Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

I Am Worried

My golden retriever is still acting up with his aggression. We're supposed to see a behavioralist for him sometime next week but I am scared that if he doesn't get better, my family will return him. I heard my dad yell today to my mom that if this doesn't stop, he's going to make my mom choose between my dad and my dog. And I know my mom will choose my dad and that scares me. It's pathetic how she lives to serve my dad. The minute my dad emotionally hurts me or my sister, my mom is quick to rush to his side because she cares more about protecting her marriage than protecting us. And this dog could possibly get his heart broken too all because my mom is too weak to stand up to my dad. I am really hoping this behavioralist knows what she's doing and that it works.

Top | Newest First | Oldest First

SuicideScout · 31-35, M

Sounds serious. Take control of the situation. Dogs are simple creatures. Show him who's boss and he'll learn. It takes a dog at least 30 times doing something to learn a new behaviour. Put him in situations where he becomes aggressive, watch for the signs, fur standing up etc and correct him before he has chance to become aggressive. Correct him hard. It may seem cruel to us but it is not, that's how they communicate naturally. And the sooner this aggression issue is sorted the better because it could end in you or your parents being prosecuted and your dog being put down. It may seem cruel to use corrections on dogs but it isn't, it is in his and everyone's best interest to use them

JewStar4Life · 31-35, F

Yeah luckily we never worry about him when he's outside talking to strangers and other dogs. It's in the house that he goes crazy around other people. His hair never stands up. He growls and snarls. He's 11 months so I'm hoping this is just a stage that he'll grow out of. I just feel guilty about this whole thing because [i]i'm[/i] the one who picked him out of all of the dogs in the litter.

SuicideScout · 31-35, M

Yeah my dog was an absolute lunatic when I got her. Attacked people, me other dogs but look at her now. Always make sure to take their temperament into account and their energy too. High energy dogs like mine need low energy praise and vice versa

[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=RnKaXcYaPmA]

SuicideScout · 31-35, M

And find out what they're driven by. In my staffys case it's food. In my GSDs case it's pray driven. So a reward for the staff would be food a reward for the GSD would be. A thrown ball

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

JewStar4Life · 31-35, F

Hopefully that's something the behavioralist can notice. Whenever I tell people online about our situation, they blame us for being terrible owners instead of being open to the possibility that there could be something mentally wrong with our dog that he has the strong urge to bite all the time. We tried goji berries which only gave him gas. lol

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

Add a comment...