If Your Dog Bit Your Face

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Clyde you are right.. the owner picked up the dog in the wrong way. The dog still needs intensive training or to be PTS.. it was going to happen.

Put it this way.. I was in QLD when it happened. My friend just text me a pic of her face.. no explanation of what happened and I replied saying: The dog bit you didn't it...

And often, the owner needs training as well.

[tdierikx]

Little dogs do less damage? No excuse. It bit the owner and the owner doesn't trust it. The OP doesn't trust it either, and it gets put away when people come to visit in case it bites someone else.

What if it had been a child the dog bit instead of an adult?

Based solely on what has been posted here in relation to the dog's behaviour/nature, I'd pts.

T.

[HugUrPup]

He did major damage.. she had plastic surgery on her face.

[Crisovar]

He did major damage.. she had plastic surgery on her face.

Pretty standard care for any facial wound.

[Bluefairy]

But yes I have had dogs bark and be protective of territory and thats fine. But if I had a dog that bit or growled because I picked it up....unless there was an obvious reason for it...then I'd PTS, I'd never keep a dog I couldn't trust.

Lynn

But the owner picked him up from behind, frightening him, when he was already in a mode of protection of his territory. I don't like truly aggressive dogs but think that sometimes we need to look at it on a case by case situation. My little Shih Tzu will bite if someone picks her up the wrong way and hurts or frightens her, yet she is an awesome dog and very affectionate and loving. She bit my daughter on the face years ago and will bite/growl and try to bite if my daughter were to try to take something from her. There is no way I would consider putting her to sleep for something which can be managed. She is absolutely fine with my daughter and sleeps on her bed etc, my daughter just knows the rules now and they have grown up together with no other incidences. I also have a large dog here who I don't trust with visitors so I simply lock her away when people come over. I feel sad for this little dog as I think it's just a management issue and he doesn't deserve to die for one mistake which was clearly an judgement error at the time. The dog is happily living with a child with no previous incidents.

I agree with you, but I did state unless there was an obvious reason for this behaviour. But according to the OP, even the owner doesn't trust the dog. If I had a dog and it bit me....for a reason I understood, eg: hurt, in pain, scared, etc...then I'd understand and forgive the dog. Its just one of those things. But if I suddenly didn't trust the dog not to bite again, that would worry me. I could never, (and this is my personal opinion going by the OP and my being in this situation), have a dog like that in the house. Especially not near children or visitors. If it was just me (and I don't get many visitors) then I'd have to re-access the situation and see if its one I could deal with.

Lynn

[Kajtek]

It seems that we expect our dogs to be K-Mart toys. They are NOT - they think, they feel, they experience fear, and have a magnificent set of teeth to defend themselves. They deserve respect!

It is so sad to read so many posts in this thread.....

Why would you want to kill a dog that's trying to tell you that your behaviour is threatening or causes fear? Why wouldn't you want to find out what you need to do to make things "right"?

Edit:

My beloved Queen-Bee bit my OH when she was young. She drew blood. He was stupid. He showed no respect and handled her when she was scared!

We have since worked out the 'right' way of communicating with her - we respect her feelings (whatever they may be) and she knows she can trust us to make things ok.

Edited January 26, 2012 by HonBun

[Souff]

Clyde you are right.. the owner picked up the dog in the wrong way. The dog still needs intensive training or to be PTS.. it was going to happen.

Put it this way.. I was in QLD when it happened. My friend just text me a pic of her face.. no explanation of what happened and I replied saying: The dog bit you didn't it...

Hugs, there should be no wrong way for an owner to pick up their dog.

A dog is supposed to trust and love the one who feeds it.

There is something very wrong in all of this situation.

I don't know how old this dog is, and I don't know it's breeding, but I do know that this is a dog in the wrong place.

The child can be given another dog to love and if this JRT is going anywhere other than the great kennel in the sky, it should be to a country property where it can spend its days catching and dissecting rabbits and other vermin.

This is a hunting terrier who would have lightning fast reactions, and from what I have read doesn't particularly like human company all that much. In an environment where he can chase and kill, he will be a happy terrier.

You have seen how he entertained people by repetitively jumping off a river bank. The movement of the water and what he could see moving in the water would have kept him stimulated and entertained for hours and while he was doing this he was not biting people on the face. Not all jacks are cuddly, calm little things - the breed is known for its hunting skills and some dogs have more of the hunting genes in them. This is one of those dogs I suspect.

Keeping him at his current residence is a recipe for disaster and a whole lot of dollars can be spent on behaviourists without a good long term result. Jacks are very smart little operators.

Under no circumstances should this dog go to any rescue organisation for re-homing. There will almost certainly be a repeat of this behaviour and next time it could be much worse.

Private re-home to a country property where Jacks run free on the property to hunt rabbits and foxes is the only solution, other than PTS, that I can think of.

Souff

[HugUrPup]

This little guy would lurve a country home.

[twodoggies2001]

He did major damage.. she had plastic surgery on her face.

Pretty standard care for any facial wound.

Please, stop making excuses for this dog. The fact is he bit his owner inflicting a wound to her face. Thank goodness it wasn't worse or a child being the victim. The owner of this dog is obviously very wary of her dog and worried about her daughter and friends when they come across to visit. It shouldn't have to be like that. The dog probably shouldn't be rehomed, because it is untrustworthy so what is she to do. Lock it away each time the daughter rehome a very dog savvy person take over if willing and knows what he/she is doing.

[huski]

A yes, the mystical "farm" that's just itching to take on a problem dog.

There are a lot of assumptions being made about this dog which I find quite gobsmacking when not one of us has actually met it. Trainers and behaviourists work with aggressive dogs every day, how can anyone write this dog off as unsaveable when none of us have met or assessed the dog? How can we say we know what the problem is? No reputable trainer that I know will assess aggression over the Internet, it blows me away how many people here think they know better than people who work with aggressive dogs for a living.

[Greytmate]

A yes, the mystical "farm" that's just itching to take on a problem dog.

There are a lot of assumptions being made about this dog which I find quite gobsmacking when not one of us has actually met it. Trainers and behaviourists work with aggressive dogs every day, how can anyone write this dog off as unsaveable when none of us have met or assessed the dog? How can we say we know what the problem is? No reputable trainer that I know will assess aggression over the Internet, it blows me away how many people here think they know better than people who work with aggressive dogs for a living.

I just get the impression that the owner isn't interested in this, and has left it to a point where the aggression has escalated. All she is prepared to do is to keep the dog isolated, which doesn't sound very practical.

On that basis I say PTS rather than pass the problem on to others.

However if the owner really does want to find a solution they should take the dog for a physical vet check, and then get behavioural advice. You are right about that. If they don't want to do that, then they shouldn't just ignore the problem or manage it half-heartedly as they seem to be doing now.

Because this topic is about somebody else's dog rather than the OP's dog, I doubt anything we say here will influence what happens. If the dog's owner was asking for help, I would be the first to advise that they get the dog seen by professionals rather than an internet diagnosis.

For people reading this topic and wondering what they should do about their own dog's milder aggression, I would agree with you Huski. Get help from an experienced trainer, before you are bitten on the face.

But the owner has to be absolutely committed. While it is unfair on a dog to PTS without getting proper help, I have yet to find any trainer that will provide a real guarantee that a dog that has bitten somebody like this will never bite again if it ends up in the wrong situation.

[Souff]

Get help from an experienced trainer, before you are bitten on the face.

But the owner has to be absolutely committed. While it is unfair on a dog to PTS without getting proper help, I have yet to find any trainer that will provide a real guarantee that a dog that has bitten somebody like this will never bite again if it ends up in the wrong situation.

I totally agree.

[Crisovar]

There are no guarantees with any dog unless it has no teeth.

[persephone]

There are no guarantees with any dog unless it has no teeth.

but it doesn't stop the urge/action !!

[Crisovar]

A yes, the mystical "farm" that's just itching to take on a problem dog.

There are a lot of assumptions being made about this dog which I find quite gobsmacking when not one of us has actually met it. Trainers and behaviourists work with aggressive dogs every day, how can anyone write this dog off as unsaveable when none of us have met or assessed the dog? How can we say we know what the problem is? No reputable trainer that I know will assess aggression over the Internet, it blows me away how many people here think they know better than people who work with aggressive dogs for a living.

:thumbsup:

[huski]

Get help from an experienced trainer, before you are bitten on the face.

But the owner has to be absolutely committed. While it is unfair on a dog to PTS without getting proper help, I have yet to find any trainer that will provide a real guarantee that a dog that has bitten somebody like this will never bite again if it ends up in the wrong situation.

I do agree with you totally, I think the owners need to commit 100% to behaviour modification, if not PTS is the better option. It was the comments about the dog being beyond help and people posting about the dog as if they know exactly what the dog's issues are that I was posting in response to.

[Clyde]

A yes, the mystical "farm" that's just itching to take on a problem dog.

I've noticed this a lot on DOL. People tend to think that problem dogs, hyper dogs, dog aggressive dogs, escapees etc etc all belong on a farm. I think there's more temptation to do wrong in rural areas than there are in the burbs.

[huski]

A yes, the mystical "farm" that's just itching to take on a problem dog.

I've noticed this a lot on DOL. People tend to think that problem dogs, hyper dogs, dog aggressive dogs, escapees etc etc all belong on a farm. I think there's more temptation to do wrong in rural areas than there are in the burbs.

I don't think it's just DOL, I think it's a pretty wide spread idea that there is some magical farm where all problem dogs can go and live. There's no farm. What farmers want problems dogs any more than people in the suburbs do? Dogs with behaviourial issues need training. Not acreage.

Edited January 26, 2012 by huski

[voloclydes]

A yes, the mystical "farm" that's just itching to take on a problem dog.

I've noticed this a lot on DOL. People tend to think that problem dogs, hyper dogs, dog aggressive dogs, escapees etc etc all belong on a farm. I think there's more temptation to do wrong in rural areas than there are in the burbs.

;) ;) omg don't blow that myth out of the water.... its how we got all our dogs... useless owners who though dog needed more space and a farm would be ideal... hence we beat every other idiot who phoned emailed or enquired just because we have a real farm.

if you blow the myth how do i get another great dog at a great price! :rofl:

but i was unsuitable for a rescue cause 6ft colour bond was the requirement.

[milly2]

Maybe the owners could use a muzzle on the dog when the children are out of site with it, they use them on greyhounds so why not any other dog that could bite.

Then maybe get some help for the dog as well.

I have been bitten on the face by a dog when I was a child, but thankfully too young to remember the pain of it, my fault though it was eating a bone and I bent down to pat it apparently , ended up with stitches around my mouth, don't know if the dog was pts or not, back when it happened dogs were allowed to roam the streets.