Please I Need Some Help

[Aidan]

Complete blood analysis ,including a full ( note full) thyroid panel with antibodies,(note sub clinical hypothyroidism around or less thn say 25% of normal levels, can be an underlying cause of agressive behaviours esp when they suddenly appear)

This is true, but it cannot be tested here. Blood has to go to Hemopet in the USA.

true but they are quick in responding and it is not hugely expensive and well worth the little bit of extra effort..

H

I agree, just pointing it out because I've not heard of many vets aware of what needs to be done and most will disregard the suggestion completely.

[Rascalmyshadow]

I haven't read every post but after going through this with my most cherished poodle all I can say is be very careful. My second poodle (the first I adopted as a puppy) was always very wary of children, would growl if a child even made eye contact. For us at the time we made sure he never came into contact with children. As he got older he became a lot more confident (with much hard work) and slowly we were able to introduce to children and he was fine.

When my son was born he attached himself to him straight away. As soon as my son started learning to walk he started snapping. We had a behaviourist come in and assess him, we followed all advice and everything improved.

Three years later my daughter was born, as she started to walk he was ok, but one day she wandered around the couch (didn't touch him) and he was asleep. Before my husband could grab her he woke up and lunged, sunk his teeth in millimetres from her eye. If he had of been any bigger she would have lost her eye and probably suffered a lot of facial damage. The next day he was PTS at only 9.

Please no one flame me but I have learn't my lesson the hard way. I knew what he was like I took as many precautions as I could and did the hard work and the outcome was still bad.

This dog is not even mature yet and he could get a hell of a lot worse. Please treat this very very seriously. Your dog is capable of doing a lot of damage to a child and no ones child should be put at risk for any dog.

[corvus]

Joel, I have a collection of papers on anxiety and personality traits that are often correlated with a tendency towards anxiety in dogs in particular, and some other animals. Too many to list here and mostly focused on personality. There are some interesting things coming out with the DRD4 complex, with is a dopamine receptor gene, and some enthralling (to me, anyway) discussions on coping styles and whether different individuals are born displaying a proactive or reactive coping style and how stable that is over time in different environments.

PM me if you want more info. I'm not sure exactly where your interest lies. There's a couple of good papers I have about separation anxiety and how it may come about with reference to both inherited tendencies and environmental influences. Hard going, but gets you thinking.

[ash&elar]

I haven't read every post but after going through this with my most cherished poodle all I can say is be very careful. My second poodle (the first I adopted as a puppy) was always very wary of children, would growl if a child even made eye contact. For us at the time we made sure he never came into contact with children. As he got older he became a lot more confident (with much hard work) and slowly we were able to introduce to children and he was fine.

When my son was born he attached himself to him straight away. As soon as my son started learning to walk he started snapping. We had a behaviourist come in and assess him, we followed all advice and everything improved.

Three years later my daughter was born, as she started to walk he was ok, but one day she wandered around the couch (didn't touch him) and he was asleep. Before my husband could grab her he woke up and lunged, sunk his teeth in millimetres from her eye. If he had of been any bigger she would have lost her eye and probably suffered a lot of facial damage. The next day he was PTS at only 9.

Please no one flame me but I have learn't my lesson the hard way. I knew what he was like I took as many precautions as I could and did the hard work and the outcome was still bad.

This dog is not even mature yet and he could get a hell of a lot worse. Please treat this very very seriously. Your dog is capable of doing a lot of damage to a child and no ones child should be put at risk for any dog.

Thanks for sharing, and i dont mean this in a bad way to you but that is exactly why i would pts any dog that even snapped at a child, just not worth the risk imo (what i wrote in my previous post), i am sorry that happened but as you say you have learnt now. im glad your daughter wasnt seriously injured too.

[TsarsMum]

I haven't read every post but after going through this with my most cherished poodle all I can say is be very careful. My second poodle (the first I adopted as a puppy) was always very wary of children, would growl if a child even made eye contact. For us at the time we made sure he never came into contact with children. As he got older he became a lot more confident (with much hard work) and slowly we were able to introduce to children and he was fine.

When my son was born he attached himself to him straight away. As soon as my son started learning to walk he started snapping. We had a behaviourist come in and assess him, we followed all advice and everything improved.

Three years later my daughter was born, as she started to walk he was ok, but one day she wandered around the couch (didn't touch him) and he was asleep. Before my husband could grab her he woke up and lunged, sunk his teeth in millimetres from her eye. If he had of been any bigger she would have lost her eye and probably suffered a lot of facial damage. The next day he was PTS at only 9.

Please no one flame me but I have learn't my lesson the hard way. I knew what he was like I took as many precautions as I could and did the hard work and the outcome was still bad.

This dog is not even mature yet and he could get a hell of a lot worse. Please treat this very very seriously. Your dog is capable of doing a lot of damage to a child and no ones child should be put at risk for any dog.

hugs to you and your family what a sad thing to happen.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

My boss has ended up in a difficult position with her Rottweiler, he is about a year old and weighs 60kgs.

She got him from the same breeder as her 9 yr old Rotti who is a gentle dog.

She got the second dog to keep him company and to remain when the old boy goes. They have always had a sociable life with other dogs and visitors with kids coming and going and there was never a problem with the first dog.

Unfortunately this second dog, with exactly the same upbringing as the old boy, has turned out to be aggressive, not only with other animals but with people/kids, even those he has known and seen regularly since he was a puppy. The only people he's OK with are my boss and her husband and child. He has to be locked away when visitors come round for everyone's safety. He has also taken to dominating the old dog who doesn't respond luckily.

After discussions with the breeder, my boss tried to find something in the forces where this dog could use his guarding skills but they are not interested so today he has been put to sleep with the breeder's blessing. He was just too dangerous to pass on to anyone.

[jesomil]

I have gone through something similar with my much loved dog starting to show aggression to people upon maturity even though heavily socialised and well trained. The dog snapped at my child once with absolutely no provocation. I worked very long and hard with some very skilled people to try and fix the situation but it wasnt to be.

It really isnt worth the risk when there are children around. The only dogs that should be around children are well socialised, solid nerved dogs.

No one can really tell over the internet what is happening on as your observations might not reveal everything that is going on. Get professional help.

Edited August 13, 2010 by jesomil

[shells]

I honestly don't know how people would put their pet to sleep for snapping (not biting) a child without trying to solve the issue. Each to there own I guess.

I agree. If something happened between my kids (I have 2 and 1 on the way and my dogs) I would do everything possible - vet checks, behaviourists and even building a secure dog run to help my dogs - I bought them, I love them and I owe it to them. I love my kids and would protect them to the death but I would also do whatever possible to help my dogs.

[Dame Aussie]

im going to put my flame proof suit on here. if that was my dog who snaped at a kid regardless if the child was (luckly on the other side of the glass). is a deal breaker and would be out of my house and down the vets so fast its not funny. might be a stranger child but that child did not pervoke it (im assuming if it did different story) I think the safety of children is the most important thing in the world and no dog it worth my child or another persons child.

that dog can never ever ever be trusted regardless of a behavoiursit assessing and working with you.

this dog is yours and your responibilty but that is a deal breaker in my opinion.

NO dog can ever be 100% trusted and many dogs with signs of aggression can live happy fulfilling lives with behavioural intervention.

If your dog toilets in the house do you decide it will never be toilet trained no matter what you do, and hey, may aswell put it down??

I'd hate to be a dog in your care.

To the OP, I agree with most posts, don't let this go untreated, a good behaviourist will be able to help you look at the causes and how to deal with this.

Good luck, let us know how you go.

ETA - spelling!

Edited August 13, 2010 by Aussie3

[TsarsMum]

im going to put my flame proof suit on here. if that was my dog who snaped at a kid regardless if the child was (luckly on the other side of the glass). is a deal breaker and would be out of my house and down the vets so fast its not funny. might be a stranger child but that child did not pervoke it (im assuming if it did different story) I think the safety of children is the most important thing in the world and no dog it worth my child or another persons child.

that dog can never ever ever be trusted regardless of a behavoiursit assessing and working with you.

this dog is yours and your responibilty but that is a deal breaker in my opinion.

NO dog can ever be 100% trusted and many dogs with signs of aggression can live happy fulfilling lives with behavioural intervention.

If your dog toilets in the house do you decide it will never be toilet trained no matter what you do, and hey, may aswell put it down??

I'd hate to be a dog in your care.

To the OP, I agree with most posts, don't let this go untreated, a good behaviourist will be able to help you look at the causes and how to deal with this.

Good luck, let us know how you go.

ETA - spelling!

well lucky you wont be. kids are the most important thing, TT thats your agument, i have never heard of children or adults being severly hurt, or killed by a dog not TT properly. get a grip.,

this dog is agressive not peeing in the house and as Other Posters has shown all the help in the world wont make u feel anybetter when your dog has ripped into your childs face.

I agree no dog can 100% be trusted

by the way my dogs are 100% well treated trained and he was loved til he passed away but my children are THE THE most important thing in this world and i will not risk them for a dog that is agressive, regardless of what you or anyother person thinks.

Edited August 13, 2010 by dogluva101

[chazey]

Thanks to everyone who has posted. There are some really helpful suggestions and advice, and some slightly off topic

It is a really difficult situation for us but hopefully one which we can resolve.

I hear what you are saying about the owners being at fault, and in some way that MUST be true, however we didn't pick a Mastiff without first doing a lot of research and visiting breeders. We did everything that they recommended including puppy and obedience classes. We did not take the ownership of a large breed dog lightly, and still don't.

It doesn’t make this any easier to deal with.

I have made contact with a behaviourist who has been recommended on here so fingers crossed she can shed some light on the situation.

Thanks again for all your input.

FYI: We did try to chat to the breeders and they pretty much told us to get lost

[OSoSwift]

So sorry to hear your breeders are not being supportive, that makes it very hard.

Glad to hear you are getting in a behaviourist, hope all goes well and you get back on track quickly

[Sandra777]

Oh that's not good, the breeder being disinterested.

Perhaps you could contact the owner or breeder of the sire or dam of your dog and get some specialised breed help in conjunction with the behaviouralist?

[persephone]

So glad you have a behaviourist on your team now The breeders sound as if they are not terribly supportive - hope you do not recommend them to others

Keep us posted , please?

[dancinbcs]

Thanks to everyone who has posted. There are some really helpful suggestions and advice, and some slightly off topic

It is a really difficult situation for us but hopefully one which we can resolve.

I hear what you are saying about the owners being at fault, and in some way that MUST be true, however we didn't pick a Mastiff without first doing a lot of research and visiting breeders. We did everything that they recommended including puppy and obedience classes. We did not take the ownership of a large breed dog lightly, and still don't.

It doesn’t make this any easier to deal with.

I have made contact with a behaviourist who has been recommended on here so fingers crossed she can shed some light on the situation.

Thanks again for all your input.

FYI: We did try to chat to the breeders and they pretty much told us to get lost

VERY disappointing that the breeder has not been supportive. If this is the first time something like this has happened with one of their dogs, you would expect them to try to help as much as possible. Maybe they have had several similar problems and have decided to bury their head's in the sand.

Please don't be hard on yourself if it turns out you have caused this problem. You obviously didn't do it deliberately and sometimes handling these situations is only something that you learn from experience. If you have caused the problem then it can probably be fixed. More of a worry is that you didn't cause it and it is an agressive trait within the dog. That is probably not fixable.

Good luck with the behaviourist. I'm sure they will be able to at least give you some answers and hopefully some solutions as well.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

Thanks to everyone who has posted. There are some really helpful suggestions and advice, and some slightly off topic

It is a really difficult situation for us but hopefully one which we can resolve.

I hear what you are saying about the owners being at fault, and in some way that MUST be true, however we didn't pick a Mastiff without first doing a lot of research and visiting breeders. We did everything that they recommended including puppy and obedience classes. We did not take the ownership of a large breed dog lightly, and still don't.

It doesn't make this any easier to deal with.

I have made contact with a behaviourist who has been recommended on here so fingers crossed she can shed some light on the situation.

Thanks again for all your input.

FYI: We did try to chat to the breeders and they pretty much told us to get lost

the highlighted bit i do not agree with. you may have done nothing wrong, it might just be the dogs temperment. please do not immediately blame yourself. get a bahaviouralist in and have a realistic view of the options which includes that the dogs temperment might not be up to scratch and/or there are things you can do to resolve the issues

[ChristineX]

Hi Chazey - sorry to hear about your issues - endorse the recommendation to talk to a behaviouralist. Yes, some questions do spark off a lot of not quite on topic answers - but they can be very interesting to work through. I usually learn a lot from them.

If you talk to the lady in the link someone gave you - she's good, and upfront, and helpful. In the meantime, maybe limit the opportunities your dog has to guard his family would be the way to go? And let us know how you go, please. All of us are hoping for a good ending for everyone!

ChristineX

[tarope]

Hi Chazey,

I have never owned a Mastiff, but let me tell you about my GSD's and Rottie. When people walk past mine bark very aggressively and even more so is they come onto the yard. My GSD boy nearly ripped the wire door off it's hinges trying to get a delivery guy who jumped over the front fence.

Bark and growl at a stranger who comes into their yard with a family member until introduced, bark aggressively at sounds outside or people next door. Does this sound familiar, if it does then what is the problem as your dog is protecting your family and your property.

I think you don't understand your breed or what this loyal dog is doing and you should be thankful your dog is like this as he will protect your kids with his life just like mine. You should take your dog to obedience training to learn how to handle and control him, as puppy school is IMO a waste of time.

[raineth]

Hi Chazey,

I have never owned a Mastiff, but let me tell you about my GSD's and Rottie. When people walk past mine bark very aggressively and even more so is they come onto the yard. My GSD boy nearly ripped the wire door off it's hinges trying to get a delivery guy who jumped over the front fence.

Bark and growl at a stranger who comes into their yard with a family member until introduced, bark aggressively at sounds outside or people next door. Does this sound familiar, if it does then what is the problem as your dog is protecting your family and your property.

I think you don't understand your breed or what this loyal dog is doing and you should be thankful your dog is like this as he will protect your kids with his life just like mine. You should take your dog to obedience training to learn how to handle and control him, as puppy school is IMO a waste of time.

.

But shouldn't a guarding breed also have some idea as to what truly is a threat and what is not for instance it sounds like his biggest reactions are toward other children. they are hardly a threat.

I have two dogs with guarding heritiage (Dane, and Mastiff x Dane) and neither of them carry on that way. if someone knocks on the door and I am in another room they will bark once to let me know. Othersise they don't bark at all. They hover at the door whle I answer it, but there is no more barking and there is no growling or snapping or anything like that. Furthermore, they are entirely friendly to anyone I bring into the house.

I didn't think a guarding dog was meant to behave the way OP is describing unless the situation is actually a threatening one?

I am curious to hear people's responses. Maybe I have the wrong idea about this?

[Sandra777]

IMO Mastiffs are not a Guarding breed, they are a Guardian breed. Big difference.

Guarding dogs seem to be hard wired to be more territorial and I've seen many that don't actually care what happens to their people if those people are not in their usual place, they are more in to guarding a place than a person, which is not to say they can't be trained to guard a person

Guardian dogs seem to be hard wired to guard living things, people or livestock, which is also not to say they can't be trained to guard a place.

Just my take on it anyway.

ETA: yes I think any dog regardless of heritage should be socialised enough to understand the difference between a casual passer-by and a threat. Military dogs possibily excluded.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Sandra777