We couldn't do it, Carey is still here
- Thread starter gapeach
- Start date
I have been thinking about you and your family. I hope you find the best final desicision for your family, whether it be training, rehoming, or euthanasia.
Just be careful to keep Carey and your daughter seperated to prevent another incident.
Only you can decide what the outcome will be, but you have tons of support from your friends here.
And sometimes the hardest desicision is still the best and safest for your daughter.
I wish you the best,
Julie.
Just be careful to keep Carey and your daughter seperated to prevent another incident.
Only you can decide what the outcome will be, but you have tons of support from your friends here.
And sometimes the hardest desicision is still the best and safest for your daughter.I wish you the best,
Julie.
Well, I hope that this trainer works out, but like you said, you'll have to be extremely diligent as she really won't be able to be trusted, once she's bitten. But I bet some progress could be made in establishing her place in the family if you learn all you possibly can... that even your little child is to be looked up to as her leader. You can find out how to go about that. I was very sad about this yesterday and I'm so impressed with your dedication to try everything you possibly can. But, of course, I'm still worried about the dog around your child. I'm sorry you've been on this roller coaster of emotions. It has to be so difficult. Do keep us posted on what the trainer thinks and I do wish you all the best with this.
R
Ga Peach, I understand all the emotions associated with this. I spent an entire day feeling very sad for you. I won't describe how I felt when I learned of recent developments.
I notice you are expecting another child.
I hope fervently that another injury does not happen to your child.
I STRONGLY urge you not to let Carey have ANY interaction or ANY access at ANY TIME to your child.
If you do intend to rehome her, I would also strongly suggest you speak to an attorney about your future liabilities for her actions.
I notice you are expecting another child.
I hope fervently that another injury does not happen to your child.
I STRONGLY urge you not to let Carey have ANY interaction or ANY access at ANY TIME to your child.
If you do intend to rehome her, I would also strongly suggest you speak to an attorney about your future liabilities for her actions.
Thanks everyone for your support, we still have not made the final decision. Like I said we have not yet met the trainer personally and she has not agreed she will work with Carey. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what techniques I should be looking for this woman to use. She said the first thing they would work on would be food aggression. I would like to know what kind of questions I should ask her. If this is indeed the route we choose to pursue I don't want to just hand my dog over to a perfect stranger for a week without knowing what she plans and what I should be expecting her to do. I did find out she was a K9 police officer who worked in our twon and also in South Carolina, she also teaches dog obedience as two courses at our university here. Any trainers here, I would appreciate you telling me what I should ask and expect.
Not a trainer, so no advice there - but have been reading all along on both threads. I can't tell you how sorry I am and I hope a good solution can be found for all. I know as mother's we will always put our children first - don't ever feel guilty about that. No matter how this works out you have really done the best you could for all parties involved. That is all anyone could ask of you. Carey is lucky to have such devoted owners/parents my best wishes and prayers will be with you as go through this process.
R
SOME people, NOT ALL, but SOME PEOPLE who have trained working/police/lawenforcment dogs are partial to heavy handed training.
Which I think would put your dog over the edge completely.
There are some great pieces hanging out on the net about resource guarding.
If I were you, I would read up on all that, so you will then know if this person has a clue what she is talking about or not.
Which I think would put your dog over the edge completely.
There are some great pieces hanging out on the net about resource guarding.
If I were you, I would read up on all that, so you will then know if this person has a clue what she is talking about or not.
Well, you already know my opinion as far as heavy handedness and what makes a good leader. Your dog needs to know where he stands in the family and how he comes about learning this is not by being heavily dominated, but rather by becoming a working member, earning his resources, which you control, having to follow YOUR lead and everyone else who interacts with him, not that he is acting in some way and humans are reacting. His day needs to be quite full as far as having a job, which means obedience training and commands here and there throughout the day. He can learn the give and take game with lower value items first and gradually increasing to higher value items. He needs to be conditioned heavily to having people (adults) around his food, practicing moving his bowl, as long as it is safe to do so, but first putting some goodies into his bowl so he sees that you are the provider of good things. Having him do a command or two (skill) prior to getting his food and all other things he likes will further teach him that he does not call any shots. You do. I think if you hold your child (up high) when you do some of these things, that may/may not help him see that ALL humans are controlling whether he gets something or not. But again.....I think it's a scary thing to have a little child around a dog who has bitten, even once.
If you're going to talk to trainers, these things which I've gone over should be part of his/her's program. If he/she talks about scruffing, rolling, jerking, scolding.....in other words, punishing, I'd stay clear. Punishment, IMO has no place in teaching a dog who it's leader is or how to learn manners. Good leaders are firm, assertive and see to it that rules are followed etc, but they do not get emotional or overly forceful. That's my opinion. It's how I've always handled dogs and I have no problems with behavior.
I sure hope things turn out for you. I also wouldn't wait much longer before you come up with a plan of action. The longer the dog goes along with confusion about his place, the more established this idea he has will become.
Best of all to you!
If you're going to talk to trainers, these things which I've gone over should be part of his/her's program. If he/she talks about scruffing, rolling, jerking, scolding.....in other words, punishing, I'd stay clear. Punishment, IMO has no place in teaching a dog who it's leader is or how to learn manners. Good leaders are firm, assertive and see to it that rules are followed etc, but they do not get emotional or overly forceful. That's my opinion. It's how I've always handled dogs and I have no problems with behavior.
I sure hope things turn out for you. I also wouldn't wait much longer before you come up with a plan of action. The longer the dog goes along with confusion about his place, the more established this idea he has will become.
Best of all to you!
Something you might also try whenever you feel a little more comfortable having Carey around your girl again is to feed Carey handful by handful, instead of all at once. Have your girl be the one to drop in at least a couple handfulls of food so that Carey can see she is also a provider and therefore one to "be nice to".
I've done this from the start with my two dogs. They always eat after everyone in the family has eaten and it is the youngest childs job to feed them (with my supervision). He's only two and sometimes moves their bowls, takes food out and feeds it to them by hand. I of course am right there on the floor supervising the whole time. I even move the bowls around so they don't see one bowl as theirs and only theirs. Good idea about working for their food. I'll have to encorporate that into their routine.
Thank you for the input. We have already started working on some of these issues. Carey does now eat after she sees everyone else is finished. I have also been doing obedience work with her through out the day and she has to do a command for everything she wants, to be let outside, get some water, her food etc. We also have been playing fetch twice a day to get some excercise and she does commands periodically then also. Carey has no problem with my husband or myself moving her food around or taking it, just Maggie. My husband wants me to start letting Maggie feed her with my help, but I won't do this until we have consulted with the trainer. I have a feeling already about this trainer being gentle as we talked about our old vet being scared of Carey, she commented that she would have large dogs coming at her and just continues to talk in a calm voice (she trains protection dogs as well as doing obedience training) I also learned through the secretary at our new vet that this trainer worked with a rottie who was people aggressive and it turned him into a different dog and the secretary told me the trainer had told the lady to talk to him very calmly.
Gape... I don't read this section much so just saw this. I too feel so sorry that you've had all this to deal with and wish you the best. Bless you and my prayers for Carey. This isn't for you, but I do urge young couples who get dogs before having a family to look into breeds that love children. I had always had Goldens, but my husband wanted a more match dog. I couldn't stand the thought of getting a breed that might be " iffy " only to have to give it up later. It would break my heart. We stuck to Goldens. Please keep us up to date !!! Do well Carey !!! You are loved !!!