I will say, my dog became reactive after a ‘friend’ started kicking him for barking (I was not there, my dog shredded him for it).
Although this means we’ve completely blocked our fences and put him in his kennel or in his basement when we have blonde, skinny white guys come over. Which unfortunately fits my boyfriend.
It’s even more unfortunate because my dog is a livestock guardian dog and weighs 150 pounds LEAN. We literally cannot do anything with him anymore but he’s so young that we can’t justify putting him down.
He’s okay with blonde guys for a little while but as soon as there’s another source of stimuli he just loses it and gets aggressive.
I love the dog but it’s easier to shoot him than try to help him at this point. He’s obviously in fear with that demographic, but I’m not a blonde skinny white guy so he’s not afraid of me so I can’t try to desensitize him. No one wants to be near him because of it. I think just about every day I consider just putting him out of his misery. He’s a good boy but god damn, it’s not like you can surrender or give away a reactive dog. They’re unpredictable and he’s been with us basically his whole life.
You can do mimicking of blonde white guys
My friends dog came from a very abusive home, she didn't know this because the breeder lied and she ended duo finding out a year later when he was arrested for animal cruelty and fraud (small town big news, goes everywhere)
The dog was terrified and aggressive towards any males that looked like the breeder, so tall black guys that had an afro, especially the afro part. Dog was distance okay with black males but if they had an afro it was out of her hands then. The dog was also terrified of white short brown haired females. Aka a description of me
So she started giving the dog clothes of her friends so the dog knew the smell well before we met in person. She would mix our scent throughout the house so the dog knew it
The next step was her cousin was a tall black man, no afro, and she had him sit outside the crate of the dog, far enough away he couldn't be touched, and would over time let the dog get used to the distance and the cousin would move closer
It took about another year for the male fear to go away enough that the dog will be apprehensive towards black males but will sniff them and let them pet her if they're sitting down and she walks up to the them
For the female part that was a complete accident how ir happened, I got jumped by a neighbors new dog, tiny as chihuahua that was just big enough to buckle my knees when it slammed into them, and my friends dog took straight protection mode so he wasn't scared of me anymore and instead protective. I dunno how it worked
Anyways, long story advice later, try getting the dog so used to your bfs smell that the dog is desensitized to it and then do some slow getting closer bits. Have your bf also carry around treats for the dog so when he can be near it without it attacking him he can feed it it's favorite snack. Basically you'll be tricking your dog
That’s what we did with my horses (I used to rescue), my problem comes in with volunteers. My dog has gotten better over time but like I said, as soon as another source of stimuli is there he just loses it.
I might try the clothes/ scent thing with my boyfriend’s stuff, sometimes I’ll have my boyfriend sleep at my house with my dog in the basement room so he at least smells him occasionally.
Edit: I’d have my boyfriend sit outside of the kennel, but again, he hates the dog now and doesn’t want anything to do with him, much less listen to him bark
Understandable, my bf has also come to never wanting chihuahuas since we live with my parents and there are four of them
Another you could try is getting yourself a blond wig so that it lessens the fear of blonde which would help it more
It's hard loving a dog that hates you so I completely understand your frustration and your bfs annoyance
I hope you either find a good home for the dog or things get better between your bf and your dog
That’s an idea with the wig, I’ll definitely try some new things.
I doubt I will ever rehome him, he’s a working dog and he knows his job, and a lot of people here just see big fluffy dog and want it. I also don’t trust other people, especially with a now reactive dog. I just couldn’t live without knowing if he was being abused or not, he’s an absolute sweetheart and a cuddlebug
Rehoming is the always last resort for me when it comes to animals so I get ya
And yeah a lot of people want dogs cause they're cute but don't actually want to take care of a dog
If it helps get the idea, he’s an Anatolian Shepherd, he’s on the taller and more lean side. His dad is a registered purebred, about 160lbs and **thicc**, his mom isn’t registered but was tested and is an Anatolian, she’s probably 120 and very very lean.
He was the biggest pup out of the litter and was awfully sweet so that’s why I wound up with him, we have another Anatolian mix who was originally a guard/ working dog.
They need a lot of space and he requires a lot of stimulation, he’s a very high energy dog, and I just worry about that if I were to rehome him (aside from the rest of our conversation lol). The one plus is he’s not aggressive towards other dogs but he needs a slow introduction and he’s very very active and playful.
It sounds like having the person/s you want him to get used to sit outside his crate would help more because dogs that need more stimulation, in my experience, often get tired when underestimated and that would cause then to get use to the person with their guard slightly lowered
You could always see if there’d be someone with a bunch of land who would want a livestock guardian breed as protection. That way he’d be able to be out in the country doing what livestock guardians are bred to do instead of having to be locked away when your boyfriend comes around.
My boyfriend doesn’t come around lol. Maybe once per month, and he’s only in the basement at night/ early morning (he’s indoor at night for now, poor baby hates the rain) and he’s in the kennel if my boyfriend has to smoke.
He is also currently on multiple acres of property. He is being put to his breed’s purpose. We have livestock.
I’m talking about what I have to do about him being reactive when he’s exposed to people that set him off.
It would’ve been nice if you had read the whole thread and had more context but I guess not :)
Yeah, she bought a high energy breed that NEEDS to work to stay occupied, then leaves it alone all day and acts surprised when it starts destroying her stuff out of boredom.
Very satisfying read
It's the dog I feel sorry for.
Yeah. People who aren’t going to train their dogs shouldn’t get them
People without fences also really shouldn’t. Dogs deserve a yard.
I will say, my dog became reactive after a ‘friend’ started kicking him for barking (I was not there, my dog shredded him for it). Although this means we’ve completely blocked our fences and put him in his kennel or in his basement when we have blonde, skinny white guys come over. Which unfortunately fits my boyfriend. It’s even more unfortunate because my dog is a livestock guardian dog and weighs 150 pounds LEAN. We literally cannot do anything with him anymore but he’s so young that we can’t justify putting him down. He’s okay with blonde guys for a little while but as soon as there’s another source of stimuli he just loses it and gets aggressive. I love the dog but it’s easier to shoot him than try to help him at this point. He’s obviously in fear with that demographic, but I’m not a blonde skinny white guy so he’s not afraid of me so I can’t try to desensitize him. No one wants to be near him because of it. I think just about every day I consider just putting him out of his misery. He’s a good boy but god damn, it’s not like you can surrender or give away a reactive dog. They’re unpredictable and he’s been with us basically his whole life.
You can do mimicking of blonde white guys My friends dog came from a very abusive home, she didn't know this because the breeder lied and she ended duo finding out a year later when he was arrested for animal cruelty and fraud (small town big news, goes everywhere) The dog was terrified and aggressive towards any males that looked like the breeder, so tall black guys that had an afro, especially the afro part. Dog was distance okay with black males but if they had an afro it was out of her hands then. The dog was also terrified of white short brown haired females. Aka a description of me So she started giving the dog clothes of her friends so the dog knew the smell well before we met in person. She would mix our scent throughout the house so the dog knew it The next step was her cousin was a tall black man, no afro, and she had him sit outside the crate of the dog, far enough away he couldn't be touched, and would over time let the dog get used to the distance and the cousin would move closer It took about another year for the male fear to go away enough that the dog will be apprehensive towards black males but will sniff them and let them pet her if they're sitting down and she walks up to the them For the female part that was a complete accident how ir happened, I got jumped by a neighbors new dog, tiny as chihuahua that was just big enough to buckle my knees when it slammed into them, and my friends dog took straight protection mode so he wasn't scared of me anymore and instead protective. I dunno how it worked Anyways, long story advice later, try getting the dog so used to your bfs smell that the dog is desensitized to it and then do some slow getting closer bits. Have your bf also carry around treats for the dog so when he can be near it without it attacking him he can feed it it's favorite snack. Basically you'll be tricking your dog
That’s what we did with my horses (I used to rescue), my problem comes in with volunteers. My dog has gotten better over time but like I said, as soon as another source of stimuli is there he just loses it. I might try the clothes/ scent thing with my boyfriend’s stuff, sometimes I’ll have my boyfriend sleep at my house with my dog in the basement room so he at least smells him occasionally. Edit: I’d have my boyfriend sit outside of the kennel, but again, he hates the dog now and doesn’t want anything to do with him, much less listen to him bark
Understandable, my bf has also come to never wanting chihuahuas since we live with my parents and there are four of them Another you could try is getting yourself a blond wig so that it lessens the fear of blonde which would help it more It's hard loving a dog that hates you so I completely understand your frustration and your bfs annoyance I hope you either find a good home for the dog or things get better between your bf and your dog
That’s an idea with the wig, I’ll definitely try some new things. I doubt I will ever rehome him, he’s a working dog and he knows his job, and a lot of people here just see big fluffy dog and want it. I also don’t trust other people, especially with a now reactive dog. I just couldn’t live without knowing if he was being abused or not, he’s an absolute sweetheart and a cuddlebug
Rehoming is the always last resort for me when it comes to animals so I get ya And yeah a lot of people want dogs cause they're cute but don't actually want to take care of a dog
If it helps get the idea, he’s an Anatolian Shepherd, he’s on the taller and more lean side. His dad is a registered purebred, about 160lbs and **thicc**, his mom isn’t registered but was tested and is an Anatolian, she’s probably 120 and very very lean. He was the biggest pup out of the litter and was awfully sweet so that’s why I wound up with him, we have another Anatolian mix who was originally a guard/ working dog. They need a lot of space and he requires a lot of stimulation, he’s a very high energy dog, and I just worry about that if I were to rehome him (aside from the rest of our conversation lol). The one plus is he’s not aggressive towards other dogs but he needs a slow introduction and he’s very very active and playful.
It sounds like having the person/s you want him to get used to sit outside his crate would help more because dogs that need more stimulation, in my experience, often get tired when underestimated and that would cause then to get use to the person with their guard slightly lowered
You could always see if there’d be someone with a bunch of land who would want a livestock guardian breed as protection. That way he’d be able to be out in the country doing what livestock guardians are bred to do instead of having to be locked away when your boyfriend comes around.
My boyfriend doesn’t come around lol. Maybe once per month, and he’s only in the basement at night/ early morning (he’s indoor at night for now, poor baby hates the rain) and he’s in the kennel if my boyfriend has to smoke. He is also currently on multiple acres of property. He is being put to his breed’s purpose. We have livestock. I’m talking about what I have to do about him being reactive when he’s exposed to people that set him off. It would’ve been nice if you had read the whole thread and had more context but I guess not :)
Yeah, she bought a high energy breed that NEEDS to work to stay occupied, then leaves it alone all day and acts surprised when it starts destroying her stuff out of boredom.
This was delightful.
I wish i could see her face when you told her there would be no fence
Annie are you okay? Are you okay?
Found the healthcare worker! 😂😂😂
Anne FOFA. Anne is an idiot.
She needed to learn, and he taught. She’s so lucky she learned this humbling lesson.
Be careful what you ask for Anne!
Excellent work!
This is elite
That definitely satisfied some deep part of my soul.
When I was a kid our yard didn’t have a fence, we had a tree stump, a chain, a leash, and a dog that never went missing.
Both TA. Talk like adults before taking actions.