Dog biting his master

Pink_Glits&pups

:(Hi all...i'd like a bit of advice if i could...

We have two male dogs both living indoors, one is a 13 year old West Highland White Terrier, and one is a 17 month old Boxer. The two dogs would play and sometimes fight but rarely have full on fights unless it was over one dog getting something the other wants.

Anyway last night the Boxer dog was given a big roasted bone must have been from a neighbour, he was happy out with it, and then when he wasn’t looking the Westie decided to have a sniff and maybe take it. The Westie is a very canky old dog, and the Boxer is very possessive. SO of course a full scale fight broke out in the kitchen.

My Dad who would be the master of the Boxer shouted and then tried to grab the boxer off the Westie as he was on top of him growling and trying to choke him and bite him. The Westie was trying to bite the Boxers legs.

Anyway as my Dad grabbed the Boxers scruff of his neck, the Boxer turned and bit him on the hand. He bit down hard and pulled, so more than a nip.

He let go and my dad shouted at him to go out to the garden, which he usually would do straight away but it took a few shouts before the dog would go out.

Needless to say the bite was so bad it required stitches and potentially plastic surgery.

AT this point my dad is saying the Boxer has to go. My argument is that two male dogs will fight and NOONE should interfere as they are animals and when fighting their fight instinct is on. The boxer would not have known who was grabbing him I would have thought and would have bitten anyone interfering in a fight?

I am thinking surely we can do something else as I would be very close to the dog and he is not vicious by nature, but I can see my dad’s concern.

He has not been neutered, would this help?

Should I send him to obedience school? Is there any ideas out there or has anyone else had this experience.

cowzerp

In the heat of a fight the boxer bit your dad but i doubt this was deliberate, the dogs sound like they need some training and socialisation..

dont get rid of it for this, also think about feeding them in different areas where they wont get protective..

KTRIC

Thats a hard one. You shouldn't really get in between a dog and his food, especially during a fight with another dog.

I would try the school first and see if there's any way to dampen down this behaviour.

stevoman

the dog bit and drew blood so i has to go and be put down IMO.

it doesnt matter what the situation is, it has happended and thats that. if it was a little child or anything imagine how much more the damage could have been.

i received 26 stitches from a labrador so i know what its like to be bitten by a dog.

you just cant trust that boxer again and thats the bottom line.

cowzerp

stevoman wrote: »

the dog bit and drew blood so i has to go and be put down IMO.

it doesnt matter what the situation is, it has happended and thats that. if it was a little child or anything imagine how much more the damage could have been.

i received 26 stitches from a labrador so i know what its like to be bitten by a dog.

you just cant trust that dog boxer again and thats that.

Thats BS, if you tried to break up a fight in the street you could get hit, should the lad who hit you get locked up or life! no need for answer.

stevoman

cowzerp wrote: »

Thats BS, if you tried to break up a fight in the street you could get hit, should the lad who hit you get locked up or life! no need for answer.

your comparing a hypathetical situation of humans to two dogs. humans are humans. dogs are dogs.

dog should be put down. it bit somewhon and they had to get stitches. thats enough for me regardless. as i said if it was a little boy or girl that happened to have got bitten it would have been much worse.

if it was a dog of mine i would have no hesitation of having it put down.

cowzerp

stevoman wrote: »

your comparing a hypathetical situation of humans to two dogs. humans are humans. dogs are dogs.

dog should be put down. it bit somewhon and they had to get stitches. thats enough for me regardless. as i said if it was a little boy or girl that happened to have got bitten it would have been much worse.

if it was a dog of mine i would have no hesitation of having it put down.

Look if the dog bit someone randomly i would agree but in the heat of a fight this changes things, the father made a stupid decision putting his hand in the middle of a fight, or he should have pulled the smaller dog out of it.

stevoman

cowzerp wrote: »

Look if the dog bit someone randomly i would agree but in the heat of a fight this changes things, the father made a stupid decision putting his hand in the middle of a fight, or he should have pulled the smaller dog out of it.

agreed it was a silly thing to do, but personally i would have to have it put down. being a father and a person who has a dogs i dont think i could ever take the risk.

arybvtcw0eolkf

What ever happened to the days when people took responsibility for their own actions?.

The OP's dad interfered in a dog fight, got bitten and now Stevoman says the DOG needs killing!.

OP, I wouldn't be holding the dog responsible for this in the least & maybe your dad has learned a lesson in dog handling!.

Sorry OP, but your dad should 'man up' to his stupidity and not hold dog the boxer responsible for its natural reactions.

.

andreac

Im sorry, i dont agree the dog should be put down, 2 dogs were fighting and he prob just lashed out in the heat of the moment and might not have even realised it was a person.

Ive been bitten by a dog by trying to kick it off my dog that it was attacking, but it was my own fault for getting in between 2 dogs fighting, as he wasnt going for me, but id never get a dog put down for that.

What about dogs that lash out at vets etc when they are put under stress/frightened, should they all be put to sleep too?? if its out of character and the dog was in the middle of a frenzied fight with another dog id put it down to that situation and that he wasnt actuallu going for the owner.

Dogs can be very possessive with bones and stuff so i would ensure that they are never left with bones/treats while together.

Pink_Glits&pups

thanks a million for all your comments.

I would agree that my dad was stupid for interferring, and i told him that too. They are animals afterall and two males fighting, the Boxer was in the zone of attack, thats mine, you can't have it, and i wouldnt have thought he had any idea who was grabbing him!

I'll be having a chat this evening with my Dad about the situation, he is a very placid dog around children and other dogs so this was out of character, but still i have in the back of my mind that the trust is broken and wouldnt let a child get close to him again now.

I will get him neutered to see if it calms him, not that he's vicious but he's very giddy as he;s still a pup and it might get rid of the overactivity and help my dad see he's not a wild untamed beast!

He's trained quite well, but he's very playful and still learning.

jimmyn

If the dog has a history of aggression towards people, and this sort of thing happens all the time, it might be best to be rid of him.

However, if this is an isolated incident, I think the circumstances are mitigating. In the scenario you've described, I think most dogs would react in this way. The dog was in full drive, defending his bone from all threats. He would not have been thinking clearly and would not have known it was your Dad grabbing him. Just another attack coming in the middle of a fight. I don't think the dog should be destroyed for this one incident.

Maybe it'll serve as a lesson to all not to put your hand in the middle of a dog fight.

I would say obedience training is a must though. The dog needs to get used to obeying commands. That might just allow a command from your Dad to break through the "fog of war" in the dog's mind. Get your boxer to a good trainer. Probably too late for the Westie, if she's 13.

You also need to be more proactive in trying to prevent these incidents before they happen. Easier said than done I know, but be aware that the dogs have possessive tendencies, and that these sorts of things can arise. You may be able to set the environment / schedule up to avoid these problems.

jambofc

this is an absolute no brainer,to many times the answer is put the dog down!!!!
i have had dogs all my life,1st thing you need to remember is a dog is not a pet it is a wild animal that has been humanised to suit humans for hunting,affection etc etc,2 wild animals in a forest fighting over a fresh kill would you stop the fight????? not a hope so why is it when dogs fight,eat or sleeping in it,s "safe" bedding area and gets disturbed hassled aggrivated then growls or snaps it's the dogs fault????
dogs are wild animals and should be treated as such,never leave them with kids,dont stop a fight,leave them in there bedding area or when they are eating in peace,its all common sense,as in the end they are animals
picture in the days when we hunted for our food 2 men come into dispute over a kill and go hell for leather at each other,do you step in to stop it,youde end up getting a thump or a thump of a axe
people need to use common sense with animals
ive 2 dogs a springer now 10 and a rottie approx 20 months,i would not trust either a 100% or have never trusted any of my dogs 100%
but i would definetly not put either down if bitten because i interfeared in there dispute

bernard0368

I think a chat with your father tonight after his anger has dissapted. Might throw a different light on things. He may realise that sticking his hand in the middle was stupid. I wouldn't get the animal put down for this.
I would also have a chat with the neighbour in regards to feeding your dogs, I wouldn't want any of my neighbours giving my dog food. If they have a bone let them give it to you.

Paul91

stevoman wrote: »

your comparing a hypathetical situation of humans to two dogs. humans are humans. dogs are dogs.

dog should be put down. it bit somewhon and they had to get stitches. thats enough for me regardless. as i said if it was a little boy or girl that happened to have got bitten it would have been much worse.

if it was a dog of mine i would have no hesitation of having it put down.

we are all gods creatures, I have worked as a doorman and got in the middle of fights, when you do that you got to expect to get hit, i play rugby and american football and in the heat of the moment humans lash out, been punched many a time for legal tackles!

Now as for the dog, get him neutered first, my fella (Tyson - boxer/lab) was very agressive in certain situations, once he got the snip he calmed down no end, in fact it was the possibility he might calm down that actually had him done, i was very scepticle that it would (only had bitch's before)

lastly - if you want to interfere in a dog fight prepare to be bitten and try all to avoid the situation

star-pants

I'm honestly shocked that some people feel the first response is 'put the dog down'.

When dogs are fighting - you take your chances by getting involved, I very much doubt the boxer meant to bite your dad. He was mid fight for his food and someone tried to grab him, for all he knew it was the dog/someone to take his food.

Unless the dog has a history of being aggressive etc then that is certainly no reason to put the dog down.
I'm sorry your dad got such a bite, and I know it's scary and painful, but I would have a word with him. As said if two people are fighting and you go in to break it up and someone throws a punch at you, should they be put down? Everything has to be taken into perspective.
I would also say to him that ye should try training first, that may improve his behaviour as regards being so possessive. But honestly, even my dogs, little Lhasas if you try to take a bone off Lily, she'll growl and bare her teeth at you, she wouldn't bite you though. But mid fight with another dog, if I got bit, I'd know it wasn't intentional.

Also -- neutering can reduce aggression in male dogs, not fully, but it can help, it won't make things worse anyway so I'd definitely try that too.

roxiesmammy

Was that person for real. Put the boxer down. Why? He did nothing wrong as far as he was concerned he was been attacked.

Have a word with ur neighbours ask them not to give ur dogs food with out ur permission. To give one dog a bone without the other was asking for trouble.

Hopefully u can work things out. Boxers though they tend to be a bit hyper they r u not usually aggresive. Goodluck let us know how ur dad is 2nite

stevoman

roxiesmammy wrote: »

Was that person for real. Put the boxer down. Why? He did nothing wrong as far as he was concerned he was been attacked.

yes i was for real and thats my opinion and i am entitled to have one.

as i stated before i have the scar of 26 stitches from a dog when i was a child and i have a dog and child of my own now and if a dog bit me no matter what the circumstances i would have it put down straight away.

Paul91

stevoman wrote: »

yes i was for real and thats my opinion and i am entitled to have one.

as i stated before i have the scar of 26 stitches from a dog when i was a child and i have a dog and child of my own now and if a dog bit me no matter what the circumstances i would have it put down straight away.

what if your dog bit someone who broke into your house and was hitting your child and the dog bit them to get them off the child, would you put the dog down then ?

circumstances are very important

star-pants

One warning - this is about one circumstance and we're going to keep it that way, everyone is entitled to their opinion but I'm not having this become a debate on 'what I'd do in X Y Z situation'

stevoman

look im a dog lover just like everyone else. i spend every morning before work and every evening after work out training my dog out in the fields and put hours and hours into it. she my companion and friend etc etc.

but if she ever bit me and and i needed stitches or any of my family i would have to put her down as mush as it would kill me. thats my stance on it and people can feel free to say as they like but i refuse to change on that.

as i have already stated, get bitten bably bitten and spend time in hospital for it and see if you are still of the same persuasion.

iv made my opinion made now a few times so im not going to debate it anymore.

Paul91

stevoman wrote: »

look im a dog lover just like everyone else. i spend every morning before work and every evening after work out training my dog out in the fields and put hours and hours into it. she my companion and friend etc etc.

but if she ever bit me and and i needed stitches or any of my family i would have to put her down as mush as it would kill me. thats my stance on it and people can feel free to say as they like but i refuse to change on that.

as i have already stated, get bitten bably bitten and spend time in hospital for it and see if you are still of the same persuasion.

iv made my opinion made now a few times so im not going to debate it anymore.

i was bitten at the age of 6, twenty stitch's in my left wrist to re-attach the chuck of meat that cam out, it was my fault for messing with the dog and it wasn't put down, my opinion stands, it depends on circumstance