I think I'm going to find a new home for Boris... or put him down

[Fran27]

I'm in tears right now... I let the dogs in the living room this morning, and after a while I heard a sound coming from upstairs. I went to check, and apparently my husband forgot to close the small bedroom door this morning, where I keep all the baby clothes etc.

Well, of course Boris got hold of something... and the cats were sleeping in there too (one of them in one of the baby seats *sigh*). So Boris left the room when he saw me come in (with what he took), and I took the cats out and closed the doors...

Thing is, Boris was still on the stairs. He stayed there for 10 minutes, growling if I got close... I even had to pick up my cat because he growled at her when she tried to get down... Tips came and he growled at him too, so I asked him to go to bed (he's still in there... what a good boy).

So I stayed on the stairs for 10 minutes, holding my cat... Lisa started crying and I could do nothing to soothe her, because every time I was too close, Boris looked at me and growled... eventually he kept dropping whatever he stole and once it reached the floor he grabbed it and went somewhere else... he's still there right now...

I just can't take this anymore. He's always stealing things and guarding them. I can't risk my babies and my cats' lives because of it... I'm serious it just totally reminded me of Cujo or something... just two weeks ago my husband told him to get off because he was in his plate and he went crazy snarling at him...

As I said a few months ago, we tried training, it just didn't seem to improve much, and eventually we pretty much gave up... that's what I get for getting a dog from a bad place...

Still can't get hold of my husband to talk to him...

 

[elegy]

When you said you've tried training, what kind of training? Did you have him evaluated by a behaviorist and make a plan to follow?

I'd hate to see you have to put your guy down for an issue that's usually fairly workable, but if you don't feel safe and you don't feel you can deal with it, then that's what'll have to happen.

I'm so sorry. Dealing with aggression in your own dog is so scary and heart-wrenching.

 

[milos_mommy]

It sounds as though Boris needs to be in a very dog-experience home with no children. Training would help, but he needs some serious training that you can't give him with your babies. Please don't put him down. If you do make that decision, i know it's your decision and you know him better than any of us, and i'll support you because i know it will be very difficult. But please try and rehome him or find a rescue to take him, at least. He's not beyond help and he could make a wonderful companion for someone.

((hugs)) i am so sorry and i know you've thought long and hard about this.

 

[Fran27]

We saw a behaviorist, but even then, if we managed to work it out, she said he would be ok with us but not other people, including children etc. We followed her plan, but in the end the only thing that worked with him was bribes... and we don't always have something on hand to bribe him with.

I was seriously scared and just saw myself staying there all afternoon while the babies were crying for food

It's just so hard, plus I know Tips would be totally lost without him, as he's always looking at him as an example...

 

[noludoru]

I ditto what Milo said... except about rehoming him. IMO, unless you rehome him to someone with experience in this (ie has worked with a dog who has these issues before or is a behaviorist) who can provide him with a safe environment while working through his issues.. it would be very irresponsible to rehome him. How would you feel if he bit someone else's child/cat/dog?

All I'm saying is, if he can't be rehomed safely for all involved.. euthanasia is a better option, IMO.

 

[milos_mommy]

Nolu, i agree...that's why i said a dog-experience home with no children His problem sounds seriously fixable with some hardcore training. I bet with a strict NILIF program he'd be a-ok in an adults-only household.

 

[noludoru]

It's just giving him to a rescue that makes me go :yikes: Once he's out of Fran's control, she can't do a thing about where he goes.. and if he's given up to a rescue that might not happen, or god forbid he might be adopted out to someone the rescue thought was okay and really wasn't. I think he needs to be rehomed herself to someone she KNOWS has experience rather than a rescue/organization that has many volunteers/people and more of a likelihood of soemthing going wrong..... oh, and Fran, get a contract written up if you can...

 

[Fran27]

We've been doing NILIF forever with him He'll do anything you ask him if he knows there is something for him in there... if not, you can dream.

I know we've made some newbie mistakes with him, but we really didn't have that much more experience with Tips and he turned out so different...

 

[Paige]

I hope things all work out for Boris.

 

[Jules]

What have you guys done since you had the last episode with Boris in March? Back then you said that you had some training done prior to the last issue, but it was halfassed because of your husband's impatience and anger issues. Did you seek a Behaviorist again and it didn't work out in these 8 weeks?

How was Boris roaming the house when you couldn't watch him? I think everyone here suggested crating him if you can't watch him while working on his guarding issues. I know that it is easy to forget to leave a door open... but if we talk about consistency, crating and not forgetting to close doors are a must.

I am not trying to bash you... and just want to know if you truly have given him another chance and truly worked with him to get over his guarding issues and he might be able to be a happy dog in another home or is PTS is really the only option. I don't want to hear the honest answer here publicly whether you have worked with him or have just let it slide because you and your husband are fully loaded with the twins... just be honest to yourself before you make the decision for Boris.

 

[bubbatd]

This deeply saddens me ..... you have worried about Boris around the babies and only you know what's going on . Please re-home if you can't handle it .

 

[milos_mommy]

I agree with Jules. I know Fran's worked with him and training but I know for a fact you can't possibly be watching him constantly with one baby, let alone two. That's why i think these problems are fixable, you just need someone with the time and energy to fix them.

I know you must be so stressed with the babies...you don't need this on top of it.

 

[Suzzie]

i would definitely find someone experienced in aggressive dogs (and I would volunteer if I didn't have my hands full here) who has the time and energy to put into Boris. He needs some serious dominance behavioral therapy that is consistent and very firm. Popper was an inherently aggressive dog himself when I got him, and with time, patience, and the occasional scrap or two we have worked out most of his "kinks." I would not, however, trust him to live in a house with kids for more than a few hours. I would think about rehoming Boris anyway.

 

[JennSLK]

Honestly I would re-home if it could be done safely. I know you dont want to but your kids safety has to come first.

Im so sorry your going through this. If you have let it slide no one would blame you. You have 2 infants. Thats ALOT of work and they must come first. Just be honest with yourself if not with us.

If you have been working with him and nothing has worked, well maybe its time.....

No one can answer for you as we are not in your house daily to see whats going on. Only what we have been told.

 

[Fran27]

Yes it's a lot of work And we can't crate Boris much, or he will bark/whine/scratch... he tolerates it some if we're around, but that's it.

Jules there's no point seeing a behaviorist again. We know what needs to be done to fix the issue. I even read a book about it. The idea is to reward the dog for dropping the item, over and over and over again, then getting closer etc etc. I'm sure it could work if we had hours to do it but... it's still based on bribery. Boris knows when it's a training session and knows he will get something out of it. So he's much more likely to do it then than in other circumstances. He was always the best in his class at training classes... not so much in normal circumstances.

And again... it doesn't work for everyone, just for the person who trained him. So there will still be the problem of what's going to happen if the dog steals something from the babies' room then stops on the stairs destroying it, and the baby wants to go down and/or try to get the thing back?

So I told my husband he has two months to work on it (I'll help, obviously)... if in two months it's not better, we'll find him a new home... hopefully honestly a rescue that will know what the problem is and be willing to work on it... but even then, I'm really not sure I will ever trust him around the kids once they start moving around the house and leaving their toys... and at the first sign of growling he'll have to go. We just don't have the room to leave a dog separated from us all the time, and it's not a life anyway. Things would be so much better if he stopped stealing, but we can't teach him to play with his toys because since Tips had to have emergency x-rays after eating one, we don't allow toys anymore (he destroys every single one of them). And he was always protective of some of his toys too anyway...

There's really a lot of weird things about him, like, if he's lying down under the desk and we're stepping on him by accident he will growl too. But never in the open (I could step with him 100 times when I get off the bed and he doesn't care)...

I know it's really a messed up situation all around...

 

[Paige]

Have you taken him to the vet to rule out medical issues? I knew a horse who would attack people. Nearly killed three. Feather, though appeared fine on the outside, was not doing well internally. She'd lash out when in pain and then it progressed into lashing out all the time.

 

[milos_mommy]

It honestly sounds like he needs a mini-boot camp. Like a never-ending training session for two weeks.

It also sounds like he's super-protective of his space and his things. Wherever he goes, he needs to learn his crate is his safe place. It sounds almost like he's trying to hide under the tables and things.

 

[Fran27]

He loves his crate. So much that it's where he takes the stuff he steals to guard it usually...

 

[milos_mommy]

He's definately what i would call an "instinctual" dog....does whatever his gut tells him to, even if it's not what you want.

 

[PoodleMommy]

You need to find him toys that he can play with... get very strong, durable ones that cant be ruined.... you cant expect him to never have anything to occupy him... what about kongs, bones, anything?

It honestly sounds like you dont have the time for him anymore... I would try and rehome him.. someone will be willing to work with him... seems like a shame to put him to sleep.

I will keep Boris in my thoughts.