I have a problem. I have been contacted today by a lady who wants to return her dog to see if I can do anything with her. But if I can't she wants her rehomed. The dog apparently has numerous problems and they need looking at. I don't feel that the outcome will be the dog returning to the owner.
In my current situation I cannot take the dog back but do have a friend who lives 10 minutes from them and she has agreed to go and visit them to see where the problem lies. She actually owns the litter sister.

Anyone got anymore ideas? I feel awful about this as I have always reassured eveyone I would take the pups/dogs back if required but I am in catch 22 at the moment. If this was in a few months time I could take the dog back and help but I really am stuck.

How old is this dog and what specifically are the problems?

The dog is 13 mths old and apparently :

Terrorises visitors so much so that no one goes to the house anymore!!!
Bites in play.
Takes the childrens toys wherever they are.
Spoils the kids games if they are in garden by running riot.
No one can catch her when out for a walk or in garden / house.
Takes everything off of work tops.
Digs under sofa etc for nothing and has ripped sofa and destroyed other furniture.
Doing a wall of death constantly around the house.

Those are the most annoying apparently.

Basically the owners have resorted to losing their tempers with her and say they can't cope anymore. They do love her though they say and the way they talk I think they just have got everything wrong!!!

I know about crates etc and separating her from visitors and kids and meal times etc. But I think they will end up keeping her in there the whole time.

It sounds like the dog is plainly bored, and has had no training whatsoever from the 'owners'. :(

I would get it out as quick as you can. If there is no way that either you, or any of your friends, can take it on just now then I would ask the breed rescue to help. Tell them the circumstances, and that you could have taken it in a couple of months time, just not now. Hopefully they will be able to help out. Better that than it ends up biting someone and has to be put down. And all because someone couldn't be bothered to spend some time whilst it was young to teach it some manners.

>Terrorises visitors so much so that no one goes to the house anymore!!!
>Bites in play.
>Takes the childrens toys wherever they are.
>Spoils the kids games if they are in garden by running riot.
>No one can catch her when out for a walk or in garden / house.
>Takes everything off of work tops.
>Digs under sofa etc for nothing and has ripped sofa and destroyed other furniture.
>Doing a wall of death constantly around the house.

That all sounds like normal puppy behaviours to me, albeit not acceptable ones obviously (I'm assuming "terrorises" just means rather over-exuberant and excitable around visitors). I don't know what some people expect sometimes. Depending on the breed, then 13 months old is still very much a baby. I'd get the dog out asap as well. Still perfectly young enough to be able to learn.

I'm assuming "terrorises" just means rather over-exuberant and excitable around visitors). I don't know what some people expect sometimes. Depending on the breed, then 13 months old is still very much a baby. I'd get the dog out asap as well. Still perfectly young enough to be able to learn.

Yep she is just full of life and a typical labrador.

I have just respoken to the owners and said a friend will drop in for coffee if thats ok and they have said yes but she barks and she does this and that and this and that.

I think as you say it is a case of letting my friend see her behaviour and then getting the dog out. I can't believe I made a mistake with this family, I am sooooooooo careful homing my pups and have never made a mistake in 10 years!!! I could cry.

sounds like a normal adolescent in my breed!!! wouldnt consider any of it abnormal! Cant you just take the dog back??

lol.. I agree Sam, my youngest collie was doing a lot of those things last year, now she's a little angel 

I am sooooooooo careful homing

Don't blame yourself, it sounds like these folk want a 'plastic' puppy - take it out of the box and it behaves perfectly - no owner input required, they probably expect the same of their kids . You know the type!  I would get the dog out too if it is at all possible.

Gosh I could tick most of them boxes and add some with my 11 month old terror!!

Jeez I read the list of problems and said to myself that sounds like a untrained lab.

Read down the page a bit and yep its a lab. Gosh some people what do they expect if they dont train them

I hope you are able to help the poor dog and find it a more suitable home

Wendy

Can the stud owner help out until you are able to have her?

You could ask breed rescue to help and pay their kenneling costs or put her in kennels yourself until you can accomodate or home her. 

Yes, this is what a friend of mine did when he couldn't immediately take in one of his pups. She was found a new home via the breed rescue waiting list, and he gave quite a generous donation to the rescue scheme in thanks for their help.

Dawn R.

Have they tried a reputable training class? or a behaviourist?
Sounds like the family that need sorting before they can sort the dog.
IF you tell us the area that they live in, maybe some of us could recommend someone.

Hi

Apparently they had a behaviourist who said to feed the dog sausage and of course she did everything she wanted!!!
I have had a dog with behaviourial problems due to abuse and I had a behaviourist who was excellent. Unfortunately I think this family found themselves with a dud!!!

They have been to training classes but left cos ..........................SHE WOULDN'T BEHAVE!!!

I am working on this problem and my friend will be visiting the family tomorrow so will let you know how it goes.

i think you need to find a new home for her.  Even if you could take her back and train her for them they probably wouldn't keep up the training so you would be back to square 1

I actually think that maybe they need to be advised of a good "training club or behaviourist" in their area. It sounds as though they have tried their best, maybe it wasn't the best home as they don't seem fully clued up, but maybe in the right trainers hands they could be turned around.

You see so many people these days who go to "behaviourists" who end up making the dogs worse than they were in the first place.

Apparently they had a behaviourist who said to feed the dog sausage and of course she did everything she wanted!!!

What's wrong with that? High value treats is often the key to teaching the behaviour you want in a dog. After all, you wouldn't work for a penny an hour and would put in a lot more effort if the pay was good, even if you didn't enjoy the job.

Oh absolutely, I spend a couple of hours every Sunday making liver treats and liver cake for the doggles to encourage good behaviour all week :)

Where in the country is the dog? we could possibly recommend a class

I would suspect its more likely that they didnt listen... i would use sausage as a training treat. I might advise a client to use a high value reward such as sausage.....

That wouldnt be teh SUM total of the advice given though... but its amazing what you can tell people and then a few days later hear back what they heard/misremembered.

Sausage to train and treat is fine but APPARENTLY they were advised to give her sausage every few second so that she stayed with them and couldn't get up to anything!!!

Anyway after a friend went to view the dog and meet the family it turns out that they didn't understand that the behaviour was normal puppy behaviour and that alot of the advice they seem to have been given was wrong. For example at a training class a halti was fitted to the puppy and because she would not walk she was dragged by it around the room. The puppy messed herself in fright and the family wouldn't go back there understandably.

So.....................they are going to keep the dog for a while and put in lots of time and effort with her. My friend is going out for a walk with the dog and owner today and we will see how it goes. The friend owns the litter sister so knows what they are like. Then we have talked about advice over the phone and support from the friend who lives 5 minutes away.
From talking to the owner last night she just said that the other day everything just came out about the dog and she now has hope that with work and the right help she can have a dog to be proud of. I have also told her that the other owners down the park may stand and laugh at her but that probably at least one of them knows what she is going through and that in 18 months time she will be the one stood their watching some other poor owner going through the same but that I would like to think that she may be able to go over and say I've been there and it does get better.
We are going to see how everyone feels in 2 weeks time and if it doesn't work out then the dog will come back here(I have now sorted that out) but would love this family to suceed.

Does anyone know a DECENT training class in Bournemouth please?

Will let you know how things go.

Would they travel to Sway or Brockenhurst? Ours were very good, freindly and helpful

Blimey what a nightmare. Another set of people taking bad advice, poor dog. Lets hope they can turn things around but I think two weeks maybe too short a time but at least you can have her back now. If you need any help in getting her rehomed then give me shout as we always have many people on waiting lists for younger dogs :)

You can never know 100% about people you sell your dogs to as I am sure they had all good intentions but sometimes our breed as you know can be a nightmare if given an inch :)

Lucy
xx