[Alty]

ERROR: You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Lucky098 again.

Darn spreading the rep.

I agree 100% with Lucky. Emily, I like you, I don't want to hurt your feelings. I think it's great that you love animals as much as you do. Get ready for the but. You take on more then you're capable of handling.

I will go back through your posts again, but as I recall your animals all had issues, not just the few you mentioned. I'll go back and check, post my findings here.

The bottom line is that you tend to have aggression issues with animals in your care, especially your dogs. Like I said before, no one is that unlucky. It's something you and your family are doing. It's time to figure out what you're doing wrong and fix it. You'll never get a dog that doesn't have aggression issues until you fix the environment and the people in it.

[Aurora_Bell]

I'm stepping out of this one. I feel that I have given every amount advice that I can offer. Not only on this post, but on many of Emily's other posts. If you aren't willing to take the advice that is given, then I have nothing left to give. Alty and Lucky have also repeatedly given good advice. Although I do NOT agree with Milan's techniques at all. But I just don't have the will power atm to start this argument all over again. I am also at my wits end with a foster/rescue who will not conform to me being alpha.



Emily, I hope Hunter is making great strides, and I wish you guys all the best.

[Cat1864]

Just a reminder that Duke is the dog in Emily's avatar. He is a Peke/Jack Russel mix. :)

I have no idea who the dog in the pictures with Hunter are.

[Emily94]

Thank you Cat for clearing that up about Duke :)

The dog in the pictures with Hunter is Mia, which is my moms friends dog.

I took the advice given, every single time it was given. I changed my lifestyle, I changed my dogs lifestyle. I dealt with the ferret aggression. ALL OF THE ADVICE I TOOK!

And by the way... this is a question and answer site... so yes I am going to ask questions about problems. Why would I ask a question about something that I know and can deal with?

Lucky, I think your not reading through my posts very well at all. I have said something in a post, and then you question it in the next. Like for example the Duke thing I said I had 2 dogs still (which is Duke and Hunter) but then you ask "So what happened to your dog that is in your profile picture??"... Im guessing you assumed that the bull mastiff was mine, but if you read through any of my questions/posts you'd know I didn't have a bullmastiff. Maybe you don't know me or my life as well as you think. Not once did I play the blame game, I know Hunter is aggressive, I know he will always be a risk to anyone who comes near him, aggressive dogs can never change 100%. Honestly, I don't know what caused this, I don't hit my dogs, I don't play rough, I can easily make Duke do exactly what I want, he will go to the end of the earth and back to please me, his aggression with other dogs started before I even owned him (He was my cousins dog since he was born since he was born on the farm, and then he became aggressive with there dogs so they gave him to me since we didn't have any). He gets along with every dog I put in front of him as long as it is one on one, but the moment he is surrounded by 4 or more dogs he gets mad. It used to be any dog, but now I have taught him that when a dog comes up to him he is to sit and wait and that dog goes around and smells Duke, if I notice Duke is starting to tense or he starts to show teeth I hook on his leash and leave, play times over if he wants to be like that. If he seems just fine with that dog I say "Okay" in my happiest voice and he gets to go play... this works great since he is only aggressive when he is around me, if he is around me I can give him the commands... plus it takes his mind off the dog in the first place. So yes, I own aggressive dog, one that might be completely my fault but I honestly don't know what I did wrong, and Duke, who now is barely aggressive if I don't put him in those situations, why would I set him up for failure by putting him in that situation (First thing I learnt in puppy school)? Now someone is probably going to say " Whos ruling the roost"?like someone did when I said I'm doing school from home. Guess what, MY DOGS Don't KNOW. They don't know I'm doing home schooling for them and they don't know I avoid groups of dogs because of them.

Honestly, I had a dog who literally sent me to hospital more than once, he sent my mom to hospital, and I have scars to prove it. You couldn't touch him without getting your hand bit, you couldn't feed him without him attacking, trying to kennal him was just a nightmare, then there was the random attacks... you could just be walking or sitting and the next thing you knew Hunter was latched on to you, no growling nothing, just bit and wouldn't let go.

Now, I can pull his ears, take his food (and he sits nicely for it back), drag him by his tail, get him all rialed up and he still won't bite, but also, before he wouldn't do a thing I told him, I knew he could sit, but hed basically look at me and say ummmm no, and walk away. Now it doesn't matter what he is doing his attention is still on me, because the moment I say sit he is sitting.

Obviously he is getting better, I obviously changed my lifestyle, why? Because Hunter is getting better! No he definantly isn't close to what I want him, but he isn't the little terror he was, I thought you guys would be proud that I changed that, even if he isn't better yet, were working on it, everyday me and him try to get over another little speedbump.

Trust me, I am trying to help him, I am trying to change everything, but it isn't that easy to do overnight! Hour upon hour upon hour a day, please, you try that... everyday. I get home from school at 12:25 pm, I am outside walking the dogs till 1:30, no matter if it is -40 C, then we get home and play in the yard for a good 30 min (Usually fetch). Then we go inside and I have some lunch, then the dogs get lunch. Then we have a little bit of training time, sit *treat* down *treat* roll over *treat*... Then its back outside for more play time. By this time its usually 3 or so, so dogs are kenneled and I do homework till about 5-6, then dogs outside, then dogs in kennel's while I make food, we eat, then the dogs eat there supper. Then it is another walk (usually) and then when we get home they get to chill out and be dogs for a bit in the yard. Then it is bedtime.

Now where in there did I mess up and create a monster? What am I doing so wrong? Please, since everyone has the opinion I am some kind of monster who likes to ruin animals and cause them to become aggressive and bite every moving thing, what is soooooo wrong with the way I raise my dogs, what part caused this? Everyone thinks they know me and my life perfectly so you must know where I went wrong.

[Lucky098]

I'm not claiming to know your life. I forgot about Duke, and I am sorry.

No, you're right, you're dogs don't know that you are sacraficing your life to better suite the dogs, and that is a good thing that you are going that extra mile to do so.. But, look at it this way.. You cannot go to school because your dog is aggressive and is unpredictable. You lead an, I don't want to say abnormal lifestyle, but along those terms because of your dog. You are walking on eggshells to prevent anything from going wrong. No, the dog doesn't get it, but look at what your doing to yourself due to problems with your animals. You can't do that, FOR YOUR SAKE!

I realize you are working hard with this dog and I realize you are asking for help. But you have to see it from our side. Every post is a MAJOR problem. Its not just potty problems or anything minor, its big! A dog biting a person is a HUGE PROBLEM. Other dog aggression is avoidable by not going to dog populated places. Its actually abnormal for dogs to accept other dogs like that, so dog aggression, I would say, is quite normal. Some people just luck out when they get the overly happy dog that loves the world. But a dog biting a person, that's bad. A dog biting its own handler, that's even worse. That means the dog is not afraid to stand up to you and make YOU back down.

I wish I could refer you to a good trainer that I know works, you being in a completely different country (and from the seems of it, the middle of no-where) makes it hard to help you find help.

You just can't put your life on hold because of unpredictable dog. I love animals, they are my world and everything I do, they are considered, but I don't think I would ever not go to school because of my dog, or not have friends over because of my dog, or do the things that I love, because of my dog. I think I would just put a muzzle on it, possibly a training collar (depending on how bad it is) and make the dog deal with the situations alone. That's the wonderful thing about dogs. Each day is a new day. They don't remember the bad. If your dog is acting like an idiot in public, its because you (hypothetically) are nervous. If you walked your dog down the road with confidence and didn't flinch once when he lunged at another dog.. You'd never have any issues.

Maybe it is the dog, but I think you're not helping the situation. Like I said, maybe its not even your fault... Maybe you aren't doing anything directly, maybe you are just a very submissive person that gets saddled with Alpha-type dogs. Not every person is a leader, just like not every dog is a leader.

Keep asking questions, Emily, it's the only way you will learn things. But please take a step back and read your own posts and see the pattern that is being created. And if all your animals are rescues, stop treating them as a rescue. It happens to the best of us so don't feel as if I'm scolding you on that part, but animals can sense when you're not treating them respectfully (no other better word). So what if the dog was dumped on you because he was a jerk, he is your dog now and you want to live your life... He is going ot have to follow you and behave himself. The biting needs to stop. If it really makes you worried, buy a greyhound muzzle. He still has the freedom to eat, drink and pant, but no one can get bit. Give your mom strict rules with him.., Like.. He isn't alloud out his crate unless you are physcially doing it. Your dog is not a baby anymore, he can handle it. It'll be good for him to be alone. Let him earn his freedoms within your family. Its not right that you, your family, your moms friends, your friends, etc.. Have to walk on eggshells around him because he might not like something. Get what I'm saying?

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm telling you you are doing everything wrong, I don't mean it that way.. but the aggression from all your new pets, history of aggression problems in your family pets, the worry that your moms friends are being mean to him or vise versa.. it just can't be any fun.

Watch lots of dog training videos! Just go out and do it! If you think you know how to solve the problem so the behavior goes away, try it. You can't go wrong. Every dog responds differently, not all dogs do the Caesar Milan miracle make over in 24 hours.

[Emily94]

If anyone was still wondering about Hunter...

He is getting neutered sometime this month (or very early April), he is registered into a training course so that he can be my new hunting partner, he has shown great natural instinct (He caught a Prairie Chicken the other day), and he LOVES fetch and actually brings whatever it is back. He still hasn't bitten anyone, and he is starting to listen even better, right now were working a little more on stay.