I never thought it would come to this stage but we are in desperate need of your help with our 4yr old male estrela mountain dog

Logan is a lovely family dog but constantly barks which we could cope with but we have three children and they cannot bring any of their friends home to house without locking the dog away and when it comes to sleepovers I have to take him to my mums for the night or put him in kennels. My brother has just had a new baby and we just cant trust Logan enough to let him bring the baby even though he is fine with my brother.

When Logan is at the kennels they always say he is one of the most laid back gentle dogs they have, Anyone there, even a disabled young teenager can do anything with him. He does not guard his kennel , food at all BUT no-one and I mean no-one unless they are close family can get through our door at home.

It is really causing my wife a lot of stress and effecting the whole family..

We cannot go on like this. We have a small bichon frise who has been fine with the estrela for over a year but over the last few weeks the bichon has started to growl at the estrela. Initially the estrela would just give him a bark but tonight he attacked the bichon and but his ear. Even our eldest went to her friends for the night due to the stress

Please help us to decide what to do. We do not want him to go to any rescue centre or dogs home but if we cant sort this out we may have no choice or keep him locked away

You really do need to go to your vet and ask for a referral to a behaviour consultant registered with either the The APBC | Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors or the UKRCB His behaviour is bound to be 'different' in a boarding kennels but his behaviour at home indicates that there is something triggering his behaviour that you are too closely involved to see? A proper behaviour consultant should be able to make a more accurate assessment of the triggers, identify the 'symptoms and help you towards implementing a programme of behaviour modification to follow. This will of course require time, patience, commitment and the involvement and co-operation of the entire family.

My best wishes to you and I hope that everything works out for you with him.

Constantly barks? What sets him off, is it just visitors? What do you feed him? How much walking/running/playing/training does he get?

I don't know much about Estrela Mountain Dogs, but have read that they are normally wary of strangers - indeed bred to be so. Maybe not the best choice when you have kids. Sorry I can't offer anything more constructive.

How much did you know about the dog's traits and instincts before you got him? Like any flock guarding dog, he is going to be suspicious of strangers and difficult to socialise. This is what Wilkepedia says about them:

It is intelligent, loyal, and faithful, affectionate to those it knows but wary of those it does not. It is instinctively protective of any children in its family. It needs early and continued socialization to be trustworthy around small pets and other dogs.

It's important to begin training and socializing the Estrela from puppyhood to nurture its acceptance of different situations. This is a strong independent-minded breed that will need persistent training and consistent leadership. It has a tendency to bark. As with most livestock guardians, the Estrela is not a "pet" for everyone. Strong ownership is paramount.

I think you should take Caroline's advice and try to find someone qualified to help you.

It may be an idea, given that this is a rare breed with strong guarding instincts, to get in touch with an established breed association and seek their advice.

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put your dog away in a quiet secure room - ideally crate him.

if for MOST other animals, e.g. if I had a pet snake that was showing fangs and wanted to bite every person that came into my house - i think i'd put that snake away rather than trying to 'socialise it'.

(i dont know much about snakes, so i apologise if you CAN socialise snakes, because actually i think i heard you can, and have to)...

but i hope you get my point. ------> dogs are animals, and I love them as pets and they should be part of the family AS much as humanly possible. But if you have a dog that is uncontrollable, and a danger to PEOPLE, then i'd say the people (esp. a baby) comes first. Safety first.

I'm sure you have common sense, otherwise you wouldn't have asked - and you said it yourself, keep the dog away.

Also - supervise your dogs, if you can't, put them separate. animals are animals, and last time i checked, dogs were animals.

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so are humans. Do you have any idea of the size of this breed of dog? Putting him in a crate is not practical at all, and it is probably going to make his behaviour toward visitors worse if he can hear them but not see them. Obviously, management is needed, but I still think the advice of a breed specific behaviourist would be the best advantage for all concerned.

__________________
http://www.gentle-newfoundland-dogs.com
http://www.royston-pet-care.co.uk



Will always miss you, my little Joshie Woshie xx

If you want real love, buy a dog

If you wouldn't use it on a child, don't use it on a dog

http://pettaxisg8.yolasite.com/
http://www.help-for-learner-drivers.yolasite.com/