Surrendering an Aggressive Dog: Alternatives & Last Resorts
If all other options have been exhausted, learn how and where to surrender an aggressive dog.
What Do You Do With an Aggressive Dog?
Surrendering an aggressive dog should be a last resort only after all efforts to address the aggression have been exhausted and when the safety of both the dog and other pets or people involved is in peril.
Whether your dog is aggressive towards you, strangers, or other pets in the household, consider that not all hope is lost. There are several alternate paths you can take and methods to employ before surrendering the dog becomes a necessity.
Note: Several factors can influence whether it's possible or advisable to work on a dog’s behavior before rehoming or surrendering. A dog’s prognosis may, therefore, vary based on several of these factors.
Some Promising Outcomes
A study completed by Dr. Radosta while at the University of Pennsylvania showed that 86% of owners reported an improvement in their pet’s behavior six months after their initial appointment for treating owner-directed aggression.
“One of the remarkable findings of an analysis of more than a decade of cases involving canine aggression is that no matter how awful the dog was, if the people were committed to helping the dog become less distressed, the dog improved,” points out Dr. Karen Overall.
In This Article
- What Makes an Aggressive Dog Particularly Dangerous?
- Options Before Rehoming an Aggressive Dog
- Where to Surrender an Aggressive Dog
- The Importance of Disclosure
- When Is Euthanasia Considered for Aggressive Dogs?
- Getting Emotional Support
Larger dogs can be harder to physically manage.
What Makes an Aggressive Dog Particularly Dangerous?
Several factors may negatively impact the prognosis of a dog manifesting serious behavior problems such as aggression. These negative prognostic factors may suggest a less favorable outcome or lower chances of success when attempting to modify a dog's behavior. Let’s take a look at them:
- The size of the dog. Larger dogs are more powerful and, therefore, more capable of causing harm.
- Lack of predictability or clear warning signs. A dog who lashes out without warning or any recognizable triggers or patterns is much more risky than a dog who gives out precursor signs before displaying aggressive behavior.
- Presence of children. The stakes may be higher if an aggressive dog lives in a family with small children.
- Poor bite inhibition. A dog delivering level 4 bites will be deemed more dangerous than a dog who has better bite inhibition and delivers level 1 bites.
- Lack of owner participation. When considering the major determining factor of whether a dog will be retained in a home and survive a behavioral condition, the first thought often goes to the severity of the condition, but instead, the most predictive factor is the owner’s attitude about the dog. If the owner is uninterested or has little time or financial constraints, this can lead to a poor outcome.
When the owner understands the condition, minimizes any perceived risk, and meets the dog’s needs, the dog will improve regardless of how severe the behavior problem, points out board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall in the book Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals.
Before surrendering a dog, see a vet to rule out medical causes for aggression, and work with a behavior professional to modify negative behaviors.
Options Before Rehoming an Aggressive Dog
Before deciding to surrender or rehome an aggressive dog, there are several options that may help manage and sometimes even treat the root cause of the aggression. Please note that some of these options may not be feasible in cases where the aggression is severe, persistent, and poses significant risk to other people or animals.
1. See a Trusted Veterinarian
If your dog’s aggressive behavior has started out of the blue or it’s uncharacteristic of him, consider that, sometimes, there may be underlying medical causes at play. According to a study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, in dog owners who sought the help of a veterinarian for their dog’s behavioral problems, 15% of the visited dogs were found to have an underlying medical problem contributing to their undesirable behavior.
Anything from pain to thyroid issues, even skin allergies, has been linked to behavior changes and may involve aggression. Even certain medications can cause behavior changes that may cause dogs to lower their thresholds for behaving aggressively.
Many dog behavior professionals will require a thorough examination from a vet before starting to work on the problem. This is important because, if the aggression stems from an underlying medical problem, even the best behavior modification plan is set to fail.
Tip: If your dog is scared of the vet, you may want to seek the assistance of veterinarians and staff specializing in dealing with fearful dogs.
- Here is a directory to help you find a fear-free veterinary facility near you: Find a fear-free certified veterinarian.
2. Consult With a Dog Behavior Professional
Once your dog receives a clean bill of health, your next step is to consult with a behavior professional to institute behavior modification. Behavior modification encompasses multiple behavior change strategies, such as management, desensitization, counterconditioning, and differential reinforcement, with or without the use of medications prescribed under a vet's guidance.
When it comes to the choice of professionals, you have several options here, but your best bet, if you can afford one, is to go for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or a certified applied animal behaviorist. Let’s take a closer look at the various options.
Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist (DACVB)
A board-certified veterinary behaviorist is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. These specialists are veterinarians who have made behavior problems their area of specialty by working with animals with behavioral issues (under the supervision of experienced veterinary behaviorists) and completing a specialized multi-year residency program.
There are currently around 87 veterinary behaviorists in the USA. You can find one near you by visiting the DACVB website and using the "Find a Diplomate" option.
- Did you know? According to a study from the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, out of all owners who sought help from a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, 81% found the advice received to be helpful for treating their dog’s aggression.
Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB)
A CAAB is a certified applied animal behaviorist who has undergone specialized training with a focus on addressing behavioral issues. CAABs have supervised graduate training in learning theory, animal behavior, zoology, and biology at accredited universities.
CAABs collect and publish data in peer-reviewed journals and are full-time animal behaviorists with graduate degrees in the science of animal behavior.
- A list of CAABS near you can be found here: CAAB Directory.
Certified Dog Trainer/Behavior Consultant
A certified professional dog trainer/behavior consultant can also provide expertise in cases of aggression. These professionals can assess your dog’s situation and then create a behavior modification plan that is custom-tailored to your dog’s specific issues.
- You can find a list of certified professional dog trainers (CPDT-KA) and behavior consultants (CBCC-KA) from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT): Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant Directory.
- A list of animal behavior consultants/trainers from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) can be found here: Find an Animal Behavior Consultant/Trainer.
- Dog trainers and behavior consultants committed to using force-free training and behavior modification methods can be found on the Pet Professional Guild website: Find a Professional.
Nowadays, there are a variety of dog training and behavior modification methods. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, in a position statement, emphasizes the importance of veterinarians referring clients to qualified and ethical certified dog trainers who refrain from using aversive training methods and don’t rely on outdated ideas such as “dominance,” “leader of the pack,” or “alpha” theories.
The use of punishment-based techniques and tools (prong collars, alpha rolls) has been demonstrated to evoke or increase aggressive behaviors in dogs and are therefore not recommended for behavior modification.
Wearing a bite-proof muzzle in public is one way to manage the environment with an aggressive dog.
3. Manage the Environment
Managing the dog’s environment means taking all necessary steps to prevent the dog from contacting the stimuli or situations known to trigger the aggressive response. Well-executed management may function as a valid alternative to behavior modification or may be used in conjunction with behavior modification.
There are two main advantages in using management: It keeps everyone safe, and it prevents the dog from rehearsing the problematic behavior.
Examples of management include habituating the dog to wearing a bite-proof muzzle and/or using crates, exercise pens, baby gates, tethers, and leashes to avoid, or at least minimize, the chances of the dog rehearsing problematic behaviors contingent upon encountering triggers.
Always Weigh the Risks and Triggers
While management may seem quite easy to implement, in reality, it is often prone to failure. For example, if a dog guards bones, it is possible to no longer offer them while the dog is crated, but the dog may one day stumble on a random bone on a walk. Similarly, a dog may be kept away from the family cat, but a door may one day be left open accidentally.
It’s therefore important to consider management only in cases where the risks at stake aren’t too high and when triggers are easy to avoid. In cases of aggression toward other pets, multiple layers of management may be needed, such as baby gates and pens, so that, should one fail, there is a safe backup.
4. Use Online Resources
Nowadays, there are many online resources offering guidance on what to do when dealing with an aggressive dog. While these resources are not meant to substitute for in-person guidance, they can provide valuable information on how to read dog body language, as well as methods for implementing management.
Some behavior professionals may also offer free guidance on their websites, social media, communities, and forums. Support may also be provided courtesy of today’s technological advances through one-on-one behavior consultations done by live video.
5. Read Books
There are also several books that can help you better understand dog aggression. These books are for educational purposes and are not meant to substitute the in-person guidance of a dog behavior professional, but they can provide insights into techniques used by professionals and why dogs may behave certain ways.
Following are several books that focus on aggression:
- Fight: A Guide to Dog-Dog Aggression by Jean Donaldson covers the subject of dogs who fight, lunge, and don’t get along with other dogs.
- The Dog Aggression Workbook by James O’Heare is on the technical side but offers a lot of information about how professionals handle cases of dog aggression.
- Aggression in Dogs by Brenda Aloff discusses dog aggression in-depth, including body language, different types of dog aggression, and methods to tackle aggression.
- Mine: A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs is another great book by Jean Donaldson, this time focusing on dogs who guard items from humans.
- The Midnight Dog Walkers by Annie Phenix offers guidance for owners of dogs who are reactive and aggressive when on leash or in public.
Shelters, rescue organizations, and sanctuaries may be able to take your pet if the dog's aggression is unmanageable.
Where to Surrender an Aggressive Dog
When it comes to considering surrendering an aggressive dog, every effort should be made to provide proper training, behavior modification, and professional assistance before throwing in the towel.
If you are still struggling with your dog’s aggression after exploring all viable options, this may be a sign that it can no longer be safely managed or modified. Your next thought may therefore go to surrendering your dog, but where do you surrender an aggressive dog with behavior problems? Following are several options.
1. Dog Breeder
If you got your dog from a breeder, there is a chance that he or she may be willing to take your dog back. This is mostly the case with code of ethics breeders; these are responsible breeders who prioritize the well-being of the dogs they produce for their entire lives.
While breeders may have different policies, responsible breeders will often have special provisions in their contracts or code of ethics that outline their willingness to take back dogs they have bred, even if they’re adults. If they cannot personally take the dog back, they may attempt to make suitable rehoming arrangements.