Dog bit me

eviltwin

So a bit of background, the dog is a 6 yr old neutered male we adopted from the pound about two months ago. Great little dog but very nervous and will growl or bark if his space is invaded. He's closest to me and up until now has been fine.

Last night he attacked me. I was in bed and he was beside me not a bother. I went to pet him and he went for me. I have two bites on my arm and shoulder.

I don't know how I feel now or what to do. I don't feel safe and I'm afraid for my son and other kids who visit.

Any advice or suggestions appreciated

endacl

Back to pound.

does he sleep in the bedroom or on the bed?
maybe just give him his own space, where he knows no-one will go near him?

Nekarsulm

If you are going to keep him, give him his own bed, ideally in a kennel outside.
He obviously is extremely territorial, and you have given him mixed messages by having him on your bed.
His space is his space, and he won't tolerate others in it.

I wonder why he was left in for re-homing in the first place?

wexie

I doubt anybody here can give you sensible advice beyond finding a good (actually qualified) trainer/behaviourist who can see and assess the dog.

With what you've said there's not enough information to figure out why the dog bit you or what to do about it.

(if you're in or near my neck of the woods in North Wexford I could recommend someone)

ButtersSuki

As these tend to get very emotive OP I'm just going to PM you instead.

eviltwin

He doesn't sleep in the bedroom. He followed me upstairs and sat beside me while I was watching tv.

I don't want to give up on him but I'm nervous around him now. I can't relax. I'm afraid he will do it again or attack someone else.

My husband loves him but he says if it happens once you have to put to sleep. I want to try everything possible before I'd even consider that.

wexie

eviltwin wrote: »

He doesn't sleep in the bedroom. He followed me upstairs and sat beside me while I was watching tv.

I don't want to give up on him but I'm nervous around him now. I can't relax. I'm afraid he will do it again or attack someone else.

My husband loves him but he says if it happens once you have to put to sleep. I want to try everything possible before I'd even consider that.

Really, honestly, genuinely if you'd like to help and keep this dog you need to find someone who knows what they are looking at and can help you with this.

Anybody who thinks they can tell you what is wrong with an anonymous dog, on the basis of what you've told us, that they've never seen and don't know the background of is talking out of their arse...

VonVix

This is the sort of situation where you really need an experienced individual to come into your home and give you a plan of action, dog bites are an extremely delicate topic, no-one here can really safely assess the situation for you without meeting the dog in question. You can find a suitable person on this website to come to your home to meet your dog and help you both out: http://apdt.ie/index.php/find-a-trainer/

For the time being, I'd recommend having him sleep elsewhere, somewhere safe where he cannot be disturbed. Some dogs can get a fright if they are suddenly woken and will react with instinct. Always keep in mind a dog can't speak to tell us they are in pain, are scared, or how they feel. Growling, nipping or biting are unfortunately the only way a dog can clearly communicate that they are not comfortable, people often cannot see the smaller signals given. I'm sorry you had to experience this.

Best of luck.

endacl

eviltwin wrote: »

He doesn't sleep in the bedroom. He followed me upstairs and sat beside me while I was watching tv.

I don't want to give up on him but I'm nervous around him now. I can't relax. I'm afraid he will do it again or attack someone else.

My husband loves him but he says if it happens once you have to put to sleep. I want to try everything possible before I'd even consider that.

Seriously. Back to the pound. I presume they were aware of the dog’s temperament and assessed your family as suitable when they placed him? They got it wrong. Sounds like a bad match.

kylith

endacl wrote: »

eviltwin wrote: »

He doesn't sleep in the bedroom. He followed me upstairs and sat beside me while I was watching tv.

I don't want to give up on him but I'm nervous around him now. I can't relax. I'm afraid he will do it again or attack someone else.

My husband loves him but he says if it happens once you have to put to sleep. I want to try everything possible before I'd even consider that.

Seriously. Back to the pound. I presume they were aware of the dog’s temperament and assessed your family as suitable when they placed him? They got it wrong. Sounds like a bad match.

Pounds don’t assess or place. You go in, you pick a dog, you pay the fee. People go there cos it’s less hassle than getting cleared by a rescue.

OP. It sounds like you gave him a fright and he reacted instinctively. Was your skin broken? I second the call for a visit from a behaviourist.

alice carroll

That dog was having a dream and you put your hand on him. I have heard of that before when the dog sleeps on your bed. I heard of a woman who had her nose bitten off. Let him in your room but in his own bed.

volchitsa

Hi Eviltwin,
Sorry to hear you had such a horrible incident, first. I'm assuming the skin is broken, since you say he bit you - I hope you're not too badly cut?

I agree with others that it's not something other people can evaluate via a screen, you really need someone with experience to see the dog first hand.

I'd want to be sure that it wasn't just a mistake on my part that had caused it. One of my kids got bitten some years back by a friend's dog, not badly but he bled - but I now know what he did wrong, which I didn't at the time. With the experience I now have, I know it was just slightly jumpy dog behaviour, not real aggression. But he did definitely bite. Luckily my son wasn't put off dogs though.

Is this your first dog? Because assuming it's not something too major but that can be solved, I wondered how familiar you are with dog "signals" and how confident you would feel about working with a dog to "fix" its issue. Or indeed to being able to read his reactions sooner. I think that's a huge part of where you go from here.

Since you're posting about it here, you obviously want to know whether or not it could be simply the sort of bite that my son suffered, before treating the incident as a "dangerous dog" one. Which is the right reaction I think.

eviltwin

alice carroll wrote: »

That dog was having a dream and you put your hand on him. I have heard of that before when the dog sleeps on your bed. I heard of a woman who had her nose bitten off. Let him in your room but in his own bed.

He wasn't asleep when it happened

The simple answer is the dog cannot be trusted now.

Next time it could be your face, or a guests face

eviltwin

volchitsa wrote: »

Hi Eviltwin,
Sorry to hear you had such a horrible incident, first. I'm assuming the skin is broken, since you say he bit you - I hope you're not too badly cut?

I agree with others that it's not something other people can evaluate via a screen, you really need someone with experience to see the dog first hand.

I'd want to be sure that it wasn't just a mistake on my part that had caused it. One of my kids got bitten some years back by a friend's dog, not badly but he bled - but I now know what he did wrong, which I didn't at the time. With the experience I now have, I know it was just slightly jumpy dog behaviour, not real aggression. But he did definitely bite. Luckily my son wasn't put off dogs though.

Is this your first dog? Because assuming it's not something too major but that can be solved, I wondered how familiar you are with dog "signals" and how confident you would feel about working with a dog to "fix" its issue. Or indeed to being able to read his reactions sooner. I think that's a huge part of where you go from here.

Since you're posting about it here, you obviously want to know whether or not it could be simply the sort of bite that my son suffered, before treating the incident as a "dangerous dog" one. Which is the right reaction I think.

Skin isn't broken thankfully but I have two very obvious bite marks and swelling and bruising. He had to be pulled off me so if my husband hadn't been there I've no doubt it would have been worse.

He's my third dog, we've had dogs for the last 17 years and I'd be very aware of body language especially this guy given how nervous he is. I don't think he's a bad dog, just very vulnerable and I want to regain his trust.

I get people's points about his access to the bedroom and that won't be happening again.

denismc

I presume it is a small dog, if so then he is probably not any serious danger to you.
It looks like he is easily startled so this is a problem if you have small kids as kids tend to grab things without realising the danger.
If you want to keep the dog then a behaviourist is your best bet.

kylith

To me it sounds manageable, if not fixable. He didn’t break the skin, which he easily could have, so he was pulling his punches. Get a behaviourist in.

I had a terrier for years who could only be handled by people who knew her. A fantastic dog as long as you understood her needs and boundaries.

jcd5971

Dog bit you.

That's all that matters and you have kids in the house, answer is obvious really as with all dangerous dogs you need to have it put to sleep.
Not a pleasent experience but a necesary one.

em_cat

OP

Fair play for giving an older dog a chance and directly from the pound too.

+1 for defiantly getting an assessment from a qualified adpt behaviourist. We had a hard time finding the right one but we did eventually and my goodness it has made a world of difference.

I second what others are saying about giving him his own space, it can be as simple as a really super cosy doughnut shaped bed that can be moved around wherever you spend the most time.

Until you and your family are assessed with a canine behaviourist, I would advise, as you have children to teach them when your dog is in his bed to leave him alone as he needs to find a place to feel safe and secure, this is also for the safety of your children.

If they want to interact with him, then they need to call him off his bed but with the caveat that he may not want to and that is ok for now.

You can introduce things like recall later when things are more settled.

There is no need to kennel him outside, that IMO is unnecessary and counter productive.

Remember he needs time to figure out how he fits into your environment as well as to learn what is expected of him.

volchitsa

eviltwin wrote: »

Skin isn't broken thankfully but I have two very obvious bite marks and swelling and bruising. He had to be pulled off me so if my husband hadn't been there I've no doubt it would have been worse.

He's my third dog, we've had dogs for the last 17 years and I'd be very aware of body language especially this guy given how nervous he is. I don't think he's a bad dog, just very vulnerable and I want to regain his trust.

I get people's points about his access to the bedroom and that won't be happening again.

Right, so not a full-on attack all the same. That makes a difference - like you say it sounds like he's an anxious dog who may not have had good experiences in the past. So that can probably be worked on I imagine, but as I said it depends on how confident you feel about doing so.

I think if you can put in the investment (both money, calling in a behaviourist, but also the time and effort it takes) and you can build up his confidence, it would be so rewarding to know you gave him that chance, after the tough start he had.

But it's really something you have to decide for yourselves. I don't think other people should guilt you into keeping him if you don't feel able to. Nor, for that matter, into getting rid of him on supposed safety grounds if you yourselves decide it's something you can probably handle.

Either way I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you. Let us know how it goes either way, won't you? Good luck.

2 Scoops

If you have kids around the place then you really don't have an option.

em_cat

Honestly, would it be really that difficult for people to post helpful encouragement to the OP rather than assume that the dog is dangerous altogether?

People have to learn that animals have boundaries and people including, children, need to understand & respect them. Parents would be better off teaching that than projecting their own fears.

It seems as if the OP realises this and is attempting to address it.

eviltwin

I'm not going to put him asleep just like that, he's a great little dog and I won't give up on him. I think my fear comes from not knowing what I did that set him off so I'm unsure how I can avoid doing it again. He regularly sits on the bed and has no problem with being touched so I dont know why last night he reacted badly.

RebelButtMunch

em_cat wrote: »

Honestly, would it be really that difficult for people to post helpful encouragement to the OP rather than assume that the dog is dangerous altogether?

People have to learn that animals have boundaries and people including, children, need to understand & respect them. Parents would be better off teaching that than projecting their own fears.

It seems as if the OP realises this and is attempting to address it.

They are entitled to their opinion

Pkiernan

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm not going to put him asleep just like that, he's a great little dog and I won't give up on him. I think my fear comes from not knowing what I did that set him off so I'm unsure how I can avoid doing it again. He regularly sits on the bed and has no problem with being touched so I dont know why last night he reacted badly.

Hopefully next time it attacks - your words remember -someone it won't be a child then.

Doctors room ghost

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm not going to put him asleep just like that, he's a great little dog and I won't give up on him. I think my fear comes from not knowing what I did that set him off so I'm unsure how I can avoid doing it again. He regularly sits on the bed and has no problem with being touched so I dont know why last night he reacted badly.

The dog probably had a Vietnam flashback if it was abused before you got him.id give it a second chance personally.we had a collie we got from a rescue before.dog was sound most of the time but if you stood on its tail or bounced off it by accident without seeing it he would snarl and bark.most of them dogs are damaged goods and need a little help along.up to yourself op obviously.thats just my experience.

em_cat

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

They are entitled to their opinion

Yes and everyone has one, but is it not more respectful & helpful to the OP to give positive suggestions and advise where to seek the appropriate help if they ask?

I understand & respect that some people can have a justified or equally an irrational fear of dogs but either way projecting that fear is not beneficial in this situation at present.

eviltwin

Pkiernan wrote: »

Hopefully next time it attacks - your words remember -someone it won't be a child then.

I'm not going to have a healthy dog put to sleep because of one incident.

wexie

em_cat wrote: »

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

They are entitled to their opinion

Yes and everyone has one, but is it not more respectful & helpful to the OP to give positive suggestions and advise where to seek the appropriate help if they ask?

I understand & respect that some people can have a justified or equally an irrational fear of dogs but either way projecting that fear is not beneficial in this situation at present.

You've managed to put that in a lot more polite and constructive way than I could have

Graces7

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm not going to put him asleep just like that, he's a great little dog and I won't give up on him. I think my fear comes from not knowing what I did that set him off so I'm unsure how I can avoid doing it again. He regularly sits on the bed and has no problem with being touched so I dont know why last night he reacted badly.

Is he sore ? ie hurt and you accidentally touched the sore place? Had that happen with a Siamese cat once. He warned me by grabbing my wrist.

em_cat

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm not going to put him asleep just like that, he's a great little dog and I won't give up on him. I think my fear comes from not knowing what I did that set him off so I'm unsure how I can avoid doing it again. He regularly sits on the bed and has no problem with being touched so I dont know why last night he reacted badly.

I am familiar with what you are saying there, we kind of got a bit lost with our rescue at first also to comfortable too soon. Also haven’t fully resolved some of his frankly weird issues. Anyway, to date I have been nipped several times & received 2 minor bites from him, not on purpose or out of anger, but out of fear and / or anxiety.

We are working on it and now he has a level of impulse control, self calming and proper bite inhibition. But more importantly we have learned his boundaries and tolerances !

thecretinhop

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm not going to put him asleep just like that, he's a great little dog and I won't give up on him. I think my fear comes from not knowing what I did that set him off so I'm unsure how I can avoid doing it again. He regularly sits on the bed and has no problem with being touched so I dont know why last night he reacted badly.

we got a dog with issues from rescue shelter mainly fear of other dogs. training got him sorted hes a baby now no issues 3 years later you just need time and investment in it.

em_cat

wexie wrote: »

You've managed to put that in a lot more polite and constructive way than I could have

Thanks, you’ve no idea the amount of restraint involved. As a poster said earlier it is an emotive issue for all.

Ronin247

I admire your commitment to helping the poor dog.

The dog attacked you, bit you twice and your husband had to pull the dog off you!!!
You have a child in the house. Would your child be able to fight the dog off if no one was around??

Pkiernan

eviltwin wrote: »

I'm not going to have a healthy dog put to sleep because of one incident.

So next time it attacks you will you put it down?

If it rips into a child's face would you admit to the Guards that it has previously attacked people but you chose to give it another chance?

In my opinion you are acting quite irresponsibly. Hope no-one gets hurt because of it.

Bells21

Pkiernan wrote:

In my opinion you are acting quite irresponsibly. Hope no-one gets hurt because of it.

I beg to differ. Being irresponsible would be putting a dog to sleep without first putting precautionary measures in place until a trained professional has a chance to assess the dog. This professional, who will have actually assessed the dog, will be able to put in place a plan to ensure the dog and others are safe and happy.

thecretinhop

Pkiernan wrote: »

So next time it attacks you will you put it down?

If it rips into a child's face would you admit to the Guards that it has previously attacked people but you chose to give it another chance?

In my opinion you are acting quite irresponsibly. Hope no-one gets hurt because of it.

in your opinion exactly. stop using a slim chance of something happening in the future as emotional blackmail. i doubt you give a sht about the dog or the kids
... in my opinion.

ButtersSuki

Pkiernan wrote: »

So next time it attacks you will you put it down?

If it rips into a child's face would you admit to the Guards that it has previously attacked people but you chose to give it another chance?

In my opinion you are acting quite irresponsibly. Hope no-one gets hurt because of it.

This type of post is exactly the reason I PM'ed the OP - why can't people have a discussion about dogs and biting without emotion and exaggeration?

Ms2011

eviltwin wrote: »

He had to be pulled off me so if my husband hadn't been there I've no doubt it would have been worse.

This bit is worrying for me. It wasn't a bite & release ie. a warning. It was a 'proper' attack.
Given that there are children in the home I would be keeping them away from the dog until you can get him properly assessed. Maybe also have your vet check him out just to make sure there is nothing physically bothering him.

volchitsa

Ms2011 wrote: »

This bit is worrying for me. It wasn't a bite & release ie. a warning. It was a 'proper' attack.
Given that there are children in the home I would be keeping them away from the dog until you can get him properly assessed. Maybe also have your vet check him out just to make sure there is nothing physically bothering him.

Yes, I agree that the need to pull him off is worrying, but given that he's a rescue dog who hasn't been there long, and that none of us saw how it happened means we can't tell if for instance a loud, panicked reaction to when he first bit actually made him react further. It's really impossible to judge at second hand.

Definitely agree that it needs to be taken seriously, and the OP is doing that (I know you're not saying differently BTW). Asking on here for ideas and advice about how to proceed is a good start IMO.

Graces7

And easy to "give a dog a bad name" from one incident,

Years ago I took in a 7 year old collie everyone was scared of. Badly cared for and untrained, when a neighbour came and acted skittish collie tried to round her up. Nipped her ankle and drew blood

After that just fear of her and neglect.

And some folk here labelled her a biter who should be put down.

That collie did not have an aggressve bone in her body. When at a different house a trespasser walloped her with his stick, she ran to me is all. when he then told the Gardai she had bitten him, I easily demo'd to them that she was not capable of that. Pure pet.

Takes time OP for such a dog to settle and I was thinking as someone else said that your reaction , quite natural, to the bite would have panicked the dog further. Takes time to build up that deep trust.

ganmo

Graces7 wrote: »

And easy to "give a dog a bad name" from one incident,

Years ago I took in a 7 year old collie everyone was scared of. Badly cared for and untrained, when a neighbour came and acted skittish collie tried to round her up. Nipped her ankle and drew blood

After that just fear of her and neglect.

And some folk here labelled her a biter who should be put down.

That collie did not have an aggressve bone in her body. When at a different house a trespasser walloped her with his stick, she ran to me is all. when he then told the Gardai she had bitten him, I easily demo'd to them that she was not capable of that. Pure pet.

Takes time OP for such a dog to settle and I was thinking as someone else said that your reaction , quite natural, to the bite would have panicked the dog further. Takes time to build up that deep trust.

A dog that bites has to be treated as such. While not going to the absolute extreme of putting it down you have to be conscious of the fact it does bite that means muzzle training and warning ppl that come into your home not to surprise the dog.
I had a collie like yours graces, she snuck up on a neighbor as she was walking away from us and bit her ankle. From then on I made sure I had hold of her before finishing a conversation with anyone and lettting them walk away

Graces7

ganmo wrote: »

A dog that bites has to be treated as such. While not going to the absolute extreme of putting it down you have to be conscious of the fact it does bite that means muzzle training and warning ppl that come into your home not to surprise the dog.
I had a collie like yours graces, she snuck up on a neighbor as she was walking away from us and bit her ankle. From then on I made sure I had hold of her before finishing a conversation with anyone and lettting them walk away

This had happened years before I knew the dog. And not an aggressive bite either. It is the label " a dog that bites" that is so very very wrong. It really is. As is the idea you suggest. In the case I spoke of. As in the case of the OP's dog

em_cat

I’m with Graces7 on this, labelling the OP’s dog as a biter without knowing full details is wrong. And using the example of a collie sneaking & nipping is a different kettle of fish too.

When I come across collies in the urban environment I expect them to do that as they are born with that instinct.

snoman

When I was about 7 my dad's dog bit me on my jaw. I don't remember exactly what happened but I do know I was trying to get him to be in whatever game I was playing and I assume that he didn't want to.

My mum drove me to the hospital/doctor and all I can remember is that she was completely unsympathetic. She told me that it was entirely my own fault and I should have stopped annoying him when it was obvious that he was uncooperative.

She was right. He never bit anyone again and i had a great relationship with him until he died.

skooterblue2

My experience is I was bit in the back of the leg by a distant neighbours dog. It was a collie and he snuck up behind me and bit me. It was only later we found out he had a history of biting people maybe three or four people before me. He was taken for a walk up the fields after wards.

OP, while you are willing to accept the actions and consequences for the dogs behaviour are you willing to accept the responsibility if the dog bites again or attacks a child? Do (not the nice thing) but the responsible thing as an owner for your community.

OrangeBadger

The dog could very easily have bitten your neck instead of shoulder. Not a hope I would have a dog like that in a house with kids.

work

why is this being debated. OP needs professional help to determine path.
in my opinion what can and should happen is.
1) Get PROFESSIONAL advice specific to the dog, the dog will as such find its position in the family (lowest) and will be safe and happy and a great pet.
2) trust the dog with people but always supervised.

em_cat

work wrote: »

why is this being debated. OP needs professional help to determine path.
in my opinion what can and should happen is.
1) Get PROFESSIONAL advice specific to the dog, the dog will as such find its position in the family (lowest) and will be safe and happy and a great pet.
2) trust the dog with people but always supervised.

Bloody well put! Some ppl just have assume the OPs dog was on a vicious rampage trying to tear her arm off.

I’d say part of it as soon as people see dog...bite...child....PTS & automatically assume the dog was at fault without regard to previous historical evidence,

skooterblue2

work wrote: »

why is this being debated. OP needs professional help to determine path.
in my opinion what can and should happen is.
1) Get PROFESSIONAL advice specific to the dog, the dog will as such find its position in the family (lowest) and will be safe and happy and a great pet.
2) trust the dog with people but always supervised.

<snip>

Advocating any form of cruelty to animals, including taking matters into your own hands, is strictly forbidden.
Post deleted.
Next post breaking the above rule will merit a ban. End of.
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DBB