Maryellen wrote:this pup is a shepherd mix.. not a pit bull
Ah, ok. I assumed this was a Pit Bull.
I still stand by my non-breed specific comments.
Maryellen wrote:this pup is a shepherd mix.. not a pit bull
Ketra, is there anyone in your area that knows the breed that can eval. her for you? I understand that this pup had a rough start, but it's not an excuse, not in this breed, especially in a puppy so young.
If you are going to look for a "behaviorist", ask for credentials. You need a college degree (at least a masters) to be a real behaviorist. Many trainers nowadays with no real understanding of behaviorism call themselves this, and it is entirely false advertising as far as I am concerned.
A dog that was thrown at the side of the road to die has probably had a less than ideal early life. I don't take into account the breed here. I would hazard a guess that she was grabbed from behind like that and then hurt in some way, that much fear is a sad thing.
The behavior Ketra described was extreme, especially so for a pup. I'm not suggesting give the dog up, not at this juncture. But I definitely think the bite needs to be viewed as serious and problematic and atypical, and she should be working with someone who can guide her along the way.
ketra can you post the pups picture here??
realpitbull wrote:Michelle....'why' doesn't discount the severity of the behavior. JMHO. Imagine if this dog were full grown? Also, can I ask....if this were a Pit Bull, would you feel the same way? Or would you still excuse the bite?
I'm not all that familiar with you Ketra, I just wanted to mention that I think its important not to spoil and coddle her too much (not saying that you are, I just know this is the tendancy with rescued abused dogs sometimes). I think she may actually feel more secure being handled -more or less- as you would your other dogs.
Have you ever done training with all your dogs at once? This may help her learn to follow them as an example, wich could work it's way into other aspects of her life. Just some thoughts...
Malli wrote:It should be noted (and I have personally experienced this on many occaisions) that puppies are much more likely to bite. I see many young dogs that will bite over simple restraint or venipucture at work. None of our staff view a bite from a puppy as a warning to be cautious around the dog in the future (normally a bite, snip, or growl gives the dog a muzzle and a warning sign on his kennel).
They don't tolerate pain as well as adults.
Puppies tell other puppies that something hurts by biting and screaming.
A puppy at 10-14 weeks, nevermind one who was poorly socialized (a for sure) and abused (we're almost 100%) will not have learned yet how to communicate in "people" body language, and will still be communicating in "dog".
This is what I think
Malli
realpitbull wrote:mnp13 wrote:She had been lying on the side of a road, nearly dead
That is a 100% clear indicator of abuse to me. And it is not a stretch to say that abuse would probably have extended to physical abuse.
Not saying it's not abuse. The point is, it's the behavior that you see that matters, not the past. Waving this behavior away because the dog was abused is not something I'd be likely to do. It's serious, regardless of 'why' she's doing it. All that really matters is that she DID do it.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users