Nasty Dogs.

[stacie-gotg]

I just want to get a feel for all opinions on nasty dogs. As an owner of a dog who nips or shows teeth and might lunge at you on the floor or is a dog that you cant even get near, what options do many dog owners have? Other then trying to fing a groomer who might be able to handle Cujo, it just seems many will lie to the groomer about the temperment. If you owned many of these dogs what would you do?

[diamienono]

I don't tollerate agression, so I would not allow my dog to be that way. If I can't touch them, I send them to the vet to be done.

[RoosMom]

Hmmm.......

To be perfectly honest, I would never own a dog like that to begin with. I also do training, and I choose my personal dogs with an eye to stable temperaments. Then, they are all trained to know basic obedience and manners. IF one of my dogs ever behaved in such a manner, I would come down on them like a ton of bricks. They all know I'm the one who sets the rules, not them. I've never been challenged by any of my dogs on that level. I've owned Rottie mixes, GSPs, Labs, Standard Poos, and Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and they all know one thing- I'm top bitch in my house!lol ;-)

That having been said, I would be honest with a groomer and offer to muzzle the dog for them on arrival. I would be willing to pay the extra money to have the dog done straight through, as well.

[lvdobes]

As long as the owner is honest and I know what to expect I will try to deal with the dog. Since I work at a vet clinic tho I do ask that they sign a permission to sedate form if I can't handle them.

Lisa

[Helly]

This is probably going to sound mighty uppity, but I would never allow one of my dogs to get away with nipping, showing teeth or lunging. They learn at a very early age that this will earn you nothing but grief from Mom.

If I had a dog that was so emotionally unstable that people couldn't safely get near it, I'd put it down. I had a dog that was very unpredictable, I didn't feel she was safe to be around, even for me, I couldn't trust her, and I had her put down.

In any case, I wouldn't subject a groomer to a dog with bad behavior if I knew the dog was nasty. I'd deal with it's behavior, and in the mean time, I'd have it groomed at a vet clinic where it could be sedated if necessary.

[Poodlefluff]

We brought home a psycho aussie once because she needed a home my husband cared for her for a year in the kennel we worked at and he knew her and knew she could be ify but she was very sweet with him. I came home and she was a little nervous around me but she seemed ok. Well next day I through a toy for her to fetch and she came up and bit me in the stomach, hard. She didn't draw blood but I had a bruise on my stomach for weeks. She was gone the next morning. She was a weirdo! I would not have an aggressive dog in my house ever.

[scrubapup]

I agree with Helly. As much as I love my two Standards, if either of them ever became that aggressive, it would be their last time. They have big teeth, and I'm not willing to take the risk.

[ejmj30]

Ditto to all of the above. I'd take my dog to a vet to be sedated, and I'd be very forthcoming with it's personality. Not just cause I personally would feel AWFUL if my dog hurt someone, but in today's suit-happy world, I'd fear for my monetary life, house, etc.

[allick06]

Re: nasty dogs

First, the owners of these "nasty dogs" should be charged a fee. I charge a Special Handling fee for the dogs that I have to take extra care in grooming. Then, if I can't get the groom done with the assistance of one other groomer, I call the owner and tell them to pick the pet up and use a vet to groom so it can be sedated. I do not hold back telling the owners that the dog's behavior is bad and until they have it under control, I refuse to groom it. The ones that don't tell you the dog bites or try that **** about it never biting before, get the same.

[hairdevil]

do you know how to kick a football? lol sounds like this dog needs an attitude adjustment and doesn't know who the boss it other than himself. I use to train GSD for personal protection...my dog took a bite at me ONE time. That was it. I jumped him..pinned him down by his throat and dared him to move!! he gave up...surrendered! lol never never tried it with me again. Nobody else could come near him....but he knew who he was to obey. bottom line lol (of course he never went to a groomer either! but he would sit in the tub all suds up and if anyone else came into the room he would snarl at them...soap all over him...funny as ****! lol )

[Fur Elite]

I agree with Helly. If for some reason, I did have a dog like this...I can't believe that I would subject a person (groomer) to this risk. People that would do so seem incredibly selfish to me. I would either learn to groom it myself or have it sedated. Most likely, though, I would part with the dog....after of course, all avenues of behavior modification had failed. My experience has been simply that the owners of such dogs don't want to put the time, effort or money into fixing their dog. If they don't care about the dog, they sure won't care about me. I don't need clients like that! It is easy as a groomer, a service provider, to feel like we have to take on other peoples' problems and then get guilted into taking them. What else will these people do? Well, maybe they will only be motivated to do the right thing by their dog if they can't find a groomer willing to work with them. As long as there are groomers who will take these dogs on, their motivation to fix them is significantly less. I know there are groomers who specialize in aggressive or problem dogs who have the special skills, patience and know how to work with them and modify their behavior. However, this isn't the majority of us. I suspect that many groomers place themselves in high risk situations that they may not be equipped to handle, and each time that happens they risk their health and livelihood. I would think that the groomers who are trained and able to handle these type of dogs would charge more for their time and efforts...if they don't, they should! But sometimes the reward is seeing the results. And occassionally I am sure there is the grateful owner. More often, I suspect, the accomplishment is relatively unnoticed by the owner. This is where intrinsic motivation is key!

[Maggy]

Working at a vets, I get to groom the cujo's under sedation. Just the other day I groomed a lhasa for his twice a year shave down. I did him last time, and he was almost finished before he got upset, but once he was upset there was no calming him down, so I opted to get him zonked out as soon as I saw the lip quivering, and I think it was much easier on the both of us.

[PetsRus]

I hope you are kidding about the football Hairdevil......

I had a lady call me a few months ago and make an appointment for her large Husky. She called a few days later to tell me he is aggressive and likes to take down small animals! I told her I would try him but that he would have to be muzzled when he came in. All she was worried about is how I could get his face washed! She relly wanted his face done. I ended up telling her that I would not take him. Then she says well can my daughter come in a bath him at your shop. Let me think about it UMMM NOOOOOOO! I pray she didn't try and pawn it off on anyof the other groomers around here. I think she wasn't going to mention it but then felt bad that she called back.

[baddog]

You are correct people do lie! It happened at my shop. A lady assured us the dog was great, I pried the former groomer 's name out of her . During the groom the dog turned psycho, bit my groomer , had nasty teeth, she wnet to the Dr for a tetnis shot and took 4 days off. I called the former groomer and had her fax me the dogs client card with the notation that the dogs bites. When she came to pick up her dog, I charged her, for the Dr's appt and my groomers missed work. I told her I would call animal control and the police if she didn't pay. She did.

[DAPER DAWG]

If it is someone elses dog and their bringing it to me to get groomed, then I send them of to the vets to get knocked out for everyone's safety. If they lie and I start and the dog turns nasty, I stop and make them come get the little fallen angel.

I wouldn't tolerate that type of behavior out of a dog in my house, but of course I wouldn't buy a designer psycho dog with a bad temperment It's all mutts for me. If I had a dog that for some reason turned agressive I would take measures to try and fix it (training and behvavioral sessions, if all else failed it would wear a muzzle whenever it left the house).

If it was agressive around the house and towards me and couldn't be fixed. I'd have to consider putting it down if training didn't work it's not fair to pawn it off on someone else.

My last dog was a shepard that was dog agressive that couldn't be trained out of it but it was kept under control and he bit for his nails so I would warn people with dogs to keep their distance and the vets to muzzle him when doing anything with his legs I didn't wan't to be responsible for anyone getting bit.

I can't believe how many people do fail to disclose the truth about their dogs behavior and it makes me angy when I'm the one at risk because of it.