heartstrings the Most! If all Else Fails Take her to a Shelter Even it is one That Euthanizes...A No Kill Shelter Wouldnt Take this Dog anyway! It would be Better to have her Put down than to have somene Badly Bitten...Or Even Killed! Dont Try to send her Back to the guy you got her From..He'll just Do this to Somebody Else!....GoodLuck

Answer 10

Hi! I would say yes. It will take professional training to teach this dog acceptable behaviour, and you could get hurt if you don't know exactly what you're doing with this animal.
It is very possible the dog was functioning normally with its previous owner. But it also seems obvious that it has great difficulties adapting to a new owner, and probably the best will be to put it asleep.
But I also want to make this clear: do you know anything about dogs? Before you eventually get another animal, you must at least read a couple of books on dog behaviour and training. Having a balanced and well-functioning dog is a lot of work, and it you're not prepared to put that into it, don' t bother getting a dog. angell.

Answer 11

Yikes.

If this dog is 5 years old and untrained, it will be harder to control her. The part about the dog lunging at you without being provoked is especially worrisome.

You can step up the training a notch- praise her and give her a treat when she behaves, punish her when she isn't good.... but you'll have to catch her in the act; no sense punishing her AFTER she takes a dump in the house. If you do that, she won't know why she's being punished.

However, the fact that the owner lied about the dog and that it growled at you and tried to bite you leads me to think that it had problems other than "going" in the house.