Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted a little while ago about my rottie mix who was haing protective issues, fortunately i have gotten those mostly ironed out, along with pulling issues i was having. i talked to a behavirist at the shelter i recently started at and she gave me some advice and it worked to perfection.
Now i have a new potential problem. Like i said i recently started working as an adoption counselor at a shelter, and i spend a lot of my free time at work playing with the dogs so i get to know them and can help better serve our patrons and to make the dogs time at the shelter better, even though our shelter is extremely good at keeping the dogs as happy as possible for their time there.
But i have fallen in love with one dog in particular and have talked to the people at the shelter who gave me the ok to adopt him if he passes a beval, the problem with this dog is he is very dominant, and has barrier frustration, and is possibly dog reactive, that is why he is going to go for a beval. He is super sweet to people, and quite submissive actually. I am more than willing to put the time into this dog to help him fnd a home, even if he doesn't fit so well in my house i have gotten the ok to foster him and work with him before adoption since no one else is really willing to. He seems much like my dog was at his age, which is 10 months, and he is an Am. Bulldog mix, so my question is what is the best way to work on these issues, barrier aggression i have down as i just went through that, but how exactly does one go about remedial soialization? I know that if this dog were to act in the dominant way that he has shown at the shelter to my dog, my dog would react and would put this guy on his back in a hurry, but its this guys reaction to that that really concerns me. obviously i would only do dog-dog while another trainer was present, i was just wondering how you go about letting him know that it is not ok to be dominant like that. My plan so far is extensive obedience like i just went through with my dog, startng in the house and eventually working my way to the park down the street before any real dog dog interaction were to take place, but i am lost after that....any help would be greatly appreciated. He really is a sweet little fellow buis having a hard time finding a home as he can't be adoptedin the city our shelter is located due to new breed bans in our city and the city next door. thanks.

>>I posted a little while ago about my rottie mix who was haing protective issues, fortunately i have gotten those mostly ironed out, along with pulling issues i was having. i talked to a behavirist at the shelter i recently started at and she gave me some advice and it worked to perfection.
>> Now i have a new potential problem. Like i said i recently started working as an adoption counselor at a shelter, and i spend a lot of my free time at work playing with the dogs so i get to know them and can help better serve our patrons and to make the dogs time at the shelter better, even though our shelter is extremely good at keeping the dogs as happy as possible for their time there.
>> But i have fallen in love with one dog in particular and have talked to the people at the shelter who gave me the ok to adopt him if he passes a beval, the problem with this dog is he is very dominant, and has barrier frustration, and is possibly dog reactive, that is why he is going to go for a beval. He is super sweet to people, and quite submissive actually. I am more than willing to put the time into this dog to help him fnd a home, even if he doesn't fit so well in my house i have gotten the ok to foster him and work with him before adoption since no one else is really willing to. He seems much like my dog was at his age, which is 10 months, and he is an Am. Bulldog mix, so my question is what is the best way to work on these issues, barrier aggression i have down as i just went through that, but how exactly does one go about remedial soialization? I know that if this dog were to act in the dominant way that he has shown at the shelter to my dog, my dog would react and would put this guy on his back in a hurry, but its this guys reaction to that that really concerns me. obviously i would only do dog-dog while another trainer was present, i was just wondering how you go about letting him know that it is not ok to be dominant like that. My plan so far is extensive obedience like i just went through with my dog, startng in the house and eventually working my way to the park down the street before any real dog dog interaction were to take place, but i am lost after that....any help would be greatly appreciated. He really is a sweet little fellow buis having a hard time finding a home as he can't be adoptedin the city our shelter is located due to new breed bans in our city and the city next door. thanks.

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As you realize, this is a risky situation that could put your dog in danger. I would suggest you only do it if you can work very closely with a behavior specialist on it.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Personally, as much as I love dogs and no matter how much I loved this dog, I wouldn't do it only because it would put your first dog in danger. You're talking about working on training slowly, working up to dog-dog behaviours, but you can't work on that gradually if there's another dog living in the same house. The minute you bring him home, there will be many dog-dog interactions. You would have to keep them completely separated at all times and for one dog with barrier aggression and another that used to show it, that's setting yourself for even more problems. And what would you do when you go to work? You can't responsibly leave a dog aggressive dog at home alone with your current dog, and taking one to work with you could be tricky. Not to mention grocery shopping, any nights out, etc.. That's on top of the problems that are likely to resurface with your first dog because dogs with problems need constant reinforcement and reminder their whole lives. If you're working and spending so much intensive training time with this new dog, your dog won't get the attention he needs to keep up with his new good habits.

I'm really sorry if this sounds harsh or anything. It just sounds like this plan hasn't been thoroughly thought through. It sounds like this is an emotional decision you're making because you love this dog and feel sorry for him. And I don't blame you, I would be going through the same thought process. But it seems like you would have to sacrifice your own dog's good behaviours and safety to take this dog in.. And if the new dog doesn't find a home quickly, eventually you're likely to have two dogs with problems on your hands. I personally can barely manage the one aggressive dog that I have, never could I think about managing even another normal dog with Kaiser around. I can't even imagine trying to deal with 2 Kaisers.. And I'm home all the time, except maybe 3 hours a day..

Of course it's your decision, but make sure that you've thought it through very carefully..