Hi..I have a small rescue and therapy ranch. I take homeless dogs and let the special needs children work with them then find them furever homes. Last wk a black lab got loose and my small 20lbs mix was loose and he attacked her. She is going to be ok with a lot of nursing and a $136 vet bill but Dad won't let me take bubba to the pound. He is really a great dog. The kids love him and he is good with all dogs and cats except 2. I think he thinks Fluffie is a male. The other dog he doesn't like is a male rat terrier that is not fixed. He is very smart, will heel with a 5yr old, knows a lot of tricks by hand signals etc. What do I do? I have 17 dogs here right now and he has to be chained and I am afraid he is going to break the chain again? I double tie him now when the small dogs are out. Is there a way to get him to be good. He listens to me real well except when he is loose then he just doesn't listen. What do you reccomend? I wish I could find someone to take him that goes hiking etc he needs more exercise. His sister is here and she is just a sweetheart with everyone. They had both been mistreated in their previous home. Don't know if their were any small dogs. Thanks for this group. Any advise is much appreciated. Is there something you would reccomend me tying him with?

You have 17 dogs? And no kennels or crates???!!!!!! Yikes.

Rae you have more then a little work to do with this pack and individually with a certain lab.
Whew! I don't even know where to start.
I guess obtaining kennels and crates is a good start.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

I think What Randy say's is really your only answer Rae. With what you are doing with kids, the absolute last thing you need is behavior problems with any of the dogs at any time.

Kennels, crates, and you in control. Good luck.

 Quote: rae coutermarsh

Hi..I have a small rescue and therapy ranch. . . He is really a great dog. The kids love him and he is good with all dogs and cats except 2. . . Is there something you would recommend me tying him with?

To the last question, yes, a new owner ASAP! I hate to pile on here, but you're flirting with some real dangerous situations.

So this dog is great with all dogs/cats except 2? But that's of the dogs you have now. How will he be with the next 1, 2, 3, etc. dogs you get in? And do you have these kids mingling with all or part of your pack while they "work with them?" How many people are supervising this "work?"

I commend you for devoting your energies to this, but at the least, you should be satisfied with your success with 16 dogs (preferably less) than jeopardize everything you've done by including this problem dog in your pack. And I don't think Dad has a realistic grip on the situation either.

Even for someone with the expertise, I don't see how there can be the adequate time to devote to this problem dog when there's 16 more to deal with.

JMO

Mike

Last month, the little dogs were harassing the Lab.
Now the Lab is attacking them.

You are keeping a dog on a chain and you have 17 dogs, plus assorted other animals, and children.

The dogs manage to get loose and you cannot control them.

In what world do you think ANY of this is okay?
You aren't running a rescue, you're hoarding animals.

That seems a bit harsh. Unless you've been there, Alyssa, how can you say that? Because dogs are sometimes on a chain? So what? 2 of mine are chained as we speak.

This situation is a nightmare all around. But to call someone an animal hoarder is out of line when all you have to go on is a confused person asking for help w/something they can't manage. Nowhere in that post do I see that Rae's heart isn't in the right place.

Additionally, while 17 is a hell of a lot, it sounds like Rae is not the only one in the house. Let's compare my situation. I have 7. Plus 3 cats. Plus 2 horses. I handle them alone just fine. Quite well, actually. Now say I had help. I could potentially double my load and maintain the same care.

I don't think calling someone an animal hoarder is the right thing to do when they ask for help. How many true animal hoarders who don't care about the animals would give a damn about what was going on? They wouldn't. They'd simply lock the offender in a basement somewhere, probably.

Let's try to HELP the OP and consequently HELP the animals.

Rae, you sound well-meaning. But I think you are playing with fire. I would consider myself LUCKY in your situation that you have not had a serious problem and/or attack w/this many animals and special needs kids. IMO, you need to decide who you want to help more- the kids or the animals. Or, just limit the number of each that are out at any given time. Put them in crates. I bet someone would even donate them to you if you put an ad on Craigslist or something, if you are a true therapy ranch and rescue. Tell the kids that they need more one on one time to help w/their adoptions, so you don't have 10+ dogs running loose at all times. That way, you can more easily supervise kid/dog pairings and minimize the potential for disaster. It's great to help rescues, but remember, you know very little about these dogs initially, and not to sound too negative, but many of them will have serious issues that could make them very dangerous.

The poster also breeds rat terriers and great pyranees, so the dogs aren't all rescues. In addition, it looks like they raise rodents and reptiles, and goats.
Rae, did you ever fence so the terriers wouldn't harass the chained lab as was suggested back when the terriers were attacking the lab? This may not be the same lab, but it's still chained and apparently has access to the smaller dogs.
The situation sounds dangerous for the kids.

I do not recomend that you tie out any animal. Just not a good situation.

Tying can increase aggression and also leaves the animal defenseless against an attack from another animal. You have removed their ability to flee and they are very vulnerable.

Your post has left me confused. You run a rescue but "dad won't let you take Bubba to the pound?" I'm sorry, but I really hope that I am misunderstanding this, in my book rescues take dogs FROM the pound, not too it.

Your posts on this board show gaps in knowledge about dogs. About managing multiple dogs, about breeding and caring for newborns. I strongly suggest that you find homes for the rescues you have now, cut way back on the amount of dogs on site and spend some time learning how to successfully manage multiple dogs. This is best managed by a significant investment in fencing and kennels.

This situation is a disaster waiting to happen.

 Quote:

I have 5 Rat Terriers living in my house...they range in age from 8mos.to 3yrs. I let them outside quite a few times a day and they usually stay in the backyard. Because I have been busy bottle feeding puppies and we have had extreme weather I haven't been going out with them and now they have started going out front and going a few feet from my male black lab and barking and growling at him so he lunges on his chain at them. He will be a yr old in march and is fixed. He did break the chain once and he chases them..he did not hurt any but they sound like he was I just opened the door and got them inside then tied him back up. They get along fine with the 2 big dogs they live with in the house ..what has caused this? What do you reccomend? I had somebody laugh at me when I told them ..they thought it was cute..small dogs teasing a big dog..I'm afraid someone is going to get hurt. Thanks and I appreciate this site and your answers

This is your post from Feb 07. Is this the same lab that is still tied up?

http://cu.mariettatimes.com/pages/gallery.php?gallery=301438
It's not really a rescue. It's meant to be therapy for kids.