Hi - hoping someone can help.

3 1/2 weeks ago we got a dog from a rescue centre - he is a labrador cross approx 2 years old.

He had a full known history - he was brought in by his previous owners who had had him since he was a puppy because they lived in a flat and worked full time. He was re-homed almost immediately, but the new owners had another dog who he was aggressive towards. They returned him to the rescue centre where he stayed for around a week and a half due to a cut paw before we decided to re-home him.

They told us that he was aggressive towards other dogs and pulled on his lead but that he could be left alone and was good with kids. They didn't know how he was with cats because he had no experience of them.

When we first got him home he seemed like the model dog - never barked (for the first three days we wandered whether he even had a bark), was curious about the cat, but not particularly aggressive, fantastic with my little girl, played ball in the garden without trying to escape etc. During the day he goes to work with my other half in the van and was generally really good. Even the cat was used to him and just ignoring him, with both of them sleeping in the kitchen at night - the only downside was the pulling on the lead which we cured with a halti and a constant impulse to eat the cats food.

After a week and half, he went to the vets to be neutered (two weeks ago Friday). For the week afterwards he was left at home during the day to recover but everything was fine. Then on Monday, he suddenly seemed to undergo a personality change - there is an outdoor dog next door but one who he has suddenly decided to start barking at, at every opportunity, he attacked the cat, completely unprovoked and has started to go mental every time he is let out in the back garden. Over the last two days he has escaped three times, three different ways and even when he is in the house he keeps randomly barking, especially when he hears the other dog.

He's getting plenty of walks and we have contacted a dog trainer who is coming out to do a two hour assessment next week, but I was hoping that some more experienced dog owners may have some advice in the meantime. In particular, I want to try and cure the aggressiveness towards the cat - preferably before the winter - she is 13 and I'd quite like for her to be able to enjoy her old age in some semblance of peace.

I know that it takes time to train a dog, and that his hormones are probably all over the place at the moment, so I suppose I am really looking for some advice to try and mitigate these problems and prevent them settling in. We are really not the sort of people to get a dog from rescue and send him back just because things get a little difficult, but we do have a young child and although he has shown no aggression towards her, the speed of this personality change has scared me a little (we never leave dog and child alone together).

Sorry for the long post - any advice greatfully received.

Hi, very sorry to hear about your situation.

We have had rescue dogs before and have one now, but because we have a cat, we have always ensured that any dog we adopted had been living with cats peacefully before; at the risk of sounding like I am telling you off (which I am not, believe me!) you should have ensured that before taking this dog - if there was no history of living with a cat then it was a big chance to take in choosing him to be your pet. We walked past countless lovely dogs at the rescue centre simply because they had not lived with cats.

Even if they have lived with cats there is no guarantee that a dog will take to YOUR cat (or mine, or anyone else's) just like humans dislike certain other humans, but with this one it was a total unknown. Sadly, if he is being aggressive towards your cat then it doesn't sound to me like he will be suitable to stay with her. Our cat is 13 in October and has lived with a dog all her life - it was a gamble rehoming two dogs over that time but both had previously lived with cats and been OK.

The priority also is to make your garden escape proof. Ideally you should have six foot fences all round at least; no gaps! If the dog is a digger, you really need to have fences with concrete bases.

It will be heartbreaking for you if you have to return him to the rescue centre but his aggression in the past to the other dog and his aggression to the cat, make me feel he may not be the dog for you. I can understand your worry about your child as well - that of course must be watched very carefully.

I shall leave it to someone with more knowledge than I regarding how he may have been affected by being neutered; it seems to have kicked off since then from what you say. However, I do feel that with the cat in particular, he may not be the right companion. The best thing would be if he ignores her - that is the behaviour you would want to see .... if he seems to be staring obsessively at her then that is a warning sign.

At the same time 3 and a half weeks is not long. Maybe your behaviourist can help - I do hope so. Good luck!

PS Our present rescue dog we have had for a month now - he has only barked twice and that was in the last week... it takes time (I now know) for them to settle down and feel secure enough to do that in a new home... I had to post on here because I thought too that his vocal chords were faulty, LOL!!

Hi Kebars - thanks for the reply.

We are going to sort out the garden this week in terms of fencing - it was pretty secure, but he managed to force his head through a couple of tiny holes that we hadn't noticed and then pushed through with sheer brute strength rather than dig - we are getting six foot panels so it should cure that problem.

I suspect that the other dog he can here is a bitch on heat and that he is trying to get through to her - from what I've read, even though he has been neutered, it can take a while for this instinct to dampen down.

I understand what you are saying about the cat, but that's the thing, he's not obsessed with her - he doesn't stare at her, and if they are both in the garden and she doesn't leg it, he'll have a quick sniff and that will be it. When he tries to eat her food, he never does it while she is eating. The attack seemed to be provoked by the sound of her coming in through the cat-flap. We've started to do a bit of training to stop him reacting to the sound of the cat-flap, so maybe that will help.

I'll see what the behviourist says next week - I really hope we don't have to take him back

Hello

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations for taking on a rescue!

I have 3 of them and although they have been hard work (2 were street dogs from Greece and I have had a lot of problems!!!) they are the best thing that has happened to me (sorry hubby lol )

I am a little confused as to where you got yours from? A reputable rescue centre should have made sure the garden was secure, prior to letting you bring him home. Also surprised he wasn;t already neutered. With this in mind, maybe they have not given you the correct info about his behaviour etc......

Either way he is here now, and you obviously want to work on these problems.

My 2 greekies took 5 months to settle in and adjust. They are unique cases, however you should allow a couple of months.

For now, can you put a baby gate on the stairs so that the cat has a haven and can get away from the dog?

If the dog outside is a bitch on heat, then this would totally explain his behaviour. It takes weeks and weeks for the hormones to settle. My staffy x will still react to a bitch on heat, despite being neutered over a year and a half ago. It sounds like your dog is frustrated at not being able to get to her. This is why entire males can be a real problem if they are not neutered and they are out. Aparentely they can smell them up to a mile away!

Do you know the owners of the other dog? If so can you not ask for it not to be roaming around outside?

You have already booked a behaviourist, so just be guided by their advice and also understand that it takes a while for the dog to settle in. This has not been helped by you having to neuter the dog.

Good luck x

__________________


Lilly, Max, Henry and Sammy. The joys of my life!

www.rescueremedies.co.uk
www.staffierescue.co.uk

Thanks Goodvic

We got him from a really reputable re-homing centre - they don't neuter because of the cost and that some people want entire dogs, but they did give us a voucher to get the neutering half price.

We honestly thought the garden was secure - the holes were really tiny and he is not a small dog - no matter, the problem will be resolved next week when the new fence goes up.

The cat has a raised cat kennel outside and we are feeding her in the garage - she is not a particularly fussy cat, so while the weather is warm she is quite happy outside.

The dog has been a completely different animal again today, playing in the garden without any attempt to dive for his escape routes (which are now blocked up pending new fence) - so much so that I beginning to wonder whether we have confused over eager playfulness as aggression - he his after all only two, so still a pup really and with the uncertainty and changes he has had over the past few weeks.........

My OH walks him more than I do and he says that his hackles go up and he rears up at other dogs. He doesn't do that with me - I mean he is alert when other dogs are around and his hackles go up a bit, but because he doesn't growl or bark I have tended to put it down to excited adrenaline - its just the escaping or rather the way he escaped and the completely unprovoked attack on the cat. Also, on his walk today, he was socialising with another dog without any problems at all.

Hopefully I am just being overanxious and the behaviour we have been experiencing is just down the to hormone and new home re-adjustment.

I'll report back after we have seen the behaviourist.

Great that you have seen some improvement today

It is difficult when you get a dog (if you have not had one before) as you don't always know what to expect. Sometimes normal behaviour can be misinterpreted.

Good luck though x

__________________


Lilly, Max, Henry and Sammy. The joys of my life!

www.rescueremedies.co.uk
www.staffierescue.co.uk