Dog Nearly Bites Friend - Urgent Advice Needed

[moondog]

Originally Posted by Calin

People like this dude are why children get mauled.

Exactly.

Corey isn't evil, Corey is lazy. Corey is young. Corey is busy. Corey doesn't want a dangerous dog, he just wants the dog, magically, not to be like that...without any effort on his part. Corey shouldn't have a dog, he's not ready.

Corey, no one is being righteous in the least. EVERYONE is scared as hell that you'll keep this dog. EVERYONE is scared as hell that YOU and YOUR DOG will be the next big headline in the newspaper, feeding the monster that is BSL. The writing on the wall is pretty clear.

You may think looking back is nothing but water under the bridge and anyone who brings it up is just trying to stick you with a hot poker, but honey, if you are going to change anything you are going to have to hop on a boat and take a ride back to where all that water has settled, come to terms with it.....and swim back upstream from there. Unfortunately, from all we've seen of you here, you have already demonstrated that don't have in it you to do that.

Poor, poor dog. Selfish, selfish human.

[Calin]

Originally Posted by moondog

Exactly.

Corey isn't evil, Corey is lazy. Corey is young. Corey is busy.

Awww, you are being *kind* to Corey!

I'd label him 'abusively neglectful' myself. :-)

My heart aches for his dog, though. Just imagine what he's going through. :(

[dipper]

Ayoka,

This person was offered help by some knowledgeable people here---seems everyone speaks highly of Amanda right?? And I am sure there are others here that COULD help.
In thinking back, I actually know of three Rottweilers that were "saved" and went on to become some of the top dogs in their sports which of course meant that they had to be safe to complete their training and compete in their sports.
I also know of several more that lived long happy lives with the right people---and never had a bad incident.

This poor dog never received the chance or training and frankly no one that would know what the story is with this dog has seen him.

I don't know exactly what the dog laws are in Florida but if THIS dog bites someone, the OP is going to be in alot of hot water and the legal fees and lawsuits that could occur will make paying a trainer for help look like buying a pack of gum.

I'm sorry, with the situation what it is and with the help thats been offered by people here, I can't with a clear conscience say to put him down---I can say get him out of the current owners hands and into a the right persons hands and then determine what he is and what you have to work with.

Rich

[webangel2b]

"I don't know exactly what the dog laws are in Florida but if THIS dog bites someone, the OP is going to be in alot of hot water and the legal fees and lawsuits that could occur will make paying a trainer for help look like buying a pack of gum."

I live in FL, pretty close to the poster too.

Unfortunatly the dog will get the bulk of the press, as is the "usual case" when a Rott is involved. It will probably be put to sleep as well, if the dog is known to have agressive tendencies prior then I don't think they even have a 3 strike law for them. Only one bad bite and he's put down.

Sad but best to my knowledge, true.

I know Florida counties are working on a Pit ban, only a matter of time (if owners like this continue to raise dogs) before Rotts are next in line here. I'll move before I give up my Rott.

[lengel]

Originally Posted by Calin

Ckimba wants to say the reason he hasn't been to a trainer is because he's a poor college student strapped for cash, but if you take a look at some of his prior threads, he's also posted about how he was looking for a new LUXERY apartment and said 'price wasn't an issue.' The reality of the matter is a super nice apartment was worth the money, but obviously Ckimba didn't think the living creature he had brought into his home was work a couple of hundred bucks.

CKimba, if your friend is upstairs and the dog is downstairs, sounds more like you found a condo!

Your poor dog is on the bottom rung of your budget ladder here. Yuck. What happens if the situation has reached the point that the trainer says you need to come in *every single day* for, say, two months to properly train your dog? Will you find a less expensive place to live? What exactly are your priorities here? Why did you get a dog in the first place?

[Zumie05]

I am at least happy to hear that the OP is taking his dog somewhere, finally. That is a good first step.

[Calin]

Originally Posted by Zumie05

I am at least happy to hear that the OP is taking his dog somewhere, finally. That is a good first step.

Don't cheer just yet. He has claimed to 'see the light' and 'made a call to a trainer' for about a year now. Yet, the dog never actually ends up SEEING a trainer. Read the past threads.

[jlaack]

Just for an update. Last night, my friend was upstairs, and I had fed Rosco, and taken him out for a walk. When we came back in, I wanted to give Rosco some "free" time downstairs with his leash attatched.

I was very surprised, he wasn't as upset and didn't react as horrible as he did earlier. He made a huge improvement. Although my friend was upstairs, not in the vicinity of my dog, it still was huge that he was able to play with me downstairs, and not go wild. Sure, there was still some eye balling on my dogs part going on, and he was still not sure who my friend was, and what he was doing in my home, but he was more calm, and that gives me great hope.

But really, as well as that went. The big issue here, is just with all people in general, not with my friend.

You stated the past is in the past, that you are going to do right by your dog now and hence you want us to focus on the now and not the past. But here you go again with the same pattern we have seen through previous threads. You post about a problem, you get advice, you don't act on the advice, then you post that things are better mainly because of one little thing your dog did that wasn't aggressive. That's great that your dog was able to handle playing with you on one floor while a stranger was on another floor. If this is an accomplishment in your eyes you need to raise the bar a little higher. Granted it will take a lot of time and baby steps to get your dog there. But I wouldn't be proud that my dog could handle being on one floor of a home with a person on another. I'd be greatly disappointed.

I hope that you are trying to focus on the positive and that you won't fall back to your complete pattern in the past as seeing one insignificant improvement as a sign that things are well and your dog doesn't need the help of a professional.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by Ayoka

The issue of rehoming is that, especially where a behaviour issue has been compounded by the owner, the owner is probably the LAST person on earth who would be in a position to determine who does and who does not qualify as "experienced". An owner who fails to acknowledge the issue until it's a safety issue and only makes calls and has phone consultations does not recognise the seriousness of the behaviour and this is not someone I would want making a judgement call that might put a dog into the wrong hands and lead to another horrifying bite statistic.
The dogs that are "turned around", I would think, are few and far between and so are the people who can turn them around. We aren't talking about a dog who is ruining furniture here, we're talking about a dog who is LUNGING at people.

I couldn't agree more with Pooh...and I hope that the OP takes responsability here ans TAKES ACTION.

I absolutely stand by what I said, dipper, and this is precisely why.

And again, I will repeat; most people who ARE capable of turning a dog like this around already have full plates. The OP has failed this dog thus far, and she either needs to get off her butt and start from scratch IN EARNEST, or she needs to do the responsible thing and PTS this animal. To do anything else is placing OTHERS at risk, as well as taking the "easy" way out.

If this animal had been purchased from an ethical breeder, the situation would likely not have come to this, because 1. the breeder could have helped Ckimba make better choices, or if that failed, 2. taken the dog back before the situation had come to this stage.

It is you and I who will suffer in the long run, because it's circumstances like this that are fodder for BSL fueling. At this time, this dog is a liability. Only Ckimba can change that.

[dipper]

So you magically know everyones schedule and that " their plates are full."

So, just give up and put him down don't try to help him.
The OP has done NOTHING with this dog and you STILL think that she should keep him and do something with him--- THAT IS POOR ADVISE. Even if the OP does this it is going to take a huge amount of work and commitment and the OP has not shown an inclination to do either--That puts people at risk.

It isn't about taking the "easy" way out--it is about admitting the OP doesn't have a clue and this dog needs another owner if he is to survive and enjoy life.
My view is this dog, no matter what, needs a different owner---PERIOD.

The OP should not own a Rottweiler or any dog.

I don't know how to make my point any clearer---I said an experienced person that is familiar with our breed and can evaluate the dog and make an informed decision as to what to do with him.
He MAY be one of those that has to be put down but who really knows at this point.
Again, telling the OP to keep him IS NOT a good idea.
I would suggest getting this dog out of the OP hands and into PROPER hands ASAP>
I'm done with this one.

Good Luck to all.

Rich

[observer]

She didn't say "everyone" -- she said "most" people who are capable of turning this dog around. I think she's making a safe assumption. The time this can take is huge, and these people usually have other dogs to work with as well (some that require as much time as Rosco will). They are not sitting around waiting for someone to call and give them a dog to try to save. And, they have lives, too.

So, I think finding someone who really is ABLE to handle this project and WILLING to do it may be the hardest option to make work.

[Ckimba99]

The training is definitely needed. Tomorrow is the day I will be taking him to be evaluated by a professional.

Thing is, once we develop a specific plan, and a regimine for my dog, on how to correct his behavior - How do I work with him on allowing people in my home, and not barking, and intimidating them?

It's a difficult task, considering I don't know anyone where I live, and that the current trainers that I have spoken to, aren't willing to come to my home to work with him. And really, that's one of the biggest issues.

That said, about 2 weeks ago my dog and I came in contact with a girl walking her golden retriever, and he allowed her to pet him, and even played with the dog. So it's not out of the question whether or this dog can be social, because he has been previously, it's a matter of puting together a plan, and I'm really curious to see what exactly you guys feel would be the best to begin with. I see so many people that have replied, that by there replies, obviously feel they are very knowledgeable about training, and working with there pets.

So, moving on from my mistakes, let's start using this forum how it should be used, and let's begin formulating a plan. Tomorrow I will present the plan along with Mr. Gaileys thoughts, and work from there.

[dipper]

Yeah so give up---ANYONE WHO HAS A PROBLEM DOG DON'T BOTHER SEEKING HELP BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ARE TO BUSY TO HELP YOU!!
Just do the right thing and put your dog down--don't try---don't bother anyone because in this great big country, a few people here on this board just KNOW that MOST people who could help you can't or won't because, after all, they are just to busy and have lives of their own.
You guys must know MOST of the qualified trainers out there to speak for them so---AND--no one here knows just WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS DOG!! JEEZ!!

Rich

[jlaack]

That said, about 2 weeks ago my dog and I came in contact with a girl walking her golden retriever, and he allowed her to pet him, and even played with the dog.

Half the time your dog is ready to attack and then there are a handful of situations where he acts fine. WHY are you allowing people to pet your unpredicatable dog? YOU are setting him up to fail. That's great that he acted okay in this context, but what if he hadn't? Until he is evaluated and until a trainer trains YOU on how to deal with him and work on modifying his behavior and then instructs you to start socializing him in different contexts quit playing with fire! This isn't rocket science!

I've been snapped at by dogs before and let me tell you, those dogs that I know have issues, I'm not going to play around with. I avoid them at all costs. So here you have such a dog and you are allowing him to approach unsuspecting strangers, not cool.

When you do begin to resocialize per the trainers instruction, I would recommend doing so with very dog savvy people; other instructors at the facility, other instructors at another facility, people who have trained and owned many dogs. Once he has proven to be obedient and reliable for a LONG time do you then allow him to meet others.

[observer]

Rich,

Relax. Rehoming this dog properly would just not be all that easy. That's all people are trying to say. In reality,there are a limited number of people out there who have the experience and the time to take on a dog that up until then was someone else's problem. We'd all like to think that there are more of them out there, enough to take on all the dogs like Rosco. I'm just looking at it from a more pessimistic, or realistic, point of view. If that turns out not to be an option, and ckimba can't, for whatever reason, do the work required, with guidance from an expert, then PTS has to be considered, as this dog has the obvious potential to be a real risk to those who come in contact with him.

Ckimba hasn't tried very hard up to now to do anything that's been suggested before. It took a near bite to get him even to the point of having someone actually SEE the dog -- which he had been told to do many times before. He was thinking of putting him down at the time he started this thread -- before anyone responded with that concept. So forgive us if those of us who have been around here a little longer are somewhat more cynical.

Ckimba-- the questions you ask in your last post should, of course, be asked of the trainer who is coming to see him, who is in the best position to answer them since he will have the opportunity to see Rosco and interact with him. You'll get suggestions here as well, for sure, that you can think about and discuss with the trainer. I would crate train him, for one thing, if he's not already. That can come in handy in several scenarios.