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Original poster

If a dog bites, should it be pts?

272 replies

Snappedandfarted1 · 12/11/2018 21:35

After a discussion with my dog loving friend, I’m curious as to how many of you dog owners would have your pet pts if it bit you or a member of your family? I don’t mean just a nip, I mean a bite which bleeds a fair amount and requires stitches.

To me, that says that a dog cannot be trusted around a human at all and should be pts, but my friends opinion is that unless the bite causes serious damage it should ultimately be ignored. She did agree that an elderly dog should be pts in this situation but not a young or middle aged dog. Hmm

Opinions?

OP posts:
Santaclarita · 13/11/2018 06:09

Depends on why. If someone hits a dog abf it bites, well duh. It will do that. If it's from being in pain or scared, again that's why. But if it's random, which it very rarely is, then I would probably speak to a trainer first to see if it could be helped. Last resort would be pts.

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 06:22

Please stop with your dogs give warnings tripe. Most dogs don't bite. Some will just bite. Honestly, I think most have you have been around sedate poodles all your lives.

Phillipa12 · 13/11/2018 06:25

My parents dog bit my dad once, unprovoked and not hard but it did draw a little blood. They with vets advice did numerous things to make sure that dog was well, not in pain etc etc. Then 1 evening i had a frantic call from my dad, the dog had turned unprevoked on my mum. He had managed to get the dog in another room, vet was on way and could i take mum to hospital, she nearly lost the use of her hand. The dog was put down at vet insistence, both mum and dad distraught, but they had done everything possible for the dog. So yes if one of my dogs ever bit someone unprovoked and was healthy i would without hesitation have it put down.

theculture · 13/11/2018 06:28

I was walking home from School on the pavement (in a town - not country lane or anything) and a dog came rushing out of its garden and bit me - I think it should have been put to sleep!

There is no way I had provoked it

But it was the 80's so no

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 06:33

And a dog should not be interacting with children if it is prone to growling giving warnings
Some of you amaze me here. The naivety and idiocy is astounding.
Dogs are dogs. Some yappy terriers don't warn at all. They just bite!
And I've never ever ever heard of a dog being hit and then biting. It can be a simple hug from a small child that a dog is not expecting and they can and will bite!

There are also some dogs who will just bite someone in their vicinity. These are the 'wicked' dogs my Dad talks about. Believe me, one of them pained him to pts as he was one of the best working dogs he had ever had, but he just couldn't be trusted around humans.
The other one was just a lunatic who would nip the ankles of the cows or sheep and draw blood. Again, he had to be pts as he was a complete lunatic.
All the dogs would have been trained alongside a previously trained dog. They cost a lot to buy (sometimes 2k), they take a lot of training and they are worth 4 men in the field. So to pts is an absolute nightmare for a farmer. But if they are wicked, that's just the way they are.
Maybe they were in the wrong job lol. Wouldn't be surprised if some of you suggested that.

Thewheelsarefallingoff · 13/11/2018 06:33

My PIL's dog is constantly snarling, snapping at people and showing aggression. He will sometimes just go for toddlers when they come into a room. They bought him from Gumtree when he was 6 weeks old (no sign of the mother) and he was the smallest in the litter. He is getting worse (2 years old) and they are in complete denial. It is causing huge problems in the family. It's sad, he's a very unhappy dog. Does anyone know if it would be possible to turn his behaviour around?

LuvSmallDogs · 13/11/2018 06:51

Warning nip (no mark or blood drawn) to a child who has been rough? No. A proper bite that breaks the skin? Unless there were exceptional circumstances, assuming it was one of the family my dog bit, I would look at PTS or possibly rehoming where I would be totally honest about the bite. (Ddog is of a toy breed that really couldn’t maul anyone bigger than a newborn so quite low risk).

SuchAToDo · 13/11/2018 06:55

We have a dog, had him for several years, and all of a sudden one day he lurched at family members face and nipped their nose,...we ignored it as it barely broke the skin....then days later out of nowhere he managed to bite a family members foot....we ignored it as it barely broke the skin but was a bit worse than the nose bite....that was our mistake, because days later I saw the dig water me and then he lunged and locked his jaw in my leg and managed to bite me properly through my clothes...I still have a scar today, and that was maybe 13 years ago...

So if I had a dog that bit, I would definitely have it put to sleep, as I've learned the hard way that even the most trained placid dog once it bites, it can't be trusted and can bite again(as ours did)

I shall never understand why it bit us either, he was very placid and quiet dog, and we wasn't near him or touching him when he bit, it was like.something in his mind just went and he would run over and bite...and then be back to his normal.self, and then days later he would bite...

SuchAToDo · 13/11/2018 06:56

*saw the dog watching me...not saw the dig water meHmm autocorrect

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 06:58

If it came out of nowhere, I'd take my dog to the vet to check for illnesses/pain etc. If nothing came up - muzzle and then behavioural therapist. Only if both the vet and behaviouralist said there was no chance for my dog to get over this, would I consider it.

But in my experience, most dogs bite because they've been provoked by people who don't recognise signs of nervousness/irritation from dogs, or who think 'I'm good with dogs, it won't bite me', or who allow their children to bother dogs over and over again, or who leave kids and dogs unsupervised together. My FIL is like this with my dog, never knows when to leave him alone and it drives me crazy, to the point where we don't leave them alone together any more because I'm worried my dog will bite. My dog has never shown signs of biting, but my FIL ignores him growling and I worry that one day he'll take it too far.

I was nipped at a few times by dogs as a child before I learnt to back off if a dog is growling etc, I think people really need to be taught that kind of lesson.

Can't believe how many people are saying they'd just have it put to sleep straight away.

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 06:58

sucha did you see a vet to ask if there was a reason for the sudden biting?

Alilwolf · 13/11/2018 06:59

Thewheelsarefallingoff
I think he was taken at too young of an age from his mother. They learn a lot about behaviour in their first 8 weeks with their mother which is why it's not recommended to take them earlier than that.
That's as it is.
What to do now? I'll leave that to the experts here. Because whatever I say will be nipped at the bud pun intended
Only advice I have, is do not leave your children if you have any in the same room or vicinity.

Pissedoffdotcom · 13/11/2018 07:00

Alilwolf you have no idea what sort of dogs the rest of us have been around. Quit with your ridiculous assumptions because people don't agree with your wicked dog theory. A dog that does not growl a warning is dangerous to have around kids, NOT one that warns. That's common sense ffs. That's them telling you they are uncomfortable or feel threatened by something - which, believe it or not, a dog is allowed to feel. Some of us actually give a damn about the psychological welfare of our dogs as well, we don't just bully them into submission then wonder why they won't do what we expect

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 07:01

thewheels As a lifelong dog owner who has done a lot of training - yes, most behaviour is possible to turn around, but not when the owners are in denial. It can take a lot of work to train a dog. My current trainer says that the dogs are rarely the issue - the issue is usually trying to get the owners to actually listen and put the techniques and advice into practice. So in a case like yours...it's doubtful. Some people just won't listen and insist that they are in the right.

Pissedoffdotcom · 13/11/2018 07:04

A decent behaviourist that actually knows about dogs would probably be able to turn your PiLs dog around. The problem is when the owners don't want to accept there is a problem. If the dog's history is unknown there could be so many reasons why he is behaving as he is. Without your PiLs accepting he needs help the dog will get worse

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 07:07

aliwolf what on earth are you talking about? No trainer in the land would say a dog shouldn't growl. It's like saying a person should never say 'can you get off me please?' or 'can you not touch my food?' That's all they're doing when they growl, nothing more sinister than that.

Dogs do not hug each other so most do not take naturally to being hugged. Yes, some enjoy being close to humans and having physical contact but not all, and a hug is often very uncomfortable to them. They don't know why the child is doing it. I mean, we don't sniff each others bums, do we? You'd be pretty freaked out if someone suddenly did that to you, and I dare say you'd tell the person to stop doing it. That's what it's like for dogs and hugs.

Wicked dogs? It sounds like your dad just had no idea about dogs and wasn't very good at either choosing them, training them, or both. I also grew up on a farm and we never had to have a dog put to sleep for bad behaviour. There were some that were harder work than others, of course.

Thewheelsarefallingoff · 13/11/2018 07:10

Thanks for the advice. That's exactly what we are thinking. They are not good owners, have him off the lead in areas where signs tell you to keep dogs on leads, have him on a long lead in town centres, tripping people up...They won't accept the facts.

Hisaishi · 13/11/2018 07:12

wheels it sucks and sadly I know a lot of people who are equally terrible owners, own spaniels but only take them out once a week then wonder why they wreck the house, or have had multiple dogs and always end up putting them in a shelter then get another one the next year and so on and so on.

People are shite sometimes.

sonlypuppyfat · 13/11/2018 07:15

Our dog was a vicious bastard that couldn't be trusted. He was a brilliant gun dog but would just go for you for no reason, you only had to be in the same room. He was pts

jarhead123 · 13/11/2018 07:18

Would you have your child PTS if they lashed out?!

I think you know your dog. Our dog is very soft, gentle etc. If he was to ever bite someone, something would have caused that. He wouldnt bite for no reason.

barcodescanner · 13/11/2018 07:21

The Culture - same thing happened to my husband exept by hopping in circles and kicking out as the dog was attempting to bite he managed to avoid being bitten. Totally unprovoked, owners came out as far as the gate and called him in. But who knows what had gone on before. Owners didn't seem bothered

Sleepyblueocean · 13/11/2018 07:23

My mum was walking past a house when a dog came charging out of the front garden and bit her on the leg. She needed to go to hospital for stitches. It often used to bark and growl at people that walked past but was normally shut in behind the gate. My mum didn't know it was there because it was dark. The owners claimed she must have done something to provoke it.

wishywashy6 · 13/11/2018 07:24

@Alilwolf
The more you talk the less you convince me you know anything about dog behaviour. It's quite ironic that you're calling others naive and idiots 🤔

Growling is one of the last warning signs a dog gives off, there are several more subtle signs the dog will exhibit before resorting to growling, most humans totally miss them and so are shocked when a dog finally growls or resorts to biting.

I'm sure there's no convincing you that wicked dogs are not a thing because it's been ingrained into you and it seems you are beyond retraining. I can't be bothered having the same argument over and over again with you so I'm bowing out now.

Sleepyblueocean · 13/11/2018 07:26

Why are some people comparing children with dogs?

wishywashy6 · 13/11/2018 07:27

@Sleepyblueocean
That's a dog protecting its territory. Stone Age man bred this trait into them. I'm sure your mum did nothing to provoke it but in the dogs eyes, it was guarding its pack.

Owners responsibility to stop the dog from charging out of the house/ garden.

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