Blog - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
I was reading a post in a Facebook group yesterday where a woman shared that she was going to euthanise her dog as it was being aggressive.
It had bitten her and her husband a few times, both needing hospital treatment, and she had a five month baby in the house. She’d contacted rescue centres but, due to the aggression, the dog wasn’t suitable to rehome. I’m not sure why she put the post up on social media, but the response was that she needed to keep the dog, it just needed boundaries, better training, more love, yadda yadda yadda.
Not only was the advice from over 40 members dangerous, but it was also potentially shaming not just her into keeping a dog that wasn’t suitable for her family, but for others struggling with their dogs too.
Sometimes the relationship with our dog can go so badly wrong, that for everyone involved, the best thing to do is to rehome him, or, in the case of idiopathic aggression, a one way trip to the vets.
Dogs are pack animals and deserve to be with a pack that they feel comfortable and safe with, and if there’s conflict beyond repair, then we owe it to our dogs to find a home that is better suited for them, because unlike cats, who would take off and find a new owner to look after them, our dogs can’t do that.
That’s not to say the second we struggle with our dog means that we move them on, but, if it’s not working out, and we’ve had professional help, then for everyone’s sake, your family’s and your dog’s, please don’t keep a dog for ten years if you’re going to resent him and not give him the love and care that he deserves…
An excerpt from Lez Graham’s new book The Well Mannered Dog, due for publication 1st March 2024.
first published 14 February 2024
buy the book - https://thepetgundog.co.uk/Home/Books
join the club - https://lezgrahamonlinetraining.com/the-pet-gundog-club
Blog - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
I was reading a post in a Facebook group yesterday where a woman shared that she was going to euthanise her dog as it was being aggressive.
It had bitten her and her husband a few times, both needing hospital treatment, and she had a five month baby in the house. She’d contacted rescue centres but, due to the aggression, the dog wasn’t suitable to rehome. I’m not sure why she put the post up on social media, but the response was that she needed to keep the dog, it just needed boundaries, better training, more love, yadda yadda yadda.
Not only was the advice from over 40 members dangerous, but it was also potentially shaming not just her into keeping a dog that wasn’t suitable for her family, but for others struggling with their dogs too.
Sometimes the relationship with our dog can go so badly wrong, that for everyone involved, the best thing to do is to rehome him, or, in the case of idiopathic aggression, a one way trip to the vets.
Dogs are pack animals and deserve to be with a pack that they feel comfortable and safe with, and if there’s conflict beyond repair, then we owe it to our dogs to find a home that is better suited for them, because unlike cats, who would take off and find a new owner to look after them, our dogs can’t do that.
That’s not to say the second we struggle with our dog means that we move them on, but, if it’s not working out, and we’ve had professional help, then for everyone’s sake, your family’s and your dog’s, please don’t keep a dog for ten years if you’re going to resent him and not give him the love and care that he deserves…
An excerpt from Lez Graham’s new book The Well Mannered Dog, due for publication 1st March 2024.
first published 14 February 2024
buy the book - https://thepetgundog.co.uk/Home/Books
join the club - https://lezgrahamonlinetraining.com/the-pet-gundog-club