my dog just bit me

oldwan

my dog just bit me, i dont know what to do.

i got him two and half years ago from a rescue, he had had a rough time, been rehomed and brought back at least twice.
he eventually aettled here with me and we rub along ok most of the time.
he does have issues with other dogs, he is not a big fan, he also has guarding issues.

anyway, he was out the back yard, he brought out a cushion and was making bits of it, he isnt usually destructive, i went out & gave a bit of a shout, i went to pick up some of the mess and he bit me. he grabbed onto my hand and growled and held on for couple of seconds. he drew blood. its not terrible but its still a bite that drew blood.

its just me and him, he has to go everywhere with me, my best friend has 3 young kids, we do watch him with them but you cant watch kids all the time. im scared to have him around them now. what can i do?
im a bit wary of him now myself.
what can i do?

he is just looking at me all sheepish now, i dont know what to do with him.
any advice.

Nody

You said he has guarding issues and then took the stuff away from him? Sounds to me that he's doing exactly that; guarding "his" stuff and you'd need to work on reducing the behavior over time. Secondly is the question why he brought out the pillow; is he getting mental stimulation and daily walks at least twice a day?

oldwan

Nody wrote: »

You said he has guarding issues and then took the stuff away from him? Sounds to me that he's doing exactly that; guarding "his" stuff.

to be fair i know about his issues and i never take things away from him. i was not close to him i wasnt taking the stuff from right in front of him, it was just bits lying around the garden.

to be honest i got the impression that he thought i was going to hit him. i have never raised a finger to him, but i have no idea what happened to him before i got him.
he looked at me like he was afraid i was going to hit him. i never would. i love him.

im terrified now though.

FoxyVixen

You say you let a shout out at him? Have you ever raised your voice to him in such a way before?

I'd imagine that were you aggravated and perhaps frustrated by his destructive behaviour, you may have marched out of the house. Add this to the shout you directed towards him. He knew you were upset. Furthermore, as a rescue, you may have unintentionally sparked a memory with him where he may have got beaten/injured/smacked before causing him to act in a defensive aggressive manner. If this was in an enclosed garden it might also explain why he bit you though you claim to have been further away from him - he had nowhere that he thought was safe to run/hide.

After two years he should know what he can mess with in the house and what he shouldn't be taking out. Has he his own toys? And repeating on the previous poster, does he get enough mental/physical stimulation throughout the day?

oldwan

i have no idea what happened to him before i got him, which is why i think he did think i was going to hit him.
i would never hit him, i have shouted only once or twice before.

he gets lots of stimulation during the day, at least an hour and a half walk a day ( in 2 walks ) and when he is alone i leave lots of toys and treats hidden around the place for him.
the cushion was somewhere it shouldnt have been, im not worried about that, i understand it can happen sometimes.
im just worried now that if he can bite me he just cant be trusted around others.

FoxyVixen

Best advice I can give OP is to get in touch with a qualified canine behaviourist. There's only so much we can say on here without actually seeing the animal. If you give an idea of where you live, than other posters can suggest someone close-by to assist with training the dog.

Rozelia21

You just have to let people know that he needs his space and they shouldn't make any quick sudden movements around him because he has been abused in the past. Has he been checked by a vet recently maybe there's something physically wrong with him? Has he been acting any different lately? Tearing up a cushion sounds like he needed to let out some frustration. Did you change anything in his routine? What age is he?

Qualitymark

You might find this discussion of training a terrified, aggressive dog useful:

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/64

vibe666

you can never 100% trust any dog not to bite and anyone who tells you differently is (sooner or later) going to be sorely mistaken.

more than once (2 different dogs and families) I've witnessed a trusted family pet of many years with no history of aggression towards anyone bite a well known family friend without any provocation and i've heard of it happening ( first hand accounts)several more times.

dickwod1

First of all I'd like to say I love dogs and I have one ... However if your dog growled at you bit you and held on for a few seconds and drew blood I think its time for him to go

If he see's you as his master or at least someone with authority over him and he will do that to you imagine what he could do to someone he has no respect for

Once in a blue moon my dog would nip me if I was playing with her and taking a ball out of her mouth but the instant the dog feels my flesh it stops asap

My dog now or any dog I ever had never even growled at me in anger before (I know your dog had a difficult life before you but I dont think this is excusable IMHO)

xxerogravity

Personally I wouldn't have time to play Dr Phil with a dog like that, and there's the safety issue with kids around.

Rozelia21

This is ABSOLUTELY NO reason to get rid of the dog like some are suggesting, especially without trying other alternatives first. One bite from a dog that has been abused by people should not be its death sentence. Like foxy said, finding a behaviorist is the way to go but first a trip to the vet maybe for a full check up because he could be hurting somewhere. How did he act after the bite?

4th horsemen

I also agree with Nody and FoxyVixen's very valid points, and also on contacting a dog behaviourist/trainer.
Also if you are worried when kids are around then separate your dog when they are around.
And bear in mind that Kids will be kids and could upset your dog also, kids might play with him and if he has guarding issues and
they try take something(innocently) away from the dog then that could cause an unwanted reaction also.

Dogs have a very controlled bite and they determine the aggressiveness of a dogs bite by how deep the bite is etc,
If it was a snap, not following through, with no puncture wounds it'd be classed as a warning,
A bite that drew blood and he held onto your arm for a second would be more serious, But all depends on the severity of the bite. And it doesn't sound too severe.

Did you pull your hand away causing the blood?

You will hear all kinds of good and not so good advice so best to go to a professional and learn how to deal and live
with your dog and it's personality / temprament.
All the best

Mr. Incognito

I know people have the best intentions and the dog has had a tough life but if he bit you and drew blood.

1. He may do so again.
2. You CANNOT under any circumstances have that dog around children. You also have a responsibility to tell their patents and not hope it was a one off.
3. Love and lots of it cannot turn bsck time and cure the mental anguish this dog has been through.

To avoid future disaster this dog must be kept on a tight leash or destroyed. If he attacked you or a child agin I know I would have massive regrets. You cant take that chance.

keelanj69

I can only advise you on what I think personally, op.

I was in your position a while back. We got a rescue terrier, guarding etc etc. Firat he bit my gfs sister. We put it dowb to her going at him and being a stranger. Then one by one he bit everyone in the house, causing permanent damage in one case.

We still have the little shít. My advice is to get rid of the dog. We never got the trust back and slowly any affection I had for the dog went. I was convinced not to put him down with promises of training etc but no good.

Just my thoughts.

Ps. I refuse to have the dog around me, my other dogs, cat etc and any children.

oldwan

My friends kids know not to take things from the dog or go near him when he's eating but kids are kids & they are very young. I would never forgive myself if he bit one of them. Neither my friend nor me trust any dog 100% around the kids but now I have even less faith in him. He is Usually grand round me though. I don't know, he has been lying in his bed since it happened, it's almost like he knows he did something wrong. I live in south Dublin, would a behaviorist come to the house? How much do they normally cost?

4th horsemen

Best to ring one and see what they say.
Also ring the rescue that he came from and tell them everything, If you cannot keep him then they might take him back or they might
be able to find a home that has experience with his temprament, but that be a long shot.

what breed of dog is he?

borderlinemeath

oldwan wrote: »

My friends kids know not to take things from the dog or go near him when he's eating but kids are kids & they are very young. I would never forgive myself if he bit one of them. Neither my friend nor me trust any dog 100% around the kids but now I have even less faith in him. He is Usually grand round me though. I don't know, he has been lying in his bed since it happened, it's almost like he knows he did something wrong. I live in south Dublin, would a behaviorist come to the house? How much do they normally cost?

Behaviourists will come to the house and in fairness, anybody that says that you should go to them isn't worth going to. A properly qualified behaviourist will want to observe the dog in his own environment to watch how he interacts in his home, with his owners etc.

There's plenty to choose from in the Dublin area from the APDT.ie website.

http://apdt.ie/index.php/find-a-trainer/dublin/

Emmaline Duffy-Fallon would cover the Wicklow/South Dublin area, always highly recommended by posters on here and her peers.

http://citizencanineireland.com/

I'm glad you're considering the behaviourist route OP. It amazes me when posters just pop up and say they would get rid of the dog, end of story. You know yourself he has resource guarding issues, maybe you misread the body language and the signs he was giving you, maybe he's harbouring an illness and not feeling himself. A vet visit may also help to rule out any underlying illnesses.

Bullseye1

First two things you need to do is bring him along to the vet and have him checked out to ensure there is no underlying condition, secondly if there is no medical condition then you need to consult with a dog behaviourist.

Its a shocking experience but don't give up on your buddy. Far too many people pull the trigger far too quickly.

Nody

dickwod1 wrote: »

First of all I'd like to say I love dogs and I have one ... However if your dog growled at you bit you and held on for a few seconds and drew blood I think its time for him to go

If he see's you as his master or at least someone with authority over him and he will do that to you imagine what he could do to someone he has no respect for

Once in a blue moon my dog would nip me if I was playing with her and taking a ball out of her mouth but the instant the dog feels my flesh it stops asap

My dog now or any dog I ever had never even growled at me in anger before (I know your dog had a difficult life before you but I dont think this is excusable IMHO)

For starters he would not give a damn because what you're talking about has been proven wrong over a decade ago.

aonb

OP Im really sorry that your dog bit you.
Step back for a minute - yesterday you loved him.

He was doing something he shouldnt (eating the cushion) and you came out to stop him. You know he has issues already, he reacted. You reacted.
Take a minute of quiet time to think about your dog. If you love him enough to keep him, you will work around it. Whether a behavior specialist or whatever.
I hope your hand is ok.

(I have a dog that I wouldnt trust for half a second with a child. We work around it. I have another dog who is a disaster with other dogs. We work around that too. I wouldnt be without either of our 'nutters')

DBB

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Emmaline Duffy-Fallon would cover the Wicklow/South Dublin area, always highly recommended by posters on here and her peers.

http://citizencanineireland.com/

Hi OP,
You're getting some really good and nice advice here from most people: telling someone to kill their dog based on a couple of posts on an internet forum is just madness, so I am very pleased to read that you are prepared to consult a behaviourist... However I would also advise a full vet check (including bloods, urinalysis, skeletal check-up) because although the little fella has a certain amount of "form", this escalation sounds like it was quite a surprise, and any surprising changes in behaviour need to be investigated in case he's got an underlying medical issue bubbling away under the surface.
When employing a behaviourist, you do need to be careful, as there is no regulation of the behaviour industry, which means that there are a lot of charlatans and cowboys out there who often give out terrible, often harmful, and just plain wrong advice.
However, you are very lucky to have one of Ireland's finest dog behaviourists covering your area, and unlike some others, is not too expensive. I'm talking about the above-quoted Emmaline Duffy-Fallon.
Emmaline has an absolute shedload of experience dealing with rescue dogs too, and I think you'll find she will be very honest with you on what's ahead for you now, good and bad.
I've been bitten by my own dogs before, and I know it's not nice. I don't believe there is such thing as an unprovoked bite: there is always a reason.. just because we don't always understand what this reason is does not mean it was unprovoked! And that's where a good behaviourist is well worth the outlay, because they can help you get a much more accurate picture of why your dog did what he did, and crucially, can give you a prognosis for the future.
The very best of luck, try not to panic too much just yet