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Do I have my dog euthanized?


RunnerFive

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When we were socializing her, she would always run behind me or my wife whenever adult men would walk up to her.

 

When she has bitten someone, it’s strange because there’s no warning; no growling, snarling, showing teeth, anything. She just does it.

 

Since she has a bite history, I’m sure re-homing her is off the table.

 

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

I hope you don't go so far as to euthanize her. There are plenty of other options, like no-kill shelters and organizations that make it their mission to match a dog with the right owner. Having a bite history does not prevent her from having a happy home. I would consider adopting dog like that myself if I had the space.

 

It's typical of dogs to growl and bare their teeth when they feel threatened. But believe it or not, not all dogs behave this way. Some dogs are so timid that all they do is try to hide and get smaller in the face of perceived danger.

 

One thing that stands out to me is that she runs behind you when she sees adult men. She doesn't bark at them, bare her teeth, or growl. That says a lot to me about the way she communicates.

 

It's a quirk I've seen from time to time, across dog breeds big and small, and in dogs that have happy homes and friendly owners. It's uncommon, but it does happen.

 

You have to keep in mind that even the most cowardly animal will defend itself if it feels cornered. Dogs defend themselves by biting.

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I hope you don't go so far as to euthanize her. There are plenty of other options, like no-kill shelters and organizations that make it their mission to match a dog with the right owner. Having a bite history does not prevent her from having a happy home. I would consider adopting dog like that myself if I had the space.

 

It's typical of dogs to growl and bare their teeth when they feel threatened. But believe it or not, not all dogs behave this way. Some dogs are so timid that all they do is try to hide and get smaller in the face of perceived danger.

 

One thing that stands out to me is that she runs behind you when she sees adult men. She doesn't bark at them, bare her teeth, or growl. That says a lot to me about the way she communicates.

 

It's a quirk I've seen from time to time, across dog breeds big and small, and in dogs that have happy homes and friendly owners. It's uncommon, but it does happen.

 

You have to keep in mind that even the most cowardly animal will defend itself if it feels cornered. Dogs defend themselves by biting.

 

I hesitated to write because this really is not within my realm of knowledge except for these truths. I am not a dog person. I am a cat person. I was bitten by a dog unprovoked in 1992 -a dog I knew, a dog I'd been around. It was awful. Many years of fears after. Never once did I want that dog euthanized nor did I ever think the owner -my then boyfriend's mom -would ever think in those terms. I believe when I came over after that he was put in another room, maybe a cage? I don't know. Just plain old common sense tells me that euthanizing in this particular situation is not necessary and would just be tragic. Rehoming? I can see that -or the shelter option -sure - I can certainly understand if a dog with that propensity might not be right in a certain family or environment. It just struck me that euthanizing seemed so drastic and uncalled for. Thought I would throw in my two cents.

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Through a lot of my experiences with dogs and dog owners and with my mom who has boarding dogs for years...it's not the dog, it's the owners. It has nothing to do with the breed as any dog can develop bad habits and misbehave, but most of the onus in on the owner. Every dog is different, just like people. It's how the dog is handled will make the difference, but it's knowing what to do that will work. It also needs the participation of the whole family. The trainer actually trains the people, not the dog. The dog needs consistency, time spend going through it's training twice a day. You can't just water/ feed and walk a dog. That is not enough. If you don't want to put the time into a dog, then get a cat.

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Through a lot of my experiences with dogs and dog owners and with my mom who has boarding dogs for years...it's not the dog, it's the owners. It has nothing to do with the breed as any dog can develop bad habits and misbehave, but most of the onus in on the owner. Every dog is different, just like people. It's how the dog is handled will make the difference, but it's knowing what to do that will work. It also needs the participation of the whole family. The trainer actually trains the people, not the dog. The dog needs consistency, time spend going through it's training twice a day. You can't just water/ feed and walk a dog. That is not enough. If you don't want to put the time into a dog, then get a cat.

That is a great point. Dog owners should have training. Almost all attacks by dogs are provoked by people not understanding dog body language or psychology .

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Honestly, why can't the dog just be crate trained properly? And also, if guests are over, you should be mindful of the dog. If you are in the kitchen cooking and not watching the dog, bring the dog in the kitchen with you and babygate her in with you while you are cooking or something.

Another thing to consider - have her eyes been checked. 8 is an "older dog" for a lab and not seeing as well as she used to and then suddenly someone gets up, etc, could be something provoking because she can't see too well. Ditto hearing.

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