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I found Bruce three months ago. He's comfortable with my family and my dogs, but aggressive toward other dogs and shy toward people he doesn't know. I got his shots and got him neutered, and have been working on getting him used to people (mostly sitting in my garage with him on a leash, with the door open, and giving him a treat when we see people coming down the street, so he will think of people as a positive thing).
Two weeks ago I started caring for my dad who has dementia. My mom is a little absentminded and will stand in the doorway and try to chat when she's dropping him off. Bruce has never made a move for the door before. Today he bolted out the door and ran the entire length of my block several times while my daughter chased him with the leash. (and my mother took off to work as if nothing was wrong )
A woman at the end of the block was coming outside holding her 4 year old. Bruce was standing in her yard. (he's interested in their yard because whenever I walk him, they have a chihuahua tied to a weight in the front yard) She shut the door and set off her car alarm, and Bruce got scared and started barking at the car, then ran off to the next block. My daughter was at the edge of their yard when it happened and she said later that he was at least 5 feet from their door and that the woman didn't come out, just opened the door, saw the dog, shut the door and set off the car alarm.
The woman drove over and started yelling at me about how Bruce was a dangerous, vicious dog who attacked her 4 year old. She said he was only 4 inches from her baby, growling and foaming at the mouth. I told her I was sorry that he scared her, that he's had his shots but that dogs with big floppy jowls sometimes look foamy when they run, and that my daughter had been chasing him for about 15 minutes by then. She said I shouldn't be allowed to keep an attack dog in the neighborhood. I told her he's not an attack dog and that he sleeps in my daughter's bed and has never hurt anyone, that he was a stray I found three months ago and he'd been abused by his previous owner, and that he gets very scared of people he doesn't know. I apologized again for him scaring her, and told her that he got out by accident and that it had never happened before. She said again that he attacked them and that she barely managed to save her child. I told her if he attacked them, I would take him to the pound, if that's what she wanted. She said no, she just wanted me to know what he did to them. I told her again I was sorry he'd scared her, and she started repeating the whole thing again. I told her I had to go inside, because my dad had already been alone for 30 minutes by then and he's like a two year old, you can't leave him unsupervised for a minute.
She didn't seem like she was done with the whole thing, but I honestly don't know what else to do to defuse the situation. She made it sound a lot worse than what my daughter described when she got back with Bruce, and from where I was standing, I could see Bruce in her yard but I couldn't see her at all. I could see several feet of clear space all the way around Bruce, so he couldn't have been four inches from her. (I know a dog can be scary from five feet away too though and I feel bad that he scared her)
I will either have to crate Bruce when I let my parents in each morning, or quit letting my mom bring my dad over. If Bruce is in the crate when they get here, then my dad acts scared of Bruce and doesn't want him let out of the crate all day. I'm watching my Dad for 10 hours a day or more, so it's really not fair to Bruce to spend the day in the crate.
She said again that he attacked them and that she barely managed to save her child. I told her if he attacked them, I would take him to the pound, if that's what she wanted. She said no, she just wanted me to know what he did to them. ...
This was all you needed to do.
My hat is off to you for taking in a stray! However, I wonder how long the situation with your Dad and the dogs will be feasible. I hope you can find a workable solution. Can you just tell Mom to not stand in the opened doorway until she leaves? Surely she can understand why.
I found Bruce three months ago. He's comfortable with my family and my dogs, but aggressive toward other dogs and shy toward people he doesn't know. I got his shots and got him neutered, and have been working on getting him used to people (mostly sitting in my garage with him on a leash, with the door open, and giving him a treat when we see people coming down the street, so he will think of people as a positive thing).
Two weeks ago I started caring for my dad who has dementia. My mom is a little absentminded and will stand in the doorway and try to chat when she's dropping him off. Bruce has never made a move for the door before. Today he bolted out the door and ran the entire length of my block several times while my daughter chased him with the leash. (and my mother took off to work as if nothing was wrong )
A woman at the end of the block was coming outside holding her 4 year old. Bruce was standing in her yard. (he's interested in their yard because whenever I walk him, they have a chihuahua tied to a weight in the front yard) She shut the door and set off her car alarm, and Bruce got scared and started barking at the car, then ran off to the next block. My daughter was at the edge of their yard when it happened and she said later that he was at least 5 feet from their door and that the woman didn't come out, just opened the door, saw the dog, shut the door and set off the car alarm.
The woman drove over and started yelling at me about how Bruce was a dangerous, vicious dog who attacked her 4 year old. She said he was only 4 inches from her baby, growling and foaming at the mouth. I told her I was sorry that he scared her, that he's had his shots but that dogs with big floppy jowls sometimes look foamy when they run, and that my daughter had been chasing him for about 15 minutes by then. She said I shouldn't be allowed to keep an attack dog in the neighborhood. I told her he's not an attack dog and that he sleeps in my daughter's bed and has never hurt anyone, that he was a stray I found three months ago and he'd been abused by his previous owner, and that he gets very scared of people he doesn't know. I apologized again for him scaring her, and told her that he got out by accident and that it had never happened before. She said again that he attacked them and that she barely managed to save her child. I told her if he attacked them, I would take him to the pound, if that's what she wanted. She said no, she just wanted me to know what he did to them. I told her again I was sorry he'd scared her, and she started repeating the whole thing again. I told her I had to go inside, because my dad had already been alone for 30 minutes by then and he's like a two year old, you can't leave him unsupervised for a minute.
She didn't seem like she was done with the whole thing, but I honestly don't know what else to do to defuse the situation. She made it sound a lot worse than what my daughter described when she got back with Bruce, and from where I was standing, I could see Bruce in her yard but I couldn't see her at all. I could see several feet of clear space all the way around Bruce, so he couldn't have been four inches from her. (I know a dog can be scary from five feet away too though and I feel bad that he scared her)
I will either have to crate Bruce when I let my parents in each morning, or quit letting my mom bring my dad over. If Bruce is in the crate when they get here, then my dad acts scared of Bruce and doesn't want him let out of the crate all day. I'm watching my Dad for 10 hours a day or more, so it's really not fair to Bruce to spend the day in the crate.
Wow what an unfortunate event-scary that your dog escaped and scared the neighbor -I think she overacted but she has a child and probably doesn't like a dogs either-that said things happen and I think you need to let it go-hopefully she will let it go too-go on the facts-the dog escaped -by accident and the dog did not attack her-no one was hurt-you offered to send it to the pound..she didn't want that. Is there anyway you could put a child gate up instead of crating the dog-your dad might tolerate it better too-it can stay behind that while your mom drops your dad off and hopefully this incident wont happen again.
Could you put the dog in a bedroom while your mom drops your dad off then let him out after she leaves?
Your neighbor must be afraid of bigger dogs or else she is like one of my coworkers and enjoys making mountains out of molehills and thrives on drama. Hopefully she has had her say and that will be the end of it.
This sounds stressful! I'm sorry that you're experiencing that. Can you put Bruce in a bathroom, bedroom, garage or backyard when people come to the door? I had a similar type situation when my dog was new to us. We trained him to go in the garage when someone was at the door. He would be out there for only the amount of time needed to get the people in/out of the doorway. We don't need to do that anymore (he's not such a flight risk).
First, congrats on the new addition to your family. Every dog is an adjustment, and it sounds like you are doing the right things to help his acclimation. Others have given good advice about putting Bruce in another room when your parents arrive. (Bruce could even be in a crate in the other room). Your Dad won't see the crate, and then Bruce can be set free when the door is closed.
That being said, please let me address the neighbor issue. She may be an over-reactor or scared of dogs. It doesn't matter and is irrelevant. Your dog rushed her (and her child) on her own property. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Legally, and morally, your are responsible for whatever your dog does on someone else's property, especially while not on a leash. You were not in control of your dog. I completely understand that it was an accident, and accidents do happen, but you need to be very grateful that no one was injured. I would go to the neighbors house to have a discussion with her explaining 1) (again) how sorry you are, 2) how it happened (do not make excuses, and talk about how Bruce wouldn't hurt anyone. That, too, is irrelevant, because any dog, on any day could hurt someone.), and 3) MOST IMPORTANTLY, the steps you will take to ensure it will not happen again. This is 100% your fault, take your licks. Do not get defensive.
When someone feels hurt, slighted or injured, all they are really looking for is an apology and assurance it will not happen again. By explaining how you will stop it in the future, you should ease her fears.
I think the bedroom idea would be a good one and you must explain to your mother that she should not have stood in an open doorway and why . Ask her to please be quick about dropping your dad off and I cannot believe she did not even stop to help considering that this was her fault . I would be angry with her as well because she obviously knew what happened and yet she chose to leave anyways and I hope she is paying you for taking care of your dad while she is at work , if not then she is taking advantage of you and something else you should be talking to her about and if she does not like it tell her to find other arrangements for your dad because this is all too much on you with the dog and dad and daughter and then having to deal with your mother and her caulousness . I'm sorry this happened and obviously you are the one shouldering all the burden so to speak .
1: time to start teaching dog to respect the door, teachinga dog not to rush the door imply involves patients, open the door a little ifdog looks like its going toeven ove toward hte oor, shut it imediatly...dog only goes throughthe door when given the release commad...repeat, he will get it, you have to be persistent.
2: a fence aorun the front yard and a gate on a spring tso its self closing...id suggestthis anyway to anyone...in an emergency/accient he can only get as far as the fence...and the spring latched gate means oones ging to be "forgetting" to close it.
a simple welded wire and t-posts fence will work since usually a simple VISUAL barrier is plenty.
3: no more letting mo talk at a wide open door...keep yourself between her and the dor, ether she chats INSIDE with the door closed or she chats OUTSIDE witht he doro closed...parent or not, the situation was completly avoidable had some basic common sense been used.
options while training the dog not to bolt.
LEASH...simple, put leash on dog when dad is arriving, clip leash to belt with a cabinaa clip or some other kind of simple clip...this way dads not getting the "hes in a crate/bedroo he cant coe out" idea but your ot worrying that absent inded momma is going to cause another incident..dog wants to bolt hes taking you with him
TEACH RECALL...
youll need a long line an eventually a FENCED YARD for this one, but associate you (and anyone handling the dog) with great things...find somehting that gets his attetion (ie a squeeky toy or whistle) start by using that soudnand imediatly giving him his favorite treat, repeat untill he knows that sound = treats...then start with along line, let him wander squeek when he comes praise and treat, if he doesnt a GENTLE tug on the linesqueek again to "call him" and treat when he comes...repeat repeat repeat...
runing down the streat after him olyadds to the excitment and turns this into an even more fun game, so no more of that, insteadyou have to make you (or your daugter ect) MUCH MORE exciting than the excitment of "freedom" and that meas making comming to you the best thing in the universe...Chicken and hotdogs tend to work great for this...
I do think given now hes gotten loose once putting up a simple fence would go a LONG way to appeasing this neighbor who im betting is going to be looking or ANY excuse now to call animal control...a fence with self latching gate says "i know its an issue and look im doing soemthing to stop it rom happening" traiing is MUCH more important,but not a "visual" reconciliation of the issue...a basic fence of some kind however maes it VERY clear that you are tyring to do something...
if fences arent allowed then tether tether tether...that door doesnt open unless hes tethered to you or in his rate/room ect...
i dont like invisable fences, especially with high drive and fearfull dogs...most just run right thorough them when the energy is high then refuse to come home when the endorphons have run out...
I can't put a fence in the front yard because of the HOA, or close Bruce in a bedroom (he tries to dig out, through the carpet). I'll have to put him on the leash or in the back yard (but then my dad doesn't want him to come in all day, doesn't remember him, and tries to kick or hit him thinking he's a stray).
I told my daughter not to run after him...as fast as she is, she can't run faster than a dog.
The whole situation with my dad came up out of the blue, we've told my mom since last fall that dad shouldn't be left alone, but she didn't believe us and he almost died week before last because he was sick and there was no one to tell all day long. He was in intensive care three days and then the doctors told my mom she had to hire someone to watch him while she's at work, so she decided that since I'm at home (home schooling my daughter) I could watch him too. But my dad is about as much work as a two-year-old, except that he can throw much bigger tantrums.
sounds like a belt tether is going to be the best option for now asa backup while you workon some basic door manners and recal training
that way it doesnt confuse your dad (my nan had dementia/alzhimers so i completly understand that issue) but your not having to worry about hims escaping again
sound slike he foundhimsel a good family, now its your job to set some ground rules and get him caught up with the program.
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