AIBU to think our dog bit because his warning growls were ignored?

[Vauxhall21]

I have a 4 year old Cavapoo. He has always been a placid, but anxious dog because of his background and the environment he was bred into, however this has massively improved over time.

He has always had a little bit of resource guarding, but usually only a tiny bit of a growl and then happy to let you take the item if it was not appropriate for him to have.

He is currently going through a trial (chemical) castration. Potentially due to this, his resource guarding has got considerably worse where he will even growl at me now when he never used to, because of this if I have to take an item off him, I usually get him away from the item first by treats or a distraction and then remove it and this works fine.

Today, he was chewing on a piece of plastic and my partner attempted to take it from him, ignored his warning growls and did not do the distraction technique or try replacing it with something else, and it ended up with him biting her quite badly on the finger.

This is the first time I have ever been in this position and it has completely shaken the whole house.

Firstly, it is likely to need a hospital visit due to the punctures being quite deep. Does the hospital report this to the police? I also have a 10 year old child in the house (who knows not to go near him when he has anything in his mouth and respects his boundaries), will the hospital report this to SS?

Secondly, how do I handle this going forward? I already do the trading/distraction technique, I also suspect that the castration is making it worse so I will call the vets and ask for advice. But who was at fault? Was this a careless mistake on my partners behalf or is my dog no longer safe to be in the family home and is likely to be more aggressive after this first biting incident?

He is a very much loved dog and this was very very out of the blue despite his resource guarding issues, and we are all feeling incredibly heartbroken that this has happened so please be kind.

Resource guarding is the problem that occurs where a dog considers something to be high value (treats, toys, beds, the sofa) and doesn’t want anyone taking it. Think of it like a toddler refusing to share a toy with their sibling only worse - as the dog can only communicate via growls or biting if the growls are ignored.

In some cases it escalates to resource guarding humans (I.e you’re sitting on the sofa and your dog sits next to you, your DP or DC try to sit next to you and the dog resources guards you FROM them. It might include growling or snapping or biting. The solution is never to allow the dog on the sofa, but people are stupid and allow it to continue).

It escalates terribly if not handled well. And it is not something novice owners typically can manage. You CANNOT cure resource guarding, one ingrained in a dog, only manage it. And too many people do not handle it properly, and instances as has happened here are far too common and completely the fault of the owner.

It is also usually a product of bad breeding and/or poor ownership (not understanding the breed, having young children that treat the dog like a toy and steal things from them, the dog not trusting the owner to return things).

Certain breeds are more prone to it than others: spaniels and retrievers can be terrible for it. Cockerpoos and Cavapoos are well known for it (due to bad breeding). Well-bred, well-raised dogs don’t typically resource guard although there are some exceptions.

I personally wouldn’t have a dog like that in a house with children at all

@Vauxhall21 please don't do this 👆

The whole pack leader / dominance thing has been debunked decades ago.

What @WiddlinDiddlin said is much better advice (maybe apart from the clip around the ear, although I believe that was tongue in cheek).

I’m embarrassed FOR you making that utterly ridiculous comment 🤦🏼‍♀️

Omg where do people like you come from 🙄

I wouldn’t use a dog behaviour “expert” who kept calling the humans stupid. I agree that the behaviour was stupid but no need to keep using that kind of language when explaining the right way to do things 😐

This is MN and people on a public forum are not her paying clients, the pp isn't advertising her business here. She doesn't have to spare anybody's feelings who isn't paying her to sugar coat it. Do think about context.

I come from a point of view a child’s safety it paramount

There’s been so many of them recently I’m wondering if there’re multiplying like something out of the Last of Us.

This is why people get bitten. It’s rarely out of the blue. Dogs give warnings but people are either clueless or think they know better and ignore the dog.

We had a large breed cross who was the most loving, loyal girl in the world. But if she was lying on a blanket and you tried to move that blanket to straighten it or whatever, she’d warn you with a growl. It would have been a very stupid person who ignored that warning, I’ll tell you!

That’s how dogs communicate. The dog is literally telling you to stop as he’s getting annoyed. Animals end up getting put down because humans are too stupid to recognise the warning signs.

Ex veterinary nurse here, your partner chose to ignore your dogs warning signs and paid the price for that. When someone ignores these signals, the dog will often escalate with his/her behaviour.

Your dog does not need to be put down but I would perhaps bring in a positive reinforcement trainer for a session at home and make sure that your partner is there for it. Because if she is going to disregard the rules surrounding your dog, then you have a problem - and it's not with your dog.

You have done pretty well with your dog, doing trade offs etc. I taught my dog that since a pup and he will happily give things up for a trade off. I have learned to observe signs of anxiety in him - lip licking, whale eye, swallowing - that kind of thing. He has his own space he can retreat to where noone can disturb him. Now he is not a resource guarder and he isnt human aggressive. But we give him his space and respect his signals for his own wellbeing and comfort.

Your dog probably gave your partner plenty of signals before even growling. Lots of people dont even spot or recognise early calming signals, but to ignore the growl - that is just silly.

Definitely invest in a positive reinforcement dog trainer and make sure your partner is part of that dog training journey.

Good luck, I appreciate how stressful this must be.

Can you explain why you would put a dog before a child’s safety more than happy to be educated

What if that human had been a toddler and that bite would have been to the face?
I’ve had dogs almost all my life. What I DO know is that human safety is more important than animal behaviour.

🙄🙄🙄🙄

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No it's not. FFS yourself.

Don't be so ridiculous.

Yes, just makes the ridiculous posts easier to ignore though when they show their poor level of comprehension

I would also look at getting a trainer/ behaviourist who can come and provide support and strategies to manage the resource guarding and ensuring it does not escalate. The whole household needs to be present for these sessions so everyone in the house understands. I'd also speak to the vet, the current chemical castration may not be agreeing with the dog and making the resource guarding worse. The vet may be able to advise other treatment options or strategies that may work better for your dog.

I'm not sure about the police/ SS. It could be as you have a child in the property it has to be reported. A sensible NT 10 year old is old enough to understand and seek out an adult and stick to some simple strategies but I wouldn't leave them alone unattended with the dog. I would also keep the dog away from the 10yr old when they are having bouts of silliness as children can quickly get carried away in their silliness and miss any cues/ warning signs.

I would keep the dog away from any children that visit the house and perhaps even adult guests who are not part of the household due to them not knowing the strategies in use and if they miss any early behaviour signals.

Rehoming a resource guarder with what is now a bite history is very difficult.

Most dogs would bite given the right circumstances. However, there is a world of difference between a Doodle biting after warning signs were ignored and an XL bully attacking because a child walked past them. A lot of posters can't seem to separate the two and think ANY type of aggression should end in a dog being put to sleep.

I have a very old Kokoni with arthritic hips. Hes turned into a grumpy old man and we all know to give him a wide berth if hes not in the mood and his pain relief has kicked in. If anyone were to manhandle him he definitely would bite, as the vet found out during an examination.

Answering your question, yes your dog bit because your partner ignored warning signs.

I do not think your dog should be put down (as others have suggested!)

I would get the wound cleaned and a tetanus.

Your partner needs to understand and learn from her errors. She cannot do this again.

One of the first things we trained our dog to do was to drop, anything, now she will do it on command. I grew up with a resource guarding dog and when she had food she was terrifying, we literally couldn’t walk into the same room as her, not even my dad. But god I loved that dog so much.

It would still be the owners fault. Every time a dog growls, is ignored by the human and THEN bites the human it is the HUMANS fault. Even when it is a child.

Which is entirely why good breeders don't sell dogs to families with young children. It's not fair on the dog to be put in that sort of environment.

Too many dogs are put to sleep or rehomed when all they have done wrong is be bought by incompetent arseholes who are unable and unwilling to read the dogs body language and adjust their own attitude accordingly. Humans are 99.9% of the time the problem, not the dog.

Because the cult of dog

i do not understand why anyone would have an animal in the house that has to be treated delicately otherwise it would injure or even kill a child.

It’s not treating a dog delicately. It’s literally observing dog behaviour and acting accordingly.
Every dog has the capability to bite if pushed too far or if their warnings are ignored.

If people are unable to recognise those signs, they shouldn’t get a dog. It’s that simple.

🤣 and they vote Reform no doubt!