Should my friends dog be put down?

Question

I dont know what to advise my friend. She has a dog called Bately and hes 5 years old. He was a rescue dog which she rescued from the vets she used to work at. He had been badly treated and was beaten up. He is a boxer cross (sorry dont know the other dogs name) and is a pretty big dog. My friend has recently split from her ex and is now living alone in a smaller house just her and the dog. That dog is her life she loves him as if he is her baby but there is a problem. He is very jealous and if she has people over he sometimes bites people. This used to be a playful nip but now he has biten two people and drawn blood. He fine with me luckily and people he knows and trust really well but strangers are at risk! She has asked me what i think she should do, keep him or put him down? Although deep down i think she should put him down as it may get worse i know this is going to break her heart and she will then be by herself in her house. What should i advise her?

Also she has a problem with his barking, he barks loudly whenever she goes out. This is usually at the weekend and the neighbours have all started to complain. She has had this problem before with a previous dog and when she acted on this and after months of trying different techniques she opted to have the dogs vocal cords cut and ended up loosing the dog in surgery. This she has never got over this and now feels like the same thing is happening all over again. Its a very sensative situation and she cant move as she is now single and can only afford a place in a built up area.

Answer 1

Wow, this is a heart breaker because I speak from experience. My husband died and my mix-breed became more and more possessively aggressive. for the first couple months I did the lock him away thing when friends came over. I even tried the classes that went fine but at home alone it was unpredictable. Some people he liked some he didn't. It became a strain on me as a young widow and starting over was not easy when suddenly my best friend became a burden. There was so much change going on for both of us and it came to the point that I decided to say my goodbyes to my friend. Not an easy thing to do. I gave it much thought and realistically I knew I couldn't keep him and knew in my heart I couldn't give him away for fear he could do someone harm so I took him to the vet and said my goodbyes.
Now as to what I'd advise your friend to do is what ever she feels in her heart to be the best thing for them both even if it hurts. She needs to get on with her life and you need to give her support in doing what is good for her. People are quick to condemn others when they have not been faced with such decisions but an animal that has become part of us is dependent on us to do the right thing even if it is letting go. Friends need to support us when we have a hard decision to make and whats right for one person may not work for another. Bless you for your support.

Answer 2

From what you have said it sounds like she shouldn't have a dog in the first place. With proper training, most dogs will be able to overcome the type of behavior he is displaying. As far as her worrying about him barking, I would try crate training. I have found that the crate calms my dogs and they bark much less in it. I can not believe that she found a vet that would cut a dogs vocal cords simply to stop barking. That is moronic! Has she never heard of behavioral training for dogs? I think she should try to find a home for the dog where someone can properly take care of it. She definately doesn't sound like a good person if she would risk her dogs life just to stop him from barking. It seems like she just wants to take the easy way out of everything instead of doing what is right.

Answer 3

The first time a lot of us have to come to terms with death is when a cherished pet dies. Whoever talks to her, needs to explain there is a season for everything but they must do it in a way she will understand. She also needs to be able to talk about it with someone and be given a chance to grieve. Hopefully her family was able to bury the dog. If she was able to participate in a little ceremony for the dog, it would help give her some closure.

Answer 4

He does not need to be destroyed...he needs to be trained. He sounds like an alpha male and is territorial. This has been addressed on the "Dog Whisperer" show and he has broken dogs of this behavior very nicely. Maybe she can find info on Ceasar's website, or have her call a pet behavioralist in your area. There is no need to put a dog down for this.

Answer 5

He needs so training not to bite and not to bark when she leaves, he is just suffering seperation anxiety. I also have a rescue dog and when I first got him he would bark like crazy when I left the apt. but now that we've been together long enough he knows that his mommy is coming back and he doesn't do it anymore.

Answer 6

Don't put the Dog Down!.

From your description, I felt that This Behavior problems can be corrected with proper Training.

Dogs become overly aggressive due to some reasons, of course other than health issue.

Bately might be looking for your friend attention and she might not be seeing the early warning signs.

Your Friend love for the Dog might be the reason for his aggression and it is really a pity that because of this the Dog should be put down:

The aggression problem your friend experiencing is a symptom of a confused relationship between your friend and her dog. Surprisingly, this is not uncommon.

Human perception of our behavior toward the dog is not the same as the dog's perception of the same behavior.

For example:

Your friend may pet her dog simply because she love him and want him to feel good.

But unless that attention comes as a result of the dog complying with your friend's rules and wishes, he may perceive the attention as proof that your friend rank lower than he does in the family structure.

(*This is Very very important to note*)

To resolve this behavior problem, your friend will need to change her own behavior so that her dog can begin to clearly perceive his place in your friend family structure as the least ranking member, and under the control of all family members (if she is staying with her family)

All family members must agree on this program, and be faithful in adhering to it, or she will doom the dog to failure and possible death.

One of Way to Correct this behavior is that to teach her dog that there is NO FREE LUNCH -

Her dog must learn to value the attention, playtime and food.

From now on, he will receive nothing from your friend without giving something in return such as a sit. For example, if he would like to be petted or have a toy thrown, he must sit promptly on the FIRST command.

Then only Your friend may then pet him briefly or throw the toy once or twice. If he fails to sit, ignore him and do not give him any attention or petting for at least 3 minutes. then she may try again.

But then Again, Your Friend got to do it to save her dog from being put Down.

There are excellent materials out there available online for your friends to look at on how to overcome this behavior problem in her dogs.

Answer 7

Someone who would use such an EXTREME measure to train a dog (cutting vocal cords to stop barking) probably shouldn't EVER own a pet of any kind. Please ask her to surrender her dog to a rescue organization and perhaps she can get some type of hobby. I'm thinking stamp collecting..........

Answer 8

Don't put the dog down just for that reason. He's not sick. He just needs some training. Look into class's for him. That's all he needs. I'm sure that some will provide some financial assistance if she needs it. Call the local humane society. Call her vet. Don't put the dog down for that reason. It's just wrong. Good luck.

Answer 9

NO! I don't think the dog should be put down?
the best thing she can do for that dog is take it to a animal shelter were it can be love and take care of.

Good luck.

Answer 10

simple, lock the dog away when strangers come round
it is obvious that any big dog would bite strangers and not u or people they know and trust.

it would be wrong to put a perfectly healthy animal out because he is protective and territorial.