My dog has bitten again. Advice please.

[mumnosbest]

Please don't judge, I am not an experienced dog owner and have probably made several mistakes but want to do the best for my dog and my family.

I have a 2yr old JRT/German Sheppherd X. He is very smart, loyal but a real live wire. A year ago, he got out and when he came back my mother held his color to bring him inside but he bit her hand. It was a deep bite but we put it down to him being young and wanting to be out. I did take him to the vets and had him checked over. There were no physical reasons for his aggression and the vet said he was just young and asserting himself. We have been quite wary ever since and he is strong willed, posessive and gives warning growls. He also doesn't like a lot of fussing which my children know.

Last night my DS had a friend stop over. I shut the dog in the kitchen (where he always sleeps) and took my younger children up to bed. Shortly after I heard a snarl and a scream. The boys had gone to get a drink and the friend had put his face to the open crate door to fuss the dog (my dog does know the boy). Sorry if I'm rambling but my dog bit the boy's cheek. He then lay back down as if nothing had happened. I have reported all this and no further action has been taken, however I'm left with a dog that I cannot trust or keep.

I don't know what to do next. Is it possible to rehome a dog like this? Where would I even start? I honestly feel he would make a loyal pet to someone more experienced and confident and without children. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA

[SunshineAndShadows]

Ok first of all deep breath.

It sounds as if you have a very stressed dog, that you've done well to crate train, and a strange child has invaded your dog's safe space (his crate) and probably ignored the dog's body language/warnings to back off. Your dog has responded to this 'space invasion' in the only way he knows how. Its a reasonable (although very distressing) situation. I have to say if a random stranger showed up in my bed I'd be pretty freaked out too - and its exactly this reaction that has created your dog's response.

Children should NEVER interfere with a dogs crate or bed

This link has some excellent rules for how kids should and should not interact with dogs
drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/kids-and-dogs-how-kids-should-and-should-not-interact-with-dogs

The problem is that now your dog is learning that when he's stressed he has to bite people to make them leave him alone, and this learned behaviour needs to be retrained asap to ensure he does not fall back toi it when he's threatened.

You need a professional behaviourist - see the APBC website to find a registered and qualified behaviourist in your area
www.apbc.org.uk/help/regions

Good luck OP

[tabulahrasa]

Rehoming is an option, but it needs to be through an organisation, a private rehome in these circumstances would be hugely irresponsible and could end in a much worse way than being PTS by his family for the dog.

OP, you sounded like you don't feel up to keeping the dog...and I don't blame you at all if that's the case, but if actually you're open to keeping him, look for a behaviourist on the link SunshineAndShadows posted.

[Greyhorses]

I really don't think this is the dogs fault. It's the result of poor handling and having a combination of two difficult breeds without enough experience. I can see why the dog bit in both situations.

I would suggest if you do want to keep this dog you need a very good behaviouralists and to change the way the dog is managed and handled completley and it can never be around children again.

However, having worked with dogs and rescues for many years would I rehome this dog? No. I have seen too many horrible things happen to dogs like this and there are fates much worse than PTS. Most reputable rehoming centers would not consider a dog who has bitten a child, which would leave chancing it to someone on gumtree etc. I would pts sadly.

[LisaD1]

Have you a friendly local dog warden? Ours would help a situation like yours, perhaps you have a like minded one too?

[Cheerfulmarybrown]

OP sorry you are in this position (no judgey pants on here at all)

Practical things you can do:-

1. See your vet or another one if yours is useless. Explain the situation. They should have a list of qualified behaviourists. This would need to be a APBC member who specialises in aggression- if they do not have a list pm me and I will put you in touch with someone in your area. Do not settle for any other type of organisation et COAPE, IMDT or APDT. This case will require the experience of APBC.
   

1. Contact Qualified behaviourist for an assessment of the dog and its environment. This will be non judgemental.
   

1. Act on qualififed behaviourist advice - they will have contacts for rehoming or they will be able to see if the dog is not appropriate for rehoming. They should be able to have foster contacts who will be able to take the dog from you if they feel the situation is difficult or dangerous for you and the DC.
   

Good Luck and it goes without saying to give the dog space until this is sorted but you should be able to get an appointment asap

[Shriek]

From what you say Mumnosbest you have told us of your inexperience, which led to your decision initially about the ddog biting your dm's hand, and you checked it all out with your vet.

I do believe your vet's comment was pathetic and at the very least should have advise you seek some further knowledge about your ddogs behaviour at that point as this could have been prevented.

I think its also possible that your lack of experience has led to the ddog being overnighted somewhere that he will get random late night callers.

I think that the comment about him not being happy, might not be intended towards you treating him in a way that he's unhappy, but a dominant aggressive dog is just not a happy relaxed one because they are permanently trying to control the adults and DC around them.

I think a ddog launched at might randomly respond in many different ways hopefully the last of which would be to bite, but with a ddog with this history of threatening growls and possessiveness it was always going to be this ddogs first option.

Its extremely hard to rehome such a pooch sadly, and you have acknowledge the ddogs difficulties/challenges and are trying to do the right thing.

Unless someone can provide secure leadership for this ddog he's not going to be happy long-term anyway and remain a liability. if you have the money and a very good recommendation go the way of getting some reprogramming for this chap. With the JRT in him its likely he was predisposed to this expression of his nature and there might be someone out there for him. Have you contacted these ?

There are hoards of rehoming centres to wade through and you might get some success. Good luck - a sad situation for you all

[Shriek]

In all sincerity, PTS really is the only guaranteed way to know this boys currently very unpredictable future and potential suffering unless behavioural reprogramming can be afforded and successful.

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Question for shriek - do you believe in the dominance theory?

mumnosbest - what a horrible situation you're in - I hope you find the best way through for your family and your dog

[BertrandRussell]

Rehiring places are stuffed to the rafters with dogs that have never bitten. It would be incredibly irresponsible to try to rehome a dog that will in all probability spend maybe years in a cage. The only responsible action that can guarantee that the dog will not suffer is to have it put to sleep.

[LilCamper]

Reprogramming? He is a dog not a computer.

Dogs do not try and control humans....they just don't.

[BingoBonkers]

RSPCA will PTS. Don't involve them. Maybe try a GS rescue. Some rescues take dogs with a bite history but they are few and far between but it's not impossible.

[BingoBonkers]

Most rescues advise to never grab/hold a dog by its collar as you never know its history.

[May09Bump]

Sorry you need to PTS -this dog can't be trusted.

You should be able to hold the dogs collar, take food away, look it in the eyes etc - anything accept physically harm the dog. The dog shouldn't be defensive to someone trying to hold its collar or even looking closely at it - this is the problem now, we see the dog as an equal rather than you being the leader. It's not the dogs environment - it's yours. From puppies we have overly man handled them, looking in eyes / ears etc and took food away / put it back down - they need to be socialized properly. If they are still showing aggressive tendencies - then they either need to be re-homed without children on a farm for example or PTS.

I love dogs, but peoples safety come first.

[BertrandRussell]

"RSPCA will PTS"

Good.

[3mum]

OP, I agree with May09. Dogs absolutely have to be brought up to be safe around humans including children. You should be able to handle them any reasonable way you want, including holding collars, taking away food, taking their beds away, cleaning ears, injections and treatment at the vets even if mildly painful etc. I can do all of those things with my dogs and I have been able to do them with all the dogs I have owned (not a spring chicken as you can probably tell). Good early training teaches dogs what is acceptable.

I have friends who have a lovely dog who has been spoiled because they have no rules for him and so he thinks he is dominant and snaps and growls at you if you try to move him, even off the sofa. So they are scared of him and back off which makes his behaviour worse.

That said, you have a particularly tricky breed combination there, which gave you a very assertive dog. An experienced dog handler might have managed to train him, but he was always going to be a handful.

To be honest, I don't see much alternative to having him put to sleep now and I personally would take this route. He has bitten twice. You know he has a track record of biting and you will be liable if he bites anyone again even if you get rid of him on Gumtree - which would obviously be irresponsible. You can't trust him and you can't relax with him around your family. Go and see a (different) vet and ask if they know of any local rescue centres who will take a dog with a history of biting. If they don't then putting him to sleep is the right thing for everybody.

[Cheerfulmarybrown]

RSPCA will not get involved at all.

[mudandmayhem01]

We had a much loved rescue dog pts. He had bite my mum, my son and then finally my husband. The first two we made excuses, my mum took stolen food off the dog, he thought the my sons ball was his, the attack on my husband was to the face and unexplained.i had the full support of my lovely vet. My otherwise lovely dog had two years of love with us after a horrible start in life. I was with him when he was pts, he was still wagging his tail right to the end. Being put to sleep is not the worst thing that can happen to a dog yo-yoing from one home to another, living in kennels is much worse. As a responsible dog owner I did the right thing by my dog, my family and other potential owners. I am increasingly unimpressed with the never pts claims of certain dog charities.

[SunshineAndShadows]

The thing is that dogs that bite often do so because humans teach them that they're going to take important resources away from them or invade their space and ignore the dog's milder communications of distress. Eventually the dog snaps becayse its distress behaviours are ignored and then quickly learns that this behaviour makes the threat go away and then biting quickly becomes a learned behaviour to cope with stress. Sadly many families inadvertently train their dogs to use biting as a defence

Dogs that have learned to bite can unlearn this behaviour but it takes time, commitment and an understanding of dog behaviour.

[EasyToEatTiger]

We have had and still have dogs who do not like children. They live with us and we have to manage their behaviour and just as importantly, the behaviour of the dcs. One of our dogs would certainly have snapped if anyone had grabbed his collar when he was concentrating on something else. He was a fantastic and generally wonderfully gentle dog, but he didn't like his thoughts interfered. Dogs do not like having faces shoved in theirs. And when there is nothing they can do to stop it.
It can be sorted with commitment and hard work. There is masses of information about preventing dog bites out there.
I was bitten by a dog. It was a bite and not a maul. The dog had bitten people before and carried on, unprovoked. Sadly it was pts in the end.

[EasyToEatTiger]

You may find this interesting positively.com/contributors/why-dogs-bite-children-a-lesson-in-preventing-dog-bites-in-kids/

[Toomuch2young]

Neither of these incidence were the dogs fault.
Pulling on a collar or even holding the dogs collar can cause them to be reactive.
Putting your face into a dogs space is a sure way to get bitten. You need to ensure all DC are informed to not enter the dogs space at all in any circumstances. The dogs crate needs to be somewhere where he will not be disturbed by anyone.
Your dog is not unprovoked biting but by its growling and behaviour desperately trying to communicate how uncomfortable he feels until he is left with no option but to bite.
He can be worked on by a proper behaviourist and may need a new home.
He definately does not need putting to sleep for being misunderstood and mishandled.

[orangeyellowgreen]

You cannot pass this dog on to another family. You know he is dangerous. Get someone to take him to be PTS immediately.
There are thousands of dogs in rescue centres, a dog's life is not sacred.

[MrsJayy]

Ring dogs trust and speak to them your dog is asserting fear dogs arenot dominant like you think your mum held its collar it was frightened the boy put his face in the dogs space im not excusing biting honestly i am not but i dont think it is a family dog

[hackedoffnow]

We sadly had to put a fearful GSD to sleep. When it was 12 months it lunged and pinned a child down, later it would lunge and snap at anyone who it didn't know who got close to them. The last straw was when my ds fell next to him (not on him) and it went for him nothing serious but his teeth did break the skin. It was agonising to make the decision to put such a vibrant beautiful dog to sleep but no rescue would take her and it wasn't fair to rehome him. The GSR actually said it was for the best in so many words.

I don't think any dog is safe if it snaps and bites unpredictably and as pp said you cannot control a dog's environment every second of the day. If a dog is unstable it will not change.

[NewLife4Me]

I'd be pressing charges on you if your dog had done this to one of my children.
Why on earth have you got a dog?
Why is it still in your house when you have children?

It should be put down for biting people.