When your best friend attacks a friend, neighbor or family member, you may be advised to re-home or euthanize your pet immediately. However, not everyone is willing to give up on their pet so easily and you may be wondering if you can keep your dog without anyone else getting hurt. The answer to that question is maybe.
Aggression is like cancer. A doctor will never tell you your cancer is cured, but will say instead that it is in remission. You can never really say that a dog's aggression is cured until he has lived out his natural life without ever biting anyone again. Some dogs never see biting a human as an option but for those who do see it as an option, it will always be there under the surface; the willingness to bite. Your dog may never bite someone again, but the fact that he already has bitten someone tells you he can and will if properly provoked. Your job then, if you choose to keep him, is to make sure that never happens.
So, it's important to take this decision very seriously and spend some time thinking about it and discussing it with your household.
Know the Risks and How to Mitigate Them
Keeping an aggressive dog is obviously risky. Someone could be bitten, you could be sued or face police action if you slip up. It is important that you take steps to minimize the chances of any of these things happening.
1. Make sure you have homeowners insurance and your family has health insurance. That way if something happens you are prepared to handle any costs associated with it. It may be helpful to also have legal coverage.
2. Train your dog. If you are going to keep your potentially dangerous dog, it is important that you have complete control over him at all times. Hire a trainer who is experienced with aggressive dogs and practice, practice, practice! Your dog should be able to sit and stay, down and stay, come, leave it and drop it at a word and/or hand signal with no backtalk. Also, your dog must be crate trained so that she has a safe place to stay when there are guests or there is a high level of energy in your house. She should go to the crate on command, again with no backtalk. Depending on the level of aggression, you may also need to muzzle train your dog.
3. Maintain a healthy pack structure in your home. See http://www.thegooddogjournal.com/2009/02/whos-boss-establishing-pack-leadership.html
4. Exercise your dog. Give your dog a good walk (at least 30 minutes) twice a day. Nervous energy can lead to aggression.
5. Learn your dog's triggers and body language so that you can intervene before things get ugly. You can ask your trainer for help with this and you may also find this guide helpful: http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html
6. Manage your dog's environment to keep things calm and remove her from any environment that you can't manage.
7. Keep up with your dog's veterinary checkups. There are several health conditions that can exacerbate aggression so make sure you have your dog checked out regularly and let your vet know his history. Also, if there is a biting incident, someone may want to see your dog's shot records, so keep them where you can find them.
8. Have an exit strategy. Discuss this with your family so that everyone knows what the final straw will be. One more bite? One more snap? One more lunge? Discuss this with your veterinarian ahead of time so you know what your options are on that front. You will be very lucky to find a new home for a dog with a history of aggression (though it is not impossible). If things turn out badly at his new home or a shelter, chances are the end will be very unpleasant for him. It may be kinder for you to have him euthanized surrounded by the people who love him than to send him off into the unknown on the off chance it'll work out and risk a lonely, frightened end.
Keeping a dog is a huge responsibility but keeping a dog with a history of aggression is an even bigger responsibility. However, it's not hopeless. Some types of aggression seem to disappear completely with a little pack leadership, but it's important to always remember what your dog is capable of and maintain whatever measures you have in place.
Aggression is like cancer. A doctor will never tell you your cancer is cured, but will say instead that it is in remission. You can never really say that a dog's aggression is cured until he has lived out his natural life without ever biting anyone again. Some dogs never see biting a human as an option but for those who do see it as an option, it will always be there under the surface; the willingness to bite. Your dog may never bite someone again, but the fact that he already has bitten someone tells you he can and will if properly provoked. Your job then, if you choose to keep him, is to make sure that never happens.
So, it's important to take this decision very seriously and spend some time thinking about it and discussing it with your household.
Know the Risks and How to Mitigate Them
Keeping an aggressive dog is obviously risky. Someone could be bitten, you could be sued or face police action if you slip up. It is important that you take steps to minimize the chances of any of these things happening.
1. Make sure you have homeowners insurance and your family has health insurance. That way if something happens you are prepared to handle any costs associated with it. It may be helpful to also have legal coverage.
2. Train your dog. If you are going to keep your potentially dangerous dog, it is important that you have complete control over him at all times. Hire a trainer who is experienced with aggressive dogs and practice, practice, practice! Your dog should be able to sit and stay, down and stay, come, leave it and drop it at a word and/or hand signal with no backtalk. Also, your dog must be crate trained so that she has a safe place to stay when there are guests or there is a high level of energy in your house. She should go to the crate on command, again with no backtalk. Depending on the level of aggression, you may also need to muzzle train your dog.
3. Maintain a healthy pack structure in your home. See http://www.thegooddogjournal.com/2009/02/whos-boss-establishing-pack-leadership.html
4. Exercise your dog. Give your dog a good walk (at least 30 minutes) twice a day. Nervous energy can lead to aggression.
5. Learn your dog's triggers and body language so that you can intervene before things get ugly. You can ask your trainer for help with this and you may also find this guide helpful: http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html
6. Manage your dog's environment to keep things calm and remove her from any environment that you can't manage.
7. Keep up with your dog's veterinary checkups. There are several health conditions that can exacerbate aggression so make sure you have your dog checked out regularly and let your vet know his history. Also, if there is a biting incident, someone may want to see your dog's shot records, so keep them where you can find them.
8. Have an exit strategy. Discuss this with your family so that everyone knows what the final straw will be. One more bite? One more snap? One more lunge? Discuss this with your veterinarian ahead of time so you know what your options are on that front. You will be very lucky to find a new home for a dog with a history of aggression (though it is not impossible). If things turn out badly at his new home or a shelter, chances are the end will be very unpleasant for him. It may be kinder for you to have him euthanized surrounded by the people who love him than to send him off into the unknown on the off chance it'll work out and risk a lonely, frightened end.
Keeping a dog is a huge responsibility but keeping a dog with a history of aggression is an even bigger responsibility. However, it's not hopeless. Some types of aggression seem to disappear completely with a little pack leadership, but it's important to always remember what your dog is capable of and maintain whatever measures you have in place.
No comments:
Post a Comment