We have adopted a dog from a rescue shelterand he will not take to my dad and always is agressive towards him?

Question

My dog is a male and was severly abused and burnt by his previous male owner. He will not take on to my dad and has bitten him 5 times now, and if we cant get my dog to stop biting my dad will have to have him put down. Is there someone or somewhere to take my dog, to hypnotize him into reversing the fear he has with my dad??? Please Help

Answer 1

I think I understand why your dog is agressive toward your father. Maybe you should ask the history of his previous owner. Perhaps his owner wears the same cologne or deoderant that your father does, and that triggers a memory for your dog, and makes him agressive towards your father. After all, if he thinks your father is going to hurt him (even if he's very kind toward the dog) he's going to bite.

I'd advise your father to change his deoderant or something, or either act very nicely toward the dog and see if his attitude changes. Don't put the dog down if he only acts this way to your dad. It's not his fault about his terrible past.

Answer 2

Please do not have your dog put down. If you are not able to control his biting, either by trying some of the other suggestions here or by consulting a professional trainer, take the dog to a non-kill shelter. There is probably still hope for him. It may just be that he needs some more time to heal (emotionally) from his past.

If you do not know of any no-kill shelters in your area, try googling for rescue groups. Some are breed specific, others will take all dogs.

There are some really good methods to get your dog used to men and your dad. Good luck.

Answer 3

Hypnotize?? Yeah okay.. Your dad has to be the kind of person a dog wants to be around. If the dog was abused by a man, then it's up to your dad to prove to the dog that he is a good leader and doesn't treat his pack that way.. If your dog is not getting that, then your dad isn't doing a good job.. You should sign up with a professional trainer and learn what you need to do to help the dog.

Answer 4

The creature needs specialist training by a dog wispherer.
An animal behaviorist should be able to modify this aggresiveness towards your Dad, but it could take a while.
It is possibly called agression/protection. He is protecting the rest of the family against attack from your father, who he perceives as a threat because of his history and being another male. There is little that could be done to disguise Dad as anything other than male because of pheremones. So it could be a long haul, other than perhaps trying to get father to feed him, whilst on a lead.

Answer 5

As with what everyone else said, have your dad give out the treats and food. But, even when everyone else is in the room with Dad and dog, ignore the dog. If the dog wants attention, he'll have to go to Dad for it. It will take a while for your dog to see Dad as a good person, but it will happen if you have the patience for it. Good luck.

Answer 6

Call Ceasar..The Dog Wisperer...lol he has a show on National Geographic channel. I'm sure he has a website. Mabe call your local vet to see if he has any advise. The classical conditioning that a previous person is a good idea. It'll probably work but everybody has to be calm around the dog and have patience! Good Luck!

Answer 7

If your dad is willing to work this out, he needs to take over the dog completely for awhile. He needs to be the one to feed him, take him out for exercise (someone else can leash him just so dad doesnt get bitten) and be the one to pay him attention. The rest of you need to ignore him while dad is bonding with him. It's crucial that this dog sees your dad as the pack leader, because he is, actually. Your dad can even go so far as to keep him leashed in the house and just have him go wherever he goes. He can have the dog lie next to his chair while he is watching tv, next to his chair while he eats (no treats from the table) He needs to share treats with the dog when the dog is relaxed, not at any other time. Dad needs to not push himself on the dog, pretty much ignoring him but at the same time, attending to his every need. The dog will not like it at first, he will probably throw a fit, growl, and try not to go, but he will accept it soon enough. This sounds like tough-love and it is actually, but it does work. Eventually your dog will accept your dad out of sheer necessity because your dad is seeing to his needs. Dogs arent stupid and they are pack animals. The pack leader determines when and if the pack eats, where they sleep, etc. Your dad will become your dogs leader. Try this, if dad is willing, you will see for yourself how the pack heirarchy works. This has worked for me with many rescue dogs who were afraid of certain people. Just remember, rule number one, is not to reward unwanted behavior. Dont make a fuss over him when he is afraid, ignore him and carry on with whatever you are doing. After the dog has accepted your dad, your entire family must work together on this in order to teach him what is acceptable. This needs to be done, as a fear biter is worse than an aggressive dog anyday.
Good luck to you!

Answer 8

Don't put the dog down. Have your dad contact the rescue/shelter and tell them what is going on.
Maybe they can take him back or help you get some ideas on training the dog.

Answer 9

That's why I will not get a dog from a shelter again.
they so often come with these issues and at least you knew about it I was lied to and then when I tried to return the dog they then told me about the abuse but to get the dog out they said the dog was a very friendly dog, great FAMILY dog.
MY husband the first night ended up in the hospital with 45 stitches due to this very friendly Family dog.

Answer 10

Get your dad to feed the dog, give the dog treats, get your dad to show affection towards the dog, but not too close to the dog, he might feel frightened. Otherwise, putting the dog down might be hard but possibly the better option. :{