Genuine question: how do dog owners cope with the idea their dogs can turn at any time?

[Simblythebestie]

Have always wondered this and I'm honestly not attempting to be goady. Do you ever wonder about your dog - particularly a large breed - turning and biting you and causing damage to you or your kids? The idea of this would terrify me and is one of the reasons we'd never got a dog. Do you always know what they are thinking when they are looking at you? That's something else I've always wondered about. Or do you feel you know a dog after you've been living together for a period of time?

I'm sure I read somewhere about someone being dead in a flat and their cat had been eating at their face !
I often now as a single parent look at my three dogs ( all terrier mixes ) and wonder if they would eat me !
I trust them hugely with me and my
Child , they are very protective though and would go for any one they felt was about to hurt either of us , she's not a little one and had grown up with dogs so knows how to behave and when people visit they go away to their bed elsewhere as not to stress them out. I do feel I know their body language and they would absolutely give a warning if they were uncomfortable , but just like my horse could run me into a tree or a car everything comes with a risk , the benefits of loving my dogs far outweigh any risk , they make DD feel safe going to sleep at night too knowing they would bark if the door knocked etc and they provide so much fun and comfort to her too

I live with 4 people all physically stronger than me. Anyone of them could harm me but never have so don't worry.
The house could burn down but I live in it. the car could crash but I drive, the restaurant could give me salmonella but I eat there.
As with all of the above I minimise the risk with my dogs. I train them well, am never aggressive to them, I keep them exercised and stimulated, well fed and take them to the vets if in pain.
Life is full of risks and the very minimal risk of my dogs biting me is worth the love I get from them.

I've always been very wary of larger dogs purely because I don't know how to act around them really as we didn't have dogs growing up.
This is the key - understanding them, especially their body language, and knowing how to interact with them. Importantly this includes not touching and bothering them, even if you think you're being affectionate, when they're telling you they want to be left alone or if they can't see you approaching. "Let sleeping dogs lie" is a saying for a reason.

When they were very young I taught my kids the body language of cats, dogs and horses that means "back off". It's sad to see so many people unable to see these signs, and persistently touching an animal that's becoming increasingly distressed. Social media is full of "hilarious" videos of animals appearing to pull funny faces, but are actually petrified or on the verge of panicking or attacking.

I don't buy the idea that any dog can turn at any time. The tendency to attack depends on breed, upbringing, environment and events. And if it does start to attack there are pre-warnings that every dog owner should be able to read.

I honestly don't understand why someone would risk having yound children as well as a dog, it's negligent. But then people also have Lions etc, look at the woman who had her face ripped off by her Chimpanzee. People are stupid, they always have been.

I'd also be very interested to know the percentage of people who train their dog, especially under the advice of a dog training specialist. Bet the numbers are tiny

I've had three rescue dogs, all got when they were older, and none of them "turned", and I never expected any of them to. One did bite me once on the ear, but that was because I accidently sat on his tail stump. None of them attempted to take on the cat either - they knew who would come out on top there! I've know many dog owners, and I'm sure they've felt the same way. Responsible dog owners know their dogs, and their behaviour - the world is not full of dogs plotting to attack.

It's a risk benefit trade off like everything in life
There are proven benefits of dog ownership that far outweigh the risks for me:

Dog owners are less likely to suffer from loneliness and depression and are fitter with a lower risk of heart disease. It's a hugely significant effect up to a third reduction in risk of strokes and heart attacks as well as diabetes and obesity. Children brought up in a household with a dog are less likely to have allergies, asthma and eczema and are more empathetic!

Not an insane or irrational decision you see

And Obviously a lot of people train their dogs otherwise the numerous dog training businesses, run by qualified dog trainers, in my town would have gone out of business

I have total faith in my dog. But I don't think I have the right to trust her on someone else's behalf. So I never leave her alone with children and she is only off lead in open spaces where I can call her to heel or on leash if we encounter people

Statistically I am far more likely to be killed by my husband than my dog, but I still got married!

To be fair, my dog is small enough that I could restrain him. I also ride horses, which is the far bigger risk, but the benefits are worth it.

Numbers of people who are actually seriously harmed by dogs are tiny when compared to road deaths, suicide etc.

Wow, so many responses! Thanks, everyone. I do have a fear of big dogs I was nearly bitten by a guardjng breed when I was young and my mum was very upset about it which I think together didn't help and planted a negative memory seed about dogs at an early age. The responses are sort of what I thought an owner would say - they know the dog well and its body language, they researched the lineage and have trained the dog, know the warning signals and that kind of thing. All makes sense to me and I can totally understand the plus points of having a dog but unfortunately think I am probably too far gone phobia wise to ever have one myself.

Well I have Labradors. I have always had a dog -

as a teenager I was bitten twice. Once my mother told me to put his chewed up bone (Jack Russell) as it was splintering in the bin and as I did so - he bit me very hard on the back of my legs it was awful. My father put him outside for a few days (father is not a nice man but that’s another story). I was then bitten by a dog when I was walking our Jack Russell.

I currently have three - all related. They once had a fight which was awful and my fault over food. I put their bowls down in the wrong places eg wrong bowl to the wrong dog and then attempted to swap them when they had started eating and they were far too close together and they went for each other. I Separated them with a chair and fortunately no damage but they were strange with each other for a few weeks after - constantly licking each other, gentle nosing and very very very gentle with each other - like they needed to rebond etc

I did think today how safe I feel with them - I can not see anyone breaking in - ever. Three of them - good luck to whoever tries. They literally guard me and the kids. They each have a favourite person - they will either all sleep together in the kitchen or lounge or each asks to go in a room. The eldest always comes with me and the two younger ones (7 and 5) have a favourite child each. I feel safer with my dog and struggle to sleep without him.

I was regularly punched by my father and at least two exes - so I feel safer with a dog than a man or another person.

We had a really aggressive cat when I was growing up. You couldn't go near her. Sometimes she would leap out at you in the darkness claws and teeth bared. And yes, although only a cat it really hurt. So I would never have another animal for that reason. I don't trust them.

This is an interesting question.

I have a lab, he's a big dog (even for his breed) I didn't realise how big he could get. He did a lot of the puppy biting/mouthing. It was awful and I really worried he would end up aggressive. The thing that reassured me was we were at the vets and had a terrible vet who before I realised what was happening tried to pin him down (literally with an arm) to examine him. The dog got frightened and did a warning growl. But didn't even snap. I knew then that my dog is not aggressive and even when pushed biting is not his go to response. He has never had reason to do anything since. (Obviously we moved vets) But equally I would never let him be in a situation where he might feel threatened

I'm pretty confident I could take my shih tzu if the time came 😂

I always let him grumble if not happy with something and let him move freely away when house is noisy or he doesn't want cuddles because I think it's important dogs have a way of saying they're unhappy before it gets to the snapping point. Never ever tell them off a grumble or whinge. He's never shown his teeth but I would be glad he was warning if he did.

After growing up with many dogs and owning a few myself I'd personally always have in the back of my mind that any dog can bite.

And so a larger dog will give a larger bite.

I was bitten by one of our softest dogs as a teen; she was old and I went near her food iirc. But it was just a scratch on my hand.

Obviously there's a difference between warning nip and aggressive attack bite.

Dog owners should learn to read dog behaviour language properly.

From what I see, I would guess that most dogs know their name and will sit. Beyond that, I'd say sub 30% of owners have much control. Reliable recall is rare.

Yes that's kinda how I know my dog isn't really going to bite anyone too from trial and error/ learning from mistakes!

He isn't keen on being groomed but has to be as he has long hair. He has learnt to tolerate it by being rewarded for putting up with it but he isn't keen. I take him to a gentle groomers where I can stay with him. He will try to run away or change position to avoid it first, then he will mouth gently at your hand if you pursue him or continue and that's where I would stop. If you push past that then he will growl and show teeth and I have never gone past that stage but I assume the next is air snap and then bite. Point being there is a long sequence before you'd get to bite

He does react in a defensive/ aggressive way to triggers he perceives as a threat and again that is in a stereotyped way which looks scary but the purpose is to scare the thing away not to attack. He fixates on the threat, stiffens up and goes tense and at that point you can still distract him, then if I don't manage to remove or distract him he will lunge and bark and if not restrained run at the thing. Obviously I avoid getting to this point and I always have control of him on a lead apart from in situations I have assessed and know are safe. I have made a few (fingers of one hand) mistakes in the past and I learnt from those but I also learnt what the limits of his behaviour are. Once a man came up quietly behind us on a deserted footpath where I had let my dog off lead as I thought we were alone and he was carrying walking poles. Dog thought this was a threat and he started barking loudly, rushed at the man and circled him. Clearly this was unacceptable behaviour and I quickly got him on the lead and apologised profusely. However at no point did my dog get close to the man or touch him at all. I'm not saying it is OK in any way, I was mortified and it will not happen again but it did make me realise that he is more bark than bite. If the guy did attack me well then I think he perhaps would bite.

I haven’t read the full thread, but I assume my answer here will be a little repetitive.

we have a Dalmatian, not the largest dog in the world but big enough to seriously harm if the desire took him. He’s the softest most loving thing

The way I trust he won’t bite is that I treat him like a dog. I look for signs he’s uncomfortable and if he’s not liking something new we’re doing we stop. I’ve never pissed about with his food or his bed and he’s allowed space.

The fact he chooses to be a Velcro animal
on an evening covering me in his hair is very much his perogative.

There are only 2 times he’s ever shown any sign of the start of aggression.

once at the vet when he was in pain. So we popped a muzzle on to get him treatment and pain relief.

and then once when I was walking him and this fella walked by me. My dog placed himself between me and this chapped and barked and showed teeth. He’s never done it since!

I think it needs to be more encouraged in UK. All our dogs in native country attended training grounds with us (person varied depending on whose dog it was). It's quite common thing to do there.

How do we know our friends and family won't kill us in our sleep?

We don't know for certain. It's always possible. Statistically, humans are much more dangerous to humans than dogs are. However, our years of association with those particular individuals assure us that its extremely unlikely.

It is an interesting question.

I have owned dogs for years and have trusted them - completely trusted them to the extent I have left them with kids alone in the room etc. occasionally we look at each other - I swear you can see a dog’s soul. There is complete trust between us. I do sometimes think “hell, imagine if you turned on me - it’s amazing how we trust each other” but it’s a fleeting thought of curiosity. I worry far far more about men in the street to be honest!

I owned each of these dogs from puppyhood. One was large. He was gentle but I know he would have protected me and my kids. My friend has two Romanian rescues and I adore those dogs. So it’s not always a puppy thing.

i do meet some dogs and I worry about them actually - are my kids ok them. It’s more of an instinctive fear based on my knowing dogs.

This is why I would never get a dog I, or my DC couldn't fight off.

Indeed, it would make more sense to ask, "people who live with men, how do you deal with the knowledge that said man could at any time...."

The same way I don’t worry my husband is going to turn and murder me. And he weighs more than 10kg so would be much more difficult to stop.

My dog growls and snaps if she’s not happy, she’s never tried to bite but the growling is not unusual (but equally not common at all!) so I would be astounded if she went from nothing to biting without warning. And she’s 10kg and can’t fit more than a couple of my fingers in her mouth, so she’s unlikely to maul me to death in my sleep without me being able to get away.

Not really a fair comparison. A man is not an animal, most humans are rational beings. We don't lick our own arses or eat our shit