would you

sarahj · #1 07-03-10, 06:21 PM

just hoping to get a general consensus

Would you keep a dog that didn't like strangers?

I have no plans on getting rid of Sally, we are making excellent progress with her and thats all that matters. When she gets to know people she loves them and my friends and some of my parents friends have taken the effort, which means we can have people round for BBQs and things.
My family (aunts uncles etc) that live in the UK have taken the effort and they can pop round to coffee when they fancy it.

A neighbour just told my brother that the dog should be shot because she will bite someone and I'm so peed off.

super D · #2 07-03-10, 06:28 PM

Yes I would keep the woofer hun
xx

sami · #3 07-03-10, 06:41 PM

Tell the neighbour to get lost!! And better still let Sally chase him (dont mean that really)

Leo was beaten constantly as a pup and when we had him back he bit 2 strangers, thankfully not badly, over the space of the first 6 months. I considered having him pts , to be honest I was devastated that a dog I owned was "viscious" . I decided to keep him and make sure he didnt get himself in trouble again. A few years later and lots of work he was the sweetest dog you could ever meet.

#4 07-03-10, 06:46 PM

I would keep too

lisyonok · #5 07-03-10, 06:49 PM

My family had a Fila Brazileiro when I was a teenager. Part of a behavior, a (genetic) trait of a Fila is "ojeriza" - a very strong hatred towards strangers. No matter how much you socialise your Fila pup, when he gets to roughly 4 months of age, the "ojeriza" kicks in, and you can forget about having people over, unless they are frequent guests at your house, your Fila will always want to choke the life out of them as soon as they walk through your door. When we got our dog, we had to change our lifestyle - we invited good friends to pop round as frequently as they could, so our dog could get used to seeing them. Our guests were never allowed to touch the dog, and were asked to ignore him completely. If I was home alone and had a friend over, if I wanted to go into the kitchen to make some drinks, I had to take the dog with me, so he would not be left alone with my friend in the other room. If we had to invite a stranger in, the dog had to be locked away. We accepted that this is what our dog was like, he would never be able to change, no matter how much we trained him, it was in his blood, and all we could do as responsible owners, was to make sure we always avoided the situations, which could put people at risk of being attacked by our dog. He was walked at 5:30 am and 11:30 pm in a deserted dog park (with his litter mates), we used to bring a padlock with us and lock ourselves in the park, and always put a sign out on the gate, so other dog owners (or drunk troublemakers) didn't enter the park while we were there.
Back to your question - no, I don't mind living with a homicidal dog. And if Filas were not banned in the UK I would definitely have another one. I am not a very outgoing person, and having a Fila would suit my lifestyle just fine. Or an agressive GSD. My GSD loves guests though. I don't mind it either!

GypsyGSD · #6 07-03-10, 06:51 PM

Aisha has issues with people she does not no takes a long while to be comfortable around them I knew this when I took her on as a pup she hid under a chair for ages very wary would I part with her never lol x

sarahj · #7 07-03-10, 06:52 PM

Thanks guys

I am just so upset and stressed out i really just want to scream! The last time Sally was at the vets i burst into tears and asked him did he think that Sally should be put down.
He laughed and said 'no, its not her fault she has a dodgy brain'. He also suggested a T-shit for us to wear

'my dog has issues but at least I am trying'

I am trying as hard as i can, we don't take risks with her and if that means she has a muzzle so be it. The neighbours hear her bark when the postie comes and thats it. They don't know how far she has come.

x

sami · #8 07-03-10, 06:59 PM

I know exactly what you mean I had the tearful scene at the vets too.

It sounds to me from what you have said in other posts as if sally has some similar issues to Leo. Fear agression rather than out and out agression.
I had to find people to come round to see Leo and get him to learn they wouldnt hurt him. Mind you finding volunteers was a bit difficult when the conversation went

" will you come to see my dog so that i can train him not to attack people? I wont let him bite you too much honest"!!!

Keep trying I know it can be depressing, especially when you know what a lovely pet they are to you.

sarahj · #9 07-03-10, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sami

I know exactly what you mean I had the tearful scene at the vets too.

It sounds to me from what you have said in other posts as if sally has some similar issues to Leo. Fear agression rather than out and out agression.
I had to find people to come round to see Leo and get him to learn they wouldnt hurt him. Mind you finding volunteers was a bit difficult when the conversation went

" will you come to see my dog so that i can train him not to attack people? I wont let him bite you too much honest"!!!

Keep trying I know it can be depressing, especially when you know what a lovely pet they are to you.

I bribe my friends with cheesecake!
I asked one friend whose mum has a 3 legged chihuahua who attacked a neighbour.
Once he came back unscathed with a baked lemon cheesecake our other friends have offered to help.

jesterjenn · #10 07-03-10, 07:27 PM

I definately would keep the dog.

I've had someone turn round and say I should have Jess pts because she barks at other dogs?! Some people are just total idiots, and they are the people you need to laugh at and think how narrow minded and ignorant they are!!!

If I lived closer, I would gladly offer to be a training guinea pig to Sally.

I often pay great attention to how my dogs react to people. They, like children, are great judges of characters