Pet Lovers

[ninjawife]

My adult DD adopted a mixed breed dog at the end of March.  Her name is Tilly.  Prior to being adopted she was in foster care and prior to that she was a stray.  We don't know how long she was a stray or in foster care but her foster mom said she was the sweetest dog she ever fostered.  Tilly was very sweet until recently.  In the past few weeks Tilly has been jumping on and nipping at my DD when they are out on their walks.  Today on their morning walk she ripped DD's sleeve off.  DD has bruises all over her right arm.  She also has been growling at DD occassionally.  DD made an appointment at the vet to make sure Tilly isn't ill but that appointment is not until July 6th (she has been calling each day to see if there is a cancellation) and she is trying to schedule an appointment with a trainer.  DD is really upset and DH is going down to stay with her until Sunday to see if he can help.

Any advise?

[Kachina624]

@ninjawife   It sounds like DD is letting Tilly walk all over her.  She needs to institute a boot camp atmosphere and let Tilly know she is in charge.  Any aggression should immediate be met with a sharp "NO", She should make her work for everything she gets, sit for treats, sit for her meal bowls, only go outside when the okay is given.  If she misbehaves during play, it should immediately be discontinued.  No growling should be tolerated ever.

Does the aggression seem to be overly enthusiastic play or is it vicious?

[KingstonMom]

@ninjawife 

You need to seek out a 'behaviourist', as well as a trainer.

As someone who has always had rescues and is heavily involved in one of our local rescue groups, it's sometimes hard to figure out how the pet's past life has affected them.

My current rescue had some horrible things done to him, (burned all the way down his back), but he was able to overcome his past with the help of a trainer and a behaviourist.

Now Kingston is the best dog anyone could ask for!

[Stevie Nix]

You might have DD try some calming aids in the interrim.  Available in pet stores and on line, like Chewy or Bestvets.

[We rescue cats]

Is Tilly crate trained?

[ninjawife]

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@We rescue cats wrote:

Is Tilly crate trained?

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yes

[Kachina624]

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@KingstonMom wrote:

@ninjawife 

You need to seek out a 'behaviourist', as well as a trainer.

As someone who has always had rescues and is heavily involved in one of our local rescue groups, it's sometimes hard to figure out how the pet's past life has affected them.

My current rescue had some horrible things done to him, (burned all the way down his back), but he was able to overcome his past with the help of a trainer and a behaviourist.

Now Kingston is the best dog anyone could ask for!

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@KingstonMom    Good to see Kingston again.  I've missed seeing him as your avatar.

[mimomof4]

Put the dog into obedience training. 

Prior to getting with a trainer there is plenty of videos on You Tube to use as a starting point.

We had a dog that started to ****** and show aggression to our kids.  We  had the dog before kids.  We had an obedience trainer come to the home to work on the aggressive behavior.  It was a life saver.

[Pook]

@ninjawife   Could it be that she has not loose leash trained her and she is wanting to tug and pull and go where she wants?  As others have said she needs to go to a trainer to have both her and Tilly trained!   She also needs a proper leash and not just a leash attached to the collar.  There are several different kinds that will not permit such behavior and she will be able to keep dog under control.  It also seems that she needs to train the sit command and use that when  dog starts to get out of control.

[ValuSkr]

I would return her to wherever she came from.  Rehabbing problem dogs isn't for me though I recognize some folks would welcome the challenge.