Yeah, right.  I always thought it'd be 'cute' to go one better...and Have a Tassie Devil as a 'pet' and scare the pants of all those idiot pit owners.

Even their mating 'growls' would have them wetting their pants...;)

It'd be safer to 'own' a Brown Snake or a Taipan ....at least you'd KNOW they can kill and would handle them with RESPECT...instead of just waiting for the inevitable neighbour child's mutilation thanks to a dog breed that's intended to kill....;p

I came across a Blue Heeler once......I knew it was a Blue Heeler for 2 reasons.

1. it was red [it's an Aussie thing]

and

2. it latched onto my heel.

I stopped walking [obviously]...and looked down at him and said 'can I help you?'  He looked at me and decided I wasn't livestock and let go.

Then there was the time I was out cycling and a humongous German Shepherd raced up alongside me barking his head off.  The owner said 'it's OK...he won't bite...he just likes bicycles'... to which I replied....'well buy him his own....this one's mine.."...;)

you dont smack a dog !
Wow i dont even have to quote more ... your dog destroys your couch because he is young and if you do not have enough time to take care of your dog, to play with him whatever of course he will show you that. But smacking slapping a dog is the most ( sorry dumbest thing ) draging him on his collar is why he bites ( you dragged him to something he had fun doing first on his collar and then smacked him ) How stupid is that?
Would you also take your kids for icecream and as soon as they try to lick it smack them ?

You did smack him because he destroyed the couch also mentioning collar draging... The draging part sounds worse than the smacking
Its your fault not the dogs...
The part where you mention giving him back just shows that you shouldn´t own a dog in the first place, as cruel and harsh as it sounds.
Someone else would have mentioned training as the first alternative choice but returning? Sorry but iam angry about your post

Just think about this for a moment: You buy a dog (Pet) with low age these pets adopt to their owners giving them away will cause confusion for the pet since the owner is suddently gone a new owner may be found but just may and the dog has to adjust once again.
A pet is also a living thing...

when i was born my family already had dogs so im used to them and there is never a time we dont treat them as family members.
When they break something and you raise your voice just a little they do know and understand... there is never a time you have to hurt them smack them or drag them around.

If you realy want to try and fix up your mess...
Play a little bit with him in the garden... pet him ( but dont touch the collar )
Speak with him slowly and calm ( if you have fear you will reflect that, aswell as anger and bad mood reflects of from) maybee someone can translate that a bit better. Lets say it this way you have lost your trust and the dog is reading you and doesnt know what to make out of the signs he recieves ).
take a walk with him and pet him some more on the couch ,slowly working up your level of trust then slowly make your way to the collar
and keep petting... once he notice that there is nothing to fear if someone grabbes the collar everything will be alright once more 
You can also train putting the collar on and on again... once he allows you to touch it.
You should consider reading books about the subject first instead of just buying things! knowledge doesnt hurt... 

Can we please have Quote and Edit buttons in different colors in WC2014 ? TY
and sorry for the double post/Quote 

I don't have a dog but several ideas.

- get a second, bigger and friendlier dog to keep the other dog company.

- neuter

- electric collar to train the dog

- put the dog on a good leash or in a (big) cage whenever you are not around to keep an eye on it, to protect your children.

 

^That will not work, adding another dog to this situation will only create two out of control dogs, the OP is in way over his head, and for the safety of everyone involved the dog must be returned to the shelter.

He hasn't bitten me or anybody else at this point, snapping and biting are very different things.

I can play with him now and he's fine, i can even grab his collar while playing or in any other situation and it doesn't bother him. It's when he's in trouble for doing something that he gets defensive over the collar.

Also if i didn't see my error here i would just take the dog and have him put down. i mean your acting as if i am blaming the dog and accept no responsibility for whats going on here. Apparently you haven't read all the posts. Would i have created a post asking for advice if i blamed the dog?

Also we do play with him daily and we have another dog that we've never had a problem with, we've had him for 6 years now and he's a great dog. We walk them both and they are spoiled compared to other dogs. So it's not like i tie my dog up and beat him randomly while starving him. I'm not Micheal Vick.

Advice is all well and good....even the touchy-feely....fuck-it-don't-blame-the-dog....etc.

But there IS only one option.

ONLY give advice that will NOT endanger human life.  To do anything else is simply grossly irresponsible.

Analogy.

Hey...I have this gun.  It has a hair-trigger and no safety.  Is it OK to clean it while it's loaded?

 

 

Return the dog.  If you feel a need to feel better about it adopt 2 in lieu.  Ensure NEITHER is a pitbull or cross.  Both your children AND the shelter will thank you.

 

Ok sorry i thought your one of those who bought a dog without having any experience, but why would you drag him on his collar and slap or smack him no explaination here for that ... A dog isnt a toy its a living thing and a dog can only behave the way you train him obviously from your text the dog was already trained and to me its a riddle why someone who knows how much his own dog loves water would drag him on his collar to the spot and slap him for playing. To me it shows that you miss some basic understanding
The point im trying to make is you knew about his passion and you let him into the garden- so you should learn about your mistake and train your dog wrong from right. Normaly a dog learns the fastest if you say no bad or good right when it happens.' There is never the need to raise a hand if you do it right.

To the snapping and biting part - no there is not much difference ...snapping is simply a warning before the dog goes over to the bite... if there is no growling towards you before he snappes then you have lost your trust...
Growling is something that kids dont understand they think its funny and will continue and that is also the reason why dogs are not for small kids. 
Even if i have big trust in my boys i always have an eye out when my daughter is playing near them.
A dog tries to find his level/place or spot in a family and sometimes a dog wants to be above. Nature
The best tip i can give is to actually read into the topic dog and get help from someone who is around and knows dogs very well.
Every dog is different same as Humans and some require a bit more training petting and more attention in the young years.

Ohh another thing do you take off the collar at night ?
I trained my dogs this way that if i put them a collar on then( playtime is over ) collar off playtime
Others do the same thing and have these body leashes dont know the english word for it...


 

Jafo sorry even tho if you get pissed i wouldn´t sell you a dog thats for sure... 

I only get pissed on friday nights [that's tomorrow]....it's the red wine...;)

I'm a cat person.  Currently two own me.

BTW...I wouldn't ever buy a dog from you....unless you were a shelter.  Our 2 cats were from a refuge [shelter].... one of whom put paid to our US trip in 2012 thanks to medical bills.  She's fine now...so next year [14] we may yet terrorize Michigan again...;)

I also had cats and severall dogs in these thirty years even had two pitbulls ...like i said the dog behaves the way you train him.
I would never return a puppy simply because i know that they  adjust themselves especially in young years to their owner...returning them for something that was caused by myself would be like adopting a kid and then returning it if it has its first bad grade in school.
I know what happens to dogs that get returned they are likely not sold anymore or the family cant carry them and have to give them away basically returning a dog is like shooting it.

Or would you give your cat away because you let her do so smack it and if she scratches you for doing so return it i doubt it.  
(i´ve been bitten a total of 7 times in thirty years and only from returned dogs that peed and shited themselves after doing so)
I know it was part fun but i get serious over topics like this very quickly, sometimes i can control myself and i do appologize and i do now aswell  my attituite is sometimes stronger than my mind, but i do work on that.
I know how fucked up it is to return a dog since my mother sold them for 5 years and we had Huskys that were returned beaten, starved and injured, by their once so good and caring owners, since we couldnt keep one every year we gave them to friends and that was basically the last option since unexperienced folks wont take a "second hand dog."
We currently have a total of 5 dogs running around our home two of them aree mine but i take them to wherever i go...
I knew from the very start that having them is a lot of work and i dont see them as dogs or hobby i see them like kids and family members.
 

No i don't take it off at night, i don't think the problem is with the collar itself. it's just somebody grabbing the collar when angry.

I'm really torn here, i mean i understand people saying take the dog back i really do. But i can't help but want to fix this for the simple reason that we screwed this poor dog up. I mean lets for a second look at the two side effects on the dog.

If we keep the dog and try to correct the behavior by changing the discipline method, if it works great we actually saved a loving dog. If not than he eventually bites or attacks somebody. Which is horrible and could have been avoided if i didn't care so damn much.

If we take the dog back to the shelter, (which i called yesterday after work) they'll be required to put down the dog was given to the shelter due to snapping. The dog could be very mentally confused and damaged as he might not get close to any owner at that point. greatly increasing the chances of him actually attacking somebody else. Thats assuming somebody would actually adopt a dog that has been labeled aggressive. (which is very unlikely) If nobody adopts him then the dog is put down within a given time frame (the shelter wouldn't tell me how long, most likely because it wouldn't be very long considering the aggressiveness of his return.)

 

 

I know you feel bad and I understand.  But the dog needs to go.  You have to think of your children's safety before the dog.  The dog has snapped at your children.  That's enough to have it put down.  The fact that it's a breed that's known to attack and kill children is another indicator.

Like I said before, I have pitbulls.  They're trained and friendly.  I'd still never have them around children.

The shelter will put it down humanely.  If you have a concern about that and want to ease your conscience, you can take it to a vet and have them put it down.

Seriously, don't put your and your neighbor's children at risk from an aggressive dog.

 

I know how to treat animals.  Ignoring that I am allergic to cats...I had to get 'physical' with one of them when she caught her lower jaw inside her collar...and was likely to choke.  Needless to say, in her panicked condition she wasn't inclined to be held....and I had to let go [before freeing her jaw] because my blood was making her impossible to hang on to.  The room was a mess.  To stem the flow I grabbed a towel which saved me from further shredding the second time and I got the collar free.

It took months to restore her confidence...only to have that wonderful illness that $7200 of vet fees couldn't uncover....but she recovered in spite of their efforts - and we didn't fly to the US that year.

Sometimes shit happens.

In the case of the OP he has mis-managed an inherently dangerous breed and the only responsible advice is to protect his children/self.

I've had dogs all my life, from mutts to pure breds. The mutts, mixed breeds, were the best. The first was Tiny, small enough to fit in the palms of your hands. We had her for eighteen years and every single year she got pregnant. Fortunately most were adopted. Hers was the run of the house. No special training at all. When she wanted to go out she'd scratch at the door and we just let her out, by herself. She'd roam the neighborhood for an hour or two then come right back home. We've had Shepards, Collies, Dobermans. The 'Dobies' were the ones who 'looked after' my baby sister. Linda was just a few months old and my mom would put her out in the backyard in a baby carriage. The two Dobermans, one male and one female, took turns by the carriage. If you're not the mother you are not even getting close. They wouldn't bark, only bared their teeth. The male was not small and weighed a hefty amount. He stood on his hind legs one day and 'draped' his paws on my shoulders. Eye level. I was about five foot nothing at the time. One really good thing about them was that they were friendly, to everyone. Always playful and they loved children. Long story short we never had to really discipline any of our dogs. A loud NO! was all it took and you made eye contact with your dog. After a few times it'll get the message. But getting them as a pup is the best. Puppies and kittens......try having five of each, all the same age, running around your house. Bedlam!    

you just really need to educate yourself...fast...

get to an obedience dog club... have you looked one up in your area yet?

many experienced people there to help you who have had these problems before...

young males always take a bit more managing... like all adolescents, they challenge.... and you've certainly given him reason to question you....it's always best for first time dog owners to get a bitch... but, as you now have a dog... you need to find someone with some hands on advice... not just forums.. we can't be the best judge as to the situation...

Is he desexed?  Does he physically take after the Lab or the Pit more?... care to post a pic of him?

I'd like to see you come back to the forum with some approach you have made in your area to help you sort this out... not just, I rang the shelter... because they are offering a needle.... if that's your decision, fine... but you seem to want to see if this damage can be reversed and managed by yourself... don't dawdle... get on it..

Try ringing the local vet and see who/what they can recommend...

pics

http://postimg.org/image/ywyi6mg7h/

http://postimg.org/image/7yyjbz2ep/

 

I tried speaking with the dog trainers at the local petsmart back when he was chewing through my sprinklers like they were m&ms, but they just kinda blew me off and didn't offer any real help or information. 

 

Looks more Lab to me.

Well....snapping at people is a whole different ballgame to chewing sprinklers.... If they blow you off this time.....they're grossly irresponsible...try elsewhere...

 

Thanks for the pics.... He seems more of a lab build.. not that mega pit bull mouth....

 

Growing up, i observed my parents training methods for their cats....

they trained the cat to claw the best furniture when it wants to go outside - by throwing it outside whenever it claws the best furniture!

They trained the cat to jump up on the kitchen bench in order to get fed - by grabbing it off the kitchen bench and feeding it!

Best of all, the cat learn to lay it's tail near my mom's feet when she was in the kitchen, then when my mom steps the cal yells out as if she step in its tail, when in reality she did not! Amazing huh? She trained it to do that by feeding it to get it out of her way in the kitchen, usually after stepping on its tail, for real!

The lesson here is that most average people's eyes are not open to what they are really doing with their pets behavior!

 

Oh and shit never 'just' happens, i find, it gets 'jinxed' into happening. As an example, from what i had learn't about luck over the years, when my freind told me he was saving up to buy a new computer and had saved $4000 already but wanted to save more, i told him that was a mistake, that money is a classic red bulls-eye jinx and if he did not spend it now, it would force something bad to happen, and i casually suggested such as the engine blowing up in his car - 3 days later he called me up on the phone yelling "how did i know".... the engine in his car had blown up!! I know, because i know how luck thinks.

Never ever save up for a holiday, just save money and try your best not to think about what you will use it for.

 

 

Oh...and I bet you also think that bad luck comes in threes.....

....all because you can't work out how to count to 4 ....;)

No-one 'trains a cat'.  If you believe you can you are simply deluded, nothing more.

Cats train people.

think that's what he was saying... in a very cute way....

 

but yes.... Dogs have Masters.... Cats have staff....

 

very true...

First, I'm sorry you're having this problem Matopicus.

Second, I respect your rescuing the dog, and your honesty of how you tried to correct undesirable behavior and your accepting responsibility for said corrections.  I agree that the techniques you used weren't the best.

Third, I'm no dog expert, but I have had dogs (1 at a time) for 31 years and have been able to train them to be pretty effortless and problem free.  Current dog (see Avatar -- mostly siberian husky with a bit of shepherd I'm guessing, got her at age 1.5 years from Humane society, original owner didn't properly socialize her or train her to walk/etc., but otherwise a perfect dog).

I don't believe that certain breeds are more aggressive than others (with the caveat that some breeds are so inbred that they suffer from physical and/or physiological problems such as extreme nervousness, hip displasia, etc.).  Some breeds to attract certain types of people tho, which I think is the main problem with pit bulls (tho I could be wrong -- I'd like to see good evidence that they've successfully been bred to be more aggressive, as there's a lot of bad evidence on both sides of this argument).  I think 99.99% of the time it's the owner not the dog.

That said, for advice, I can only offer some general advice as not much info is available.

1-You have kids, they have to come first. If you can't be there all the time to supervise safe interactions, that's a big problem.

2-for the furniture chewing, I don't know the specifics so let me present a possible description that may give some things to try...  I'm going to assume a typical morning -- dog wakes up when the family rises, dog is excited/hungry.  Family is running around getting ready for work/school -- excitement and energy!  Dog feeds on this excitement/energy, getting more excited/energetic.  Maybe the dog is let out to do his thing in the backyard, then let back in and fed/watered, then family leaves dog alone at home.  Dog is excited/energetic and bored.  Nick's dog rule #1 -- a bored dog can be a destructive dog.  Dog looks for entertainment and spies a couch!  munch munch...

Possible solution -- in the morning, bicycle + leash + dog + run dog til tongue lolls out side of mouth for 15 minutes = relatively tired dog which is then left alone at home.  Nick's dog rule #2 -- a tired dog is less likely to be destructive.  It's not just being physically tired, but as Dog Whisperer says "birds fly, fish swim, dogs run."  Running is psychologically refreshing/healthy for dogs.

This may not 'cure' the couch munching, but should help.  If munching continues, kennel is next.  Get dog used to kennel while you're home, at first for a few minutes with door open and with treats.  Slowly increase, and hope.

Also, dogs feed off our 'energy'.  I used to ask my first dog "want to go for a walk?" in an excited voice, I thought it was cute.  Dog already was excited -- had energy, was looking forward to the walk, and I added to that.  Now I am calm and quiet before walks, and have the dog lay quietly while I prepare.  She's still excited but I'm helping minimize it and helping her control the excitement.  Keeping your dog calm before you leave him at home alone can't hurt.

3-for the backyard digging, you need to catch them in the act, and the sooner the better -- as in 'nip it in the bud' as Barney Fife used to say -- don't wait til he's digging but stop him when he just starts to get the idea to dig.  Yes this means you need to be there and watching during the training period.  Also, tiring out the dog first helps, otherwise you're putting an energetic/excited dog out to find his own entertainment.

Some folks think any correction or other 'negative' training is abhorrent and criminal.  I disagree.  I think corrections can be humane and useful.  Dog Whisperer talks about a dog's energy level -- on a scale from 1 to 10 assume 1 is bored dog falling asleep, and 10 is max excitement chasing-rabbit-just-out-of-reach excitement.  To get a dog's attention you have to use an 'energy' a bit more energetic than the dog's energy level.  For example, when I walk my dog (off leash) and she starts to head in the wrong direction I can barely whisper 'no' and she'll redirect to the right direction.  However, when she spots a dead bird that's been sitting in the 116 degree desert sun for 2 days -- one of her favorite meals -- I have to practically shout 'NO!!' for her to hear me.

So, when you see your dog start to move towards the sprinklers just give a verbal correction, and best is when he first thinks of doing it, before he actually does do it.  Experiment to see how 'energetic' it has to be for him to heed it.  The earlier in his action the less energy needed.  You may have to move to him and touch him (not hit/kick/etc., but touch as in a gentle nudge) to get his attention.  Again, experiment on where/how to do this.  For example, when training my current dog I found she responded to gently touching her ear.  I'd prefer that she would have responded to a quiet 'no' but she didn't.  Eventually she did, and I haven't ear-touched for 4 years.

Give rewards when dog is doing things you approve of, not just gentle corrections when doing what you don't want.

It would also help to give her some toys to play with in the back yard (bored energetic dog is destructive dog).  Possibly some water toys -- shallow small plastic pool (tho be careful with your kids and pools and water)?  A sprinkler that you occasionally run to help tire her out?

My dog digs in the backyard, but it's Phoenix AZ and hot a good part of the year, she does it to cool off, and we just accept that the back will look like no man's land.

With all 3 of my dogs I put in the effort to train them during the first couple of years, and was/am rewarded with many many years of pretty much effortless and joyful dog ownership.  The effort is more than rewarded, both in time saved and in fun.

If you have any questions about the above or anything else, please to ask.

Good luck! 

Have no idea what that means?

But i do appreciate that movie, 'final destination'.... but in real life it is much more subtle, and the objective is not to kill those that should be dead, it is to annoy people. Ever wondered why all the cars that turn up at the petrol station all happen to have the filler on the same side? Or why they all turn up just when you want to get petrol and then the petrol station is quiet again when your gone?

A list i got off the internet which i also appreciate:

Given the most inappropriate time for something to go wrong, that's when it will occur.

The universe is not indifferent to intelligence, it is actively
            hostile to it.

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked
      something.

If, of the seven hours you spend at work, six hours and fifty-five
     minutes are spent working at your desk, and the rest of the time
     you throw the bull with your cubicle-mate, the time at which
     your supervisor will walk in and ask what you're doing can be
     determined to within five minutes.

In any collection of data, the figures that are obviously correct,
      beyond all need of checking, contain the errors.

Interchangeable parts won't.

The most delicate component will be dropped.

A dropped tool will land where it will do the most damage.

A component selected at random from a group having a 99% reliability
      will be a member of the 1% group.

Any wire cut to length will be too short.

Identical units tested under identical conditions will not be
identical

               MESKIMEN'S LAW
     There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.

JONES'S LAW
The man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone he can
blame it on.

THE LAW OF THE PERVERSITY OF NATURE
You cannot successfully determine beforehand which side of the bread to
butter.

Laura's Law: "No child throws up in the bathroom."

Preudhomme's Law of Window Cleaning: "It's on the other side."

"Anything that happens enough times to irritate you will happen at
        least once more."

laws of Frisbee: "(1) The most powerful force in the world is
        that of a disc straining to land under a car, just out of reach
        (this force is technically termed 'car suck')

Corry's Law: "Paper is always strongest at the perforations."

Why did the chicken cross the road?
Murphy: The chicken will invariably cross the road at the worst possible
time and the worst possible place.

(2) The chicken had a bad day.

(3) The more the chicken wants to cross the road the more likely traffic
gets heavier.

(4) When the chicken finally gives it up traffic stops instantaneously.

You missed the 2 most important.

Murphy's Law.  If something can go wrong....it will.

Sod's Law.  If something can go wrong....it will....for YOU.

Oh, and....

Confidence....that feeling you have immediately BEFORE you fully understand the situation.