Serious Dog Bites?

Does your dog bite or have you ever had a dog that has bitten?





I mean a serious bite. Have you or do you have a dog that bites on a regualar basis or has bitten before-enough to break skin?





If you do....why does the dog bite or why do you think? Have you tried to fix the problem? If so, how?





Have you ever lost a dog due to a bite incident?





If you do not have a dog that has bitten....why do you think that is? What do you have to do to teach your dog not to bite or to prevent your dog from biting?

Serious Dog Bites?
Not me but I have a dear friend that did.





Her dog was a lab mix that was wonderful with her family and her 4 children. She got her as a puppy and raised her. This was an experienced dog owner who did all the right things. The dog went to obedience class, was socialized, loved the kids, was just perfect.





At the age of two, she started having issues with strangers and getting protective with the kids. If the UPS man came, she'd growl. My friend corrected her. The problem escalated. She took the dog to an experienced trainer - one who worked with aggressive dogs.





The dog went after several people who walked by their house. If the front door was open, she'd hit the storm door with her paws and go after people on the side walk if she didn't know them. She bit the same UPS man twice.





She was put on an e collar when he was around. The trainer came over to work with her with the UPS man (who was a saint and loved dogs and wanted very much to help my friend even after being bitten twice). Nothing worked. Still she was GREAT with the kids. Playful, sweet, just made sure no one ever got near them that she didn't know.





Finally it got to the point where my friend was scared to death because with 4 kids, there was no way to contain this dog. One of the kids would forget to keep the door shut.





The vet and the trainer agreed she was unpredictable. She would have to be muzzled constantly or have her teeth pulled. She was 3. It was that or the dog would live in crate. She certainly couldn't be rehomed.





My friend elected to have her euthnanized because of the liability and because she refused to have her mutilated. It was the hardest decision she ever made. She still cries over that dog. She also still wonders if she did the right thing.





I honestly don't think that dog would ever have touched the kids. However that dog went after anyone that went by the house.... and they just couldn't take the chance anymore that the next person she bit wouldn't sue them, or that she wouldn't seriously injured.





The UPS man was crushed that she was euthanized as well. Even though she bit him twice. That is a true dog lover....





I honestly think she had something wrong with her...





Bad things happen to good people - even people who do all the right things.... even to good dog owners. Sometimes it's no ones fault.





Edit: For the thumb down? Can you please tell me what she should have done? They spent 1000's of dollars. Went to the very best trainer in the state. This was not an idiot owner. She's actively involved in lab rescue and not an average run of the mill pet owner. She didn't make this decision lightly. With 4 kids in the house - there was no way to contain the dog safely. If it had be her and her husband, she could've done it safely, but not with the kids. She still feels like she murdered one of her children....
Reply:bite while he is playing or bite for a different reason?


does he attack u or how??





i would say they bite when they get scared...but not sure...my dogs never bit me...





of course when they were puppies they bit me when they where playing...but I had to break that habit....never something serious
Reply:Yes. I have one castrated male that is the biggest pain in my side because he bites. He likes 2 people in this world - me and my daughter.





I have worked with him and nothing works. With this particular dog I think he has a loose screw.





He is sneaky. He does not like my son. He rumbles, growls at him if he just comes into the room. My son has played ball with him and he will play with him. As soon as my son turns his back, he will bite him. No amount of discipline works with this dog. I even tried the e-collar, (I don't like them), as a last resort and it was not affective.





I honestly don't know what you do with a dog like that. The dog is 12 now, ( and will probably live to be 30) and my son just came home for a visit and it's started all over again........the low rumbling growl.





He is not a true fear biter. He does not have high prey drive. He is just weird.





I have to crate him or put him in the run if anyone comes over. I have to be with him constantly outside for fear tthat someone will come into the driveway, get out of their car and get bitten - which he has done.





Fortunately, none of the bites have been really serious but he is a liability and makes me very uncomfortable.





Good question - I am looking forward to reading the other post for ideas that I have not tried.





I sincerely hope you don't have a dog like mine. Thank heavens the other dogs are sane.





Edit: Then you are lucky people. This dog was born here, socialized, OWWed at, I'm alfa, comes immediately when called, is trained, good with other animals of all kinds, is well bred and still bites other people if given the chance. He is not your true aggressive dog. I am firmly convinced that this is a mental condition.





GG CINDY. Your friend had the closest situation to mine. These post are responding to puppy nips, rough play. I haven't seen anything useful, including my own post, that really answers the Q.


"What do you do with a dog that bites on a regular basis?"


Cindy's friend did the correct thing. Thumb up, Cindy.
Reply:I have never been bitten, nor have I EVER had a dog that has ever bitten anybody.





Why? Because my dogs are well trained, and well socialized.





I am Alpha - and they know it.





But when I was a kid, my Grandparents always taught me to respect a dogs space. Never disturb a sleeping dog, don't jump on them, and I was never left unattended with a dog, no matter how nice the dog was.





They taught me boundaries, and respect when it came to animals.





My current dog, and my last dog were VERY submissive.





Training is a huge part of it - but I also think I've been REALLY lucky!!





:) :) :)
Reply:No, I haven't had a dog that has bitten anyone. I contribute that to the fact that I start training them THE DAY I get them, no matter how young they are.





What's with all the Q's?
Reply:That's a great question!





The dogs that I have raised from birth or under 6 months old have never bit me. Although, I have had many, many rescues that have bitten me or have tried.





After a while they learn not to. These are the dogs that have never been adopted out, by the way.





As well as rescue dogs, I've been bitten a few times at work by someone else's dog. Understandable, it's a stressful situation - the vet.





I believe it's how my dogs have been raised. I don't know what else it could be, really.





As far as teaching them not to bite, I believe it also come with respect as we get to know each other. If it doesn't (I had a little rescue wolf who used to bite my bum as soon as I turned my back) then comes the lessons. There was nothing that I could do with her, though, I just had to learn NOT to turn my back on her, ever.





OH, I was bit by a Lab as a 3 year old. The dog had just had it's vaccinations, and I crawled up on his back. I ended up with 52 stitiches, but he was still my best friend afterwards :)
Reply:Other than being bit by a chihuahua, no. None of my dogs have bit bad.


Never lost one to a bite incident


and we start training ours at the puppy stage. No bite.


Not mean to them.. we actually go OWOWOWOWOWO really loud and then move the object they are biting on. The puppies dont bite for awhile. We also will grab the nose and say NO firmly but this doesnt alway work. Consitency though.


OWOWOOWWOWOWOW seems to work the best then give them a chew toy.





start young.
Reply:My daughter was bit in the face by a dog, when she was about 8. This was the dog's second serious bite...fortunately for the dog and it's owners, the law here gives them three attacks before the SPCA can step in and take (and usually destroy) the animal.





In this particular case, it was definitely a problem created by the pet's owners. It was a large working dog, and working dogs need a lot of activity. This poor thing was living in a small apartment, with owners who weren't willing to take it out for regular exercise. It was essentially going insane living with them, and attacked out of frustration.





There are a lot of things that can cause dogs to bite.





Sometimes, it's as simple as a territorial battle...in this case, the best results often come when the pet's owner stands up and begins acting like the alpha animal. If the dog understands that it has no territory, it won't try to protect it.





Sometimes, it's something more serious, like being pent up as noted above, or separation anxiety. You might do some research on the breed you have, to ensure that you're providing it with all of the things that it needs. Once you're sure that these things are covered, start looking at each of the biting situations, to see if you can find a common denominator. For example, did it always involve a child? Or did it always involve you being away from home? If you can figure this out, you can avoid those situations in the future.
Reply:I've had lots of dogs that bit and the solution was rather simple. We raise our dogs from puppies, who don't know any better and will bite anything.





All we do is- when they bite, use a freehand to hold their snout and keep the mouth closed on what their biting. Don't do it hard, just firmly enough to keep the mouth closed. Hold it that way until the dog starts to whine slightly (not loudly, cause that's starting to traumatize the dog, just to where they barely start and it's soft) then let go and pop them of the nose, loudly saying "NO!" It might not be the most "civilized" way to train the dog, but after a few times, they stop.





Alternatively, if the dog is biting a kid or someone with a low pain tolerance, or some thing valuable you don't want to cause further damage to, reach over or under the snout and gently press your thumb and middle fingers of one hand in between the back two teeth. The dog will instinctively let go of whatever it's biting.





To this day, after raising dozens of dogs, we've yet to lose a single dog to a biting incident. The only time a dog has ever bit another human AFTER training was a trespasser who kicked the dog for barking at him.
Reply:I didn't have a dog that bites, but my neighbor did. the dog was part german shepard, part husky, and part wolf. it got loose and bit me right behind the knee, it didn't hurt, but you could see the rim of my muscle. i had to get stitches.





I think dogs bite for a number of reasons. They can be terrified and bite for defense, if you train them to bite, or if you tease them and bother them, such as pulling their tail, stealing food, and pulling their fur.
Reply:My dog does not bite. My brothers dog does bite.





My dog has not. My brothers dog bites on a regular basis, and she has bitten many people, causing them to bleed.





I think she bites because she is spoiled, and allowed to get away with it. She bites if you touch her toys, walk near her, walk away from her, try to pet her, or if you are just sitting by her. My brother has taken her to see dog trainers, but it never works. I think it is because he doesn't stick with the plan, and she is always picked up and held after she bites.





no





My dog doesn't bite because since the first day we adopted her we taught her that she is not allowed to put her teeth on anyone for any reason, even playing. If she touched her teeth to our skin, we immediately turned around and ignored her until she calmed down. As long as she wasn't using her mouth to play with us, we continued to play with her. I also think it has to do with early obedience training and socialization. She is a friendly and confident dog. And she has been from the beginning.
Reply:When I met my husband, he owned a husky. He was a good dog, but he didn't like anything taken from him or to be disciplined. One day, he was under a table and I was sweeping the floor. He had a rawhide bone with him and rug bunched up along with him. I reached to move the rug and he snapped at my hand and bite me pretty hard. My hand was very sore and bruised and after a little while became very swollen. The next day my hand was very stiff and I could hardly move it. So, I went to the doctor. I can't remember the exact treatment, but I remember he sent me down to have an xray to make sure none of the bones in my hand were broken. (they weren't...it was just badly bruised).


I know he bite me because he thought i was going to take his bone. To top it off...he was under a table (safe place) and he felt as though I was invading his space. We decided to give him to a friend of ours after he growled at our son when he was crawling around near his space. We didn't want to take a chance that the dog would bite our small child. We always watched the child and the dog, but we didn't want to take the chance. The dog did very well in his new home...he was with a single guy with no kids and this guy took him for walks every evening...the two became very close and I feel he was happier with him than us.


Other than that...I have owned cocker spaniels who were all very good and never showed signs of biting. They were all great with my children since they were babys. I have never had a bitting dog since. I know part of that is bcause I have had well bred dogs and I also think it's because I know how to train them. I have been very fortunate to have had some great dogs in my life.
Reply:I have very small dogs. One was an ankle nipper. I could never leave her loose if we had someone come over. She would chase and heel-nip. We no longer have her. I gave her to a home with older adults and no other pets.





I have a smaller black one now that is starting to be nippy, so we are working on it. She is under two pounds, seven mo old, and will yap and jump up to nip if she gets irritated at one of the other dogs or a person. Yesterday she attacked the Golden Retriever a couple of times and chased it away from the food/ couch. The golden runs from her. She bit my husband a few days ago when he sat down on the bed. So far we have banished her from the bed because she is becoming spoiled and trying to be dominate. She does like to guard the food bowls and chase all the other dogs away. She is so small that I worry about one of them nipping her back. She has a real resource guarding problem.
Reply:YES MY DOG DOES BITE, AS HE IS 120 LBS AND THINKS HE IS A LAP DOG. HE JUST PLAYS TO WHAT HE THINKS IS JUST FUN. HE NEVER BREAKS SKIN.


I HAVE THREE RESCUES, I HAVE HAD ONE SERIOUS BITE FROM MY MALE ROTTIE. HE OPENED A 2 IN. HOLE IN MY FOREARM.


IT WAS THE SECOND NIGHT I HAD HIM, MY WIFE AND WERE GOING TO BED I TURNED ALL THE LIGHTS OFF EXCEPT ONE THAT WAS CLOSE TO SO HE SEE . I SAID GOOD NIGHT TO MY OTHER DOGS AND WHEN TO SAY GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND PET HIM,WELL HE HAD A NEW RAWHIDE WITH THAT I DID NOT SEE LAYING NEXT TO HIM. HE MUST THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO TAKE IT FROM AND HE LATCHED ON AND LET IMMEDIATELY.


I TURNED ON THE LIGHT TO SEE HOW BAD IT WAS AND TO MY AMAZEMENT I HAD NO BLOOD BUT COULD SEE TENDONS AND TISSUE.HAD THREE STITCHES PUT IN.


WHEN I CAME FROM THE HOSPITAL HE STILL HA DIT WITH HIM(RAWHIDE) SO MY WIFE CALLED HIM AWAY AND I GOT RID OF THE RAWHIDE.NEVER HAD A PROBLEM AGAIN. HE ALREADY KNEW HE WAS WRONG AND HAS BEEN AWESOME EVER SINCE.

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