My dog just bit me, hard.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

Have you considered training? Our older dog was somewhat testy when we got her and now she is still a sweetheart and this is many years after going through obedience training.

He is already pretty well trained to be honest.

Going from what's been said and what I initially thought before posting the thread is that the irritations as well as my sudden movements caused him to latch on.


No harm done, except the big tooth shaped hole in my foot.
He has been quiet ever since then, pretty sheepish.

I think he knows he was wrong.


Thanks again for all the advice people.
Much appreciated.

Hope you got your tetanus shot.

a reply to: Hazardous1408

First, ask some basic questions. Dogs never bite for no reason.

Was he asleep when you approached him? Did you startle him? It might be a good idea to get his vision and hearing checked. Also, his teeth...tooth problems can cause swelling into the ear canal or the sinus and tear ducts. Which brings me to the most important thing of all...

When was his last vet visit? Is he an outdoor dog who could have either gotten into something or bitten/scratched by another animal? Biting is often a sign of hidden injury or pain. Dogs typically don't show signs of pain until it becomes unbearable.

Has he been sleeping unusual amounts lately? Has he ever gone over to a wall or other hard surface and pressed his forehead against it for a period of time? It looks cute, like they're face planting, but it is a sign of brain swelling and it is an attempt to relieve the pain. Brain lesions are common in Pitties. Any confusion or stumbling or odd behavior can be signs of a neurological issue, too.

Is it possible that he could have ingested something toxic or been poisoned? Some toxins cause hallucinations and overreactions to visual stimuli. It could be a fever. Check his nose when he is calm and not panting. It should be cool and slightly moist. If it's warmer than your fingers and dry, he likely has a fever, which can result in every one of the above symptoms.

Dogs do not turn on their humans unless they have a reason to. Illness, injury, infection, fear, abuse, loss of hearing or eyesight...any of those things may cause a previously docile dog to bite. But there is always a reason. The very best thing to do is take him to the vet first and foremost. Let me know if you need more help. I am a professional dog trainer and rescuer.

a reply to: Hazardous1408

He would never bite its master that feeds it and are sweet towards it.

So unless you been treating your dog badly your foot must have scared it somehow
Or it was half dreaming half awake..

mistakes happens, done it done.. yelling at a dog never help, pet it instead and make it feel loved.. more chance it wont be aggressive then.

I have a cute Gordon Setter 4 years old.. its like my second child, I give him a lot of love.. and it gives much love back

a reply to: Hazardous1408

This may not be the best advice, but this is what I've always done with young biters. I make a tight fist, and just let them bite as hard as they can for as long as they want. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes they break the skin, but I just let them bite until they get tired. Eventually, they learn they can't really hurt me and they stop.

I wouldn't want to hit a dog or anything like that, so that's what I came up with.

I've dealt with many pit-bulls as well as other dogs. That being said, unless you mistreat the dog, then he is not 'turning', which can be done to any dog. The only difference in a pit and other dogs is their ability to lock their jaws better than most. As for why he attacked, my only thought is of where your foot was. Dogs in general do not like things in their blind-spot and take it as aggressive.

Actually it is a good thing he growled at you first, he was warning you to get out of his space. You have a problem when they go from just sitting there to biting without a warning.

Does he often growl to keep you out of his space? If this is a one time thing, he may have gotten startled. Either way, I would just take him into a local trainer who specializes in bigger dogs to evaluate him and help you correct any behavior issues coming up.

a reply to: Hazardous1408

Theres been LOTS of mauling by pits and some arent even allowed to be owned for their sudden propensity to turn and maim and kill family members even owners...who always says "We've had him for YEARS! And he's as gentle as a lamb. He's NEVER done this before?!"

Well...yours has too...the breed is by nature that way. In towns, states and cities the bans go from criminal prosecution of the owners...sometimes for just having one and not registering that they do...tattooing their ears...and in some cases...destruction of the dog itself...

They turn...yes... maybe not...but pits have that high incidence of biting the hand that feeds them. Not the dogs fault, not the owners fault, not the injured's fault...or the dead pet or small child they may have bitten.

It's you. It a responsibility based and routed in facts...its just that way. I assure you. Sadly? Your dog can..at any time...and without warning...and unexpectedly...bite you or worse.

Again...its not you or the dog's fault. It nature to them...a "switch" thats in their genes to flip. And it does....

First thing to do is get him thoroughly vetted. Some things that can make a dog bite can infect you, and I'm not talking about rabies although if you haven't taken him to get his shots regularly there is that possibility.

Second thing to do is possibly get yourself doctored.

Third thing to do if you get a clean bill of health is to get him assessed by a trainer or behaviorist who specializes in breeds like his.

Even if this was an honest mistake caused by a dream, you need to know that he's prone to it so that you can find ways to strategize around his quirks so that you and no one you know gets hurt by it, and a professional could help you do that.

I agree 100%.....when a dog bites the hand that feeds, that dog is gonna repeat that action again.a reply to: DeathSlayer

originally posted by: Mandroid7

originally posted by: waftist
a reply to: stosh64
I hear ya and it reminds me of my friend, a real farmer country boy and when his dog got aggressive with him, he laid it on it's side and stayed on top of it til it urinated, which he said was a gesture of submissiveness. He said it worked without hurting the dog, just reestablishing pack order.
Sounds kinda crazy and I've never heard of that.

Good way to have the dog not trust humans and turn it into a schizo.

I would leave the dog abuse suggestion behind.

And suggest his animals be removed.

You're the one who shouldn't have dogs. A dog owner has to be the alpha of the pack. Some dogs never question their owner's alpha status, but some do. Unfixed males owned by single women try to be alpha all the time. You HAVE TO know how to show your dog they are not the boss. The safest, least traumatic way to do this is to pin them down on the ground, you can do it playfully if you want to. The reason the dog pees is because some dogs pee when they are submissive. Not all dogs do this. You're actually supposed to wait until the dog sighs. That's his way of "tapping out" if you were wrestling. Everyone who has a dog needs to know how to handle their behavior, or you will end up with dangerous dogs all over the place. People are really quick to accuse others without knowing anything about animal behavior or abuse. My vet taught me this technique. Another person I know, a vet tech, uses this trick on problem dogs in the vet all the time. Learn your stuff before you start accusing people of things, especially such highly reactive accusations like abuse. It makes people who really care about animal abuse sound like whiny people who jump to butt in and cause problems where there aren't any. Real animals suffer from real abuse every day. Maybe you could focus on an animal that actually needs help?

You knew damn well I was a snake when you let me in" lol just had to do that, kidding............. That sucks but if you don't correct that properly then your dog may bite you or someone else again. My mom got mamed for life by a Jack Russell, she had to beat the dog with a dvd player to get it off of her arm, no lie, her arm is useless now. All she did was get off the bed and startled it sleeping Thing is, it had already bit her twice and she already had hand surgery from the same dog then it got her arm. I know, she is crazy, don't be like her. Your dog is much stronger.

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: Hazardous1408

Theres been LOTS of mauling by pits and some arent even allowed to be owned for their sudden propensity to turn and maim and kill family members even owners...who always says "We've had him for YEARS! And he's as gentle as a lamb. He's NEVER done this before?!"

Well...yours has too...the breed is by nature that way. In towns, states and cities the bans go from criminal prosecution of the owners...sometimes for just having one and not registering that they do...tattooing their ears...and in some cases...destruction of the dog itself...

They turn...yes... maybe not...but pits have that high incidence of biting the hand that feeds them. Not the dogs fault, not the owners fault, not the injured's fault...or the dead pet or small child they may have bitten.

It's you. It a responsibility based and routed in facts...its just that way. I assure you. Sadly? Your dog can..at any time...and without warning...and unexpectedly...bite you or worse.

Again...its not you or the dog's fault. It nature to them...a "switch" thats in their genes to flip. And it does....

Aggression is genetic. It takes 10 generations to make a breed of dog either docile or aggressive. The reason Pitts are more aggressive is there are people that breed them that way. When choosing a Pitt, I suggest meeting both parents so you can see if they behave docilely or aggressively. That will tell you whether their pup will be aggressive.

I have a pack of 7 dogs, 4 of them bully dogs (pit mix & 3 staffys). My pack has been as large as 9 dogs and some of them just don't get along together - 2 females have a blood feud & my alpha dog has attacked the male pit bull mix. So I get bit when I stick my hand/leg/foot between two fighting dogs to separate them. Never bitten otherwise - never been bitten by my pits (it's usually the bitches that get such a blood lust they can't tell who they're biting).

Definitely get checked out and get a tetanus shot, maybe some blood work. I got bit really bad, ended up splintering a bone in my finger, got a blood infection, had to have surgery - all because I didn't think it was that bad and didn't go to the doc for a month. Had a piece of bone sticking out of my knuckle and didn't know it...

From what I've seen of this thread there are some very well founded suggestions about handling your dog. Cesar Millan uses the submission technique to make the dog lie on the ground, although I've never seen him sit on the dog or make it pee. If your dog seems "contrite" that's a very good sign IMHO. Usually when I get bit, that stops the dog fight when the biter figures out it bit ME. BTW all my animals are neutered - usually at the earliest age practical - otherwise I'd really be in deep dog-doo. 2012 we got the staffy mates which had a litter of 6 (kept 1) and got another pit mix (deceased) that had a litter of 11. Talk about deep dog doo!

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the dog turning on you, especially if you've raised it from a pup. Most of my dogs were older rescue dogs that had god-knows-what kind of early formative years. The only thing I can add to the list of suggestions you've gotten so far is that you might should have verbally expressed something to the dog when it growled before you moved. That way even if it was partially asleep, or you were in a blind spot, or there was a vision problem, the verbal cue would've distracted your dog. I'll always rebuke a growl (just my 2 cents).

ganjoa

a reply to: Hazardous1408

Not a nice situation....knowing that the dog has a history of biting if the dog mauls a small child or pretty much anyone else you may find yourself in a sticky situation...

My cat bit me once but it was because she was itchy and annoyed and my hand was in the wrong place. Sometimes animals do these things just out of instinct. I forgave her but it was so traumatic for me I think it was a whole month before I would pet her again.

Sal

a reply to: Hazardous1408

a reply to: anotheramethyst

Yes. I had a great friend in High School who had a pitbull that I loved...he was soooo cool. All muscle....I could beat on him playing...and his wagging tail? Would put a BRUISE on my leg! I dug him a lot...he was friendly...just awesome....and never an issue to be concerned about.

My friend also had a squirrel monkey who had the run of the house and would jump on the pit unexpectedly as he walked by. No issues...he'd carry the monkey around.

But? I remember the pitbull would jump up on command and BITE the wooden telephone pole...and also carried around a 2x4 long piece of wood or a baseball bat. Dog was awesome....

So it shows they can go either way...they just have that propencity in their genes to flip. I will always miss "Dancer", the pit.

1: Get him checked out by a vet

2: Get in contact with someone who knows what they are doing and can interact with him directly

3: Be VERY wary of taking advice on dogs from message boards or even in person. Its one of those topics that "everyone" feels they are an expert, but ignorance runs rampant. Its like taking directions from someone on how to rebuild an engine just because the person has owned cars.

Thanks everyone.

He's been back to normal ever since.



Always best to be safe than sorry though.


No more startling him that's for sure.