Rescue Dog - What to do?

[woodsie]

Well we rescued Striker from a really good shelter and he has been really amazing but recently have discovered an issue that I am not sure we can about and would love some experienced advice. Striker is a border collie, pitbull cross that loves attention, is great with chickens and kids but has a shady past. For the first year of his life he was chained on a 20"long chain and left in the elements on a reserve. He was then in a good shelter with a large yard and free range chickens and was a real love bug. He stays in the yard and pretty much follows me around and never goes too far, he also never really barks.

We have discovered however that he has some issues with men. He skulks around my husband but it is getting better as my husband spends more time with him and he now goes to greet him when he comes home from work but still seems a little nervous. What is really concerning is an incident with my dad. My dad was walking down the hill after checking our irrigation with a bag in his hand and I was on the front steps petting Striker and talking to Dad. As Dad got within 20 feet Striker started growling, and then within 12 feet he stood up and started barking and standing on his back paws....the whole time I was saying "Striker its okay" but he seemed in a different world and was taking no direction from me ...which is unusual as he is ususally very responsive to commands (border collie like). He would not stop aggressively barking until I walked accross the yard and called Striker over. My Dad a couple days before was at the river with us and Striker had his head on his lap looking for attention for him so its not that he didn't know or like my Dad. It was obvious a previous memory was triggered and he was a totally different dog.

He also really growled at me cousin who was carrying a gatorade bottle, staring at the bottle, very uneasy.

Being a pitbull cross I am nervous of having a stranger come up to the door and triggering a memory... I know pitbulls don't get away with anything from the public. I have 7 rental houses with visitors and lots of coming and going and he was supposed to be a farm/yard dog so I can not guarantee who he will come into contact with. I don't mind a slightly aloof or protective dog but if I say its okay it better cease all aggressive behaviour. I hate to give up on him but I don't know what to do to help him get over his fears. Is it possible to rehabilitate the dog with all men...its weird, sometimes its not an issue at all and then sometimes he seems really scared/aggressive.? Any advice would be really helpful!

 

[AshleyFishy]

I recued pits for a few years and have even owned a very bad case dog until his passing. What normally helps is putting them on a leash and introducing the frightening person/object ton the other side of the fence. Pits kept by bad owners are normally hit with objects by male humans. That could be why he is reacting that way. Think of a soldier back from war, certain thinks trigger reactions...sometimes violent ones. Your dog if kept like some I've seen it will take time and you have to keep a firm hand.

You might even try looking in your area for a pitty rescue. Many times they will have trainers available that specialize in past abused bully breeds.

 

[woodsie]

What normally helps is putting them on a leash and introducing the frightening person/object ton the other side of the fence. Pits kept by bad owners are normally hit with objects by male humans. That could be why he is reacting that way. Think of a soldier back from war, certain thinks trigger reactions...sometimes violent ones. Your dog if kept like some I've seen it will take time and you have to keep a firm hand.

I completely agree with the memory trauma...I'm just not sure what will set him off, sometimes he's fine other times he freaks and I don't have a fenced area to put him in as my other dogs (2 Pyrs are in the pasture with my goats and sheep) and he was specifically chosen to be a yard dog as he doesn't leave the property. I hesitate to put him on a leash/tether as he has more issue when he's restrained as he was chained for such a long time and seems to be even more insecure on a leash.

He's such an awesome dog with the kids, livestock and women and apparently loved the men at the shelter but they were men he trusted in a environment where things stayed the same, not a lot of surprises. I am hoping that once he realizes this is a safe place he will relax around the men.

 

[AshleyFishy]

How long have you had him?

 

[woodsie]

How long have you had him?

About a week.

The other thing is he is quite "mouthy", I think I can train that out of him but it is concerning with pitbull jaws.

 

[AshleyFishy]

Ahh yes well it is going to at least take him a year to settle in.

Yup pits are mouthy and like to jump.

I would recommend seeking a trainer in your area, given his background.

 

[BlondeSquirrel04]

Well we rescued Striker from a really good shelter and he has been really amazing but recently have discovered an issue that I am not sure we can about and would love some experienced advice. Striker is a border collie, pitbull cross that loves attention, is great with chickens and kids but has a shady past. For the first year of his life he was chained on a 20"long chain and left in the elements on a reserve. He was then in a good shelter with a large yard and free range chickens and was a real love bug. He stays in the yard and pretty much follows me around and never goes too far, he also never really barks.

We have discovered however that he has some issues with men. He skulks around my husband but it is getting better as my husband spends more time with him and he now goes to greet him when he comes home from work but still seems a little nervous. What is really concerning is an incident with my dad. My dad was walking down the hill after checking our irrigation with a bag in his hand and I was on the front steps petting Striker and talking to Dad. As Dad got within 20 feet Striker started growling, and then within 12 feet he stood up and started barking and standing on his back paws....the whole time I was saying "Striker its okay" but he seemed in a different world and was taking no direction from me ...which is unusual as he is ususally very responsive to commands (border collie like). He would not stop aggressively barking until I walked accross the yard and called Striker over. My Dad a couple days before was at the river with us and Striker had his head on his lap looking for attention for him so its not that he didn't know or like my Dad. It was obvious a previous memory was triggered and he was a totally different dog.
He also really growled at me cousin who was carrying a gatorade bottle, staring at the bottle, very uneasy.

Being a pitbull cross I am nervous of having a stranger come up to the door and triggering a memory... I know pitbulls don't get away with anything from the public. I have 7 rental houses with visitors and lots of coming and going and he was supposed to be a farm/yard dog so I can not guarantee who he will come into contact with. I don't mind a slightly aloof or protective dog but if I say its okay it better cease all aggressive behaviour. I hate to give up on him but I don't know what to do to help him get over his fears. Is it possible to rehabilitate the dog with all men...its weird, sometimes its not an issue at all and then sometimes he seems really scared/aggressive.? Any advice would be really helpful!

It sounds to me like ALL of this is fear based. He was probably not properly socialized as a pup and has irrational fears because of it. The bag is the perfect example. One of my mom's Pit Bulls is afraid of frozen hash browns. Yes, frozen hash browns. He will bark at them and try to retreat. Point being, sometimes irrational fears arise from seemingly nothing at all. It doesn't mean he was abused with a bag (or a hash brown).

Seeing as you've only had him a week, all of this is totally normal. I recommend you google the "two week shutdown" approach to rescuing a dog. His whole world has just changed on a dime. He needs to adjust. Don't expect the perfect, bombproof dog after one week...regardless of breed, age, rescue, etc. He needs time to figure all of this newness out.

Owning 3 Pit Bulls myself and with my mom having 2 of her own, I can say that yes, you will encounter ignorance from the public about the breed. Mixing two breeds with a high prey drive together would not be my ideal dog, but it is not his fault. Alas, he may be more "nippy" because of the BC in him. And if anyone sees "Pit Bull" and "nippy" in the same sentence, it becomes a media headline. However, because both breeds are very intelligent and want to please their owner, you could have a very easily trainable dog who could make a wonderful companion.

And the "Pit Bull jaws"...you mean, dog jaws? Pit Bulls have the same jaws as any other dog. They do not "lock", nor are they the strongest bite of dog breeds.

 

[woodsie]

thanks for the advice everyone and I am definitely not expecting perfection, just wanted to hear from others that had rescued dogs from a troubled past as this is our first with abuse issues and what I can do to help him. I was not informed of his male fear issues by the rescue society so I am now trying to do the best for the dog and our family. He was described as a big lovebug that is good with chickens and might have some dog aggression issues if he's on leash...he is all those things (he has been great with the other dogs with proper introduction) but I never would have adopted him if I knew he had male issues as we have many new people coming onto the farm (7 rental houses with their visitors, repair men etc) and an uncontrolled environment. I am trying to determine if we can work through his issues effectively without putting others safety at risk.

By pitbull jaws I was not meaning "lock jaws", I am aware of the misconceptions around pitbulls, but unfortunately a lot of the public does not...but regardless, he has very wide jaws that are much more intimidating than an average collie or lab and most people are nervous about a mouthy pitbull. He has "bitten" some of my friends but really he is just nipping for play or to get them to pet him more. He does sometimes get in these hyper goofy moods and will give a playful nip but it still hurts and is not appreciated by most. The mouthyness is getting better with correction and becoming less "needy" for attention everyday. He is certainly listens well as long as he is not in the "fear mode".

It seems that he is getting better not worse and growling less at people so I am holding out hope that this is going to work out. I am glad to hear from you all with pitty rescue experience that with time and trust things will improve and that it might just take a while. He is incredible with the kids and they really love him so we really hopeful that it will all work out.

 

[Bossroo]

This project is a BIG I F !!! In your situation of having 7 rentals and being a Pit Bull mix, I would contact my Insurance company higher ups and ask them "if" they would cover any liabilty claim or law suit. I would hazard to guess that they will not due to it's breeding as well as his issues with men. You could very easily loose the farm and the rentals. Just not worth the risk !

 

[woodsie]

I hear ya Bossroo...I just don't know what to do. I hate to give up on a dog, especially such a loving dog that seems to love it here but I know I also have to use my head not just my emotions in a situation like this. I spoke with the rescue society today and they said we are welcome to bring him back but was encouraging me to try getting stranger to give him treats so he associates strangers with good things....that however will completely negate a guard dog....he is not being effective as a deer deterrant either. :/

I just feel so guilty as I never given up on a dog before and so quickly, but I certainly would not have selected him if I knew he had these issues. He regular demeanor is not at all aggressive and it is definitely fear based behaviour but I am not sure how smart it is to attempt to resolve this when he is an uncontrolled environment (he's off leash, and an outside dog) with no fencing between us and our renters. Yesterday my one renter was yelling at Striker to get off his yard in a mean voice...in fairness they lost a dog to a big dog making lunch of a their dog they were walking on a leash...I can understand the nervousness but that behaviour is definitely not going to help his rehabilitation.

I have been trying to learn all I can about working with fear issues but it seems the best thing to do is have full control of the situation which I certainly do NOT have....you wouldn't believe the crazy stupid things visitors and renters do especially regarding animals. I just had a friend stay the night and her 9 year old son ran into my kitchen with a duck flapping and spraying duck crap all over my kitchen! ARHHH!

I guess I know what I have to do but it is just really hard and I cringe at how the kids are going to take it.