Past abuse=how to recover?

[deltakosmo12]

Our approx. 3 year old french mastiff still has issues we can't get rid of. We have had her for one year and the rescue/foster had her for one year prior to us. She has fearful anxiety. She seems to get better and then will revert back to old ways. Examples are still bathroom issues during bad weather, she becoming aggressive when startled, children running, I can knock on the door or table right in front of her and she comes at me as if I'm an intruder. One day at the park there were many dogs and owners hanging out and one owner grabbed the scoop and shovel to clear up some vomit from another dog when my puppy barked because he was startled and she went after the closest person to her. I have had a few times where I have actually been scared she was gonna bite someone! Fireworks have an effect that last for days, garbage trucks and so on. We have taken her to basic dog training and she does fine in public and is a regular at the dog park. She is submissive to the puppy but has started to defend herself a little from him. She obviously was abused when a puppy and it has given her a screw loose. She is on alprazolam now and we are ordering to holistic remedies to see if they work. Any opinions out there? Please help?

 

[Cody]

I am sorry to hear.
Do you know she was abused or could it be that she is mentally unsound or a combination of both. After 2 years she should not be that fearful if it was abuse alone. I have fostered some seriously abused dogs, who in a relatively short time span became great family pets.
Honestly, this may seem very harsh to many on the board, but a dog of that liability I would not keep.
As much as we would like to "save" every dog, we can't.
Any dog that is a true threat to the public I personally would PTS. As you don't know what is going to trigger her fearful aggression, she will always be a risk and honestly it is not a risk that I would accept. Eventually I would suspect she WILL bite someone.
I know I may sound cruel and you love your dog, trust me I am not intending to be mean, I am just being honest.
I have had to make that call myself with a dog I loved dearly, but it came down to public safety among other things.
Good luck and sorry I am not of more help.

 

[Bentley]

I feel you need to consider your options very carefully, my Ben was terribly abused and the mental aspects did not take him that long to overcome, it is usually the physical problems that linger. I would reccomend, and I know this isn't cheap, seeing a trainer who deals with problem dogs (for want of a better term). If this doesn't work then may need to think of potential risk issues for both the public and your loved ones. I would say also, try a different vet and see if they reccomend a chemical solution as well because meds aren't always effective in psychological difficulties in humans or animals.

I sympathise with emotional distress you must be going through with the plight of a loved one, but please try a take a step back for a moment and be sure that your girl is happy. I wish that I could have been more positive in what I have to say and apologise for any distress I might cause.

 

[PuppyPaws]

I too am so sorry to hear this. What a difficulty position to be in. I have to agree with the others. Talk to a Vet and a behaviorist or a trainer. Something has to be done. I know you have already put some work in but it may now be time for some professional guidance. I would also suggest that you avoid the dog park. That may be a difficult thing to do but I think your dog may be too high a risk for the other dogs and/or humans. As mentioned above, you can't predict what will trigger the behavior, especially in fearful dogs.

I know your dog is your main priority and I don't mean to sound insensitive. I really don't. I just think you should try to take a step back and look at things from the perspective of: "Is this too high a risk for others around me?" If you don't know or can't predict your dog's behavior at times and you have seen significant triggers of aggression, do you really want to put other people or animals at risk?

Personally, I am not a fan of dog parks as there are too many people out there that don't consider the risks involved. Also, as you are experiencing traumas and/or fears are hard to overcome. Do you want your dog to cause a trauma to another person or pet that will take them months to overcome too?

I hope you can provide the training, medication etc. that your dog needs. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to putting the dog to sleep, but you might want to consider preparing yourself for this. I am sorry i couldn't be more positive too. I will be praying that you find the perfect positive solution. Good luck and keep us posted, please.