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Need help with my adopted rescue. Long.
I understand this might be flameful to some but I have posted on this board before and gotten great advice, so I'm hoping you can shed some insight on my problem.
This past weekend we adopted a 6-8 month old American bulldog mix named Sawyer. He's huge! playful, sweet and loves to cuddle. He thinks he's one big lapdog. He was in foster for a couple weeks with other dogs and kids. He has a sweet disposition, loves to romp but also loves to watch tv.
We met the dog at an adoption event (after our application was accepted), and brought our Westie, Scottie, and 1.5 year old son to meet him. My son took to him immediately while Scottie was a little taken aback and pretty much ignored him. This was a pretty shocking development because Scotty LOVES playing with other dogs!
We walked them for a bit and when we arrived at home, we entered through the yard and let them play before going into the house. Scottie was out of sorts because Sawyer was in his home, playing with his toys and drinking from his water dish. But nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Fast forward to last night. I took the boys out to play and for a walk before dinner. Sawyer doesn't know any commands and I was trying to get him to sit before feeding him but he ran out of the kitchen and into the dining room. I set his bowl down to retrieve Sawyer and Scottie walked in and began eating Sawyer's kibble. Scottie isn't on that food so I called him off. Sawyer walked in and went straight to his bowl to eat. Scottie was standing rightnext to Sawyer and moved toward Sawyer's bowl when Sawyer growled and grabbed Scottie by the neck shaking him. Of course this all happened within seconds.
Physically, Scottie is fine but psychologically he is TERRIFIED of Sawyer. I mean, he cowers in the corner, or in his crate, he climbs on the top of the furniture to walk around the house, and he barks at Sawyer when too close. He just doesn't want to be around Sawyer at all. He isn't eating, he won't drink from the same water dish (or any water dish Sawyer has touched). He won't even play outside with us. The only way he will come in or out of the house is if he's carried. And when he is around Sawyer, his ears are back, tail is wagging quickly, and he is snarling. He is a nervous mess.
My husband and I are terrified because, #1 this could have easily been my son if he had accidentally bumped into Sawyer. While I don't even trust him with Scotty, let alone a strange dog, I'm afraid he may make an abrupt move that can cause Sawyer to bite him. #2 Scottie is such a nervous wreck he can snap at any of us by accident, thinking he is defending himself from Sawyer, #3 if Sawyer is food aggressive, what other behavior problems does he have and is it a matter of time before he "snaps"?
I know this was my fault. I should have kept Scottie away while I got control of Sawyer and fed him, then let Sawyer outside while Scottie ate (this is what i did the first night). And I understand because he is a rescue he is going to come with baggage and we need to work at modifying his behavior. But my husband isn't so sure about this any more...
After the incident, MH, Sawyer, and I were siting on the couch discussing our next move when MH looked at Sawyer and said "You've been through this before, haven't you?" As if on cue, Sawyer sighed, pawed at MH, and laid his head on his lap. I began crying.
I don't want to surrender him. I just feel terrible about the whole thing. I KNOW it was my fault, MH believes it was possibly my fault. My heart is telling me to give him a fighting chance but my head is telling me to call the rescue and surrender him. I don't know what to do. I KNOW he needs basic obedience classes, I KNOW he needs behavior modification. I KNOW he is a good dog. But the doubt is there that he may attack and possibly kill my son or my dog and that doubt trumps everything.
I want to call a behaviorist but I dont' know where to start, where to find someone reputable. MH said he would call me later today to discuss this further. I need a plan before I speak with my husband. I go back to work tomorrow and Scottie and Sawyer will be in the house alone. I told my husband we can gate the kitchen and leave Sawyer in the kitchen until we get home, giving Scottie his space and we don't have to worry about a dog fight ensuing. My husband thinks it's unfair to Sawyer to have him locked up in the kitchen. I told him having free range of the house is a privilege you earn and Sawyer hasn't earned that trust.
I really need some advice, a level head here. Any idea where I can find a reputable behaviorist besides doing a random google search? Any insight I can possibly share with MH?
Re: Need help with my adopted rescue. Long.
There are two links in the board FAQs to find certified behaviorists in your area.
A quick fix for now would be to feed Sawyer in a crate.
Good luck.
You just got him, there is going to be an adjustment period for everyone! Don't give up so early.
Our Rottie, who was used to being our only dog but loved other dogs, did not take the puppy moving in well. It took more than a week for him to warm up to the puppy. Now they are best buddies.
As far as food aggression that is very common. Your dog may have had to defend his food at some point so you can't punish him for doing what is natural to him. Just feed the dogs separate and it's always good to keep young kids away from eating dogs.
Must l
You can contact either your vet or the rescue and they can likely recommend a behaviorist. Food aggression is scary. The behaviorist we work with said that is something that can be managed and trained, but it the instinct will still be there. I wouldn't give up on him though. We are taking in a second dog in a few weeks and were told to allow at least a month for everyone to settle into their new relationships and boundries. I hope you can work with both dogs and find some balance. Best of luck.
Me: 32 | He: 35
TTC since Sept 2011
DX: Unexplained
1st round of clomid: Jan 2013 BFP - M/C 8 weeks
surprise BFP Apr 2013 - M/C 9 weeks
IUI #1 clomid Jul 2013 = BFN
IUI #2 clomid Aug 2013 = BFN
IUI #3 injects Oct 2013 = BFN
IUI #4 injects Dec 2013 = BFN
IVF #1 March 2014 - 12R/12F, one perfect day 5 blast transferred
BFP!! Beta#1 = 431 Beta#2 = 914 Beta#3 = 2207 HB = 166!!
Maybe it is also best to break them in to each other little by little -- I know that's how they do it when people have cats and a new cat is adopted.
The above poster has excellent advice. Scotties tend to be a bit more independent --hope this works out for you and the dogguses.
Thank you everyone for responding.
My husband called me a little while ago and one of his friends reaffirmed everything I told him about the dog (and you have pointed out): He probably had to fight for his food at the shelter and he doesn't know the rules. Scottie has calmed down this afternoon--they're both sleeping on opposite ends of the same couch but he's still very anxious around Sawyer.
We are going to seek out a behaviorist and work with both dogs, as well as begin basic obedience with Sawyer. Right now we will keep them separated when we're not at home and when eating. My husband is very nervous (as am I) but I told him, better Scottie than our son. And at least we know he is food aggressive and we'll make sure to keep our son away when he is eating.
I feel much better, especially since my husband is also on board with keeping Sawyer (even if he isn't 100% certain). I contacted the shelter to inquire about a behaviorist and also checked out the link in the FAQ page.
Thanks again for the advice, I'll keep you posted on our progress.
I don't think he is truly food aggressive. That's a very severe, but rare, behavior.
He's likely just resource-guarding. Which is still something that needs to be addressed, but it's not as severe.
We never feed brand new dogs in the open with a line of sight to our dogs. I have one who would resource guard her food...she is an awesome dog but that's pretty normal dog behavior IMO. Same with toys, we don't allow dogs free access to the house or toys until they've proven everyone can share. Our last bulldog foster and our male dog had some issues sharing toys so they only got toys when separated or supervised.
Hes a puppy, he needs rules and structure. For now I would crate him while you're gone, only allow them together supervised, and feed him in his crate. I'd let him outside separately and work on commands with him one on one. It is very very common for new adopters to be too lax and mess up. It doesn't mean you guys can't fix it or build a good relationship between them, you'll just have to put in the work at the outset. You need to be doing a whole lot of NILF and exercising that puppy!
When we adopted dog #2, they were fed separately for probably a month or so. Squirt actually ate his food in the laundry room, closed. Then we'd start by feeding him with the door open, but one of us would be standing nearby so neither dog got too close to the other dog. That went on for another few weeks or so until we realized Squirt was not interested in being near Reesey while she continued to eat. He would just go to the back door. Now, we can feed them both in the kitchen- they do have separate bowls for food and water, in their own spots on the floor.
Same thing with toys- we didn't introduce toys until a few days after having them both around each other. (Poor Reesey basically got all her toys taken away for a few days, but she survived!) That way it wasn't like Squirt was trying to take anything from her.
I think your heart is in the right place. Don't give up on the new dog too soon. Take the necessary precautions for having more than one dog, as well as a child in the home. The local vet/shelter would have good recommendations for trainers/behaviorists.
Good luck, keep us posted, and don't forget pictures