Reactive Dogs Push Owners Toward Rehoming

“Sorry to repost, first time posting. Hi all. I already know I will get some hate but please hear me out. I have a coonhound shepherd mix. I found him on the side of a gravel road in December of 2020 when he was about four months old. No owners claimed him so I ended up adopting him. I did training classes for two years, worked on his reactivity to other dogs, and keep him physically and mentally stimulated. About two years ago his behavior just switched. He attacked another dog unprovoked. I imm”

“I feel really bad for wishing I hadn’t adopted my puppy. He’s reactive and bites over everything. When I pick him up, he growls and snaps at my hands. I already have several scars because of him, and I don’t know what to do to fix this. Obviously, I adopted him because I wanted him to be part of this family, so I really want to help him stop being so aggressive and get to a point where I no longer feel like adopting him was a mistake. submitted by /u/cyanideandapple [link] [com”

“Hello Everyone. I feel like an a-hole for saying this but I am considering BE for my dog. To preface this he is a 5 year old pit mix “Benny” that I rescued when he was 8 months old. He was always a nervous dog and we got him on meds before he hit two years old. To give a little backstory, we first noticed aggression when feeding and also dog reactivity on walks. This soon turned into full human aggression/fear based snapping and biting when he met someone new. The final straw was when he bit a n”

“I need advice on if I should pursue this doggo or not. Back in April I came across a dog online. There was a lot of backstory to him and a couple months of me following his story. Ultimately I decided to meet the dog. I did a few visits and ended up bringing him home. He is a very nervous, anxiety ridden dog. I am a very anxious person. We had a tough first day together. The next day, he was more comfortable. Scared but more comfortable and laid with me on the couch and wanted to be by my side e”

“I’m posting because my partner and I are in a situation we never expected to be in, and I’m hoping to hear from people who have actually dealt with something similar — whether you ultimately kept the dog, surrendered them, worked with a behaviorist, or made the decision to euthanize. About 4 weeks ago, we adopted a ~1.5-year-old, 46 lb neutered male dog named Obi. He was originally a stray. We’re first-time dog owners, and we honestly fell in love with him pretty quickly. Most of the time, Obi i”

“So, what is best for him? I thought of a sitter, but would have to hire a dog sitter stranger, dog spa? I’ve never left him before so I have no idea what to do. Will be gone at least a week. Asking anyone with real experience with this and not random comments. Ty submitted by /u/Status_Valuable_9075 [link] [comments]”

“In fact I actually and actively dislike her. We adopted our pup 6 weeks ago. She is now 14wo. She is cute, sure. But jeeeeeeeez. She does all sorts of standard annoying puppy things … AND THEN SOME. 😳 The hardest part is that she acts differently with me than with anyone else in the house (husband, 22yo son). She leaps up on me all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.. She bites me… not aggressively per se… I guess it’s just playful… but damn it hurts. She bit me on the nose this morning before work! And”

“I have a beautiful 6 year old Australian shepherd/ heeler mix. I got him as a puppy and he is my baby. I took that dog everywhere; across the country, coastal trips, backpacking through mountains etc. for a Covid dog, I did a pretty decent job of training him myself when all local classes for training were closed. Since then we’ve welcomed two young kids (3 & 1 yrs) And I don’t have the time or energy to keep up with this dog anymore. As Much as I try, it will never be what he was used to. N”

“Hello! I just adopted my first dog from a shelter that in hindsight has been less than forthcoming and helpful in this process. I'm only on day 2 but I've been struggling and am already feeling burnt out, and I need some advice. I also have a vet visit tomorrow where I will ask more. This dog is 8 years old, Chihuahua mix from Fresno, CA, rescued in August from the streets and all the way up in Canada now. The rescue assured me he is good with all dogs and people, and is a calm, docile l”

“My dog is the sweetest baby in the world, but because of his reactivity to other dogs, and the way our neighborhood/HOA is, it just wasn’t safe for him. He’s with his training center until they can find him a good home, and I know it’s what’s best for him, but I miss him every day. I love him beyond anything, and I miss the way he would rest his big as hell head on my lap whenever I was having a panic attack, or his 90 pound self on my legs as he slept. And I can’t stand my friends because they”

“Hi everyone. I’ve had my shepherd-mix street dog (1/3 Malinois) since he was about two months old, and he has always been unfathomably intense and devoid of self-control. I joke that I was handed a six-pound Tasmanian Devil. It was love at first sight, but shortly after signing the adoption papers, I realized I’d made a decision with my heart instead of my head. I contemplated rehoming him many times as a puppy, but I’d always wake up the next day thinking, “That’s crazy—he’s my baby.” He’s now”

“Hello! Not a huge redditor but we’re in a dire situation and need advice from people. Reading this sub has been a huge help, with both advice and knowing that we’re not alone in the struggle, despite it feeling that way. My partner and I just rescued two dogs, both are mutts but their adoption papers say Havanese and Border Collie. They look like neither. When we arrived at the shelter we were only intending to meet the collie but were informed that they were a bonded pair and after meeting them”

“We’re starting to seriously consider rehoming our puppy, and it honestly feels awful even writing that. But we’re getting to the point where we feel completely overwhelmed by his behavior and don’t know how much longer we can handle it. He’s a 5 month old male vizsla. Before getting him, we did a lot of research and felt like we knew what we were signing up for, the crazy puppy phase, biting, endless energy, needing lots of training and mental stimulation, etc. We never expected raising a puppy”

“It's been two months as I brought a the cutest, beautiful fella in my house. I got my dog, now 14 months old, Grosspitz from a breeder. I checked the breeder, visited her twice, and everything was fine. Hilary ( Dog's name ) was happy there, curious and funny. He didn't sell as a puppy, because this breed is pretty unkown in my country, and his breeder sucks at promotion. He was sterilized at 11 months old by the breeder, because one of his testicles was stuck inside his belly. Every”

“My puppy is 10 months, 25lb. He is in the Spitz family- mixed breed and was rehomed to me. This is my first dog so I was hoping for an easy one. The family that gave him to me told me he was a sweet, chill puppy that hung out in the living room and caused no trouble at all. It turned out he was aggressive and reactive, and scared of everything. I've taken months off of work to stay home with him, train him and get him comfortable with day to day life. It took weeks to be able to brush him, s”

“My dog was my best friend before. I know how absurd that sounds, but she was my little sidekick and we did so much together. Now my baby is 8 months old and my dog seems to stick to my husband or in the other room. When she is around the baby, she is fantastic. I have so much guilt for not having as much time for her. I miss the walks and taking her to the dog park, often. Please don’t get me wrong, I still make time for her, but it’s not nearly as much as before: I feel terrible and I miss my l”

“Same dog as my post from yesterday. 3 year old male pit bull mix, neutered, 70 pounds, anxiety and separation anxiety. I live in Southern IL. His history is he came from a place that wasn't great for him, sounds scare him, when I pick up something long it scares him. He's got to follow me around the house which is fine but I have to get up and leave my bedroom probably 100 times per day. It kind of grows old. I can't go to the library, I can't really go anywhere as being in the c”

“I adopted my dog after he was dumped by the previous likely abusive owner. I have had him about 3 months only and it has taken a serious emotional toll with his behavioral issues. Severe separation anxiety has left me feeling isolated and unable to leave the house unless I want to come home to a mess (throw up, feces, urine even if I take him for a long walk prior). I live alone otherwise if at least one person is in a house and he is fine. Leash Reactivity- I live in a white picket fence type n”

“Yes I think they would and if I have to I can rehome the dog I’ve only had him for a couple months and don’t think it’s fair for him to have to deal with all this”

“Help. I lost my soul dog several months ago and was ready to look for another friend. I found one, or so I thought. When I met her at the pound, she was cuddly, happy not super crazy/excited. She had been surrendered for biting the previous owners child after the child reached in her mouth while eating… which to me seems like a kid problem. I get her home and she is still super lovey but yes, a little excited as her breed will bring that with her (herding mutt). She’s SMART. But she also seems t”

“My partner has been struggling with the new puppy who is 4 months old, every few months he will say "Im considering getting rid of him" and tells his parents everything bit says another thing to me, but he barely does anything with him and he doesnt disclose that to his parents, im taking our puppy training next week, I need some advice on training and enforcing boundaries for the puppy submitted by /u/PurplexiBlue [link] [comments]”

“My 5-year-old German Shepherd’s story is a long one, but I’ll try to keep this as short as possible. I took Rocky in as a foster last December after he was rescued from a cruelty/neglect situation. He had apparently spent most of his life confined and came to me severely underweight. The rescue eventually stopped providing meaningful support or following through on attempts to rehome him. Somewhere along the way, I fell completely in love with him and stopped caring very much about what the resc”

“Hi everyone, I’ve been reading this subreddit for a while and I finally decided to write because I feel stuck and honestly overwhelmed. I have a 6-year-old male dog (around 28 kg, likely a shepherd mix, possibly with something like Akita/Jindo in him). I’ve had him since he was about 2 months old, so he’s always been part of my family since he was a puppy. The issue is that he is extremely reactive. He barks at every single dog he sees, regardless of size, age, distance, etc. It’s not just barki”

“adopted my dog Remy from a shelter about 3 weeks ago. She’s around a year old, about 19 lbs, and honestly she’s a great dog. She’s affectionate, potty trained, doesn’t really give me problems when I’m home, and I’ve gotten attached to her pretty quickly. The main problem is when I leave for work. I work roughly 8–4 Monday through Friday, and we’ve been struggling badly with confinement/crate training. I’ve been gradually crate training her using short periods and positive reinforcement. She’s ac”

“I adopted my dog Remy from a shelter about 3 weeks ago. She’s around a year old, about 19 lbs, and honestly she’s a great dog. She’s affectionate, potty trained, doesn’t really give me problems when I’m home, and I’ve gotten attached to her pretty quickly. She’s 1 and is a terrier mix. The main problem is when I leave for work. I work roughly 8–4 Monday through Friday, and we’ve been struggling badly with confinement/crate training. I’ve been gradually crate training her using short periods and”

“My boyfriend had a Border Collie as a family dog, and since we got our own apartment in March, she’s been living with us. She’s been an anxious dog since she was a pup, but it has definitely gotten worse over the years. She was never aggressive with us or with other dogs, but at the slightest sign of going for a walk, she would start a high pitched cry/bark that the whole building could hear. This was the biggest issue, but she was also triggered by us leaving the house (the only time she ever g”

“I am at a loss. My dog recently moved in with me a few days ago and he has really bad separation anxiety. He used to live in another state with my parents while I settled, but they basically told me that I take him now or they get him a new home. He is prescribed both Trazadone and Gabapentin, but they just do not seem to help. Every time I check my camera he is non stop barking and crying in my apartment. I have a sitter who comes at 12 but the other time he is alone he is freaking out. I would”

“He says he doesn’t want to live like this. We have a hard dog, no two ways about it. His separation anxiety is SEVERE. He goes into destroy mode IMMEDIATELY upon being left alone. Hes doing much better—no poops just pees, more food seeking than destructive head butting. But I can admit he’s plateaued. He’s on the highest doses of his medications and he’s so much better I don’t want to try different i’ve. Anyways we have a safe zone for him where he can’t cause damage to himself or us, but one of”

“For those of you who got a rehomed dog, whilst already having a resident dog. In my case my resident German Shepard has never been dog reactive, never mind dog aggressive. For those who got a rehomed dog when your resident guy or girl was already older, settled and past the puppy phase. And you came to learn without being informed, your new rehomed dog was dog reactive - a bit more than lunging and barking. I never thought I'd have to keep them seperate but my rehomed went for my resident in”

“My partner and I recently adopted a 7.5 month old mixed breed shelter dog from Bulgaria. And he is a nightmare, I was aware this was gonna be hard work, but I honestly feel sick to me stomach. He barks at everyone and everything, I'm trying so hard to get him to focus on me when I can see something approaching, but no matter what I do he lunges and barks. He also barks at home, when people walk by on the path outside. We've already had complaints from neighbours because of his barking. I”

“I've been feeling a lot of frustration about this lately and kind of just need to shout into the void even if it's illogical or unfair. My dog is a 32kg shepherd cross that was rescued from a northern rural community as a puppy here in Canada. She was only 12 weeks old when my mother adopted her as a family dog following the sudden death of our previous dog. I knew from the outset that I would be the one to walk her due to my mother's mobility issues. I'll even admit that I under”

“So little backstory I picked up my dog from the shelter a little under two months ago, he had pneumonia when we got him so he was much more docile because he was sick. As his personality comes out I’ve realized that he’s wary of strangers that he didn’t meet when he was sick, he has a harder time relaxing around new people now that he feels better. For the most part he behaves and doesn’t seek interaction if he’s not comfortable with that person. He’s had a few incidents that keep me on guard wh”

“So little backstory I picked up my dog from the shelter a little under two months ago, he had pneumonia when we got him so he was much more docile because he was sick. As his personality comes out I’ve realized that he’s wary of strangers that he didn’t meet when he was sick, he has a harder time relaxing around new people now that he feels better. For the most part he behaves and doesn’t seek interaction if he’s not comfortable with that person. He’s had a few incidents that keep me on guard wh”

“I have a 7 month old Havanese babygirl and I love her so dearly but her separation anxiety has grown too much, I cannot be out of her sight or it is constant whining, howling and crying. I feel like I’m at my wits end, over the last 2-3 months we have been trying to work on it with no improvement (it has actually grown worse). I am not in a position to spend hundreds on a trainer for her either. I just want her to have a happy life and I feel like I am not giving her that. From people I know per”

“Honestly not sure if this is a vent or looking for advice, I just feel so stuck and needed to get it off my chest. I have a 10 month old yorkie x pomeranian. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old. She is my dog but as a 19 year old working uni student, I still live at home and my parents help with her care when I’m at uni/work, we also have a senior dog and cat. About 3 months ago, my dad took her for a walk and she ran away from him when he wasn’t paying attention, up until this point she ha”

“My Aussie/blue heeler mix is a 6 years old and we got him as a puppy. This dog was my buddy for years, We went traveling with him, hiking mountains, cross country trips, etc. My life revolved around keeping him happy. Now we have 2 young kids, (3yr old, 1 yr old) and he just .... doesn't like them? He tolerates them but i can tell he gets easily stressed around them and just wants to be near me all the time, but i cant have him around the kids so he is separated from us all day until the kid”

“I purchased a beautiful English mastiff approximately 5 weeks ago. I previously had a Neapolitan Mastiff, who passed away 11 years ago at the age of 7. So, the last time I had to care for and train a puppy was almost 20 years ago. After those 11 years, I was emotionally ready to bring another dog into my life and decided to purchase an English Mastiff from an AKC certified breeder. Naturally, it was love at first sight. However, this puppy, despite having every chew toy under the sun, much more”

“My experience dog sitting on pawshake in london I’ve been dog sitting a cockapoo for the last 11 days. It was been nothing short of a nightmare. This dog barks and cries if he’s left alone and doesn’t get attention. He’s chewed up my wall, and pees and poos everywhere. I feel cheated because the owner told me that he’s so easy, and just needs a 20-30 minute slow walk every day. I work full time remote and thought this would be a cute idea, since he’s hypoallergenic and my past experiences have b”

“My rescue dog was problematic three weeks after adoption. That was over 2 years ago. She was six months old and was never socialized. It was two yeats of medication and behavioral modification training. Well over $10k in expenses. She seemed like she was doing better. That somehow made it worse. She was diagnosed with fear aggression towards strangers. Her distance got smaller. People could get closer. Then, she flipped. Thankfully, she was always muzzled. In the last two weeks, she lunged at th”

“Due to circumstances out of my control, my brother has brought home a 5 month old puppy. I am generally very good with dogs, and I’d consider myself a dog person. However, I am no expert and need some help here. This puppy is very hot and cold with me. Sometimes he’s super kind and gentle and wants to be my best friend. Other times (usually the first time he sees me that day, or after I’ve showered) He attacks me. He will growl. He will bite. He will missile launch himself at me. Basically doing”

“Ever since I brought my Maltipoo puppy home on August 22nd, it’s been a constant struggle. My husband and I both work long hours, so my mom had to look after the dog for most of the day. She was furious and angry with me—deeply resentful. We argued constantly; she fell into a deep depression and was beside herself. She suffers from an extremely severe form of OCD centered on cleanliness and hand-washing. She couldn't cope with an environment involving poop, dog licks, urine, and that pungent”

“I adopted a 4-5 year old Great Dane pitbull about 7 weeks ago who was a starved stray and he has been a handful ever since. The house training isn’t going so well, he will go outside but then come in and go. My upstairs has become disgusting from all of the accidents and I hate it. He is constantly searching around for food and crumbs. I keep thinking he wants out so we go downstairs and all he wants to do is sniff around for food even after he has eaten and had treats. He does some very aggress”

“About a week ago, I adopted a dog from a rescue, and I ignored the red flags and alarms going off in my head and am now struggling. The rescue wouldn't allow private meets and said the first available time to meet was about a month from when I initially contacted them with interest. We went to the event, and it was chaos. They had loaded dogs in an rv the day before and driven them straight to an adoption event 3 states over. They pulled her from the rv and gave her straight to us and said s”

“we’re trying to rehome my dog(Australian cattle dog) he’s gone to a boarding kennel as due to his anxiety and barking we got breached by the real estate and risk being evicted and losing our home. I’ve been crying for days/weeks, today he got picked up by the kennel and it hurts so much, we didn’t really have a choice in all this and if we can’t find a home in the next few months (the kennel has said they can keep him and extend as long as we need and obviously can pay) we may have to think abou”

submitted by /u/jelly_bean545 [link] [comments]

“I have an 8-month-old doodle who I've had since she was around 3 months old and I'm considering rehoming her and I just feel so awful. She's honestly been an easy puppy. However my ex was the driving force behind getting a puppy. When discussing what would happen with the puppy if we broke up she said she would take it as she had the more flexible life and lots of family and friends in the area who were happy help with the dog. When we broke she decided that she didn't want to ta”

“Before I start I just want to say that I know how awful it sounds and I’m desperate for help. Please don’t hate me. Please help. I got my Labrador Luna when I was in a really dark place following a rape case. She was my emotional support pet/recovery pet. She went everywhere with me and helped me regain confidence in going places where men could be present. I wanted to end my life and she really helped my recovery. She was 8 weeks old when we bought her and I put all my energy into training her,”

“Really want Myst to have nice interactions with other dogs we meet during walks. But he is sooooo aloof. Any suggestions? submitted by /u/Hour_Type649 [link] [comments]”

“For context, it was my ex’s dog and he just ditched him with me, said he’s not taking him. He’s an English mastiff who never got appropriate training, the ex also attacked the dog during the last encounter and I’m pretty sure it scared the mastiff. He also nonstop teased him and rough housed him after I told him to stop. I can’t let him around men, he bit my mom and my sister, and only tolerates me but has bitten me multiple times before (once was when I was protecting him from the ex). Anyway,”

“(The dog subreddit is super strict and wouldn't let me post this, so I'm posting it here)​ I think some context should be added before I get into my main reason. The dog that i am talking about, is a male cane Corso. But I do not think he is purebred, but I will get into that soon. He is not mine, and I take no responsibility for him or in the training of him. I am a minor who has had a impossible dog forced onto me. Also, this dog is not being ab#sed) Two years ago, I lost my childhood”

“Hey Reddit. I adopted my dog Penn as a rescue when she was 8 weeks old, a pit-bully-pug mix. It was something I really thought deeply about before making the decision — I was single, in a good spot financially, had a fenced in backyard, and I worked from home. Ideal conditions to adopt. Right from the start, Penn was a difficult dog. I worked with two private trainers, and did multiple group classes with her, but she was still reactive and territorial. It mostly manifested in her jumping all ove”

“Hey everyone, this is my first post here, and I’m honestly just looking for some support and advice because I’m feeling really frustrated after what happened today. I rescued Molly about 3–4 weeks ago, and I’ve noticed that she’s very reactive on leash, especially toward other dogs and sometimes toward people who are running or get too close to her. I’ve been trying really hard to work on it. I take her out for walks at 5 a.m. to avoid as many people and dogs as possible, I cross the street when”

“I am depleted and at my breaking point. Please be kind. I feel selfish for wanting to move on and live a dog-free life. My family and I have 2 female Shar-Peis (3 & 4 yrs old) that are not only reactive but have same sex aggression (mother/daughter) towards each other. They are currently being managed in a crate-and-rotate situation that’s been going on for about 3 years. Both of them are fearful of people and reactive to other dogs. Point blank they are under socialized and never went anywh”

“Some people on r/fosterdogs recommended I post here for advice. Essentially, I agreed to keep a dog (Buddy) for 2 months until my (ex) friend could take him. TL;DR is that she couldn't take him and we've had him for 7 months trying to find a home. I'm in metro Atlanta and the dog overpopulation is insane, so I'm having a hard time finding a placement for him considering his behavioral issues. I would appreciate any information about reputable rescues or other options in my region”

“So about a year ago I recited a dog from the shelter. She is such a sweet dog to humans and honestly I think would do really well in a single dog family house. However, they said she was just dog selective, never said she legit hates ever dog ever. For reference I have another dog, he is 6 and expertly well tempered. He puts up with everything. They made us meet the new dog together at the shelter and they did really well. From the day she came home she had attached him, me along with my family”

“Hello. Need advice on returning rescue dog to shelter. I know this is going to come with great judgement, but I already feel like a trash person and am desperate. Sorry this is wordy. Backstory on me because I know that always comes up – my boyfriend and I are in our middle 40’s, we live in an apartment in a very busy part of the city. We have a 7 year old rescue dog and a 3 year old special needs kitty. I am disabled and use a mobility scooter and crutches to get around. I have had dogs my whol”

“I live in an area with tons of dogs, literally, dogs, distractions, everywhere. I got him from a breeder since he was 2 months old, and I lived in a house during this time. He is 2 years and 4 months old now. I don't know how to work with my Dog, I always need treats every single time I go out just for him to engage with me. He will heel decently with treats, but without them, he's ALWAYS not respecting the leash. I don't know what to do anymore. I can't walk him in public withou”

“Hello, this is a hard post for me as it has been an emotional past week. I recently adopted a 3 month old miniature schnauzer puppy (now 7 months old). The first month was as expected with potty training, crate training, and overall just obedience training- off leash and no barking. Everything was going great. I knew early on I wanted to travel with my dog in the future so I had him socialized around people and airports and even traveled with him flying across the country. I worked with the dog”

“I adopted a 4-5 year old Great Dane pitbull mix who was a starved stray and at the shelter for 10 weeks. He is loving but he is also really stressing me out. He is not house trained and that has not been going well. I have had him for about 6 weeks now. He is constantly searching for food and he is just hard to walk as he wants to chase everything and find food. Him going to the bathroom in the house I just burning me out. He goes outside and on walks but just keeps peeing on things. submi”