Dog bite-WDYT?

[VegasAngel]

Someone posted this on another forum I visit. Do you think this dog should be put down/given away? As far as I am concerned there is a difference between a dog who bites because it is being abused & one who bites unprovoked.

Last night our dog bit my dh. Chloe is a 9 yr old rott mix and she has always been the sweetest most loving dog. We get so many compliments on what a great dog she is, she has never ever been the least bit aggressive until now.

I did not see what happened but dh said she went poop in the front yard - where she''s not supposed to go. ( We have our backyard fenced in and that is where she has been trained to go. We have a big front and side yard for the kids to play so we don''t want her doing her business there.) So dh grabbed her by her collar to drag her over to where she pooped to tell her no. She got scared I guess and tried to run away. Dh grabbed her again and pulled her over to the poop and she bit him in the hand. She bit hard enough that he was bleeding in two places!

Dh was so angry last night that he was ranting and raving about how he was going to shoot her or put her to sleep and he even kicked her, which is so out of character for him. My older dd was in tears over the whole thing. She was sad that her dad was bleeding and sad because she thinks Chloe is going to die. This morning Chloe slowly tried walking into our bedroom and he yelled for her to GET OUT. She went back to the living room and laid on her bed. She looked so sad.
I''m just so shocked that this happened. Why would a wonderful dog suddenly bite their favorite family member? I''m wondering if anyone else had something like this happen and what you did about it? I don''t really think my dh would put her to sleep but we do have to think of the safety of our children.

 

[jcrow]

other than this incident, has chloe been acting normal?

 

[MsP]

Sound to me like your DH used improper training techniques and was letting his anger get out of control. The dog was scared and defending himself. If this is the manner in which you feel is appropriate to train your dog, then these types of reactions from the dog will likely persist and maybe getting rid of the dog isn''t a bad idea.

Not to be rude, but it sounds like your DH is the one in need of training.

 

[VegasAngel]

Just to clarify this didnt happen to us~ This was an incident someone else posted

 

[swingirl]

The whole dragging by the collar to show him where he pooped thing is inappropriate behavior. And then to do it twice!! And then to kick an animal under ANY circumstance!! That was very provocative and in the dog's way of thinking he was being attacked (which he was). The DH needs training! I also would be concerned about the safety of those kids!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 6/6/2007 11:34:55 AM
Author: MissPrudential
Sound to me like your DH used improper training techniques and was letting his anger get out of control. The dog was scared and defending himself. If this is the manner in which you feel is appropriate to train your dog, then these types of reactions from the dog will likely persist and maybe getting rid of the dog isn''t a bad idea.


Not to be rude, but it sounds like your DH is the one in need of training.

Totally agreed. And glad it''s not your DH!!!

 

[monarch64]

He got upset, the dog got upset. It happens, and imo doesn''t mean the dog needs to be put down.

Our beagle, Milo, has bitten DH severely once. He escaped our yard when a friend didn''t latch the gate completely, and DH panicked and ran after him and grabbed him by the hips...Milo panicked too and just bit DH, hard enough to draw blood. DH was very upset about it for a long time after that, he loves the dog so much and was just trying to protect him from getting run over in the street and felt like the dog turned on him. I saw the whole thing happen and it was mainly a case of them both panicking and DH acting before being able to think.

 

[littlelysser]

First - I''ve got to say...kicking and hitting a dog is never appropriate in my book.

It seems like this poster has some issues with her DH and frankly, the dog may be better some where else.

Further, it does NO good to rub a dog''s nose in an accident. And to do it twice? The dog was scared to death.

Ugh.

Second - I wouldn''t rule out a medical issue. If the dog has never reacted that way, perhaps she is in pain. Or perhaps she was in pain from the poster''s Husband DRAGGING her across the yard twice.

Ugh.

The dog definitely shouldn''t be put down...given away...well, I think that''d be in the DOG''S best interest.

people are jerks.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 6/6/2007 11:43:45 AM
Author: VegasAngel
Just to clarify this didnt happen to us~ This was an incident someone else posted

ah, didn''t realize. thanks for the clarification.

 

[firebirdgold]

Date: 6/6/2007 11:34:55 AM
Author: MissPrudential
Sound to me like your DH used improper training techniques and was letting his anger get out of control. The dog was scared and defending himself. If this is the manner in which you feel is appropriate to train your dog, then these types of reactions from the dog will likely persist and maybe getting rid of the dog isn't a bad idea.


Not to be rude, but it sounds like your DH is the one in need of training.

I second that. I suggest you three go to dog obedience classes first off. For one thing dogs are not children, they have trouble associating something like a bowel movement that happened a few minutes ago to why they are being yelled at right now. The only way to discipline a dog for going to the bathroom in the wrong spot is to catch them in the act. Otherwise they just see the person as being angry and scary for no reason. A dog also can't understand that their person is angry at her for something she did yesterday.

Unfortunately one thing dogs do remember (for all time) is being hurt and abused. Are you sure someone hasn't scared or hurt her before, maybe when she was a puppy? Does she flinch when you yell in an angry tone? Does she flinch if you raise your hand and bring it down towards her really fast? (my dog just sits there and blinks when my hand gets close in a pretend hit, my parent's old dog would flinch if you tried to pet his head slowly)

You might also want to take her to the vet and make sure she's all right. A dog in pain is more likely to bite, and a sick dog is also more likely to go to the bathroom somewhere they're not supposed to.



ETA: Oops just saw that it wasn't you but a post on another forum. My bad!
Well at least I can be less tactful then: I think it's the poster's husband's fault. His behavior and his yelling about shooting the dog indicates to me that he's been rough and scary with the dog before. He's a bad dog owner.
EYATA: She should keep the dog and get rid of the husband!

 

[divergrrl]

Wow...this kind of thing makes me so sad. IMO, if this guy behaved like this to his dog this time, he''s done it before. The dog is afraid of him. I think the wife should keep the dog & put the husband out for adoption.

and yes, I second the other poster who said have a vet check doggie. And its *just* poop. All you have to do is say ''no potty in front Chloe!'', and when she''s done take her out back & tell her "go potty here" & then for the next day or so, take her out back at appropriate potty intervals & repeat the command "go potty" & follow w/praise. Shoot, I''d hate to be required to be perfect. I mean, sometimes when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!!!!

Diver

 

[VegasAngel]

I agree that the dog should probably get a new home for it''s sake. If her husband keeps doing stuff like that the dog may hurt someone else. Poor dog she is a senior 9 years old & he is treating her like that. Maybe she has a medical condition & couldnt hold it in, ear infection, arthritis, who knows. Sad

 

[widget]

I would have bitten that jerk, too.

Stories like this make me crazy.

Truly the best, kindest, wisest, gentlest dog I ever had was a Rotty mix. I adopted him as a young adult, and it was clear that he had been previously abused.

He responded like this ONCE in all the years I had him: a (well-meaning) man was trying to encourage him and another dog to jump over a low rail (for horses). My dog froze up...he was leery of men in general...and my friend grabbed him by the collar and tried to drag him over the fence. He got bitten...well, "mouthed" is probably a better word....no blood.

To me this is a defensive fear response...not "aggression".

widget

 

[strmrdr]

depends on if it was a nip or a growling barking bite.
If it was a nip it was the guys fault for triggering it.

 

[Mandarine]

well, since I was on the otehr end (attacked by a rott) I can share how I feel, even having gone through a bad experience...

In this case I think the husband is completely to blame...a dog shouldn't be treated like that....how dare he kicked her???????/. I am so glad you clarified this wasn't your DH!!!!

Now, I don't think a "good dog" should bite the owner for being reprimended...but there are ways to reprimend without abusing a dog!. All I have to tell my dog, if he does something he is not suppossed to, is something like "WHAT IS THIS????"....he immediately knows he did something wrong, no need to hold it against me for hours, or abuse him!!

In this case, the husband and entire family need some training...this dog can end up getting an agressive behavior due to the abuse and that would be so sad...then someone gets hurt (like I did) and who really ends up taking the blame? the dog....unfortunately it is the way it is. That whole family needs some training so they can learn to properly treat that dog, before it is too late.

M~

ETA: I say the whole family needs training because dogs need consistency....if they don't want the dog, they should give it away to a good home, and give them a heads-up of what occurred so that they can do the proper training. This is so sad, specially if she was in pain or something....Things like this break my heart for the poor little doggies!

ETA2: And putting this dog to sleep due to this incident is crazy IMO!!!!. The dog that bit me still lives next door...and I do think he deserved a second chance...I only wish he had better owners that would actually take the time to train him....he's not getting training and I'm afraid he will attack someone again, hopefully I'm wrong, but if he does then he would need to be put down...again, a case where bad owners create bad dogs...

 

[yellowsparkles]

Date: 6/6/2007 11:34:55 AM
Author: MissPrudential
Sound to me like your DH used improper training techniques and was letting his anger get out of control. The dog was scared and defending himself. If this is the manner in which you feel is appropriate to train your dog, then these types of reactions from the dog will likely persist and maybe getting rid of the dog isn''t a bad idea.

Not to be rude, but it sounds like your DH is the one in need of training.

I have to agree with MissPrudential. Your dog was just defending herself. Hitting or kicking a dog will not train it - only make it more aggressive. Positive reinforcement is the way to go - but it sounds like your DH is beyond this. I don''t think putting it to sleep is even warranted as a thought. If the dog were to have bit someone with no reason - and has shown previous aggressive behavior then maybe......

 

[marvel]

I haven't read all the replies yet, but DH sounds like a jerk and over-reacted to the entire situation. That dog got scared and bit him (Iwould have done the samething

). This guy has something else bothering him and he took it out on the dog.

 

[Kaleigh]

I fault the DH not the dog in this case. He sounds like a real class act...

 

[Gypsy]

I would have bitten that jerk too!!!

You don''t do that to a dog.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Yes kicking a dog. That''s just really really out of line and could hurt the dog. It would put up a real red flag for me about how to relate to this DH. I''d be wary of him.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

I agree I would have bitten him also!
It sounds like the dog was scared. I wonder how this man treats his wife and children???

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 6/6/2007 1:26:42 PM
Author: Kaleigh
I fault the DH not the dog in this case. He sounds like a real class act...

Precisely!

Also makes me wonder how he treats his family. Wow - at the very least, this guy sounds like a bully. Such CONTEMPT for an animal is red flag city, especially for the major offense of pooping in the front yard.

Stories like this break my heart.

 

[partgypsy]

I''m going to second what alot of people have been saying. For one, that is improper training. After a few minutes, a dog does not associate the behavior (doing their business) with that pile of dog poop, and dragging the dog over and rubbing the dog''s nose in it serves no purpose. And grabbing a dog, well a large 9 year old dog is getting on in age, may have arthritis, I wouldn''t be surprised if the man not only scared the dog but also caused it pain as well. Normally I have low tolerance for a dog that bites, but sounds like this dog may have felt cornered and bit defensively/out of pain. Now I trust my own dog 99% my dog would not bite my children (she is actually protective of him). But it would not be correct to assume because I don''t think the dog will bite that it is okay to allow my children to corner/grab/hurt the dog, and it then punish the dog for biting in defense. In general you should give older dogs more berth, because frankly they DO get more cranky, either because they don''t feel they can defend themselves as well (creaky, poor eyesight/hearing) or from low level pain, so leave them alone.

 

[FireGoddess]

I think people can learn a TON by going to a library and just READING some books on animal behavior. I have had a neurotic kitty (Chloe) for a decade now and it has been a learning process. Ten years ago I was told to bring her over to a place she peed inappropriately on and rub her nose in it. Never seemed like the right thing to do. I tried once but all it seemed to do was scare her. Then I read a few books on cat behavior and instead of thinking 'what a bad cat' I thought 'what is she trying to tell me with this action?' It's amazing the insight you can gather once you start to think that way.

Example: When we took in the stray cat, Chloe peed on my bed the very next morning. One might immediately think she was POed and just wanted to show me how mad she was. But in thinking about it I realized she was TOO SCARED to use her litter box, which was right next to the room where the [quite loud] stray cat was being confined. So she went someplace that she felt safe. Not rocket science.

I moved her box away from the room with the stray cat in it, and there were no more inappropriate elimination incidents.

I wish more people would read a freakin book or seek some professional advice regarding their pets.