Dog has just bitten

[Pupdate292]

I'm at my wits end with our lovely boy. He's 3, he's always been a very nervous dog which makes him reactive to lots of things. With lots of training, behaviourists, patience he is much better. We're very careful about where we walk him, we know his body language, we know how to advocate for him on his walks and we keep him away from strangers in the home. It works well and we all love him. He's a small cocker spaniel.

Anyway, my dad is here doing some work on the house for us. Our boy is nervous of my dad, he loves him but is always timid and cautious around him. He was upstairs using a very loud sander (he hates motorbikes and my milk frother and my blender so I know it was the volume of it that he doesn't like). He escaped the kitchen, flew upstairs and went to attack the sander but caught my dad's hand instead. My dad's fine about it but I feel terrible, I feel like I've let him down.

How big of a deal is this? I have days where I despair of having to constantly manage him and this is one of them!

You know loud noises set him off but chose to keep him in the house whilst loud noises happened?
to be honest I’d of taken him out the house or kept him on a lead.

could you work with a behaviourist or trainer further?

Some cockers are like this unfortunately, not all of them, but some do operate on a bit of a hair trigger and there's no warning. I honestly feel for you, it's a tough one once they've bitten.

Have you had him vet checked or his bloods done? There may be a medical reason behind his anxiety. Thyroid issues or pain can cause this sort of behaviour.

Many of those types of electrical tools are problematic for dogs, not just because of the noise we hear, but because of the noise they hear. Dogs have a much wider hearing spectrum than humans and can hear many sounds that we cannot. So avoiding them being around triggering sounds is best. That said, from what you describe, he didn't bite your father, he caught him with his teeth whilst "attacking" the sander - in other words, the source of a known triggering sound. So I don't think that you need worry much about the bite - it doesn't sound like aggression against people will be a factor going forward. But he does need help desensitising from the noise and gaining confidence, so I agree a behaviourist may be able to help.

He didn't try and attack your dad - he wanted the sander to stop. I'm sorry, it must be very scary.

Did the bite break the skin?

I agree that you need to get your dog out of the house when your dad is working.

Thanks everyone, yes he's had vet checks and he is getting better around loud noises-fine with the hoover and hair dryer now and will ignore motorbikes unless they really zoom past. This was obviously a new loud noise to him.

Applespearsandoranges there's no where for me to take him today, I've been out with him all week while the works been happening. I cant keep walking all day, I thought he was secured but when there's multiple people on the house doors get left open.

Then I think you need to take him to foggy day care or a kennel. If you can't trust people not to let him out. It's not fair on him

Doggy, not foggy!

Clymene no, it didn't break the skin, he's just got a red like on the top of his hand.

Clymene I know, that's why I feel like I've let him down. I spend so much time managing him, its exhausting. We tried doggy day care, he was a wreck there, same with kennels. My in laws usually have him for us when needed but they have visitors staying for a few weeks.

That shows bite inhibition, which is actually positive
You will just have to manage the situation to make sure it doesn’t happen again. No loud machinery while the dog is in the house

I would look at crate training and muzzle training if you haven't already, then you will have these tools to use when the occasion requires.

Since you've already done a lot if work on behavioural management it may also be worth speaking to your vet about whether meds might be a possible way forward now.

My cocker spaniel has been on fluoxetine for 18 months and although this hasn't been a cure all he is certainly much better in many respects, especially with reactivity. For eg. Today he waited patiently and with no reaction as 4 horses passed within a couple of meters of him, this is not certainly not something that would have been possible before, he would have been beside himself and I would have had to try to get him away as far as possible from them.

Can you and the dog go to your dad's house while he's working at yours (totally serious suggestion)?

I think you really need to get him out of the house. Apart from anything else, his house needs to be a place where he feels safe. If random high pitching screaming machines are going to start up, he's never going to be able to relax. And he's really going to associate your dad with the horrible noise now.

When is the work going to be finished?

Well he hasn’t bitten has he?

I’m sorry but you should have been more careful or taken him out of the situation, very unfair when you know he doesn’t like loud noise

Get rid of it before it bites someone outside of your family !

Aw, my imagination was going rampant with that

@Wonnle wtf

suggestionsplease1 thankyou, he's great on walks now, this time last year he was reacting to everything in the sky, nothing now.

We are muzzle training him but it's slow progress, we're building up the time carefully.

Clymene yeh, we're going to have to figure something out for this week. Perhaps a house swop or I'll take him to my friends while she's at work.

@Pupdate292 have you considered medication alongside your behavioural training? It can help them to regulate their emotions better.

"SELGIAN" (selegiline) is good for dogs in a state of chronic anxiety of emotional behavioural origin as it lowers prolactin levels, "RECONCILE" (fluoxetine) can be good for dogs with aggression / compulsive behaviours / anxiety disorders

Might be worth a chat with your vet to see if it helps you and him

The bite sounds like it was aimed at the object and your dad got caught in the middle so I wouldn't be as concerned as if he had gone for your dad

Tropicana1 thankyou, I'll make an appointment to discuss it with the vet. We've also not had him castrated yet, we were advised against it due to him being nervous but I wonder if now that we've got most of his outside reactivity sorted if that would help too.

Other than feeling sorry for your Dad I wouldn't be concerned. He didn't bite him. YOU need to reframe this in your mind. He didn't charge upstairs to attack your Dad, he went to make the noise stop.

He isn't hearing it the same as you, it'll be painful for him. Of course he wants it to stop.

I know it's not easy, but you let him down today. He shouldn't have been made to stay home with that noise going on.

crate training wouldn't have helped because he'd still be suffering.

ignore the teat saying to get rid. He did NOT bite.

Being castrated wouldn't have changed the frequency of noise the sander was making.

I'd feel like biting somebody who used a sander in the same house as me for more than about 30 seconds, so I sympathise with your poor dog - at least I'd have the ability to take myself out and away from the godawful racket.

It's not the dog's fault - he attacked the horrible monster noise machine, not your father. You have to either give the dog a break by taking him out for the entire duration of any work or getting him a holiday in some kennels so he can come back to a safe and not pain causing environment.

@Pupdate292 i wouldn't recommend castrating an anxious dog as it can make anxiety worse - often they rely on their testosterone as a confidence booster and removing it can make fear aggression worse if that is the case. There is a temporary chemical implant called suprelorin which I sometimes suggest people try out if they are really keen as the smaller one lasts for 6 months, the downside is if behaviour gets worse and that worse behaviour is reinforced with repetition over the 6-10 months or so the implant is in effect then those negative changes can persist regardless and so not always able to return to the "before" if you see what I mean. (I'm a vet)
If your vet is worried castrating may make him worse it's probably for those reasons and worth taking seriously :) is your behaviourist APBC registered?

Tropicana1 thankyou, yes this is why we haven't had him castrated but I just wondered if that advice might be different now he's older and his behaviour is much better although today has obviously shown that he is still reactive.

Yes I behaviourist is registered, she's been brilliant although we haven't seen her for 18 months now, she was very expensive and once we had the tools we needed we stopped.