You cant in all seriousness expect to be able to rehome a dog with a bite record do you ?
most rescues will refuse to take him , especially given the circumstances lately ... you have a few leads to ones who possibly will take him

but in all honesty , the dog was trained and brought up by you , his 'faults' are down to your training and command of him
work on those with him ... the dog obviously loves his family , but see's himself as having to protect you , and not that you are the boss and will protect him

sorry to be blunt but I think if you persist in rehoming this dog , chances are he will be pts

Hi Imsunshine

Just like to say hope the behavourist can help you it would be such a shame for your dog to leave you.

Not sure if this helps but Yorkshire Dog Rescue where we got Honey from work closley with a behavourist she called Karen (sorry cant remember surname) and she works at a vets in cleckheaton, if you were interested than you could give yorkshire dog rescue a call and im sure they would pass her number on to you.

Good luck and hope all goes well.

a) what ype of equipment do you walk you dog on
We have a halti head collar, lead with lead splitter.
personally, i wouldnt walk the dogs together, as you cant fully give your focus on the difficult dog, and you wont have the precise control you need.
also, the presence of the second dog could up the adrenaline level, and your mix-breed might be also protective of the second dog

b) how long is your lead and how do you hold it?
The lead is very short, I normally just hold it by the handle, unless he goes for another dog then I hold it further down.
then you may inadvertently be defensively handling, meaning you are passing your tension/anxiety down the line, meaning you may be inadvertently teaching him to be protective.

c) who walks your dog
Me, my husband and also my parents in law.
everyone needs to do exactly the same thing and everyone will need to be trained to handle him accordingly.
is everyone confident, fit and able?

d) what do you feed your dog?
A mixture of meat and dry food.
there is a school of thought that says feeding met and biscuit isnt good for the more reactive dogs, such as yours. due to additives, etc.
i would consider a good balanced high quality brand like JWB, Arden Grange, or a middle range reasonable quality low additive brand like chappie, CSJ
this may or may not be relevant, ask your trainer

e) how did you socialize your dog as a puppy?
He went to a puppy socialisation class once, also was brought up with our older dog.
that doesnt sound a lot.
it may be the case you didnt mix him with enough dogs and he never learnt canine communication and social skills?

f) what type of training did you dog and did you go to classes?
No classes we just trained him ourself as with other dogs, showing him to do something rewarding when he did it.

what do you mean by rewarding? do you use treats in your training (as you need to, to make positive associations).
you may need some form of training class.
ask your trainer ,

g) how do you approach strangers and how do you let strangers approach your dog?
When he was younger I would have happily approached strangers but since he started showing aggression I tend to avoid strangers, cross over the road etc but only when they have dogs.
again, you may be passing on your anxiety giving the wrong message? hopefully your trainer will teach you controlled loose lead handling

h) what is your dogs daily routine and exercise routine?
He is fed in the morning but his walk depends on who is walking him and around work, usually mid morning but sometimes later in the day.
that doesn't sound like much?
he may need more exercise to tire him out.
by which, i mean mental and physical stimulation, not charging around.
thus, clicker training, lots of obedience work on walks, etc, etc.
ask your trainer about this as well.

h) within 20 minutes prior to going on a walk, how is your dog behaving, and what do you do with him?

He behaves normally until he recognises walk time, me putting boots on, PIL arriving etc he then gets excited running back and forth with his tail wagging.

i would ensure he is calm before leaving.
so dont leave until he is calm.
if he gets wired, with all your kit and equipment still in place, go and have a cup of tea.
practice getting out all equipment and clothing related to walks at times you arent going for walks.
you need him adrenaline/arousal free before going out.

i) how does your dog behave just as getting ready for walks?
See above, he is better with me/my husband will sit while we put his lead on, he listens less to my mother in law.

as above, but everyone needs to be able to do it

j) have you had him vet checked recently for any thyroid, arthritic, pain related illnesses?

He has a recent check up a couple of weeks back and nothing was picked up.

were these things actually looked for?
again, i would refer to yout trainer

Blunt but true. This dog needs a huge amount of understanding, time and patience. Few people are equipped to give him what he needs. Don't condemn him to the rest of his life in a rescue kennel. Unless you can find such a person then he should be pts.

I can`t help feeling you are a bit panicky. Your dog, who 2 weeks ago you lived happily with, has not suddenly turned into a demon. All that has happened is that he has been allowed to think it is his job to protect you.
I would wait until the behaviourist visits.

why pass the probelem on?? it is your responsibility to at least try

Hi,

You say that the behaviourist told you that with proper training your dog could be trained not to bite people. But at the same time you are looking to rehome him. I get the feeling that you are giving up on him. He needs your help, now probably mroe than ever and he won't understand why things have gone wrong if you get rid of him.

Is there any reason that you and your family can't put inthe time and effort to retrain him? I have dogs and a young Son and I manage to find the time for all of them. I don't really think it's too much to ask that you make an extra effort to put things right for your dog so he can have a happy life with you.

If you rehome him (if you are able to) either he'll end up being PTS because he's bitten someone else or he'll be bounced back to the rescue that takes him.

One last thing - if he bites everyone who comes close to the house, how is the behaviourist going to get through the door?

Laura xx

I realise we are at fault here, that we haven't trained him properly but my reason for thinking of rehoming is because I have three very young children who are my priority and I can't risk him biting them. I asked for advice originally after the bitibg incident but then when he tried to bite some away from the house I saw it as a further development that meant he was more dangerous. However, after the posts on here explaining it is the same protective behaviour we are going to continue with seeing the behaviourist and try to help him. I think some people are unecessarily harsh and not helpful at all, but thank you to those who took the time to not judge me and try to help.
I have a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 7 month old and my husbabd and I both work which does mean our time is very limited but we will try our best for him. We are going to ask my in laws not to walk him for the time being so we can focus on properly training him.

Hi hun.

I can see that your in a dilema here, and obviously you working and having children can limit time.

However it can be workable with the proper behaviourist input, I used to own a Ex fighting dog which was rehabilitated and had him for a number of years. Don;t expect him to be 100% but that even after behaviourist input there will be hic-cups to overcome/still be occuring.

Once you start working with the behaviourist (and if she is any good expect a few sessions) ask her how to work with the hic-cups that you may occur as training is ongoing.

ie: when someone comes to the door he is shut in another room....although I would suggest making a high grid/gate in the door way that he can not jump over but can still see through as sometimes shutting away can make the situation worse.

I have had rescues with problems ie attacking, killing another dog etc., and it doesn't always work trying to change the dog but it can work well working with the problem and finding a best solution....if you get my meaning

ie as the example above. Obviously children (and no matter how trustworthy a dog is) shouldn't be left with a dog alone IMO but a dog can be rewarded for sitting quiet say when you've change the babies nappy.....so the dog realises that sitting beside you quiet is a rewared good thing etc.,

Also a little advice if your inlaws walk him, then I think they should be there when the behaviourist has done her assessment and comes to work with him. They need training too

well said and well done.

Its clear to me a few posts back now (on both threads) that you now admit your errors, now see the idea your kids aren't "automatically" in danger, and you are now doing something about it, so i think the time for moral lectures had already passed.