Should my dog be put to sleep?

Question

I have a Miniature Doperman Pinscher that is about 1yr old. She is very protective and doesn't get along with children. I got her from a breeder and I'm wondering if I got unlucky & got a bad pick out of the litter.

She has bit three people and drawn blood on two of the incidences. She is a good dog when nobody else is around. but when we have company, she get very protective of me and my family [violently]. This is a major concern that I would like some advice on.

I don't want to give her away and be anyone else's problem, but I'm scared of what she might do because I am one of the three that she bit.

P.S>Help!

Answer 1

NO!!!

It's not an issue of her being fundamentally a bad dog...It's an issue that she hasn't been trained how to behave in front of others.

You need to be VERY serious about training her to accept the people that you let into your home. It's understandable that she's territorial...I'm sure part of the reason you got her was to help guard your home. But she MUST learn to understand that YOU are in charge of who comes into your home, and that when you invite them, it's not okay to bite them.

Please take the time to find professional help on this...Your local SPCA or animal shelter can certainly provide recommendations. If you don't get help, you'll get to the point where she'll be taken away from you, and put down anyway, simply because you didn't train her correctly.

If you can't find a way to get her some training, then you should consider giving her to the local animal shelter, so that someone who has the time could give it a try.

Answer 2

"The Dog Whisperer" had a show on about a family with 3 Min Pins that were aggressive. Turns out the family wasn't exercising their dogs enough. There was a lot of other info on there about how dogs of this breed can be very aggressive and territorial when they haven't had sufficient exercise. I don't know how much you walk your Min Pin, but you should walk her at least 1/2 hour twice each day--minimum. You may have to exercise her even more than that. And then, she needs to be socialized as well, trained to understand that she cannot do the behavior ever.

Best advice is to find a good dog trainer to work with you and her. If you cannot find a good dog trainer, if you give her away to someone that can and will take her to a dog trainer, she will probably get better. The important thing is that she CAN change--it just all depends on how much time you are willing to spend with her to help her change.

Answer 3

Ending the life of a one-year old pup because you don't know how to train properly is very sad. The post by Poopsy says you "sound responsible". I think you've been anything but.

At this point, your dog is out of control. She hasn't been socialized properly, clearly doesn't respect you or others, feels she is the alpha, and feels she must bite to protect her territory. A properly trained dog is docile and well socialized (with dogs and people), knows you are the alpha, knows that you are in control of all situations and has no need to protect anything because you are in charge.

At this point, I recommend a behavior therapist to first work out these biting issues with the dog. After that, you will need obedience training (and not just one or two classes, but a series of classes by a professional) where both the dog and, more importantly, YOU will learn not only basic commands, but how to put yourself in charge.

Once your dog accepts that you are the alpha, you will see a remarkable turnaround. Don't give up on her and certainly don't end her life. Instead, be a responsible owner and get her the training you BOTH need.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Your dog is probably no particular problem for someone who already knows how to train dogs and has been warned. Unless you spend a fair amount of effort learning how to train and control her, your dog will continue to dominate you and her problems will come back even if a professional cures them temporarily. If she bites a stranger that takes offense, she's dead anyway.
My mother was owned for the last 20 years of her life by a Yorkshire terrier who would not let anybody, man or dog, near his woman. She liked the situation just fine. Your dog might be valuable to someone behavior problems and all, so I don't see a problem advertising the dog for sale honestly. Otherwise I would find the nearest no-kill animal shelter.

Answer 5

You should NOT kill a dog because it bit someone. If the dog loves the family, then put it away in another room when company comes over.

Also, you should take that dog to a professional dog trainer. Call Petsmart or Petco and ask for a recommendation. You might be able to train the dog not to bite.

Don't murder your dog.

Answer 6

I would try talking to a dog trainer first. I watch the dog whisperer, and he does some amazing stuff. If something could be done, then I would try it. If after extensive training, nothing changes, then you have to think about protecting other people..and yourself from a lawsuit. If these bites are reported, animal services may take her and put her to sleep anyway. Biting humans is not ok.

Answer 7

Well I definitely think that someting needs to be done about your dog. My first piece of advice would be to find a trainer that specializes in violent dogs and see if they can fix your problem. Your dog is still young and can still learn. If this doesnt work then sadly yes I feel that your dog should be put down so she isnt a danger to anyone especially because you are one that she bit. I WOULD NOT put her down until you try a trainer but get help fast!!!

Answer 8

If the dog bites someone and they go to the hospital the hospital is responsible for reporting all bite wounds to the animal control. Animal Control will then come and seize your dog for quarantine for 10 days and may warrent your dog a menace. I would seriously think about some VERY good dog training or putting the dog down before she seriously hurts someone

Answer 9

I really dont think you should put her to sleep, she is just protecting you and dosnt know any better. This is a common problem and can be fixed easily with a trainer. I think that you should at least try and fix the problem before giving up! If I were you i think that i would feel bad about it for the rest of my life, but idk. I think that the dog deserves a chance. Its only 1 years old, it may grow out of it, but please call a trainer!

http://www.ipdta.org/memberlinks.html
See if any of these trainer are near to where you live, if not I bet you can find one in the phone book or google!!

Please think about this decision and at least try before giving up!!!

Answer 10

What I think you should do, is see a vet, they can usually recommend a good way to go about this: training, whispering, muzzling, or whatever. Vets see these types of dogs daily and have studied their temperament, so they should be able to help you. Also, I would read online about your dog and see if it is something you have inadvertenly done to cause this, and tips of reversing it. She is still a puppy, I wouldn't go as far as putting her to sleep yet. Good luck!