Desperate for help and to do the 'right' thing

I never thought it would come to this stage but we are in desperate need of your help with our 4yr old male estrela mountain dog

Logan is a lovely family dog but constantly barks which we could cope with but we have three children and they cannot bring any of their friends home to house without locking the dog away and when it comes to sleepovers I have to take him to my mums for the night or put him in kennels. My brother has just had a new baby and we just cant trust Logan enough to let him bring the baby even though he is fine with my brother.

When Logan is at the kennels they always say he is one of the most laid back gentle dogs they have, Anyone there, even a disabled young teenager can do anything with him. He does not guard his kennel , food at all BUT no-one and I mean no-one unless they are close family can get through our door at home.

It is really causing my wife a lot of stress and effecting the whole family..

We cannot go on like this. We have a small bichon frise who has been fine with the estrela for over a year but over the last few weeks the bichon has started to growl at the estrela. Initially the estrela would just give him a bark but tonight he attacked the bichon and but his ear. Even our eldest went to her friends for the night due to the stress

Please help us to decide what to do. We do not want him to go to any rescue centre or dogs home but if we cant sort this out we may have no choice or keep him locked away

You need professional help.

first of all, has your vet seen your dog and ruled out any medical condition that could be at the root of the problem?

If he has then, he will refer you to a reputable behaviourist belonging either to the APBC, COAPE or UKRCB.

These people will generally ONLY see your dog via a vet referral and they can come and take a full history, observe your environment and lifestyle to identify the issue(s) which may be causing your pain.

You poor thing. You must be out of your mind. I totally agree with Smokeybear. A vet visit to rule out illness and then referral to a behaviourist.
Good luck to you, I hope you manage to get this sorted. xx

thanks for the answer. He has no medical conditions ( he is healthy as an ox ) and we have seen two 'behaviourists' and neither of them knew how to handle such a big dog.

Your answer as genuine as it was is typical of many replies we get but has not really helped.

Thanks anyway

It is not really feasible to attempt ta advise about a situation like this without observing the dog.
I know that is difficult, but so much goes on that you have to observe in the dogs body language.

Has he had thorough vet checks or does he just appear to be healthy?
The way you say 'behaviourists' suggests you weren't very convinced by their methods/opinions, how did you find these behaviourists? Many people can become a behaviourist so going via bodies with regulations/a "code of ethics" is important, as is personal recommendation.

Well I know several behaviourists (and by that I mean those who have a relevant degree and the practical knowledge) who could and do handle dogs of this size.

However as you have dismissed this idea, I am afriad you have no place else to go...........

what sort of behaviourists were they?

for a decent one size wouldnt be an issue!

[QUOTE=smallzoo;2269067] and what did u do to address this? by your post it seems like u let the Bichon display this behaviour?

Whereabouts are you based, are you in the UK? If so, which part? Depending on where you are, someone on this site may know someone in your area.


As others have said, these problems can be helped and yes, solved. But you will need a calm and experienced dog trainer to help you.

Anyone who says they cannot cope with a big dog, is not a decent trainer or behaviourist.

I would suggest you ask your vet if they can recommend someone and if they cannot, start looking online for someone in your area, and also ask other dog owners that you meet, because chances are that someone will know a good trainer - that's how I found ours.


Sometimes it's trial and error with dog trainers - when I adopted Dexter I had a really hellish time, I couldn't walk him and he kept trying to bite anyone in the house who touched him. He growled at me a lot and for the first month I really struggled to cope.

The first trainer I found was OK, but not great - but he did give me enough advice just to get me through the next few months until someone kindly put me in touch with a REALLY good dog trainer.

So hang on in there: you can get help but you will need to start asking around and hopefully get some recommendations.

Have you been in touch with any breed clubs or breed rescues? They may know someone.

Let us know how you get on.