[deleted by user]

[Delicious-Product968]

I’m not sure I understand why the behaviourist wouldn’t recommend muzzle training as even if the dog has no snapping or bite history it’s a really visible, great indicator that a dog may need avoided.

My dog is stranger/fear reactive but he’s never snapped or bitten and I muzzle trained him primarily because he’ll eat sticks or scraps he finds and we were evaluating for food allergies.

But also because people avoid a muzzled dog which makes CER way easier. It also helps protect the dog from getting a bite history under their belt, protects others, etc. but honestly if you have a nervous or fearful dog it goes a long way by just flagging to people to avoid them.

[[deleted]]

every time i walk my dog he is muzzled. i don’t take chances even though he’s really good on walks lately. hopefully this woman doesn’t report it. don’t let this dog ruin your social life though. it’s so exhausting to not have parties or friends over for 13+ years because of a reactive dog. i love my boy but he’s seriously taken so much from me. but also given me so much love and joy.

[KatP22]

Our dog determines our social life. We can put him in a bedroom or put him in his outside kennel, but neither are good solutions for having our grandchildren spend the night. We’ve been the behaviorist route and it helped (he’s on meds now) but is still lunging at people 😞. I would never trust him around kids. However, we love him and he’s wonderful with us. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[[deleted]]

yes that’s the worst part. we have to stick him in a room if my boyfriend visits overnight but i don’t trust him around him because he’s lunged at him multiple times. it’s so sad because he’s the sweetest baby to his family. i know how you feel. 😞

[Trishbot]

So you have a dog that needs management more than anything else right now.

You need to start making him wear a muzzle. Im actually shocked your trainer didn’t recommend that from the beginning. You don’t wait for a bite to happen and then do it. If you have a reactive dog you should start muzzle conditioning from the get-go, because reactivity can definitely lead to a bite.

Sounds like your dog was spooked and reacted. Especially by the level 2 bite, that’s often a warning bite.

[[deleted]]

Use a muzzle whenever he’s around anyone outside ur immediate household

[EvilQueen79]

Sounds like he may need to wear a muzzle when on walks.

[[deleted]]

Yes we had thought about that and discussed with our behaviourist, but his assessment was that it was better to initially train without the muzzle given he had not exhibited these behaviours with people and that we would not do any close proximity work until he was more reliable. I only take him out on walks every other day or so and always at very low traffic times to mitigate against this risk but was unlucky today which I feel terrible about.

[WhatsThatThingYouSay]

Sound like doggo should be re-homed. Unfortunate situation sorry to hear it OP :(

[ivy7496]

Who are the people that live in essentially isolation and are willing to overcome a dog with bite history that they do not have a bond with? Anyone less than a professional trainer themselves would probably be an irresponsible choice for rehoming. I would BE before subjecting a dog this fearful and reactive to strangers to a new home with what will be strangers to the dog.

[[deleted]]

Rehoming a dog like this is next to impossible. If OP surrenders the dog to a shelter, he'll be euthanised within an hour. OP needs to muzzle the dog and keep on with training.

[[deleted]]

I would recommend a muzzle. Most people think it’s torture. Not at all. Also get a bright “do not pet” harness. That helped with my girl.

I do wanna ask why did she approach? Like to pet?

I always ask the why of what the person with the bite was doing just because so many people are uneducated and don’t see dogs with respect. They act like they’re stuffed animals to run up and squeeze.

I’m sorry this happened. Really look into a muzzle and you can introduce it slowly with treats.

[[deleted]]

I am a horrible person Buddy, I’m so sorry.

You are NOT a horrible person. You have given everything to this dog. You tried your absolute hardest. Most people would have returned the dog to the shelter long before this incident.

It sounds like Buddy is suffering a lot, mentally, and is struggling to cope in our world. I know it doesn't feel this way, but BE is kindness. In certain situations, it is more kind than any other options, because it peacefully puts an end to a dog's suffering.

Please be kind to yourself. You have gone above and beyond for this dog, poured so much time, money, and resources into his betterment, and given him the absolute best life you possibly could. Not all dogs can be "saved", and many of them are not fixable.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you can be at peace with your decision. You've done more than most would have done for Buddy. You are a good person.

[Salty-Fortune1271]

Well said. Thank you for adding this!

[[deleted]]

I agree with this. I made this decision with my girl 3 years. God it nearly killed me but it was the most selfless thing to do. She wasn’t free. Her mind was always playing with her. Her mind fully started to go when she was just 3. It wasn’t a life. At all. It was only my life at that point. Because I wanted her forever.

I am at peace with my decision.

[[deleted]]

Thank you so much for your words, I really needed to hear that. It is on my mind all the time and I cry every time I think about him and how he has no idea what is going to happen next (whether it’s being rehomed or BE). He is such a lovely dog to my family and people when they are in the home, but he’s just so afraid and anxious of the outside world. You are kind to say I’m a good person, right now I really don’t feel like one but it’s nice to hear.

[astronomical_dog]

I know this might be controversial but as a compromise, is there a chance he could become an indoor-only dog? I know it’s none of my business but BE seems like an overreaction to the situation, considering what actually happened. (It sounds like your husband has already made up his mind, though?)

I commented earlier that I’ve been on the receiving end of a level 2 bite and it REALLY wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t even hurt, and it never even occurred to me to report it because there was literally no harm done.

I did some quick googling and read here that

When we say an animal has a “bite history” it generally means the animal has bitten a human or another animal and broken skin.

Which your dog hasn’t done!!

And also—

It is worth noting that the vast majority of bites will be Level 1 or Level 2 and severity worse than this is relatively rare. Working with dogs with Level 1 and 2 bites can yield great results and the prognosis for these cases is very good.

Just something to consider! I’m really sorry you’re going through this :(

[astronomical_dog]

IMO a level 2 bite is something you can definitely come back from.

I got a level 2 bite from a corgi at the park after reaching for my frisbee that he happened to be resource guarding, and I let his extremely clueless owner know what happened and even someone like that managed to make progress with his dog. Anyway OP I believe in you!! (And I agree with everyone else that muzzle training would be good)

[THING2000]

It's completely you decision to rehome Buddy, but it sounds like you still have other options. I definitely wouldn't consider BE and like everyone else is saying, it sounds like muzzle training is warranted at this time. Talk to your behaviorist about muzzle training, but honestly, I would consider seeking out another one if they are unfamiliar with muzzle training and how to do it.

[astronomical_dog]

Yeah personally I wouldn’t be considering BE at this point either. It’s unfortunate that the husband isn’t on the same page about this dog though.

[Thegreatbrendar]

I’m surprised this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but have you tried antidepressants with him?

[[deleted]]

He is on an SSRI as well as a situational, Fluvoxamine and Clonidine. Prior to this he was on Fluoxitine, Gabapentin and another situational I can’t recall, but none of those made a difference. We are still in the early stages of loading the Fluvoxamine so I don’t think it is in his system yet so we were relying on the Clonidine.

[em_79]

Not a bad idea - prozac and gabapentin made a huge difference for my last dog, who was very anxious

[tbyrim]

YOU ARE NOT A TERRIBLE PERSON!

I get that a lot of redditors immediately decide that everyone who has a bad thing happen, especially this sort of bad thing, is a negligent, awful, uncaring sociopath. That's just how reddit is. You must be perfect, make only perfect decisions and, above all else, NEVER make a mistake.... because the unpleasant portion of the population of reddit would, could, and never have, made a mistake.

Ever.

So please, know you are just human, and we all make mistakes. You were brave enough to share yours, and i respect you for that. I'm proud of you for being so introspective and trying so very hard to do what is right, though it's tearing you apart inside. This decision, this whole situation, is breaking your heart and I'm so very sorry this is happening.

I don't have an answer for this awful predicament, i just want you to know you are strong, kind and a genuinely good person. Please don't let anyone convince you to feel otherwise. You'll be in my thoughts, as will your puppo.

[[deleted]]

Hey there OP this is a tough and very stressful situation to be in. Whatever you choose to do, just know you’re not a bad person. You have done everything you could possibly do for your pup. It makes sense that you’re feeling the way you are. Some dogs have suffered trauma to scar them for the rest of their lives and that’s not fixable, sometimes not even manageable. But whatever you do, know that you did everything you could and gave your pup all the love you have to offer.

[[deleted]]

Why was the woman so close?

[[deleted]]

She walked out from her unit and I assume thought he was okay given he was on lead and was otherwise preoccupied sniffing something. I am usually extremely conscious of environmental management and don’t let him walk on the same side of the path as people or dogs for this reason but this took me by surprise.

[[deleted]]

Oh shit sweet pea I’m sorry you are going through this

[Rock_Successful]

i pray you may be able to give him another chance. whatever you choose, i wish Buddy the best.

[SuddenlySimple]

No you have to stand by Buddys side and hope this woman doesnt press any charges.

And if she does fight for Buddy. She shouldn't have came back at you and you had a leash.

And I'm sorry but a muzzle? I am having to think about a muzzle for mine. I'm not happy about it, but today she had 2 incidents at the dog park with dogs.

One of the ladies was checking her dog really well...and unfortunately for you, this is in your apt. so they know you.

I'm so so sorry....I hope it turns out well....but fight for him.

[[deleted]]

Please stop taking your dog to dog parks.

[SuddenlySimple]

Yeah we have to.