Re: [PyrNet-L] New puppy

["Mitzi Potter" <Pyrs-R-Us@popline.com>]

On Tue, 21 Jul 1998 17:22:05 EDT, Eileen277@aol.com wrote:

>My fear is that she may turn into an aggressive adult. Although, she is great
>with people and other dogs. 

That would be my fear also. And at the present time she may be great
with other people and other dogs but I (personally) wouldn't hold out
much hope for that continuing.

>On the other hand, she is a puppy and needs to
>learn how to behave. How do I know if I truly have an aggressive dog at this
>age, and not just a pup that needs training? She has growled at me when I
>first got her, when I picked her up from under the bushes. 

If a young puppy like that has been growling, biting and drawing
blood, she's aggressive. I'll go so far as to tell you to cut your
losses and take her back to the breeder and let her deal with it. How
can you love and form a bond with a dog that hurts you and your kids?
It'd be hard. Otherwise you run the (probable) risk of her getting
older and bigger and taking out a huge chunk of one of your kids'
faces.

>But that was weeks ago, and she does seem better except for today's incident. I work with >her maybe 5 minutes a day on sit, down, and come and she is a very smart dog. She
>will start puppy school next week for socialization. Please let me know what you think. >Thanks.

That's what I think. You'll get lots of opinions and you're the one
who has to live with the consequences either way. This may sound
harsh to some people but I'd put her to sleep if it were me. A 100 lb
aggressive dog is a danger to your precious kids. You have to protect
them 1st, even though they may not see it that way right now. Like I
said-you'll hear lots of opinions, mine is only one.

  Mitzi Potter   OKC  OK
  Pyrs-R-Us@popline.com
  http://www.popline.com/quinnz/dogs.htm