Unfortunately Barbara Woodhouse has a lot to answer for and this phrase has been regurgitated ad nauseum for so long by people who have never been exposed to TRULY dangerous dogs, that it can have a very debilitating effect on many owners who struggle on for years with dogs that make their lives hell and who have changed from pet dog owners to custodians of animals that are kept through a misguided sense of duty and guilt rather than love and affection.

They never see the joy that dog owning can be.

The fallout from this is that many never have another dog again......................

Thank you for your feedback and for clarity;-

For me there are no issues that cant be overcome , they all have solutions albeit the solution sometimes may not be what you would like to happen- I think if you read the whole sentence rather than taking it out of context you will see the 'trite' comment is mitigated by the phrase that the solution may not be what you would like to happen which could be that rehabilitation is not possible

You are quite correct, I did not read your post thoroughly, so apologies.

Makes note to try and engage eyesight, brain before fingers!

No problem at all , I do try and give a balanced view when I post !

I don't agree 100% the time.

I had a friend whose dogs were would attack mine if we ate food around them - she thought her dogs were naturally "alpha" dogs. They'd also attack strangers dogs if they were smaller or less confident.

She didn't think it was a problem but she wasn't the one left with vet bills.

Going by my own dogs, their 'issues' IMO would be excessive barking/whining, fear of bangs which affects our walks and reactivity. There are of course other problems like pulling on a lead but these are down to training rather than a behavioural issue.

I think for me, anything which can be classed as behavioural or genetic as opposed to just a training glitch is an issue and I would be more reluctant to tackle them.

I agree. The dog who attacked Rupert several times was known to be dog aggressive yet the female owner didn't see it as an issue. I'm sure the owner of the dog this one killed did! I saw it as an issue. Other owners saw it as an issue. Her boyfriend saw it as an issue. She didn't. So...this dog was free to run across a field to attack other dogs. Was reported many times but nothing ever changed, not even after it killed another dog.

I see Ruperts fears as an issue, they affect his quality of life and limits the activities I can enjoy with him. Even a walk to a new place isn't a fun activity for Rupert, he spends the entire time scanning for Rupert eating monsters. Rupert eating monsters may take the form of other dogs, garden chairs, a metal grate, a leaf blowing towards us or anything else you'd care to think of

I never saw his lack of manners as an issue as such, that was just lack of training to me.

The key thing it seems from this thread is

recognising and accepting there is an issue

understanding the issue

planning how to deal with it

carrying out the plan

not feeling the issue cannot be resolved

accepting the resolution no matter what that is

Maybe I have have a simple outlook on life or maybe it reflects my work life is process driven !

As a fellow owner of an extremely nervous dog, I totally agree with this comment.

When Guinness's foster family first met him, he was too afraid to even come out of his kennel. They worked wonders with him over the next few months and are always on the end of an e-mail if we need any advice.

With us, he is a happy, confident dog. However, as soon as he sees a stranger (human, not dog, he loves other dogs) he is petrified. Obviously we knew this before we adopted him and it is something that we can live with if socialisation doesn't change it, but it does make me sad that it limits his enjoyment of life. The only dog he ever gets to play with is my brother's boxer, with other dogs he is too scared of the owner to relax and have fun.

Interesting answers--thanks.

I have had so many with so many 'issues' that it all becomes one big blur

Dog/human aggression seems to be the big one---obviously.

Then

recalls, jumping up, stealing, escaping (foxhound!), lack of housetraining, not allowing collar to be touched, refusing to move from furniture, attention seeking, barking when left, barking in car, refusing to walk on lead.

Next thread is has your dog you have had since a pup got issues.

rune