Ddog attacked and bit me

[MotherForker]

For context, I've asked for advice before, ddog jumps and mouths/bites when she is highly aroused. It's playful, apart from the fact she is 25kg and 18 months old. We have been working with a behaviourist on this.

Tonight, I let her into the garden without realising that our NDN dog was out. Their dog is lovely, but terrified of other dogs and jumps and barks at the fence. We have added to the top of the fence to prevent them ever meeting. Ddog used to just wag her tail and look bemused by this, but recently has started jumping and barking back and launching at the fence. She's been mouthing me in the house for the last hour.

NDN was trying to get their dog in and I went to fetch ddog, as no amount of treat was going to tempt her. As I went towards her she turned and launched at me, bit my hard on my wrist. She kept going until I managed to grab her collar and bring her in. Then I was trapped by the door and she carried on barking and jumping at me. My wrist is bleeding and swollen.

I am doing everything advised by behaviourist. She has been checked by vet for pain several times. I've sat and cried feeling sorry for myself. I have two children and will soon be sole parent in this house (stbxh is moving out in a week).

I don't want to give up on her. But it more and more feels like she is beyond my capabilities. Any advice welcome.

OP, give her to your family members.

This is an ongoing issue and I’m afraid your next post will be that she’s bitten one of your DC.

She’s not aggressive. She redirected on to you.
The barking through a fence at another dog is a really common trigger for redirected bites.

@Dragongirl10 I will lino to other threads. She gets a good amount of exercise, but cannot go completely off lead as she jumps and bites/mouths. It is "playful" but without a lead it is very hard to get her under control. I have many bruises and ripped clothes to show. She does have time on along lead. She gets at least 2 hours a day.

I also do retrieval games, sniffing, puzzles etc with her.

Just a thought but has she been spayed yet? She is at the age when she would be having puppies and hormones could be causing unpredictable/protective/defensive/aggressive behaviour. Also increasing daily exercise to at least 1 hour a day, preferably with some running will help calm her

www.doodletrust.com/about-us/

@MotherForker

I haven't spoken to her since this happened no, I was going to email.

She's a labradoodle (I know, I know). My aunt and her husband have said they would have her. No children and her husband has a lot of experience with bouncy dogs (boxers).

You wouldn't know it to meet her. But her agitation levels have really ramped up in the last 6 months.

This is her earlier today after dd made her a headband.

I’m sorry but I think given this I would let them have her

Normally ideally agree rehoming is passing the problem on....but if you have relatives who are happy to take her on and more importantly have no kids then I think you have to rehome her.

Not only will it be the best option for your kids but also the best option for the dog.

The risk is if you keep her and she goes for one of the kids and bites worse than what has happened today the dog is more 👍 to be pts then....as well as the potential damage to your Dd.

She has been spayed, after her first season.

Is she in heat? Has she been spayed? Sounds like she thinks she's boss! Has she been socialised with other dogs? I know socialising dogs at the moment is hard but socialising groups are going on at the minute in small groups outside perhaps look in2 them and you will be taught how to manage her too when she's excited!

I'm trying to find old threads to link to

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4115918-Recommendation-for-behaviourist-high-arousal-attacking-and-biting

Cross Post if you cannot take her off lead could you or family member try running with with a dog running lead eg
www.argos.co.uk/product/4494825

She has been socialised, she went to puppy classes well before lockdowns. She plays well with loads of other dogs. There is one or two breeds/dogs that make her bark and hide. But mostly she's super friendly.

@pepsirolla if we run she jumps and bites excitedly.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4121254-Barking-all-the-time-day-and-night-Im-done-in

Get the bite seen to and get the dog put to sleep. Its not fair on your children to keep her, it's not fair on your aunt to make the dog her problem and its not fair on the dog to live a shit life because it cant be trusted. PTS is for the best.

I'm so sorry that this has happened OP. Without being there and seeing everything in detail (and ideally slow motion) it's impossible for anyone to be sure why this happened.

I would hazard a guess though that your dog was very aroused by the situation, and felt threatened and as such she redirected onto you alarmist without thinking.

As such, this particular incident may have been more of a reaction to a really stressful incident than anything- and no amount of exercises that your behaviouralist has suggested would have helped.

That's not to say that it was ok, or that you're not right to be very worried.

She is an overaroused dog and in the situation you describe fence chasing put her way over threshold.

I would be amazed if this dog needs to be PTS BUT the OP has got a lot on her plate and is finding the dog hard. Get back to your behaviourist who will suggest what you should have done in this situation but if it is too much for you MotherForker your behaviourist can help you rehome. If they cannot help pm me.

Take it from someone who watched as a family pet dog. with no history of aggression and grew up with her every day, ripped my sisters face off at the age of 8 get rid of the dog.

I know it will be sad but you sound like you've done everything you can. Just imagine if it's your kids or someone else's kids next

The issues you've mentioned in your post all centre around the interactions with next door's dog, who has some serious fear-based problems of its own and seems to be making your dog scared.

How are things when your dog is nowhere near NDN's dog, and hasn't recently been?

Can the two dogs see each other through the fencing? If so, would it be possible to replace / reinforce the fencing so they can't see each other? I'd offer to go halves with next door; it's affecting their dog's welfare at least as much as it is yours.

I notice you mention that you're in the middle of a divorce; is a house move on the cards at all?

The issues you've posted about previously are barking, and biting when over-aroused / in a state of zoomies which, while a pain in the rear, are not matters of aggression.

We're talking about an 18 month old dog, who is still young enough to learn. Even if she is beyond your capabilities, it's plausible to think that an experienced dog owner would be able to take her on and work with her (probably via a foster home, for assessment and initial training). The Doodle Trust are the closest thing to a breed rescue for a labradoodle www.doodletrust.com/ - though I don't know what their intake policies are. Dogs Trust won't take in surrendered dogs with a bite history, and the RSPCA aren't recommended due to the sheer % of dogs they put down.

FWIW, DDog came to me at a similar age, having worked his way through 3 homes previously to me (though this was as much / more about the previous owners than it was him). When in a state of acute, overwhelming fear (he's reactive), he sank his teeth into my legs on several occasions, drawing blood from puncture wounds - the technical term for this is a redirected bite. We've done a lot of work (and I went on a huge learning curve - first time owner), but he's vastly improved nowadays, hasn't bitten me for a very long time now (though I have to say that, while perfectly friendly with other dogs out in the park, he really wouldn't cope with seeing a dog on the other side of his garden fence!).

If you do feel that you're unable to carry on with this dog, I would be looking to rehome rather than PTS. This is a young dog, and it may be that a home in a quieter area / with more experienced owners / other similar changes may allow her to become a suitably well behaved family pet.

if you have relatives who are happy to take her on and more importantly have no kids then I think you have to rehome her.

The problem with passing the dog onto relatives is that the scope for this behaviour will still be there, even without children. What if one of the aunt’s neighbours has a pet, or gets one in the future? Or a neighbour has children? The cycle repeats again.

I understand. It is possible to have a pseudo pregnancy (though rare) even after spaying which can cause sudden aggression but a vet would have to confirm and treat it. I feel for you as she is a beautiful dog and with time and strict training would probably be OK. But it is that 'probably' if it there were no children in the household it might be doable but I think your safest option is to rehome her. Ensuring new owners fully aware of history and experienced with dealing with such behaviour

@Covidcorvid

Normally ideally agree rehoming is passing the problem on....but if you have relatives who are happy to take her on and more importantly have no kids then I think you have to rehome her.

Not only will it be the best option for your kids but also the best option for the dog.

The risk is if you keep her and she goes for one of the kids and bites worse than what has happened today the dog is more 👍 to be pts then....as well as the potential damage to your Dd.

This sounds very good advice. I think your children are too young to be around a powerful and reactive dog. Please don’t let them put things on her head. Your family offer to rehome sounds a good option.

I think the aunt sounds like the best option as I would be worried about the dc too. It sounds like your aunt and uncle would have a better environment to work on her problems.

It's tricky. I was going to say re-home, but then I remembered a local story about a three year old who was mauled by a random dog in the park and ended up with life changing injuries. If the dog is a biter, continuing to take it out into public is irresponsible in the extreme.

I think you've got to re-home or PTS for the safety of your kids, but if you re-home with your relatives you've got to make sure they undertake to muzzle her in public at all times. I understand that you'd feel guilty, but how much more guilty would you feel if you'd knowingly allowed a dangerous dog into public and it then attacked someone?

Im reluctant to advise having her pts at this point, if the behavioural training is ongoing then this incident seems part of the process (if an unfortunate and worrying one).

I agree wholeheartedly though that she shouldn't be around children and think allowing your relatives to have her, with the understanding that they will make it their priority to resolve her behavioural issues.

I wouldn't give up on her yet because she's very young still and the bite occurred when she was overstimulated and in reaction to another dog but that doesn't stop it being very serious that needs more intensive intervention.

Please do get the bite checked over medically and I hope you're ok.