The Attack of The White House Dog

Some weeks ago, there was a thread about people attacking the appearance of one of Biden’s dogs (the older - there are 2 GSD, one about 13, one about 3.) These two dogs were photographed, a great deal was made about the fact that the Bidens had dogs and the Trumps didn’t, about how the dogs would move to the White house, Biden posed with them in the Oval Office.
Today, it was reported that the dogs were returned to the Bidens’ Delaware home because of a “biting incident” involving the younger dog.
Now, dog bites should be taken seriously, and the bite from a GSD is one of the strongest. But I’m not sure all blame goes to the dog. GSDs are a hyper alert, highly sensitive breed and a 3 year old GSD is an active youngster who needs a lot of exercise, engagement and socialization. Also, the dogs were moved from their familiar environment to one that had new sounds, smells, strangers which can be very disorienting. Frankly, I think the Bidens should have brought in a trainer as soon as they moved to the White House, in order to assess and habilitate the dogs, and perhaps confine the dogs to family quarters and not just assume that they would adapt to a strange, new environment.

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Oops. I guess the press will need to ask non doggy related questions now (if he ever talks to the press).

Violent dog = piss poor ownership.

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I grew up with sheppards and yeah, I agree. Not a great idea to put them in that environment from my experience.

Not always.

We had a rescue that we trained, loved, socilized, did everything that we did we all of our otehr dogs, and she just couldn’t shake her anxiety and lashed out till we had to put her down. Heart breaking.

Ditto the sheppards I grew up with. all trained, all handled per what you would say is the ‘right’ way to raise a dog. And they all had their quirks. One would try to kill any other animal they ever saw, another hated people approaching my mom…etc…

Sometimes it’s just the dog.

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Sure, Sometimes it’s just a neglected dog.

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I love the breed and have one now, (also a rescue who had “issues”). They are definitely hyper-vigilant and sound sensitive. Mine can be sound asleep and go vertical in three seconds at the sound of certain noises. They also bond with the core group and can become quite protective. Mine is a shy girl, but she does not like to see a stranger approach me, and I wonder if Biden’s dog was triggered by the number of strangers approaching his human.
But they are among the most trainable dogs around. Shed like crazy and smart as heck.

That water bucket looks heavy. Glad I’m not carrying it. lol

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Sometimes it’s the breed. I had to use different techniques for my pit than for the shepherd, and of course with a rescue there may be a lot of issues to overcome, and some that will never be overcome. I know that some rescue organizations that deal with more dominant breeds - Akitas for example - won’t adopt out to people who aren’t familiar with the breed.

some dogs are just ■■■■■■■■■ we have one liek that.
he was never socialized as a puppy before we got him,kept locked outside alone for the first coule years of his life.
weve had him 4 years now. hes had multiple trainers. been to 2 week “doggie boot camp”
takes prozac every day. he still goes nuts when he sees another dog,some people and some vehicles.
hes only 23 lbs (puggle) so hes easier to control but we cant even walk him with our other dogs since once he goes nuts he’ll attack the other dog (who outweighs him by 50 lbs :slight_smile: )

oh man, it’s refreshing to watch righties bitch and moan over every little thing again.

they spent so much time covering and water carrying for the Oval Office occupant I started to think they forgot how to set their hair on fire.

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Yep. I have a rescue. She was used in fighting for at least the first year of her life and has been abandoned multiple times by owners who couldn’t handle her intensity.

She is emotionally invested in protecting my wife and I and likely also suffers from doggie PTSD.

Sometime it is the dog.

I am sorry that you had to put your dog down. That is just a tragedy.

It’s not bad ownership but a bad situation you threw a rescue into.

Biden and his wife needed to keep the rescue in Delaware.

That was a mistake bringing the rescue to the wH.

Way too much going on.

The older dog was fine.

The younger rescue. Yikes.

All dogs are not made for the WH.

Allan

I agree with that.

Overstimulation for a rescue dog can lead to bad results.

My dog is much much better and happier up in Maine in the middle of nowhere than when she is in Brooklyn.

Well, look at that, it’s piss-poor ownership. lol

Just didn’t know.

That’s dumb. Not bad ownership.

Allan

Not necessarily.

Really am not that familiar with the temperament of German Shepherd.

But dad had a dachshund/Irish terrier mix in that late 1980s & through the 1990s.

Bullet was a happy go lucky one year old that was dumped in a rural area that was a frequent dumping site for unwanted pets, & dad kept him.

  1. Bullet did not like his veterinarian, & had to be muzzled, from routine physical to euthanasia at about 11 years from licking some antifreeze that had leaked.

  2. He LOVED car rides, & really only went on them with dad. The problem? He bit something fierce when dad was home & went to take him out of the car.

Some dogs are more temperamental than others.

You are making too much sense…saying its Biden and piss poor ownership makes me feel better! :joy:

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There are way, way more pressing concerns with this administration than quibbling over the Biden family dog. Conservatives need to choose appropriate battles rather than soft targets that only invite mockery.

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Am somewhat familiar with puggles. In a former town of residence, seems like every other dog owner either had a basset or a puggle.

Most were sweet dogs, but if they’re not socialized by the first owner & left alone most of the time, owning any dog can be a challenge.

Sorry yours was neglected & is a bit of a handful with the other dog.