Dog Bit Me.

Sitec

Hi forum,

I have two Shih Tzu's. The older dog is starting to get aggresive to people calling to the house, I was bringing him for a walk one day and because he is so agro towards strangers i picked him up.

When i picked him up he went nuts and bit my arm drawing blood.

Would nutering him stop this behavour? He is 3 and I really dont want to put him down.:(

The younger is starting to act like the older so I need to handle this situation now.

Thanks for any replies.

pokertalk

Sitec wrote: »

Hi forum,

I have two Shih Tzu's. The older dog is starting to get aggresive to people calling to the house, I was bringing him for a walk one day and because he is so agro towards strangers i picked him up.

When i picked him up he went nuts and bit my arm drawing blood.

Would nutering him stop this behavour? He is 3 and I really dont want to put him down.:(

The younger is starting to act like the older so I need to handle this situation now.

Thanks for any replies.

there is a few threads on dog bites and you would get loads of info and tips on behaviour training. just have a look in the search function

scudzilla

Sitec wrote: »

Hi forum,

I have two Shih Tzu's. The older dog is starting to get aggresive to people calling to the house, I was bringing him for a walk one day and because he is so agro towards strangers i picked him up.

When i picked him up he went nuts and bit my arm drawing blood.

Would nutering him stop this behavour? He is 3 and I really dont want to put him down.:(

The younger is starting to act like the older so I need to handle this situation now.

Thanks for any replies.

After the dog bit you what did you do? Did you reprimand it in any way? This is just my opinion, sure a lot will totaly disagree with me but if a dog bites and draws blood then you have to show it not to do it again.

Quite some years ago one of my dogs bit me, i was doing nothing other than walking past, i gave her an almighty slap and she never did it again.

I don't condone any type of violence towards any animals but sometimes you have to show them that you're the boss and in charge

Sitec

This post is where the thread took a nose dive.
Snipped from here on in.

Sitec

pokertalk wrote: »

hmm not sure i approve of that .have a look at other threads anyway.dont think the advise will be punch the dog in the head

It broke my heart to hit him like that, I NEVER would under any other sort of circumstance but I didnt have a choice at that moment if you know what i mean.

adser53

As others have said, try searching the forum but two little things...

First off, never pick your dog up when they're agitated or nervous which is what your lad seemed to be. They're natural reaction is to nip and in your case that's exactly waht he did.

I dont condone violence at all. I will freely admit to the ODD tap on the nose (sometimes with 2 big dogs its a last resort to get their attention) and such VIOLENCE To a Shih?! I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here but you should really read up on dog training or contact a trainer before you "punch your dog" and get bitten again.

Cherry Blossom

Sitec wrote: »

It broke my heart to hit him like that, I NEVER would under any other sort of circumstance but I didnt have a choice at that moment if you know what i mean.

There is no reason to punch a dog ever! Sounds like you need a bit of education in dog training and behaviour. Start here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056013511&highlight=agression

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055981370&highlight=agression

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056043938&highlight=agression

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055780742&highlight=agression

Find yourself a decent trainer or behaviourist that uses positive reinforcement methods and attend a basic training class (this is for you, not the dogs)

scudzilla

Sitec wrote: »

Jesus your making me out to be a monster. Forget it, ill look elsewhere for help.

Unfortunately people have a habit of doing that on this forum

Shanao

Man this thread is going to get out of hand fast. OP, my best advice would be to get onto a dog behaviourist and see what they have to say. I would advise getting him neutered if you have no plans to breed though (though even if you are I get the feeling that there are far too many shih tzu pups out there already so wouldn't advise it either) While it will not take away all agression, it should help calm him down a bit. No hormones making him feel like he needs to be alpha dog at all times can help. Really it sounds to me like you just caught him off guard and he was startled so responded as a lot of animals do when the fight or flight responses kick in.

portgirl123

Sitec wrote: »

Often may have been a bad phrase to use. I mean maybe 5 or 6 times i had too. Not everyday. I love my dogs and im finding this situation hard enough to deal with, without people judgeing me.

but we were only going by wat you said. you said you hit it often, and for things like humping. to me this is a dog thing, esp if not nuetered and there is other ways to stop it without be driven to hitting the dog. maybe im wrong but i can see no reason that i would ever stoop to hitting one of my dogs. all bad habits and unwanted behaviour can be stopped by other things other than hitting

Sitec

Puddleduck wrote: »

Hi Op,

Usually it's a bad sign if your getting to the stage where you need to smack your dog to grab his attention. Ok, it happened but obviously it isn't working in the long run. So I would reccommend like the others here that you go to a dog training therapist. You could ask your vet to recommend something. Your dog could be trying to assert dominance over you, in which case by going to a trainer you can get recommendations on how to be dominant without violence. It does work but there is some hard work involved.

Good luck!

Thank you for your comment, Im going to visit the vet with the dog on Monday and see what he says. I never really considered a training therapist but i am willing to try it at this stage. Thanks again.

lrushe

Sitec wrote: »

Hi forum,

I have two Shih Tzu's. The older dog is starting to get aggresive to people calling to the house, I was bringing him for a walk one day and because he is so agro towards strangers i picked him up.

When i picked him up he went nuts and bit my arm drawing blood.

Would nutering him stop this behavour? He is 3 and I really dont want to put him down.:(

The younger is starting to act like the older so I need to handle this situation now.

Thanks for any replies.

Have you tried consulting a behaviourist, they can give you some tailor made advise on how to handle your dogs behaviour and what his triggers might be.

IvySlayer

Oh please stop with the hissy fits.

The guy hit his dog in anger because he bit him. It's a perfectly natural reaction to lash out at something that hurt you. Maybe the dog will think twice next time.

OP, ring your vet, maybe he/she can recommend a good trainer. You and your dog need behaviour training, if it happens again. Are your dogs neutered?

Maybe the punch helped set a few ground rules.

Sitec

portgirl123 wrote: »

but we were only going by wat you said. you said you hit it often, and for things like humping. to me this is a dog thing, esp if not nuetered and there is other ways to stop it without be driven to hitting the dog. maybe im wrong but i can see no reason that i would ever stoop to hitting one of my dogs. all bad habits and unwanted behaviour can be stopped by other things other than hitting

Its not a "it" its a he. I have tried shouting my lungs off etc to no avail. In fairness anytime i needed to physically get his attention it was the only way to deal with it. Considering you dont even know the dog or me i suggest you get down of your high horse. I would do anything for both my two dogs and someone saying I harm them or treat them bad for no reason really boils my blood.

Shanao

boxerly wrote: »

NOPE ! I was bitten by a bichon a few weeks back,he drew blood and all.I put him in a crate and just ignored him.I certainly didnt feel like punching him.Is it any wonder your dog bit ye?Ye said ye often slap with an open fist????if ye did that to me id do more than bite ye

Yes you shouldn't hit a dog, and yes well done to keeping your temper with the bichon. The point is that the OP was out with his dog, cant imagine there was a crate handy, and having your best friend bite you on the arm is enough to startle anyone, even if it means your first reaction was to hit him. I sincerely doubt the OP is trying to say that he walloped the dog and will do it again without hesitation; being out like that around strangers and having your dog turn 'wild' so to speak would disconcert anyone.

Now as the OP came here looking for help, perhaps we can just play nice and offer some friendly advice?

Bullseye1

And a dog should never bite it's master but sometimes these things happen. Why not give more meaningful advice. Someone comes on here is honest and in desperate need of advice. He has admitted to hitting his dog and regrets his action. But then how many of us have been bitten by our out own dog. I am not excusing the action but in order to help the OP it's better to find a solution somethat he doesn't need to resort to that action again. Nothing as bad as having the finger wagged at you when you need help.

Shanao

Yes well there is a difference between saying 'I often do something in this situation' as opposed to ' i often do this'. All the OP said was that he felt a slap was needed on the occasions when the dog refused to listen, not that he was kicking the dog up and down the road all day long.

pokertalk

op is the dog sggressive towards other dogs??

Sitec

pokertalk wrote: »

op is the dog sggressive towards other dogs??

Not in the slightest, he's actually fairly scared of other dogs when he is outside his teritory.

Sitec

portgirl123 wrote: »

this is not a pit bull its a shih tzu. and if you read the op posts he slaps the dog even for humping. if you think this is acceptible ok.

I slap him on the arse for humping other people. Is that not ok now? Fcuksake your twisting every word i say into some sort of horror show??

What exactly is your problem? If you deal with your dog in another way good for you. You dont need to keep making diggs at me. You've said your bit in this thread or have you more to say from up there??

Caoimhín

Sitec wrote: »

It's like being on trial here. Thankd for the positive comments from people. Im finding this situation hard enough without being accused of animal cruelty.

Dont mind them Sitec. Lok, it sounds like your dog hasnt been socialised when it was young. If a puppy doesnt get to spend time with other dogs it can automatically see other dogs as a threat.

It is understandable that you get upset with your dog if he/she acts inappropriately in public while you clearly have its best interest at heart. Getting a doggie behavioural will be expensive and is a bit over the top (in my humble opinion). What you might want to do is encourage good behaviour and reprimand bad behaviour (through ignoring it rather than being passively aggressive). Really though, it could be worth your while doing a bit of reading on dog training and then spending some time applying basic and simple behavioural training.

Caoimhín

Why cant we all get along?

pokertalk

Caoimhín wrote: »

Why cant we all get along?

i think the op has all the info he needs now to help him with his dog.
best of luck with him

TooManyDogs

Sitec wrote: »

Hi forum,

I have two Shih Tzu's. The older dog is starting to get aggresive to people calling to the house, I was bringing him for a walk one day and because he is so agro towards strangers i picked him up.

Mis-directed aggression is one of the main causes of owners getting bitten by their dogs and this is a good example. It sounds like 2 things happened when you picked him up (1) You prevented him finishing what he wanted to do, ie go for the other people, and (2) You provided him with a new target to focus his now frustrated aggression on - you.

I doubt neutering would benefit this kind of behaviour, it will help any excessive humping though. Neutering stops sexually based bad behaviours so if the aggression is targeted at another entire male or towards people/dogs when he's with a bitch in heat then neutering will help.

I'd second the advise of getting a good behaviourist, I can recommend Dublin ones if that's any good. Hitting him isn't going to do any good because you're meeting his aggression with more aggression which causes him to increase his aggression so it very quickly becomes a vicious circle (pardon the pun!) Distraction can be a more useful tool so banging metal bowls together to make a loud noise can distract the dog from the behaviour and then you immediately re-direct them by giving them another command. You can also get a product called 'Pet Protector', its a canister of air that when you squirt it it makes a hissing noise and releases a jet of air. It doesnt harm the dog at all but generally stops all behaviour in it's tracks and is excellent for aggressive dogs. That would be far more effective than picking him up http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=480&pf_id=7807

Also, if you find he's aggressive in the house towards people then leave a light lead on him all the time, that way if he does start being aggressive you can simply pick up the other end of the lead and bring him away without getting into trying to physically catch and restrain him. Just leading him away prevents the escalation of aggression.

Caoimhín

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Mis-directed aggression is one of the main causes of owners getting bitten by their dogs and this is a good example..

When I bring my Boo for a swim he gets so excited and wound up that he tries to take a lump out of me. My doggie.jpg

It doesnt bother me, except that he is 70kgs of mental GSD... My Baby Boo.jpg

Cherry Blossom

OP, as you haven't replied to my post on the first page I am just wondering if you have read the other threads I went to a lot of trouble to find for you and if you have found anything of use in them? Or have you been too busy fighting with the other posters to look?

Zapperzy

OP what part of the country are you in, someone might be able to recommend a good trainer. Avoid any trainers that tell you he is dominant and needs dominating or needs to know 'whos boss'. Positive reward based training all the way!

shinikins

I would agree that the dog needs more training, and you need help in that.

Until you can get that help, if the dog is acting badly, or aggressively, a firm "NO" and ignoring him will help. By reprimanding and then ignoring him, you will reinforce the idea that you are the alpha in his "pack" and may help calm him a little. But please do look into getting help, sometimes our own bad habits are the harder to break than our dogs!

Best of luck.

Hellrazer

Right Ive edited all the off topic and condescending crap out of this thread.

And theres me thinking that it was going well after our discussion.

I had at least 30 reports of this thread this morning which I`d like to say thanks to all those who reported.

I could have banned permanently at least 5 people from this thread for breaking rules.

We had bullying,back seat moderating,animal violence,insulting behaviour.

Im with the OP on this one.He smacked his dog for biting him as a few other posters admitted doing although he may have said he was a bit harsher than others I feel that this was over exagerated.Its hard to control your temper when a dog has latched itself on to your arm and theres blood pouring out.

As soon as that was said the thread went chaotic--Totally uncalled for.Most users tried to bite their toungue and help the OP but some had to be critical and start a flame war back and forward.

So much for me thinking it was getting better.

planetX

OP the issue really isn't the bite, that was your mistake in picking up the dog - I'd be very worried about aggression towards people. look for a trainer asap.

adser53

I agree with planetx, his bite was a reaction to being lifted when he was agitated. Its a simple mistake that the majority of people make. Look, you hit him as a knee jerk reaction. Was it the right thing to do? No. Was it a natural response by you? Hell yes. I'm afraid it was your choice of words that set people off. Can we all get past that and agree that simply put, the dog (and the op) need some training to prevent this happening again and how to deal with it correctly if it does reoccur? And a light slap on the arse is sometimes necessary and perfectly justifiable. But only as a distraction/snap your dog out of whateve theyre doing. Anyway, did you search the forum or read adrenaline's links Sitek? Some great info on there