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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

My dog just bit me :(

20 replies

LondonWolf · 04/03/2022 14:09

It wasn't his fault. There was another much larger dog who was bothering our little group - three dogs. His owner was trying to control him but he was young and daft. I already know I should have handled it better but I picked my medium breed dog up as he was getting really riled and I just wanted to get him out of the way. He couldn't have held his own against the big dog and I was worried he'd be hurt. The bothersome dog jumped up and my dog bit hard to make me put him down I think. He's broken the skin on my arm though a hoodie and padded coat so it was a full on bite. I'm not sure if he was going for me or the other dog but he's very quiet and ashamed now. He's not a fighter, though will never concede ground if he feels threatened, he always minds his own business unless threatened, never goes looking for trouble.

Just feeling a bit sad and rubbish really. He's never done that before and he's way back under the table, clearly feeling horrible and I feel like a bit of an idiot

OP posts:

AgathaX · 04/03/2022 14:15

I'm not sure why you feel an idiot, you were just trying to protect your dog.
Your dog doesn't feel ashamed, they don't have that emotion. He might be shocked, it in pain, or reacting to your emotional state at the moment.

GeneLovesJezebel · 04/03/2022 14:17

My dog bit me once because I unintentionally hurt him. I didn’t blame him in any way, and I didn’t have him PTS.

Ihaventgottimeforthis · 04/03/2022 14:19

Hope you're OK OP, do get the bite checked out properly so it heals well.
You and your dog will need a few days to recover.
What would you do differently next time?
Can you read signals from other dogs earlier and give them a wide berth sooner

Original poster

LondonWolf · 04/03/2022 14:20

@AgathaX

I'm not sure why you feel an idiot, you were just trying to protect your dog. Your dog doesn't feel ashamed, they don't have that emotion. He might be shocked, it in pain, or reacting to your emotional state at the moment.

I suppose I feel like I set him up to do that by grabbing him up like I did. That probably shocked him too, maybe escalated the situation?

OP posts:

WeirdlyKind · 04/03/2022 14:23

Give him a treat and a pat and crack on with life. It was an accident.

Original poster

LondonWolf · 04/03/2022 14:24

Can you read signals from other dogs earlier and give them a wide berth sooner

Well he kept following us. I knew he was going to a problem so just kept heading in the complete opposite direction but he kept suddenly bounding up every couple of minutes, which probably contributed. I think we all got quite nervous! I suppose I am just worried that he bit me on purpose to get down. He's always so loving. It's almost like he lost his temper with me - I know that's not really possible, it was just such an about face to how he usually is with me.

OP posts:

FantasticFebruary · 04/03/2022 14:27

Call him over for a cuddle & a treat.

You've learnt (had reinforced) that picking up a dig in that situation is not a good idea, but it's just instinct to want to protect them!!

Years ago, I was very grateful my cat was a cat & not a dog!

Similar situation, where my cat was being scared (more than hurt) by a small loose dog on our driveway & I scooped her up (as I would normally, complete lap cat!! Loved cuddles )!

And she scratched me in a scramble to get down, I presume to run to safety and probably felt defenceless being held... unfortunately her claws landed on my neck from just under my chin right the way down past my collar bones. It was pretty deep & I still (20 years later) have a (now feint) scar. I was lucky it wasn't worse and it would have been entirely my own stupid fault, even though I was just trying to protect her.

GatoradeMeBitch · 04/03/2022 14:29

It's almost like he lost his temper with me

He was facing a fight with a much larger dog. He'd have been stressed out. Picking him up probably made him feel he was confined and couldn't get away if the other dog launched at him. I'd imagine he's upset by the event as a whole, not the bite.

Give him a few treats, talk to him in a bright tone and if he won't come out, leave him to decompress for a while.

Aquamarine1029 · 04/03/2022 14:30

You need to have that bite examined by a doctor immediately. Animal bites can be extremely serious.

user468375484 · 04/03/2022 14:31

There's a few different things going on here

the fight vs flight option. By picking up your dog you removed the flight option so he went into fight mode.

redirected bites can happen - sometimes a dog can be so very frustrated with a situation that it turns around and bites the nearest thing. It's not about you, and it's not even with so much planning as 'if I bite she'll put me down'. Mine sunk his teeth into my bag for life once (it was never the same again ) which was an improvement on my lower legs.

you'd be surprised what your dog could handle... as they say, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Not that I'm advocating letting dogs fight, it's just that I've seen a few Jack Russells face off against much larger dogs and the other dog has backed down.

Personally I try and avoid big bouncy young dogs as mine is prone to 'setting boundaries' but I do appreciate that sometimes they come and find you!

polkadotpjs · 04/03/2022 14:33

My dog bit me when I did similar. A dog was coming to us and I would his lead up and pulled him close and he turned and bit me. I'm sure it was because I was restraining him and he felt trapped. So very similar

Original poster

LondonWolf · 04/03/2022 14:35

Oh thanks all of you. I feel a bit better now. I've gone to see him and he's not really accepting visitors right now so I gave him a treat, which he ate, so that's positive.

redirected bites can happen - sometimes a dog can be so very frustrated with a situation that it turns around and bites the nearest thing. It's not about you, and it's not even with so much planning as 'if I bite she'll put me down'

This is really helpful. Thank you!

OP posts:

Original poster

LondonWolf · 04/03/2022 14:36

@GatoradeMeBitch

It's almost like he lost his temper with me

Give him a few treats, talk to him in a bright tone and if he won't come out, leave him to decompress for a while.

Thank you 😊

OP posts:

Mindymomo · 04/03/2022 14:40

Your dog bit you as he was trying to get away from a situation he wasn’t happy with and the only way out of it was to bite you so you would let him go. My dog bit me when he was 6 months old, he’s never done it since and he’s nearly 4 years old.

Happenchance · 04/03/2022 14:42

The bothersome dog jumped up and my dog bit hard to make me put him down I think. It sounds like redirected aggression. I would take him for a vet check to rule out pain, exacerbated by the way that you were holding him. I would let the vet receptionist know that he has bitten because he is more likely to bite again in the next few days, until his stress levels return to normal, and would benefit from an appointment when there are no other dogs in the waiting room.

I would be conscious that this incident could make him reactive to dogs, so wouldn't walk him for a few days then would walk only him in areas with no other dogs for a while.

furmumma · 04/03/2022 15:47

My oldest dog full on bit me when she was almost a year old. She had a serious eye injury from the groomers and was in pain and distress. She'd gone through two surgeries for the injury and didn't know if she was coming or going with all the vet visits.

I was trying to apply medication to her injuries but she was terrified of anyone being near her eye and reacted through that and drew blood.

Two years on she is such a placid loving little dog.

axolotlfloof · 04/03/2022 15:51

Our lovely, kind well behaved dog bit DH when he trod on her.
It was his fault, and not aggression, she was protecting herself.
He didn't get much sympathy from me, and nobody blames her - in fact I had forgotten till I read this.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 04/03/2022 16:13

That's a classic case of redirected aggression. Your dog was scared that the other dog was going to attack him and bit you instead - likely he was terrified and confused and just lashed out.

It's NOT your fault and it doesn't mean your dog is bad or dangerous or anything like that.

You also did 100% the right thing by picking your dog up. Although it's obviously not ideal, it's far better that you get a bite on the arm than the other dog bites him and he needs stitches or worse.

I hope you're okay. If he's broken the skin, make sure you get medical care as you may need antibiotics and a tetanus.

Tanfastic · 04/03/2022 16:47

Op my dog but me by accident last year and nearly amputated my fingertip. Luckily it was sewn back on but I was in hospital for three days having intravenous antibiotics. I'd say you need to get it looked at.

I didn't blame my dog, it was my fault as o put my fingers inside his mouth to stop him choking on a chew.

Original poster

LondonWolf · 04/03/2022 16:50

I'm really glad I posted in here. He's fine now, in his usual spot draped along the back of the sofa but I will definitely be aware that he will be heightened for a few days now and take him out to quieter places.

@Tanfastic I literally shuddered when I read that! Poor you!

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