# What would you do? (bit child)



## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

I have a pup (2'ish and weights 92 lbs) that we are fostering, not through any organization but just ourselves. We found him and couldn't find his owner so our thought process was 1) get him healthy, 2) get him fixed and 3) find him a home. He had worms really, really, really, bad. It took 4 months of de-worming to get rid of them. He was fixed and recovered just fine. Finding a good home for him seemed really hard before and now I am pretty sure it will be impossible and I am not sure that I am comfortable re-homing him. 

He is crate trained trained, knows leave it and take it, knows sit, stay (work in progress) and overall very friendly dog and good with my children and other dogs. Here is where my problem is. Recently, as in this week, he lunged at a child, in my home. Did not bite her BUT did leave a tooth scratch on the child's tummy. I was standing 3 feet away when it happened, grabbed him by the collar and put him in his crate where he continued to bark and growl. As the child was leaving (had to walk past his crate which is 5 feet from the front door) he lunged again and barked and growled. This child is not my child but rather a friend of one of my children and she is 12. The week before that he lunged (was on a leash) at a man walking by us on the sidewalk. I took him to the vet and they ran bloodwork and checked him over and said he was healthy.

Now I don't know what to do. I am afraid that this is just the beginning of not being able to take him anywhere without a muzzle, constant crate if anyone is over, and then the worry of having as many children as I do (6 currently at home) that someone will not be paying attention and he will get out. Then of course my biggest concern is what about re-homing? How do you make sure that the person or people understand completely what the issue is AND are willing to do everything they need to do to make sure it doesn't happen? I am "ok" with basic training but when it comes to aggression it is way over my head. None of the rescues that I contacted would take him, gave NO advice or help at all, and said he would have to be put down since he bit a child, even though it was a scratch it is still considered a bite. Would sending him to the bridge be the best answer? 

I am so torn, heartbroken, upset and, afraid! No answer seems like the right one and I really need some outside (not so close to the issue) input.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Such a tough situation, and I'm really sorry you're having to go through it. What were the circumatances in which he lunged at the child? All I can say is that I would not adopt out a dog that was exhibiting unprovoked aggression. Whether you're willing to try and work with him under the guidance of a professional behaviorist or not, I don't know, but I wouldn't even attempt to adopt him out as is. If you placed him and the adopter didn't handle the matter as seriously as it should be handled, or some accident occurred and this dog badly injured somebody, you could be held liable and have to live with the guilt for the rest of your life. I can't say whether or not I'd personally consult a behaviorist without being in your shoes and knowing the dog, but the only other option for me would be humane euthanasia...with a very heavy heart, I'm sure. Good luck.


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

More info about the bite incident would be helpful...what was the dog and the child doing? Do you have any ideas what breeds might be in this dog? 

For now just don't let your kids interact with him, in fact just you and other adults in the household should be doing that. If you cannot avoid getting near people on walks I would get him a muzzle for walks.


I don't think you could rehome this dog UNLESS it is a guardian breed and he is being rehomed to someone with extensive experience in guardian breeds. If her were actually your dog I would of course suggest a behaviorist, but even if you do get one I would not feel comfortable rehoming him assuming there was very little provocation for the bite.


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

This was completely unprovoked. The child walked into the house and was talking to my daughter. They were not speaking loudly or excitedly. The child had her hands down by her side and was not even looking at the dog._ The girls where standing 3-4 feet away from me. I was in the kitchen and the dog was with me in the kitchen. I was getting some water out of the sink and he was sitting by me. When the doorbell rang I told him to stay, which he did. The girls walked in about 5 feet from the front door and then stopped and were talking. The dog pushed past my daughter (who had her back to me and the dog), jumped up, wrapped his front legs around her waist and I couldn't really see how he did it but managed to scatch her on the stomach. My daughter said he bit her but all I could find was the scatch._ My other daughter who is 14 started to cry hysterically after this happened because she knew, just like I do (just trying to wrap my mind around putting a healthy dog to sleep) that when the dog made the choice to bite he (doesn't matter if child or adult) would need to be helped to the bridge.

On another board that I am on (small breed owners) they all made it sound like I just don't want to deal with the issues, shouldn't have dogs if I am not willing to train them, and "am taking the easy way out by killing my healthy dog." This is NOT easy and we are devastated about this! We have had him long enough to be very bonded with him.

For me it boils down to what am I doing wrong, training wise, that this dog would make the choice that it did. The two little ones have never been agressive at all and I train them the same way. Lots of positive reinforcement and praise!

The ETA parts are in _italics_


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

He is a lab mix of some sort.


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Wait, did he scratch her with his teeth or paws? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding but what I gather is that he jumped up on her and your daughter says he bit her (but based on lack of injuries perhaps just attempted to bite her). Are you sure there was actually a bite? Is the dog ever just mouthy, maybe in play? Does he usually jump/try to jump on guests?


He's absolutely beautiful by the way...I am really sorry you are going through this.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

What a horrible thing for you to have to deal with. I am so sorry.

I don't know what I would do for sure, but i do know that even though I love my dogs like crazy if there was a chance they would injure a child living in my house, I wouldn't keep the dog around the children.

Not sure about putting to sleep. I put a dog to sleep about 15 years ago for biting a child and I've regretted it, alot. I believe I did the wrong thing but the circumstances were not like yours.

I know some people are willing to deal with an aggressive dog through behavior therapy etc. but that's a large time commitment and it sounds like you have your hands full with alot of children also.

It does seem, though, that had he really intended to do damage with his teeth he had plenty of opportunity, and all she came out with was a scratch. But his behavior in the crate certainly doesn't show that he was just being playful, either.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

wthout provocation, a dog who is human aggressive needs just those precautions...and personally, i would not re home him. i'm sorry you're going through this....

we had found a stray who had been hit by a car so his jaw was never fixed right....we took him in, fixed his heart worms, fixed him, and he was about the friendliest dog i'd ever seen...the big lug...a black lab/retriever....and he was just great....until i paid attention to another of our dogs...and then the ugly came out...and he started to guard food, tried to eat a maltipoo we had rescued....

he'd eye my eight pound shih tzu and g'd forbid a dog came near me or came near the food...

so we kept him away from the other dogs....

and then honey hugged me and the dog went after him....the second time convinced us he was so damaged....we took him to our vet who honestly felt that human agressive dogs had little chance of being rehabbed...it was very sad, but we put him down.

i don't regret that decision....although it makes me so sad...it's the first and last time we ever faced that....but in this case, your case, either he has to be watched 100 per cent of the time and never be allowed near children or adults or strangers....or he needs to go to a farm where he becomes a working dog and hope he doesn't eat the sheep or he needs to be put down....sorry to say. but that's my opinion...


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would contact a behaviorist in you area...start working with them asap. Most good ones are expensive, so its an investment. Takes a lot of time and energy. 

My only thought is that maybe this girl reminded this dog of someone he had a bad experience with previously. Or it had something to do with there being too much commotion around the door/entry area. LOTS of dogs have issues with polite greetings at the door.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I'm with Natalie. You have NO idea what this dog's past was like. He could have been abused. He could have come from a loving home where no one knew how to socialize him. There are infinite possibilities. 

I know horses and dogs aren't the same thing, but they both have memories and react accordingly to situations they find themselves in. My best friend growing up had an old school baroque morgan gelding named Buster. Beautiful, seal bay 15.2 hand boy. She bought him from our trainer. Great horse. As long as you didn't walk up to him in the dark. Or wearing a windbreaker or cowboy hat. He reacted more strongly towards men in those situations than women. As long as those he was familiar with talked to him when he found himself in these situations he was ok. I would walk up to him wearing the windbreaker and cowboy hat in the dark because he knew my voice. I was a treat dispenser to him  From that, we can guess that he was possibly kept in a dark stall and abused by a man who wore a windbreaker and a cowboy hat. Everything about his behaviour lead us to that conclusion. 

My mare was neglected and was 300 lbs underweight when we got her. She would pace every morning (part of the reason she was SO underweight since she was burning WAY more than she took in) because she was worried that she wasn't going to be fed. She would do this again in the evening, worried that dinner wouldn't come. My mare was never abused, just neglected (which, yes, is a form of abuse, but there is a difference in the general idea). She didn't have any of the little weird idiosyncrasies that abused horses have like Buster. I could do ANYTHING to that horse. She didn't mind. I could WEAR anything. No reaction. It was just food she was worried about.

My point is that they remember everything that has happened in the past. I am not saying that it is a guarantee that he was abused or anything, but I am saying that it is possible and that the situation triggered something in his memories. I see a GSD a tend to freeze up for a second because I was attacked by one a couple of years ago. I don't even have to think about it. I just freeze. But, since time has gone on, I am not afraid of them anymore. It is a momentary, instinctual thing. 

I would at least talk to a behaviorist. I wouldn't feel comfortable having a dog like that in my house because even our dog misbehaving could get Nick into trouble with Big Navy. I wouldn't want him put down but he is not a dog you can give to just anybody. Whoever you rehome him with needs to fully understand his issues and have experience in dealing with a dog like this or he will end up dead.


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

I have a meeting with a trainer later today. I have to honestly look at my life, schedule, and what I can honestly commit to him and training. We are a very active family with a lot going on all the time. If the trainer suggests crating if company is over, muzzling in public and no contact with any children, only adults then I have a lot to think about. What kind of life is that for him? Is it fair to him? I do not trust him at this point and I don't know that I ever will. There are millions of pets out there without aggression or behavioral issues who cannot find homes, what are the odds that I am going to be able to find Token a home? We were not having any luck with finding him a home before, now it just seems impossible. I don’t know how feasible it is to keep him long-term given our lifestyle and the dynamic’s of our household. Like I said above I have a lot to think about. I also do not want to rush into any decisions.

Having two incidents of (as far as I could tell) unprovoked aggression, in two weeks, is troublesome to say the least. I know that dogs can be leash reactive but he has never done any of these behaviors before! He knows that when the doorbell rings or someone knocks that he has to sit in the kitchen. He does not always do this on his own (work in progress) but does so willingly when prompted to. The children (ages 18 - 12) are the ones who give out high value treats during training and they all participate in various training exercises with adult supervision.

He does not jump on people. That is something we worked with him from the very beginning, we don’t let the “little” dogs do it either. I feel that it is bad manners for a dog to jump on someone, especially someone who has not invited them to do so. I have always trained to sit for attention, not jump or paw at someone. They are not allowed on furniture unless invited, they do not go outside (backyard) without being told they can, and they do not eat until given the release to do so. Like I said I am pretty good at basic training but aggression or aggressive behavior is beyond me.

I have never had a problem with him and my children but now I am worried about the possibility of something happening. I have a child who is autistic (high functioning) who does not read dog body language, heck he doesn't read human body language, and would have no clue if he was in danger of being bit or hurt by a dog or person for that matter. This child is never left alone with any animal for any reason. Not because he is rough or mean, in fact he is a very "soft" child, but because of his social and developmental delays. This child is physically 12 but socially and developmentally at about 5 year-old level. When this happened with the girl it was fast, really fast, and I could not intervene to prevent injury fast enough. If this happens again who is to say that Token would not do serious damage to a child, or one of my children.

I am trying to have a positive outlook but I have a very heavy heart!


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

magicre said:


> but in this case, your case, either he has to be watched 100 per cent of the time and never be allowed near children or adults or strangers....or he needs to go to a farm where he becomes a working dog and hope he doesn't eat the sheep or he needs to be put down....sorry to say. but that's my opinion...


To be this is the biggest issue. My youngest child is 12 that is another 6 years at least of children/strangers in and out of our home. Not to mention we camp a lot. That means leaving him home. To me that means he is not really living, he's just exsisting. 

He is great with animals. In fact he is our ferret finder when they go "missing" in the house. About a month ago he led my daughter to a baby bird who had been attacked by a cat in our backyard. We took the baby bird (some type of woodpecker) to a wild life rehab and he was released back to the wild!


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

xellil said:


> I know some people are willing to deal with an aggressive dog through behavior therapy etc. but that's a large time commitment and it sounds like you have your hands full with alot of children also.
> 
> It does seem, though, that had he really intended to do damage with his teeth he had plenty of opportunity, and all she came out with was a scratch. But his behavior in the crate certainly doesn't show that he was just being playful, either.


His behavior was not playful, at all! I do have a lot on my plate. I am a full-time college student, home-school 5 children, and 3 of those children are special needs. I have a lot to think about and as much as I want to make choices based on my heart and love of him, I cannot.


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> I wouldn't feel comfortable having a dog like that in my house because even our dog misbehaving could get Nick into trouble with Big Navy. I wouldn't want him put down but he is not a dog you can give to just anybody. Whoever you rehome him with needs to fully understand his issues and have experience in dealing with a dog like this or he will end up dead.


This is what I am struggling with. I am not comfortable with him now. I do not trust him to not bite or attack/lunge at someone again. I was having NO luck finding him a home before, what are the odds now!


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

I went through something similar with my last dog.I don't want to get into all the details as I'm at wotk and don't want to start bawling. i adopted a dog who had been found in seriously bad shape, covered in new and old wounds, half healed broken bones, severley underweight, etc. He had been seen tossed from a moving car. While in foster care he got better physically but still had some fear issues, understandably. The day before we were supposed to pick him up, adoption papers signed, he bit a kid at petco. the boy had on some kind of fluffy track pants and he got mostly a mouth full of that, but he left a decent bruise and WOULDN'T let go, he was only 6 months and about 14 lbs, but it took two people to get his mouth open and his foster mom said he was shaking and had a weird blank look on his face. She asked if we still wanted to give him one more chance, with extreame caution of course as he was now a pit bull with a police record of a bite on a 12 year old. But he was a BABY, and tiny and I loved him already. I took him, and loved him deeply, and bonded with him totally (he learned to trust my husband, but i was always his person)

By the time he was a 11 months he had deteriorated, despite 2 behaviorists (and $3000) and would simply lose his mind at the site of children, often snarling while also pooping uncontrolably from terror. Or not reacting at all, but getting that 'blank' look. Children would never be safe around him, and also, he clearly only felt safe curled up in the house with me (he was the best cuddler EVER) I had him put down, at just a little over a year old. He died where he felt safest, maybe the only place he ever felt safe, wrapped in my arms.

I miss him every minute and always will. For all that Vito went through, i believe that he actually had some wires crossed genetically, and that his inherant instability was then greatly exhasperated by neglect and possible abuse. Some dogs go through AWFUL things, but are genetically stable enough to bounce back, to wag their tail at everyone in the worst conditions. some dogs get spooked by nothing and overreact to simple things, just because that's who they are. Nature AND nurture shape dogs, just like us, but primates are naturally more maliable than canines, and I think genetic temperament is a bigger factor than history. By no means does that mean don't try everything with a troubled dog, I don't regret every thing i tried even though things turned out the way they did, and lots of behavioral problems are absolutely learned and fixable, but I am more inclined to feel that an unprovoked desire to hurt a child (typically a very unthreatening figure) is a marker of the kind of instability that will never be really safe.

You are in a heartbreaking position, there is no easy way out and you will doubt yourself a million times, but short of a professional stepping up to adopt and manage this dog long term, any other type of rehoming might leave you always wondering if a child will end up having something much more serious than a scratch (labs are big strong dogs, they hardly ever want to cause any harm, but they are certainly capable physically) Only you can make this decision, my heart goes out to you.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

I am so sorry you're having to go through this kind of decision making. I hope that whatever conclusion you come to, it is for the best for you, Token, and your family. I, personally would not be considering euthanasia if it was my dog, just because my life isn't full of children and I don't really plan on it ever being (as long as my current dogs are alive at least). But you have a much different lifestyle, and I am glad you are taking Token's quality of life into consideration. I wish there was a rescue group or something out there willing to take in and work with "troubled dogs" and get them adopted out to the right home. He seems like such a perfect boy in every other way.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

first off you deff need to find a behaviorlist this is somthing you should not be dealing with on your own this is a very dangerous situtation and a person without excperience can unintentanally make it worse.
if you cannot find a behaviorlist i would really consider having him put to sleep its very sad but you cannot trust him in your home around your kids or anyone elses even if he is wearing a muzzle at all times its not fair to you or your children or the other peoples children who come into your home and it would just be cruel to make him be crated or kenneld for the rest of his life with no real human interaction.
you could try looking for aperson who is willing to take him on and who has the excperience but i cant imagine youd find someone willing not many people are willing or are even knowledgeable enough to handle somthing like that. i wish you the very best


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

I just wanted to update this thread and thank everyone for their thoughts and opinons.

I have since met with two seperate behaviorist and both agreed and gave me the same advice. 

I recently found out that two weeks before this incident happened there was a prowler in our backyard, we don't live the greatest area. My 17 year-old daughter was home alone when she thought she heard someone in the backyard. The dog was standing by the sliding glass door so she let him in the backyard. There was someone in the backyard and he chased them off. My daughter said she heard two males saying "oh crap" and another saying "I did not know they had a dog." A couple days after that he lunged at a man while on a walk. He tried to "grab" this person with his front paws. We went on other walks in a different neighborhood and he passed many people without incident. A week after the incident we saw and heard two males looking into our windows in the front of the house. Then the child came over and he did the same thing. He lunged at her and wrapped his front paws around her waist. 

I asked the child's mother is she would be ok with bringing her to the behaviorist so she could see the behavior. The mother agreed and brought her child to the meeting. He did nothing, did not even react to her other than to sniff her hands. The behaviorist asked the child what happened and she said "I was talking to my friend, the dog ran up to me, wrapped his paws around me, and growled. Then Amy put him in his crate." The behaviorist asked her if he bit her and she said no! The behaviorist believes that he is only reacting at home due to what happened and does not agree with helping to the bridge unless I am not going to work with him and she suggest having someone come to the house so they can see the behavior themselves and advise from there. She said it is very difficult to "diagnosis" a behavior without seeing it herself.

So we are working with a behaviorist and taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep everyone safe. One thing that did happen because of this is, he is not a foster anymore. He will stay with us and we will work with him. I am a stay at home mom so I have the time, energy and desire to work with him until such time as the behaviorist tells us that he needs to go to the bridge.


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

I think this is the best possible situation. I'm so glad to hear that you're keeping him and also working with a behaviorist! Seems like a great outcome.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

And I have to give you great credit. Most people would not keep a dog like that and have the patience, love, understanding and energy to work with him and even give him the benefit of the doubt. I hope the situation continues to improve and he can overcome his anxiousness and be able to control his protective instinct.
How you manage everything, your schooling, kids, home schooling all those kids, 3 special needs kids (believe me, I understand how draining being a caretaker is), your dogs and a foster dog, well, I don't know. You need to tell me your secret.


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I'm so glad to hear this! Being spooked by trespassers (or worse) could certainly cause an increase in reactivity for a little while. My dog is scared of strangers so whenever we have someone over that he doesn't know, he becomes paranoid for 2 days or so, barking at the littlest things and sometimes even going off on people who come over that he DOES know until he's sniffed them and realized they are his friends.

I'm also very glad to hear there was no actual bite and that you have a behaviorist helping you, you are a very dedicated owner!


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

The only reason that I am able to do this is because of the support I have at home. Since I do online college I do my school stuff on the weekends or at night after children are in bed. My oldest child still at home is 18 and also attending college online. She does have a pretty active social life but does chip-in to help with the children and running herd on the animals. I also have my cousin living with me who is disabled and does not work. DH pitches in as well, mostly on the weekends. I think that it also helps that I am the oldest of 11 (7 bio and 4 step) children so I really don't know any other way of life than for it to be full of children, animals and busy! When I was younger we had a little farm on about 15 arces so there were always mousers, dogs, and other livestock to be taken care of.

I did not make this decision alone and every adult and child in the house talked about what they were willing to contribute so that keeping Token was fesible. Of course children being children I do not expect much from them and most of the contribution were things like picking up dog poo, washing bedding, preparing meals for the dogs, double and triple checking backyard gate to make sure it is shut, etc. Every single child understands that he has special needs that have to be seen to, rules have to be followed, and if they are not then he would have to "go away." 

The special needs in our house are behavioral, emotional and social. It is draining but I do not have any special needs that are physical.

*ETA*
Now I am going to have to switch over Token, who likes to sit outside the ferret cage when they are fed and eat up anything they drop out!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i wish you the best and i admire your tenacity and your commitment....

keep updating, would you?


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

Maxy24 said:


> I'm so glad to hear this! Being spooked by trespassers (or worse) could certainly cause an increase in reactivity for a little while.


That is what the behaviorist said. The entire time she was with us he showed no aggression or aggressive behavior, at all. She said that is why an in-home behaviorist would be best since the behavior is happening at home. She did point out that I need to get a handle on and be aware of my tension because that would transfer over to and would cause aggressive behavior not only at home but out in public.


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

magicre said:


> i wish you the best and i admire your tenacity and your commitment....
> 
> keep updating, would you?


I made the choice to take him in and foster him. As such I feel like I interfered in his life and that I owe him a commitment. Until the behaviorist says that there is nothing more to be done and that it is in HIS best interest to go to the bridge then we'll keep plugging along. I do not like to accept defeat. On that note though if he had bit the child he would be going to the bridge, period! I will say though I am not cut out for fostering and he will be my last foster 

I will continue to update. Not much over the next month though. There is Thanksgiving, then a wedding, then finals for the adults in the house and getting the children caught up in school so it is going to be very busy for us, more so than usual!

*ETA*
So much for not updating often lol I find this forum to be not only additive BUT a great way to distract myself when school is driving me nuts!


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## Atila (Oct 15, 2011)

Here, I'm attaching some books about positive methods of training. I'll try to rummage trough my computer and find some more.
One book that I have in paperback and definetly recomend too is 'On talking terms with your dog' by Turid Rugaas. It's about calming signals and how to use them in dog comunication. Personaly, it helped me see some behaviors before they escalated.

Edit: it seems files are too big but these are the books:
The Power of Positive Dog Training - Pat Miller
Click & Easy Clicker Training for Dogs - Miriam Fields-Babineau
Making Friends - Training Your Dog Positively - Linda Colflesh


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

I am SO glad to hear this, i've been thinking of you. I think this behavior needs to be taken very seriously, which you clearly are, but the fact that he didn't bite when he was clearly stressed and reacting, which he easily could have, sounds encouraging. i also think you are really making the best choice desciding to keep him. with Vito, the first behaviorist i worked with suggested rehoming him, with this criteria: Single woman, no children ever visiting, rarely guests at all, in a remote area where people passing near the home would be a rarity.:suspicious:. Ok, sounds good, but where was i going to find a weird hermit lady in the country, with no other pets (he was also animal aggresive) who is just waiting to adopt a scarred up little brindle pit bull with all kinds of issues? I knew i would never sleep again knowing he was out there, maybe scared or in trouble, he was tossed around enough, I knew his final, true home was with me, even if the time he spent with me was a lot shorter than I hoped. You are doing everything right, and it sounds like your instincts as a caretaker are pretty finely honed in all areas, so you should be able to trust your insticts. He is vety lucky to have ended up where he is, it sounds like


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

We had our first meeting with the behaviorist at our house. We were given several exercises to work on with Token AND the children.



DaneMama said:


> Or it had something to do with there being too much commotion around the door/entry area. LOTS of dogs have issues with polite greetings at the door.


You hit it right on. Not only does he need help with polite greetings BUT so do the children! Once the behaviorist pointed it out I felt really stupid for not realizing it was an issue and not addressing this earlier! The behaviorist had my oldest daughters boyfriend come over, Token "knows" him but not well. We walked through what would normally happen and then reworked it with distractions and oh my .. what a difference!

We have asked the police to step-up their presence in our neighborhood. We, in the last week, have had several problems with prowlers. The next door neighbor had someone vandlize his property, the house across the street had someone who does not live there lurking around, and we have had two more incidents with our backyard fence. I really hate the neighborhood where we live but we are stuck here until next summer!


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## Atila (Oct 15, 2011)

I'm so glad you found the trigger for his behavior and wish you luck in working on that. I'm positive it will take zero time in getting things back in order.


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

Atila said:


> I'm so glad you found the trigger for his behavior and wish you luck in working on that. I'm positive it will take zero time in getting things back in order.


The behaviorist pretty much repeated what you said in the pm's. Thanks again


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## Atila (Oct 15, 2011)

Missy Mae said:


> The behaviorist pretty much repeated what you said in the pm's. Thanks again


Now, that I am very glad to hear. Good to know i do know something, especially if advising behavior and a dog I haven't actually seen at all. Oh, that imagination. LOL.


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

Just wanted to give you all an update.

Token is plugging right along. The children are not training as quickly as he is but I have a feeling it is due to the liver treats for rewards! They just seem to care for them at all.

We really worked the front door greeting a lot. We also worked in the backyard a lot! Heck we just worked a lot on training, did I mention a lot!!!!

We have made progress though. We were able to walk in our neighborhood with only a few moments where his attention was not on me and was on men walking by. But there was no lunging or growling 

The girl that the orignial 'incident' happened with is our next hurdle. The trainer has worked it with them, with me in a diffferent room, because she said "you are to nervous and Token is picking up on that"

I'll update again with another progress report after my next hurdle.


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

I just read your whole story! You are truely an amazing person. Having so much on your hands and such a busy schedual and taking on a problem dog! I applaud you!!:grouphug:

I've had problems with people in some neighborhoods I've lived in. I let my dogs out one night and my three boxes and my firend's boxer and her lab all charged a guy that was trying to get in my truck. I had no clue he was even out there! But the dogs did, and they knew he didnt belong. They pinned him in the Truck untill the cops arrived. (in the bed of the truck, surronding the doors and even on the hood!) He tried to get out once and they chased him back in. But they never had a problem afterword. 

I've worked with a few dogs on my own (with out behaviorist) that were severly agressive. They ended up being some of the most loving dogs (when show how to properly act). Exercise was the key with them to be calm. And after running beside my bike for 3-4 miles, they were tiered and didnt put up a fight.

From the sounds of it, he is on his way to a healthy happy stable life!


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