[Arcadien]

(Cross posting)
My friends do foster for a Kuvasz rescue. They have a lot of experience & have rehabbed many troubled dogs into solid citizens & placed them in good homes. They've literally helped 100s of dogs so they know what they are doing.

In spite of this good handling, this boy is still unpredictably biting. He was given up by a family for biting a kid. He has bitten both of the foster couple. Apparently he can be good & friendly for some time, & then out of the blue snap at someone. My male friend is closer to him, plays tug of war & takes him on walks. He thinks he can be rehabbed with more time, but my girlfriend (correctly I think - she has boarders with kids on the place) sees him as a dangerous liability. The rescue that placed him with them has irresponsibly bailed on offering any help.

He most definitely is not a candidate for a normal pet home, but maybe someone is out there with a big farm & flock guardian dog experience that thinks they might want to try? You'd have to sign a release stating you know you are taking on a dangerous dog.

He has an appointment to be euthed Monday night. Not necesarily the wrong thing to do, of course, but I just thought I'd post his story here in case anyone thought they might have a home for a troubled Kuvasz. Long shot, I know.

If interested PM me & I will give you the foster dad's phone #.

[SGray]

have they tried contacting the guardian folks at lgd.org?

[TBPONY]

You may want to check out Pedigree Database and make a thread in the All Breed section (pedigreedatabase.com) as there are a lot of people there who may be able to help. Most have or have had difficult dogs and know how to place them in safe homes.

[hosspuller]

Good for your friends. It's a tough, tough decision. I've had to make the same choice for a dog I got from a rescue. The rescue did step up when I called with my decision. NC law calls for a 10 day quarentine for dogs that attack humans before euth. I surmise for rabies purposes, but I had the dog for 6 months before. And he was UTD on shots. I tried for 5 months.

[Sannois]

Those dogs scare the heck out of me, along with Great Pyrenees
I know it is my experience, but I find them aloof ad somewhat agressive
HAd a bad experience with one once.

[Guilherme]

You've got a dog that is a prime candidate for euthanasia. This is not a PC choice in these waters, but when you've got at least THREE bites then you've got a DANGEROUS animal. It is irresponsible beyond words to keep this dog in "the stream of commerce."

Years ago we put down a really nice St. Bernard after it's third bite. I had a Great Pyr go "rogue" and kill four sheep one night. That one, too, was put down. It would have been criminally negligent of me to try and put either of these dogs in someone else's home.

Man up and end the danger.

G.

[saje]

There are SO MANY sweet, loving, tolerant, mentally stable dogs out there that need a home and don't get one.

Euthanasia is the best thing in this case. It sucks all around, but a Kuvasz is a BIG dog, making him that much more dangerous. Even flock dogs have to interact with humans on some level at some point. Put him down.

[Megaladon]

Maybe this isn't the place for this but I agree with Guilherme, and, um, dog sounds like it has a short circuit somewhere---euthing should be the only option, to me it's very irresponsible to send this dog somewhere else, essentially into the unknown. The people have full control right now, they won't after this dog leaves. I'm actually surprised that the clause about taking a dangerous dog, that has a bite record is even legal!

[Hulk]

Sad to say but this dog is unfortunately, dangerous and un predictable. To ask some one else to deal with this is not fair or safe. Its not if the dog will bite again, its when. And who is going to be the next bite victim? If the victim is a child, a dog of that size could do unthinkable damage. The deal is, this is a situation where if you think you can control this dog, or not let that happen again, it is only a delusion.

I have spent a lifetime dealing with dogs like this, and many times was a last stop, before euthanasia, and some you just cant fix or save. It sounds like this dog falls into this catagorie.

As for the people you speak of that rehab or work with dogs of this nature, please advise them that playing tug of war with this type of dog is not a good idea, and may feed agressive dogs behavior towards more agression.

[wishnwell]

Years ago when I did rescue we had a dog come through that was a tough nut to crack. He was too much for the owners to handle, very excitable, no one in the rescue could train this dog. He also had serious Separation Anxiety, though I don't recall a biting issue. Anywho, we had one member who was able to find this dog a place with a group that trained dogs to become drug sniffing dogs. It was the best thing ever, but they had to pass a lengthy test to be accepted. He went through the program that lasts almost a full year and graduated to sniff out drugs in airports! That's a great story, but not the norm. I'm not sure with a history of biting he could honestly be placed anywhere. I wouldn't touch him with a 10 ft pole honestly. Risk losing home owners insurance over a bite and god forbid a serious bite that wounded a human. Sometimes Euthanasia is in the best interest for all involved and the time and money can be spent on a dog that is worth the effort.
Your friends gave it a try but his time may just be up. I'm sorry I'm not more hopeful. Maybe someone will pull through for him in the end. Good luck.

[BeeHoney]

The dog needs to be put down. A dog with a history of biting would not be suitable as a LGD. Livestock owners in general and specifically flock owners have NO interest in dogs that bite humans or animals. Typically they are running businesses and cannot afford dogs that will harm livestock or put them at risk for liability. A large dog with a history of biting--esp. multiple bites--cannot be responsibly re-homed.

[In the Air]

I had a very good friend who imported two beautiful Kuvasz puppies. He gave one to a close friend and kept one for himself. The friends puppy turned on the instructor in the puppy training class. After many trainers and many savage attacks the puppy was scheduled to be put down at six months. My friend took the pupy back to save it. His puppy also bit several times. He had to construct a separate living space for those two dogs. He struggled with those dogs for many years. He then passed away unexpectedly , the dogs had to be shot. I would never have a kuvasz. They are not really very good pets. Put it down before it maims some one.

[Cluck]

I have an Anatolian Shepherd, which is also a LGD and quite similar (although perhaps less sharp) in temperament to the Kuvasz and GP. My experience is that while these dogs can be very laid back most of the time when they make a decision they can be very very fast, too quick to retract a snap or bite. Mine has never bitten but he has warned/growled. With one bite, I would seriously be thinking euthanasia.

With the bite history this Kuvasz has I would put him to sleep without question and without any doubt in my mind. These breeds are incredibly powerful and have the potential to be extremely dangerous. One bite could kill a child. There should be no hesitation.

[Foxtrot's]

The handlers who have him now have all the experience and have called it a day - go with their opinions. Sadly, we can't save everything in this world.
I agree with what others have said.

[wcporter]

As for the people you speak of that rehab or work with dogs of this nature, please advise them that playing tug of war with this type of dog is not a good idea, and may feed aggressive dogs behavior towards more aggression.

YES. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks playing tug of war with an aggressive, biting prone dog, is a baaaad idea.

Please put this animal to sleep. Not all animals can, and should, be "saved." This dog is a prime example.

[Trakehner]

Kuvasvs are not pets...they have a job to do...by themselves with their flocks. NOT PETS.

We've a neighbor with a Kuvasv...psycho dog he wanted since the breed is from his mother country...truly dislike this breed off the farm.

[carolprudm]

I have an Anatolian Shepherd, which is also a LGD and quite similar (although perhaps less sharp) in temperament to the Kuvasz and GP. My experience is that while these dogs can be very laid back most of the time when they make a decision they can be very very fast, too quick to retract a snap or bite. Mine has never bitten but he has warned/growled. With one bite, I would seriously be thinking euthanasia.

With the bite history this Kuvasz has I would put him to sleep without question and without any doubt in my mind. These breeds are incredibly powerful and have the potential to be extremely dangerous. One bite could kill a child. There should be no hesitation.

Plus, LGD's have to work independently without human supervision or intervention, roaming with the herd. You can't have a known biter un supervised.

[kuvasz]

continued on Giveaway:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/sh...ems-needs-home

[HPFarmette]

I have experienced this with a friend's dog, whom a well-respected trainer, a true dog advocate, called a "flash biter" - almost like an epileptic episode, no way to predict, made no sense at all. The trainer and vet both said "lawsuit waiting to happen" and the dog was euthanized. If there had been any alternative at all, I know that trainer would have pushed for it.

[ownedbykuvasz]

I am so sorry to hear about the reputation my lovely breed has on here. That's why it's so important to go to a good breeder. One who understands the entire breed and how it fits into the working home (some might be kennel dogs with a few sheep, etc thrown in but they don't interact with predators)

To the last chance dog, could you please email me at [email protected]?

I know it might be too late for the dog but considering many of us try to keep up with kuvasz in need, none of us have heard of this dog so would like to help with the dog if still alive or work with the rescue organizations that assisted, or didn't assist.

In 20+ years, I've bred and owned over 30 kuvasz, and none have bitten me. Never even thought about it. My dogs go straight from guarding the property (first in Alaska where we had brown bears feed on the banks of the river 70 feet in front of the house to Montana where we've had big cats, wolves and bears come off the continental divide across the property) to the show ring where they don't go after other dogs or people. Now the kuvasz can be capable of getting into trouble if the owners do not train or socialize them correctly and let them get into trouble, but with good genetics and good husbandry, there is no reason they should be uncontrollable biters.

Deborah Blank
Glacier Creek Kuvasz
glaciercreekkuvasz.com