Aggressive Dog????

ladyez

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice.
I've wanted a dog for ages and have been looking in shelters etc, my partner and I decided that we would try and rehome an older dog, to save it maybe being put to sleep. I should also metion we have a cat at home too. We've been travelling to different animal shelters for the last few weeks and we eventually found a little fella we loved. It turns out that his owners surrendered him as they had kids who were pulling at him and he snapped at them. The dog is a pedigree Glen of Imall Terrier, we have all his papers and he seemed well cared for although his coat seemed to have had a Diy job done to it. We took the dog out around the sanctuary and he didn't seem fazed by the cats that were all over the place or by other dogs and he loves people.
Since we've had him and I've been reading up on them they seem to have an aggressive streak that flares quite quickly, does anybody have any experience of this?
Also we've been trying to introduce him to the cat, which isn't really going that well, she is terrified of him and he seems to bound at her, but I had him in another house yesterday where he played happily with a little maltese and never bothered with the cat. Has anybody had a good experience of socialising a terrier with a cat, and if yes how, and how long does it usually take???

Sigma Force

Why did the rescue home him with his papers? Rescues should not rehome a dog with aggressive natures, if he's ignoring the cat just keep an eye and it might take some time but they should get used to each other.

peasant

Just because it is written somewhere that this type of dog is supposed to have an aggressive streak, doesn't mean yours does ...don't turn it into a self fulfilling prophecy by treating him as if he was aggressive.

The fact that he ignored the other cat while playing with the dog would (to me) mean that he is probably not cat aggressive in general and that there is hope for him to get used to yours over time.

Introduce them gradually, always under supervision and put a quick end to anything that looks aggressive by firmly telling him "NO" and pulling him away.
Make sure that both cat and dog have an area that is theirs, which they can retreat to without being disturbed by the other if they want to.

You've just brought this dog into a new environment ...he's keen to suss out the rules and how much "freedom" he can possibly establish for himself. Now that everything is still fresh and new is the best (the ideal!) time to lay down the law and establish the house rules once and for all. Use this opportunity to be firm and exact with him as to what he is and what he isn't allowed to do around the house and his inhabitants. This includes all those things as well which you might find "cute" at the moment but will surely annoy you later.
A common mistake people make when they get a "new" dog is to mollycoddle it and to shower it with affection in order to make it feel loved and "at home"
Wrong!
Now is the time to be "mean" (in a nice way of course) and be strict.
Examples: No lying on the bed, no chasing of cat, no jumping up on people, no chewing of shoes, etc etc
Otherwise the dog will learn that all these things are "allowed" and you will have a hard time getting all these bad habits out of him again later.

You'll be surprised how quickly he cops on ...just be clear and consistent in you messages.(especially so where the cat is concerned)

You can mollycoddle him all you want later, once he's settled in and has understood the "law of the land"

Doomspell

Well peasant has covered anything that I was going to say. But yes, you have to be strict with them. Oh and a tip that I learned recintly. If your dog misbehaves in some way 'give out' to it straight away don't wait a while and then do it because s/he would be confused as to what they did wrong. Dogs have a different memorie to people, dogs memories take longer to develope.

Umiq88

Tbh that kid probably deserved it! Theres alot of brats around the place he was probably annoying the dog consistantly for ages dogs will put up with alot but theres certain things. If the dog behaves around you and your both grown adults i dont see any reason not to get it.

With the cat issue all it needs is some "common sense" training introduce him to the cat see how he reacts if he goes for him give him a smack on the nose. You need to be consistant with the dog so as not to confuse it he will then asociate chasing the cat with pain and stop. If he tries to play with the cat or be friendly towards it pat him and speak reasurinlgy to him. Pretty basic stuff just common sense.

You'll know if a dog has badness in him we have a boxer at home who will "snap"/grab at us but thats the way we have her we're all grown and we teach her to fight with us also she is the friendliest dog you'll meet and will lick you to death she's only like that with us. On the other hand my friend has a boxer they're a lets say more civilized family than us and the dog wouldn't go near you

Our man in Havana

People often get a puppy for the kids they get rid of the dog cause it acts like a puppy - jumping up & chewing things including the kids! Dogs play rough & tumble & need to learn that they can not do that with a human!

As for chasing the cat - I have 10 dogs & 11 cats my westie is a bratt for chasing cats that run - she ignores the cats they are sure of themselves & chases the younger shyer cats - she will learn after being told off so many times not to do this.

introduce the dog to the cat slowly - if she is on your lap purring then call the dog over & control the interaction - they will both get used to each other over time.

tj-music.com

With regards to the cat: The cat will loose its fear after a while. After all he is invading her territoty and she will adopt to the new situation given a little extra attention.

The dog also picks up on all tension and anxiety around it and needs time to settle in itself.

In a nutshell: Take things easy, time is the main contributor to a harmonic situation.

Keep their food separate for a while - try to create a space for the cat and a space for the dog - a little place they call theirs. Dogs like lying on the floor anyway while cats usually invade higher grounds. The first sign of friendship and interest is usually the other animal sniffing that place and maybe the cat takes advantage of the new blanket it finds on the floor.

It is a natural process. Remember that the cat was there first so you are dealing with two situations here:

1. the dog needs to settle in
2. the cat needs to accept the new situation

Please be aware that dogs cannot metabolise all the oils and acids cat food contains, so please make sure that they get separate food.

ladyez

Thanks for all the advice. I'm just a little nervous, as I love the cat and the dog but I want them both to be happy. They seem to be less nervous around each other but I am still keeping the dog on a lead.
He's really a lovely dog, I can't believe somebody gave him up, I think its a stupid idea to get a puppy when you have really young kids, after all its in their nature to be interested and if the parents aren't there to supervise I'm not surprised the dog got p'd off.
I've attached some pics of our doggy in his new home.

hotlips_h

Well done ladyez for adopting a dog from a rescue. Every time I hear someone is getting a puppy from a breeder to have as a family pet, I suggest talking to the rescues first to see if they can rehome an unwanted dog. I haven't had much luck. Neighbours are getting a purebred cocker spaniel put in Sept. I am still working on them to see if I can convince them to at least talk to the rescues to see if a suitable dog is available. They seem to think that all rescue and pound dogs are bad news.