Please help, my dog bit someone

[Lisa231186]

I can’t believe I’m even having to think about this let alone write for advice but I just don’t know who to turn to and I’m so lost.
Some back story. I have a 3 year old male (neutered) Alaskan malamute. I know everyone says “my dog has never shown aggression” but hand on heart he never has. In fact, he’s sort of known locally for being so friendly and a bit of a dope if I’m honest. He loves people, he’s a fluffy sort of handsome dog and gets a lot of attention. And absolutely loves it. Loves being petted. Has only ever been very docile. We have 3 children who adore him and and who he adores. I’ve always been sensible as I know he’s a dog at the end of the day but never has any fear or worry of him being touched, petted, played with. When people have asked to to pet him I have always said yes he’s friendly. It’s hard to put into this short space just how friendly he’s been until now.
So, on Thursday, I was walking him (it’s usually me who walks him) he was on lead and just walking calmly next to me. We saw our local postman (who knows us and my dog by name) and he said hello (our names) we went to say hi. He was petting bear, and he sort of lent over him and got down to his face. And out of nowhere it felt, my dog bit his lip. I pulled him back as quickly as I could but it was too late. My dog didn’t pull to get back he just sat there didn’t show any further aggression. I know it was still aggression in first instance just want to explain he wasn’t sort of savaging him.
I immediately called 999 myself, the operator asked me what the dog was doing now and he was sat there like nothing had happened. I was a wreck. I’ve never felt so bad for someone and so guilty. They told me to secure him. I live a few minutes away from where it happened so I ran back and secured him in the house and went back to help the postman. By now people had come out of their houses understandably and it was a bit of a witch hunt of me being told what have I done etc. I was really crying and trying to help the post man who kept saying “it was an accident” but I felt like no it was my dog and this is my fault. Anyway, he really didn’t want an ambulance but he called his friend to take him to a local walk in centre and I waited for him to go. I called 101 when I got back and said I need to report what has happened. They told me it had already been done by the 999 operator and I needed to wait to hear from a police officer. I had a call around an hour later from a police lady. She explained she had spoken to the postman, a witness and the dog warden and they had decided it was an accident, not an attack. And that there would be no further action. She said the postman had been adamant he wanted no further action.
But I didn’t feel relieved, I am struggling to explain how I feel. I just never in a million years thought this could happen. I guess I feel like the trust is gone. And with having kids I think I’m catastrophising thinking what if it was a child, one my children, what if he was more badly injured and again, I just never thought this would ever be something he would do.
Since then, I’ve contacted the dogs trust for advice. I’ve booked him in for a vet appointment which is tomorrow. Explained to them, they were shocked too as they know him and couldn’t believe it as he’s always been so gentle and sweet even when having not so nice things done. I’ve also paid for a dog behaviourist to come to my home on Tuesday. He’s been great, he put my mind at rest a bit and has said it could be a totally isolated incident but of course before he meets us doesn’t know a lot more than about what happened Thursday. Both the vets and dog behaviourist have said try not to treat him too differently. But that’s the thing I can’t. I’m so worried, I’m on edge, anxious. I feel so scared of him even being around my kids now. I’ve been getting up at 5:30 to walk him before anyone is around and taking him out late at night in the evening. I keep saying it but I just can’t explain this feeling I have, I’ve never had it before. It’s like I just can’t believe he did it and I’m so fearful that it could happen again.
We’ve explained to the kids (the vet gave us this advice) that he has been feeling under the weather so to give him more space than usual. But even with them doing that, I’m just so on edge. My partner thinks I’m in a bit of shock from the whole thing. I don’t know, all I know is it feels like he was my best friend (he is a mummy’s boy we spend all our time together) to me now, if I’m honest a bit scared of.

The police lady I spoke to discussed this with me. He did immediately retreat. It was so quick. And he didn’t sort of continue with any anger. One of the things I’m going to discuss with the trainer is what did I miss. As I agree I should have seen a sign. The whole interaction was so quick. It’s my fault as much as the dogs :(

As long as there’s a risk that you or one of the children could make an out of character movement or do something the dog decides it doesn’t like in the way the postman did, there’s a risk of you or one of the children being attacked. It’s ultimately up to you whether you’re willing to take that risk with a large and powerful dog. I wouldn’t, however lovely the dog has been until now, you’ve been reminded that it can be unpredictable and you might not get any pre-warning of its reaction.

How do you know the dog will do it again?
And it wasn't an attack, if a dog of that size wanted to attack the Postie would be dead or seriously injured. It sounds like a "get out of my face" air snap that caught the mans lip
OP, I appreciate you are upset but you will get lots of hysteria on here from people who have no idea what they are on about. You are doing all the right things

Just want to discuss the putting him to sleep comments. Look I get the point behind it, but this dog has been part of our family, he is our family. He is loved beyond words. Simply having him killed without trying something else isn’t something we can just do. I’ve actually reached out to the lady we bought him from as a puppy. She is a licenced breeder of this breed. And she’s amazing, even after 3 years we’re still in touch and she cares so much. She is totally upset to. She said before we take any steps such as rehoming she would reach out to her community as she may be able to look at someone who is very experienced who might be able to take him. But again, she is very much of the opinion that this was not an attack as such and thinks I should speak to the vets/trainer etc before making such a huge decision that will have a massive impact

We have gone mad in this Country regarding dogs. This is an animal, that has attacked a human being and it needs putting down as soon as possible.
The OP can take whatever risks she likes with her own children, but what about other children who live locally and may make a mistake by getting too close to this dog?
Is the OP willing to take the same risk with other peoples children?
Let’s remember this is an animal. It’s not a member of the OP family. It’s not one of her children. It doesn’t need rehoming. It doesn’t need training. It needs putting to sleep for everybody safety.

And how will you feel if he attacks a child next OP?

You are making excuses. Your dog has attacked a human being and it needs to be put to sleep. Your family are not safe around it nor other people’s families. Stop making excuses, it’s going to be terribly sad for you and your family, I am sorry, but part of being a responsible adult and animal owner is doing the right thing. Big girl pants on and get rid of the dog.

Absolutely no way I could euthanise my dog after one incident. There are things you can put in place inside the home and outside.

How many people would need to be bitten by your dog before you would put it down? 🙈🙈

Don’t be so idiotic! The dog reacted to someone’s face looming over them,it felt threatened,

OP put it behind you and move on,ignore the posters with unhelpful advice.

So all dogs do this then? If that is the case no dog should be taken to a public place? More and more excuses. Not all dogs react like this, it makes the dog unsafe, it needs putting down.

2 of my step daughters were bitten badly in their mothers home by separate Alaskan malamutes who had previously showed no signs of aggression.

if it were my children I just wouldn’t take the risk OP, sorry

We seem in the UK over recent years to have gone down a path of all dogs are either Good Dogs or Bad Dogs. Thinking a dog is in the former category and therefore couldn't possibly ever bite, and when finding he reacts in a perfectly natural way to a provocation, he's therefore in the latter and needs to be removed or PTS. Honestly!?

All dogs will nip or bite someone by whom they feel threatened. Just as all of us would push someone away or slap at them. It's an involuntary response and good evolutionary development.

It's completely different to being a dangerous dog, which will attack to harm and to kill.

Having a dog in your family means you accept there is a small chance one of you gets nipped or bitten if you get on the wrong side of the dog. That's always been the case for this dog in your family OP.
A good idea to spend time with the trainer and for you and the kids to learn more about your dog's body language, triggers etc to really reduce the risk down. The postie should have known better than to get in your dog's face like that. Society and dog owners need to stop thinking that 'nice dogs' will not react no matter what we do to them, and have a bit of respect for animals and their hard-wired natural responses.

That is really odd behaviour from a postman though. I always thought the nature of their jobs made them extremely wary of strange dogs.

I think for me the difference would be that he let go immediately. This wasn’t aggression in that sense but a warning. There would probably have been a warning sign before hand.

I get where you’re coming from @Lisa231186 - it took me a year to be confident to let my dog off lead again after he ran off after a dog to play. I was mortified and so upset - his recall previously had (I thought) been bomb proof. I wouldn’t put him to sleep for this - he let go, didn’t show aggression after. It is incredibly upsetting but you’re doing everything you can.

‘The trainer guy who is coming this week said something similar to you about leaning over a dog is a big no no. But I can’t shake that it’s still inexcusable.”

If a stranger came up to you and got in your face, making you feel uncomfortable, you’d react though, right?
Why do you expect so much more from your dog than you would from yourself in what you perceive is a threatening situation?

Im not saying you shouldn’t take it seriously or that you shouldn’t take steps to prevent it ever happening again but you are definitely catastrophising. He was acting as any dog might in those circumstances. As an isolated incident, I personally (as a dog trainer/behaviourist) wouldn’t read worst case scenario stuff into it.
Vet check is 100% the most important thing here. Any unexpected changes in temperament should be fully investigated for pain first and foremost.

Dogs do bite from time to time. If you look at the number of people who have been bitten by dogs, it is pretty obvious that it is fairly standard stuff for dogs to occasionally bite even for non-aggressive ones. Puppy’s bite a lot even if it’s only playful and most dogs snap occassionally. It is kind of what dogs do and you can never fully guarantee that they won’t bite. It is why I wouldn’t get a dog who could do a lot of damage.

You could get one of those leads that warn people not to pet him. Obviously you have to decide how much risk it is for your own children. A lot dogs don’t like it if you get close up to their face but he might snap at them if they irritate them in other ways.

Firstly, as the owner of a large powerful breed myself, I really feel for you.

I agree with your breeder that you probably need to reach out within the Alaskan Malamute community for advice. Please don't rely on Dogs Trust or similar, they are really only used to dealing with the "average" dog and yours is a niche breed with very specialist needs.

Also if you do decide to go with rehoming you need to do it through your breed rescue, because this breed is not a dog for a novice owner and a dog of this size with a bite history needs an experienced handler.

I can understand you feeling different about your boy, what happened must have been an awful shock, but the circumstances do sound unusual, and in truth, few dogs will tolerate anyone other than close family members being close to their face.

I think it’s very basic knowledge that you don’t put your face up to any dog’s, I would expect a grown man (especially a postman) to know that. Sorry that this happened, I have no idea what my own next steps would be.

You have a stupid large dog that has no place cooped up in a family home (no, you don't have acres of space for it) and he shouldn't have got in it's face.
Both of you are idiots.

You sound understandably very shocked. I would wait until the vet has checked him over and you’ve seen the behaviourist before you make any decisions, it’ll also give you time to calm down. He could have reacted that way for so many reasons, for instance, he might be feeling under the weather, in pain or fireworks might be putting him on edge.

I fully understand your anxiety, but you’re doing everything you can, try and give yourself a break until you know more.

It’s tough but ultimately it could happen again you though this would never happen in the first place

I don’t think I could ever relax or trust it again

Utter tripe

This. Why the need to have a breed like this in a residential suburban setting? Asking for trouble and now the trouble has happened, making excuses

And out of nowhere it felt, my dog bit his lip.

So he didn't tense up or growl before going on the attack? Yeah I wouldn't trust it around anyone again if it attacks without warning, it would be gone.