I want to say there were one or two folks here that had a significant background with dogs and I need to ask some questions. Am I right?

E I believe one was Hoyden you may want to shoot her a pm ~Red

What is your question?

I can try to answer it.

It's a doozy. One of my dogs has been very alpha from the time we got her. We picked up two dogs from the rescue (greyhounds) on the same day. The girl is very aggressive. She's snapped at my kids, at me and at my husband a few times. Always when she's lying down, but always unprovoked. But she BEATS on the male. Like really obnoxious, has broken skin on multiple occasions etc. I keep her muzzled a lot of the time because she's just nasty. He never fights back.

Tonight, she attacked him 100% unprovoked. She gets mad when he won't play with her and starts biting and jumping on his back. I can't tell if the damage inflicted was accidental, but it's significant. My boy goes in for surgery in the morning and the vet said that it was not a good idea to have them both anymore. Given that the issues have been present from day one and have escalated a bit I don't know what to think. I think they may be right.

My question is, do you think that this is something we can try to work through with a behaviorist? Is that ever a good idea? The part I struggle with is my kids. If I didn't have them I'd be hiring someone no question. But is it irresponsible to try to work through this with small kids in the house?

I know you can't answer 100%, but I'm just wondering if I'm being stupid thinking that I can attempt this. Thanks.

That is a very very difficult thing for me to weigh in on without having seen the dog or put my hands on the dog.

Off the cuff, I firmly believe that no human aggression is acceptable in a dog that is a family pet.

If this were my dog, I would have a medical evaluation to make sure there wasn't something wrong with the dog to cause the aggression. If the dog checks out medically, I would put some serious thought into either re-homing her into a single dog home with adults only or putting her to sleep.

I have a friend who lives in Prospect, CT who is very much into Greyhound rescue that may be able to help you evaluate your dog's behavior. I trust her judgement as she has an immense amount of experience with the breed.

I also have another friend who lives in Peabody, MA that is a greyhound lover and an excellent dog trainer with tons of dog behavior evaluating experience.

If you PM me your info, I can put you in touch with both of them.

I may get stoned for this but I will say it. I was a vet tech, no not a dog trainer, but I worked with dogs on a daily basis and a dogs behavior should indicate the way it was raised.

Being that your dog was rescued and you seem to be a very concerned pet parent, this won't pertain to you (most likely the original owner) but a dogs behavior is 100% based on their owners behavior toward them and learned behavior. A dog, no pet in fact, is just aggressive because they feel like it.

There is always an underlying issue.

To put a dog to sleep over that, IMO, is extremely wrong. Re-homing the dog into a 1 pet household or a home where the owner is a dog trainer and can work diligently with said dog are great resolutions to this issue.

This type of aggression will take very strict behavior modification training in a non aggressive fashion. If you're up for that and can afford it, I say try that first. It can be extremely expensive and I know that is tough so maybe the options of re-homing to a 1 pet household or with a trainer would be the next options to look at.

Of course it would be ideal to rehome/rehab the dog but that may not be possible. It is expensive and time consuming...nevermind the risk to kids and other pets in the home. Around here, dog rescues are pushed to their limits. It's hard enough to find homes for good dogs and often not possible for dogs with health/behavioral issues. It may be best overall to use resources to help 10 adoptable dogs than one that will always be a risk and need special attention.

If the dog has to be put down it is not fair to put the burden of guilt on e.taylor as it is no more her fault than it is the dog's fault.

e.taylor, I hope you can find some help for your dog. I would be most concerned about keeping her in your home with kids and other pets. I was bitten by our aggressive dog when I was a kid and needed stitches on my face. My parents kept the dog and I was afraid of her everyday. She growled and snapped at me regularly. I was so glad when that dog died.
Fortunately that one dog did not make me fear all dogs. We have owned several over the years and I'm glad my kids had the experience of growing up with dogs/pets. It could have gone the other way...with me fearing and disliking dogs for a lifetime. My point is that while physical risk is the biggest concern there may be other consequences of keeping an aggressive dog. I wouldn't want my kids to be afraid of dogs because of one aggressive dog or one bad experience and then not be able to enjoy their companionship later in life.

The burden of guilt is something we take on when we adopt a pet. My intention was not to put "guilt" on her at all. I was directing the comment toward the insinuation that one should even go that route. There are PLENTY of other options. Re-homing is difficult wherever you live but just like having a child with issues, it takes time and work to try and resolve a behavioral problem.

Maybe you would like to take on the task of rehabbing the aggressive dog in your home if she can't find another option?
Having a DOG with issues is NOTHING like having a child with issues. That is completely insulting and insensitive to people who have special needs children...I can't believe anyone would ever say that.

I think I better leave this thread now....

I guess maybe you should then. I said NOTHING about special needs children so you should be more careful when you write something like that. WE HAVE A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD IN OUR FAMILY!!! I said behavioral issues, that has NOTHING to do with a special needs child!