Should my dog have surgery or be put to sleep?!

I can't imagine breaking my dogs leg and then not getting it fixed ASAP. Yesterday she had a sting/bite on her eye and I was doting over her... mind you she'd nipped me pretty good not long before that.
 
Maybe I'm all wet, but I don't get the feeling that you, deep down, love this dog. If you did, I would think you'd be less hesitant to make her whole again. I don't think you'd be considering euthanasia instead of setting her leg.
 
I think you should get her problems figured out (and fixed) and then see if a rescue will take her. If they won't take her because of a bite history, maybe you should try to find her a loving home yourself? 
 
 

I have a chi mix.  Hes 4 and hes very moody and possesive.  thats just the breed.  if you invade their space or overstep what they consider your boundaries, problems like this come up.  this dog is NOT for you,  you really need to fix her up and turn her over to the local rescue and let someone who is patient, understanding, and willing help her get better.  there may very well be something medically wrong with her, but you shouldnt take the opportunity to find out.  As a chi momma, you dont have what it takes to give her what she needs.  as for the other dog,  if they have bonded so well, maybe you should turn that one over as well.  Most rescues take in "sibling" pairs and adopt them out that way.  Think about it.  but absolutely fix her up.  You did it to her YOU need to make it right.  then let someone who cares enough bring her back.
 

Isn't there a disclaimer on Cesar's show that says something along the lines of "Do not try this at home without professional help"?

There is, but who the heck it going to follow it?
 
The mindset is
"Caeser makes it look so easy and simple, why do I need to contact a professional?"
 
 

Ugh... and this is what happens when inexperienced people watch too much TV... it's like that show Jackass where people tried to do what they did and ended up killing themselves/hurting others/etc. >-.-<

I have a chi mix. Hes 4 and hes very moody and possesive. thats just the breed.

 
Ugh, people say that about chows too, "thats just the breed."  That's completely the wrong attitude to have.  No, it's not just the breed, it's poor breeding, poor training, poor socialization.  Letting your dog misbehave and then say, "it's the breed", is not doing him or the breed any good.

i apologize if you think that was worded incorrectly.  by moody and possesive i mean strong willed and protective.  to me they are the same thing.  those are typical breed traits of the chihuahua.  i dont like to say things like "oh thats just how it is and it cannot be changed."  no, thats not the case. he was raised that its ok to be like that but i have yet to meet another chi owner whos dog behaves differently.  its not a matter of the whole world making the same mistakes.  some things are just encoded in these dogs.   SOME traits are genetic.  "moody and possesive" or "strong willed and protective"; however you prefer it said, these are chi traits.  if she cannot handle her dog or train her to behave, then she shouldnt screw the poor thing up anymore.  obviously a dog with a mind of her own shouldnt be with a momma with no mind at all.

No, it wasn't the wording I had the difference of opinion on.  It's the thought that in some breeds this is "just the way they are".  They need to be taught NOT to be that way. 
 

no, thats not the case. he was raised that its ok to be like that but i have yet to meet another chi owner whos dog behaves differently. its not a matter of the whole world making the same mistakes. some things are just encoded in these dogs. SOME traits are genetic.

Some dogs, including mine, are from a breed if poorly bred can have temperment issues.  However, that does not excuse the behavior or the many people who have no idea how to train a dog like this. On my chow forum, the do it all the time.  A poster will post about a bad behavior and many, many others will respond "that's a chow for ya" or something to that effect.  That's wrong, that should not be acceptable at all just because it's a chow or a chi or any dog for that matter.

I've read extensively on temperment and from my reading I've learned that very few dogs are just born unable to be lived with. 

It's clearly not the dog that is the problem it's the owners neglect to train and establish themselves as the alpha of the pack. Biting or growling at the hand that feeds it is completely unacceptable but yelling at the dog or locking it in a room isn't going to teach it anything. That just proves to the animal that you aren't in control and that is the whole reason the dog is taking over.. No alpha would act anything but calm and assertive. You need to be trained to train this dog and here is a good article for you to read.
 
 [linkhttp://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_LeaderPack.html]http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_LeaderPack.html[/link]
 
 

In principle, I agree with what you have said.  A couple of points, however.  Recent research has shown that allowing your dog to sleep in your bed has no impact on whether they feel superior toward you, unless you allow it during the first two months of their lives.  I don't know the reason, but I find that fascinating, and in fact, my 8 month old Aussie sleeps in my bed, but in my house, no one does that unless they are housetrained, and obey the following: sit, lie, wait, come (every time), and leave it.  I have never had a problem with leadership issues here.
Also, the article tells people to use a firm, deep voice.  I disagree that you must use a deep voice.  In fact, I prefer the humans in the home use a soft voice (that way, the kids in the family can make Phydeaux "sit", too, and the mom isn't complaining that only dad can make the dog do it).  It is consistency of cue and reward that gets the job done, not tone of voice.  Most of my dogs sit if I ask in a whisper (Dancer can't - she's deaf now).
The OP is just one of those people who obviously didn't take the time or effort to research the breed, and learn to train properly.  And, I see she still hasn't been back to share the outcome...

Just to clarify[] this article is called alpha bootcamp. It was written to be used as a process of establishing yourself as alpha. Once this is clearly established to your dog you can create your own limits and rules for your den. I allow my 110lb akitas on my bed but they clearly know who is the boss here which let me tell you did not happen overnight. Akitas are probably one of the most challenging breeds of all dogs to train. I have no problem with dogs on a bed as long as they are ALWAYS invited up and when told to get off they obey. The idea with a deep tone is simply based on how the alpha in a natural dog pack would handle the omega or lower ranking dogs. For instance if you watch a mother with her puppies and the puppies are biting on her or acting against her wishes she would let out a deep growl or tone. She would not get hysterical barking at the puppies but just a short deep growl to alert the puppy that it's behavior is unacceptable. Not saying you do this just making a point of people that baby talk their animals typically you will see behavior problems in these homes. Simply because a dog thinks in black and white they do not respect " oh fooofy do you want to go walkie out sidie" they take that as weakness and lack of authority. There is a difference between a deep tone and yelling. Even your children have the ability to use a deep tone when commanding your dog. I always tell people in my forum that have these issues to use this alpha boot camp process and have seen tons of proven results. Make them sit before they are fed. Make them sit  before letting them outside always exit a door before they do. These are very simple things that any dog owner can do to establish themself as an alpha. Dogs need a leader they want and need somebody to be in control and it's when they feel no one is... they start to act out and they try and take control of your household. Dogs don't want this responsibility they would rather play and run around and sleep. So it's something they need ( a leader ).I have seen hundreds of cases of people claiming they have bad dogs or their dog cannot be trained or the dog has a bad temperment and there is nothing that can be done. I have yet to see a dog that cannot be trained and I have seen probably some of the worst most aggressive dogs ever.... trained and completely turned around. Actually in one instance a seriously dominant dog that had killed a smaller dog was about to be euthanized when a friend of mine stepped in and trained this dog properly, took control, established himself as leader and took this dog to the show ring and titled him a champion so go figure.
 
Just my personal feelings based on my own experiences []

I agree it doesn't need to be a deep voice.  I never raise my voice and sometimes as we are going thru the day I whisper the commands I want her to do. 
 
PS-----love the akita  []

tazcarm, I certainly hope you don't think that because I don't use a deep voice that I am not my dogs' leader.  There are five dogs here, I train hundreds of dogs a year (including Akitas, Pits, Rotts), and my training methods are based on building a relationship where dogs respect my, and, hopefully their owners', leadership.  Notice I do not use the term "alpha", since I believe it oversimplifies the situation.  I do not want to dominate my dogs.  I want my dogs to follow their leader (voluntarily), which they do.  There is no question about my status - but I hesitate to use the "dominance theory" jargon because too many humans aren't savvy enough to realize that they don't have to use force, or alpha rolls, or yelling to be leaders. 
 
By the way, I baby talk and have a special "fun voice" for my dogs - when they get home from a grooming appointment, when they have a birthday party, when we are cuddling and having fun, etc.  But, the difference is that I can switch them on and off by just calming down and making a request that they do the same.  My BF lets Sequoyah back into my bedroom sometimes when I am trying to sleep in - he thinks she'll keep jumping and wiggling and get me up to have a cup of java with him - not.  I just say "lie down", and "that'll do" and he has no hope of using her to get his way LOL.  So, it really isn't the baby talk that's the problem, it's inadequate or improper training techniques. 

I once read an old saying:
 
You cannot train a horse with shouts and expect it to obey a whisper.  []

Your not understanding that there is a difference between dominating a dog into doing something and just projecting a confident attitude. I in no way believe in yelling or alpha rolls or any of that stuff that uneducated people use in attempt to force their dog to do what they want. I too believe in a equal respect between human and canine and a trust or bond is crucial. All I was saying that it sickens me when people are ready to euthanize their animals because they slacked in creating a healthy environment for the animal and due to their neglect in training or trust with the animal the animal begins to act out and now it's the dogs fault! Not bad dogs... bad owners.Too many people have dogs and don't train them and don't understand them and they end up being tied to trees on chains in the backyard because THEY are unruly or they end up in kennels for eight hours a day with no physical excersise and then they are to blame.

I never yell at my dogs. Yelling is a sign that you are out of control it does not project confidence whatsoever and only makes dogs nervous and unstable. I beleive in projecting confidence when you train but i also beleive in alot of praise when good behavior is given.Thats how a dog learns.Teach the dog what behavior is expected.And don't expect it to understand what you want until they have been given the appropriate time to understand and learn what you want. raise the dog when the dog responds and correct a dog for unacceptable behavior as well. I did not say beat the dog or alpha roll it I mean a NOOOOO in a deep tone. Thats it!





And once again Maybe I replied to the wrong post because I don't know why you are getting so defensive. the post i replied to was a person asking if they should put their dog to sleep because it so called had a personality change. The dog shouldn't be put to sleep the human should.

[:'(]