If Your Dog Bit Your Face

[Tilly]

Rehome ... Never

PTS ... maybe

Keep ... probably

Has it ever bitten anyone else? What was the circumstances of the bite? Has it ever shown aggression towards the child or other family members? Is there any known triggers?

I don't feel the this particular incident was the dogs fault ... if the dog is 11 yrs and being picked up incorrectly (and from behind) then maybe it has pain.

Because it has bitten and shows "aggression" then it is the owners responsibility to ensure the dog is under control and is no risk to visitors. They need to ensure the dog is under complete control (lead and/or muzzle if required) or removed from visitors via a crate or another room / dog run.

Aggression can be effectively managed but the owner has to accept complete responsibility ...

[persephone]

if the dog is 11 yrs and being picked up incorrectly (and from behind) then maybe it has pain.

could be ..it could also be redirected aggression ..if she picked him up when he was in the 'red zone' ..already being aggressive for whatever reason .. he would have just lashed out at whatever grabbed him.

Dangerous , for whichever reason.

[Jetshroom]

It's a fighting dog cross

Are you referring to bull breeds? Bull breeds are very seldom aggressive towards human unless they try to lick them to death

I'm not familiar with the dog. Just the bragging about how tough, manly and aggressive it is. They have to chain it up when guests are around.

I'm just going by the description I was given, though they believe it's got Staffy in it. (I'd not trust their diagnosis, they thought that one dog they had was a pure bread Bull Arab. It wasn't.)

[Nekhbet]

I know a couple of aggression specialists depending on what area in Melbourne she's in, I'll pass on the contacts to you if you want them.

If she can't afford private consults there are a couple of good dog schools that are experienced enough to deal with his behavior BUT the owner has to realise that there is no magic snap of the fingers. If she doesnt want to put in the time and effort better off putting him to sleep before he spends his entire life isolated and alone.

[HugUrPup]

She's in Croydon.

[rubiton]

My friend had plastic surgery to repair a wound from her JRT biting her face.

He was outside being his usual aggressive self and she went out to shut him up. When she picked him up, he "accidentally" bit her and she pulled away making the tooth rip through her flesh beneath her nose all the way through her top lip.

Now, she shouldn't have gone behind him and picked him up and it was an accident, however, he is an aggressive dog.

If he wasn't being aggressive and barking, snarling and growling at whatever it was he had seen, then the incident wouldn't have happened.

People are scared to visit the house because of this little terror, but there is an 11 year old child living there who loves him. My friend can't keep her from going outside to play with him but she doesn't want to re-home him or PTS.

What would you do in this situation?

'usual aggresive self' - whywas this dog not properly trained in the first place. There is no reason at all for a dog just coz its small to have its aggressive behaviour accept as 'normal'. The dog and the dog owner need proper trainingin how to make the dog a proper pet not yet another aggressive uncontrolled little dog. Cesar Milan has made millions due to people not discplining their dog when its young and teaching it the correct behaviour.

If the owner can understand that its up to her and the family to retrain the dog with proper behaviourist (since if they get rid of this dog the behaviour will repeat with another dog til they realise what needs to be done pack order and all), or rehome to a JRT group who can rehab the dog and place it in an appropriate home where it will be disciplined or pts if both options are not feasible BUT they need to not get another til understanding dog/human hierachy. A subordinate to human dog would never ever be aggressive once a human steps in and takes control and if it did accidentally react (persephone comment above)and bite it would immediately let go and turn very submissive for fear of the alpha dogs reaction.

[Sayreovi]

It's easy to have all the answers when you're not in the situation yourself, and it's easy to say 'I'd PTS' when it's not your beloved dog on the vet table.

I am not offended by your post as I agree with some of it but I will say I HAVE been in this exact position with my beloved dog on the vets table getting put to sleep from biting my face so my answer comes from personal experience :)

This dog was desexed, raised the same as my current three, taken to training, exercised daily and yet was an aggressive little dog who had bitten 2 family members previously on the hands when they were patting him. He was the family dog at the start, and towards the end became my dog as I was the only one willing to look after him.

I am not telling the OP to say PTS, everyone makes their own decisions........but I do wonder how many that have responded saying "rehabilitate" have actually been bitten on the face by their dog and know that there is now no way that you will ever trust that dog again.

ETA: I am actually shocked that people are suggesting giving the dog to a rescue group. Why? There are so many nice dogs that have never ever bitten anything that need homes and people want to save one that has bitten it's owner on the face? I usually agree with most posts on this forum but this is ridiculous. Rescue groups shouldn't be even touching dogs like this!

Edited January 23, 2012 by tollersowned

[Clyde]

My friend had plastic surgery to repair a wound from her JRT biting her face.

He was outside being his usual aggressive self and she went out to shut him up. When she picked him up, he "accidentally" bit her and she pulled away making the tooth rip through her flesh beneath her nose all the way through her top lip.

Now, she shouldn't have gone behind him and picked him up and it was an accident, however, he is an aggressive dog.

If he wasn't being aggressive and barking, snarling and growling at whatever it was he had seen, then the incident wouldn't have happened.

People are scared to visit the house because of this little terror, but there is an 11 year old child living there who loves him. My friend can't keep her from going outside to play with him but she doesn't want to re-home him or PTS.

I really don't think he sounds that's bad She frightened the dog and it bit her, sure not great but some dogs just do that and now your friend needs to be more careful. Lots of dogs "bark, snarl and growl' at potential threats near their territory. Your friend sounds as though she is trying to be responsible and locks the dog away when there are visiting children. I have a small dog here who will bite if frightened, most of my dogs bark and growl at things 'out there'. They are all perfectly good dogs.

[tdierikx]

It's easy to have all the answers when you're not in the situation yourself, and it's easy to say 'I'd PTS' when it's not your beloved dog on the vet table.

I am not offended by your post as I agree with some of it but I will say I HAVE been in this exact position with my beloved dog on the vets table getting put to sleep from biting my face so my answer comes from personal experience :)

This dog was desexed, raised the same as my current three, taken to training, exercised daily and yet was an aggressive little dog who had bitten 2 family members previously on the hands when they were patting him. He was the family dog at the start, and towards the end became my dog as I was the only one willing to look after him.

I am not telling the OP to say PTS, everyone makes their own decisions........but I do wonder how many that have responded saying "rehabilitate" have actually been bitten on the face by their dog and know that there is now no way that you will ever trust that dog again.

ETA: I am actually shocked that people are suggesting giving the dog to a rescue group. Why? There are so many nice dogs that have never ever bitten anything that need homes and people want to save one that has bitten it's owner on the face? I usually agree with most posts on this forum but this is ridiculous. Rescue groups shouldn't be even touching dogs like this!

Where's the LIKE button??

I agree fully with the bolded bit... it's another factor to consider...

T.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

The other issue is that a lot of people replying to threads on DOL are breeders, or have been. It is one thing to put time and effort into rehabbing an aggressive dog when you don't have a multi-dog pack to keep mentally healthy, pups in the house etc. It is another thing to hang on to a dog whose aggressive tendencies put them out of your breeding program, and who you cannot responsibly rehome. Now, I know that some people do deal with it through training and management, and kudos to them if they can make the whole thing work without leaving the problem dog to rot in a kennel and become even more unstable. However, I can't imagine many pet people would want a pup bred from a human aggressive dog no matter how well trained and managed it is so I am not going to bag people who PTS.

I know there is a school of thought that you should try a training program first, and I think it's admirable when people try - I know we have. However, particularly where HA is concerned, if it's bitten someone on the face and is a nasty piece of work, I'm afraid I would tend towards PTS if it were mine. But it's not mine, or anyone else's here. All you can do is give a view, refer to a decent trainer and then let events take their course.

Edited to remove excessive howevers :laugh:

Edited January 23, 2012 by SkySoaringMagpie

[Guest lavendergirl]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

[Dame Aussie]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

Yeah I believe we do expect too much at times.

For that reason I would never have a dog PTS because it defended itself against rough handling or anything that caused it pain.

[megan_]

sometimes, but for a dog to bite it's owner is a big deal IMO. I have a very reactive and fear aggressive dog and she has never bitten or growled at me, even when I've given her a fright.

Today's dogs do need a pretty high standard applied as most are living in high density areas surrounded by lots of strangers.

[Greytmate]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

Those advertisements might be for dogs that simply prefer to be with adults than with children. Dogs that move away when kids are rough. Dogs that when given a choice will be with adults and stay away from kids. Dogs that have never shown any aggression. These dogs can make fantastic pets in adult homes. It would be wrong to rehome them in a home with kids. That is what ethical rescue does with foster dogs, it matches them to the right sort of home for that dog.

Ethical rescue would not rehome a dog that had bitten children to anyone.

I don't think we expect too much of dogs. Pets should not be a danger to the family.

A good dog will just get out of the way of children who are too rough. Adults can supervise to ensure the dog is never cornered by kids and can always walk away when it gets tired of them. Some dogs will bite instead of moving away, and that is a problem. Once the dog has bitten a child, there is a chance it will bit a child again, and it is a risk to have that dog around children.

[sandgrubber]

as a child i was attacked by dad foxie rabbiting dog... i did nothing wrong but the dog was aggressive and lived out his life here, but outside our house yard he was chained up as he frankly could not be trusted. so if your friend wants to keep the dog she needs to contain him so her child is safe... a dog run might be the answer here.

She plans on keeping him outside..she doesn't trust him, but her daughter does go out there when Mums back is turned.

Bet the neighbours will LOVE that.

[Guest lavendergirl]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

Those advertisements might be for dogs that simply prefer to be with adults than with children. Dogs that move away when kids are rough. Dogs that when given a choice will be with adults and stay away from kids. Dogs that have never shown any aggression. These dogs can make fantastic pets in adult homes. It would be wrong to rehome them in a home with kids. That is what ethical rescue does with foster dogs, it matches them to the right sort of home for that dog.

Ethical rescue would not rehome a dog that had bitten children to anyone.

I don't think we expect too much of dogs. Pets should not be a danger to the family.

A good dog will just get out of the way of children who are too rough. Adults can supervise to ensure the dog is never cornered by kids and can always walk away when it gets tired of them. Some dogs will bite instead of moving away, and that is a problem. Once the dog has bitten a child, there is a chance it will bit a child again, and it is a risk to have that dog around children.

In an ideal world perhaps. I am not referring to just rough play. The trouble occurs when the adults are just as stupid and vicious as the kids who torment the dogs - it does happen - and then the dog is PTS. There have been cases - even reported on these pages - where the dog is tied up in the back yard and tormented by kids - no chance for the dog to get away there.

[twodoggies2001]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

Yeah I believe we do expect too much at times.

For that reason I would never have a dog PTS because it defended itself against rough handling or anything that caused it pain.

Just heard on the news that a family dog has scalped a 4 year old and the child is fighting for life. Breed at this time unknown. How can anyone afford to take the risk whether the dog was defending itself or not.

[Guest lavendergirl]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

Yeah I believe we do expect too much at times.

For that reason I would never have a dog PTS because it defended itself against rough handling or anything that caused it pain.

Just heard on the news that a family dog has scalped a 4 year old and the child is fighting for life. Breed at this time unknown. How can anyone afford to take the risk whether the dog was defending itself or not.

Yes I agree once a serious attack has happened such is apparently the case here there is little choice but to PTS.

[Poodle Mum]

There is nowhere in the world where there are no children.

Unfortunately euth for me.

I speak from my own person experience with my own dog. I turned my life & that of my family upside down. My own kelpxcattledog (20yrs ago) seriously attacked me & left me with horrible scars - both physical & emotional.

Would never go thru that again, nor expect anyone else to either.

Its all to easy to own a dog.

Unfortunately the dog has to pay with their life.

[Dame Aussie]

I see plenty of advertisements by rescue groups which mention that the particular dog would not suit a home with children - and they are not small delicate dogs. I have also seen cases where dogs have been PTS for reacting to a child's rough handling or abuse by nipping or snapping. Do we expect too much of dogs in certain circumstances - that they do not have any instinctive reaction to being hurt or threatened?

Yeah I believe we do expect too much at times.

For that reason I would never have a dog PTS because it defended itself against rough handling or anything that caused it pain.

Just heard on the news that a family dog has scalped a 4 year old and the child is fighting for life. Breed at this time unknown. How can anyone afford to take the risk whether the dog was defending itself or not.

I was under the impression we were referring to a dog maybe snapping at a child who caused a dog pain, not a dog mauling a child severely. In my mind there's a difference.