Looking for options for our Aussie

[Oregonhunter5]

Sign a wavier when you do regime it!

 

[JRuby]

People get a herding dog or a mix with a herding dog breed in the recent blood line. They wonder why my dog nips and bite maybe because it's what that dog breed does to do it's intended job. Why do you think they call a heeler a heeler- they snap at the heels of the intended livestock they are working. Other herding dogs behave in this same fashion. It is a characteristic of the breed.

People wonder why thier herding dog keeps knocking over the kids it's more than likely the dog sees the kids as livestock and the dog is doing its job.

People see a puppy and think that's a really cute dog without any regard for the dogs history or it's intended purpose. To me the humans are not paying attention. Sometimes you cannot train out innate traits.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Thanks everyone for all the great replies. Especially for taking the time to post links for me. To be clear, our dog is not aggressive with all kids. She is fine with almost all the kids she's been around, friends' kids or kids at parks. She just is with kids who don't act "normal". The ones who are scared of her but still want to pet her. The ones who reach, pull back/jump back...repeat. Something about that makes her uneasy. To other kids, she will go up to their feet, roll on her back and ask for tummy rubs. It's really weird.

She won't growl or act aggressive towards the baby (yet?), but still acts weird around him. Just doesn't act like she does with the rest of the family .

i suppose if she really wanted to hurt that boy today she could have. The boy didn't cry and said it didn't even hurt, just went back to playing a game on his ipad.. There was no cut and it didn't need a band-aid. Just a little bruise from the pressure and a couple drops of blood. But we are still upset over it and know it could have been a lot worse.

The biggest problem is trust now and it's just not there anymore. The first time was maybe 4 years ago and we considered letting her go then, but decided to give her another chance. But this time I think she needs to go .

My daughter hates me right now and cried all evening. They grew up together so it's going to be really tough.

It's sad that what you need to do is exactly what you must do.
Your daughter will (I hope) come to terms with this decision if you explain that your children come first.
Good luck with your task.

 

[EUGENE the REALTOR]

Thanks for the new replies. Just to clarify, I'm not looking for ways to keep the dog. I wrote in my very first sentence that we need to send the dog away. My previous post was to just describe her behavior more accurately. I was looking for ways to send her away without having to put her down. I think the farm/ranch rescue option and rescue organizations is great! I'm looking into those options today. Thanks again for posting the links!

 

[clearconscience]

Does the dog get exercise?
Sometimes high spirit dogs start acting pretty crazy when they are not ran a lot. Healers are one of those high energy dogs.
I think JRuby has a great point.
It may just be in the dogs instinct to nip.

But there's too many stories of babies getting killed or maimed from dogs.

Your making the right choice, but no doubt a really hard one.

Sorry man, I wish you best the best luck and hope the dog finds a good home.
The ranch/property idea is a good one.

 

[Hawaiian]

My dog is a rescue. I often read the shelter posts about dogs up for adoption. Many state that the dog is not for a family with young children or other dogs. I am sure you can find a shelter/rescue group that will be able to place your friend in a loving new home. The Aussies are popular dogs. If she rolls over to get her belly rubbed, she will win someones heart.

 

[HighlandLofts]

If it comes to taking the dog for a trip to a vet vrt to.put it down I'm sure one of the huys close to.you would take it for you. If not I would come down & do it for you.