If your talking souly of behaviour issues

If it was the best thing for the dog.

ie....if the dog was unpredictable to a point that it attacked without provocation and all other avenues had been exhausted

we rehomed jax because of his and opie's continous fighting it will be six months on the 9th of december, and there isn't a day that goes by that i don't feel guilty even though i know that both of them are much happier without the other.

What an excellent answer.

I can't improve on that.

rune

I've seriously considered both options with Rupert. He lived under my bed terrified of literally everything and unable to function. He had absolutely no quality of life and had he not improved I would have had him put to sleep. There are worse fates than death and being condemned to live in terror is one of the imo. I would also put him to sleep if he became aggressive towards humans the way he is with other dogs. Reactive and noisy I could deal with but unpredictable and intent on causing serious damage is another matter.

I've considered trying to rehome him to someone more experienced with extremely nervous, highly reactive dogs who have the attention span of a flea and aren't motivated by food, toys or any sort of human interaction. Oh and who also owns no other animals. Those homes seem in very short supply though Not being able to give a good quality of life, whether because of financial reasons, time commitment, me being ill or whatever would be a reason for me to consider rehoming. I've rehomed a dog who was frightened of me, no idea why he was frightened of me but he was.

Thanks guys, that's really interesting answers especially reading about Sarah and Rupert, I can really see why you considered both options.

Those of you that say "if it were best for the dog" are admirable, but are there really no situations you can think of that would be because of a behaviour that you couldn't live with?

So talking hyperthetically (sp?), say you decided to have a baby and the dog was displaying unpredictable aggression towards it. The dog is not particularly stressed by the presence of the baby, but occasionally turns around and flips out at anyone holding it for example. Would you really keep a dog in that situation and just try to manage it? Because I think it could get dangerous and would be a totally stressful nightmare to try and manage safely. Or I don't know, I'm just thinking that there must be some situations where you'd possibly rehome a dog because you couldn't live with the issue? Or are you all really super human

Ok, if anyone is interested, here's what I ended up putting down for my answers

1) Cain's problems came from being passed from home to home, no trust, no bond, no consistency. Therefore I am very aware that simply rehoming him is likely to cause him a huge set back as he is so bonded to me. I also don't like the idea of just "passing on" my problem. I would consider rehoming him if someone that he already knew very well and trusted and was experienced enough to handle him, could offer him a remote home in the countryside or on the coast. A lot of Cain's problems come from living in the city and facing his fears constantly every day and I'm sure he'd be happier in a quieter location. But currently I think his trust in me overrides his need for a quiet location, so I wouldn't rehome him to some random person just because they live rurally, they'd have to be very special
2) If Cain's behaviour became totally unpredictable in the house and he started to be highly aggressive towards the people he trusts. I'm sorry but I think if he broke that trust and started attacking me, I would find it very hard to live with and it's not a problem I would pass on. Or of ye became immeasurably stressed by life in general eg wasn't even happy at home.

Moons Mum

Dogs are supposed to be fun, not a life sentence, nor a 24/7 "test" of our skills, knowledge, ability, training and experience.

I have seen people live with dogs they are actually afraid of, and I think that is a stupid and unecessary way to live.

I think that is a perfect answer, it nearly made me a bit emotional because the love and understanding you have for your dog shines through and I am not an emotional person!!

Well that's why I was questioning the people who said they would only rehome etc if it was best for the dog. An admirable sentiment, but I think most people must have a limit to what they can cope with and that the decision wouldn't always be about the dog, some circumstances must be about what you can personally deal with. Even experienced dog owners must draw a line somewhere Would they really live with absolutely anything just to make the dog happy?

Well let us put it this way, I would not, I am not necessarily of the opinion that "what cannot be cured must be endured" in some cases which is why I had the dog I rehomed PTS after 18 months, we had explored all options and the dog was still dangerous ergo better for everyone, including him, that he was PTS.

I do not envy anyone having to make those kinds of decisions about their dogs.

I do feel the rehoming route can be the best option for the dog, despite the hell it can be for the person sometimes. (If the person is unable to cater for the needs of the dog).

I often wonder if I was selfish not rehoming Trip, she never reached her full potential with me and we really had a bad relationship at the start. (It got a lot better once I stopped competing with her).

...as to pts - I (like a few others) do not feel it is right to pass on a dog who has some of the issues described in this thread. To allow the dog that kind of stress in its life is not fair IMO, not to mention the stress it puts on the owner, their family and (sometimes) friends. I do not think that having a dog pts is the worst thing that can happen.