My dog has just bitten someone! Please advise

Hello all

I’m absolutely devastated! My 5 year old black Labrador has just bitten a man. We were coming out of a local DIY store which we have taken her in to before and as my partner was going out of the shop a guy was coming in. She barked but the guy carried on coming through the door and he kept going towards her and she lost it. She lurched forward and bit the bottom of his stomach. No blood drawn but teeth mark and bruising. He was, obviously, fuming and my partner immediately apologised.

She is a very nervous dog and isn’t a fan of men, we are still unsure why? We got her from my sister when she was 2 years old and they had no problems with her until 16 months old. She became very nervous after she’d been bitten several times by another dog at a local park. We took her on despite her nervousness and she has come on amazingly. She’s still nervous though but is no where near as bad as she used to be. She is a different dog. A very loving loyal dog. Quite protective over mum and Dad and out 8 month old Labrador puppy.

The guy has taken my number and has threatened phoning the police. Which I understand. But my absolute worry is that she will be put to sleep. I cannot deal with the thought of this. We lost our 14 year old Labrador Sadie last year to old health.

What do I do. What can we do. Can we change her behaviour? Is this the end.

 

Hi Tammy, I am sorry this has happened you must be devastated. Here is some information:-

https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/dogownership/bsl/dda

I would stop taking her to places she is nervous going to especially if she doesn't like men, she needs gradual introduction to places, men etc. Putting her in an anxious situation is obviously not good for her so she felt under threat as the man approached her and reacted by biting him. Could she be in pain, have dental issues or has she been unwell? That ruled out if you can get a Positive only Behaviourist to evalute her problem and give you advice as to how to deal with this behaviour, but it will take a lot of time. I'm not sure what will happen if the man calls the Police. My husband was bitten 18 months ago and both my dogs were attacked on 3 occasions by the same dog. I was advised to call the Police but I didn't want to, instead I contacted the Dog Warden who chatted to the owner and she took steps to address her dogs aggressive behaviour which was a positive outcome for them both. Maybe he will cool down and think better of it. Maybe someone else will be along to give you some more advise. I hope you are OK. xx

 

Oh my god this is most people’s worst nightmare isn’t it? The only thing I can suggest is contacting a behaviouralist ASAP and train her to wear a muzzle? At least then if the police get involved you can show you have already made steps to control the behaviours?

 

Hi Charlie
I’ve done nothing but cry since the incident. She is such a gem and I know things need putting in place. We are looking for a behaviourist but I’m sort of against the use of a muzzle as we feel this will make her worse. However if it stops her from being put to sleep, I’ll do anything. Thanks for the advice and link xx

 

Personally, I'd avoid walking her in areas with a lot of people, if you have to - then muzzle her.

Where I live, dogs are not put to sleep for biting someone (unless they inflict serious injuries), but the owner has to pay a fine and restrict the dog (muzzle, short lead).

 

Unfortunately if your in the U.K. this could come under the dangerous dogs act which can be very complicated. Have you got liability insurance with your pet insurance?

 

Tammy I can imagine you have been upset, we all would be. For now please don't take her to busy places until you have had advice from a trained professional. I tend to agree with you about the use of muzzles but that's just my opinion. @Leanne82 makes a good point about the insurance. Take care xx

 

Yes.

 

I agree completely with the muzzle opinion but let’s see what happens.
Thank you.

 

Good luck xx

 

Hi Tammy,

Well, I think there is some mitigation here. By barking your dog was quite clearly indicating that she wasn't happy, for whatever reason, and to blithely keep walking straight at her was, to my mind, plain stupid. This doesn't, of course, excuse the biting but I think this chap could have handled the situation much better than he did. If you do end up in court I think it would be helpful to have a sympathetic dog behaviourist appear on your behalf to explain this and to explain the steps that are now being taken to reduce the chances of this happening again.

I also think it unlikely that your dog would be put down. (I have no experience to suggest that this is the case - it's just my feeling based on reading the legislation and cases that have gone to court. Were it to happen again though ....)

 

A muzzle won't make her worse if it's properly introduced. I'm currently muzzle training all four of my dogs. I work on it a few minutes most days and they all love it. I would definitely not be taking a dog with a bite history anywhere near people without a muzzle, but more importantly would only be taking her to places where she might feel compelled to bite if it was absolutely necessary - it's awful for you, but it's also awful for her to feel that she has no other option but to bite.

Get muzzle training immediately in case you find yourself in a place where that's your only option, because introducing it too quickly could be a terrible experience for her. I believe all dogs should be muzzle trained, no matter their temperament.

And then you absolutely need to consult with a force-free behaviourist so you can start learning to read her body language better so she won't be in this situation in the future. There are plenty of counter-conditioning protocols you can use, but when the issue has got this serious it would be entirely inappropriate for anyone to try to coach you in them over the internet - you need hands-on help. Good luck, I'm sure you'll get through this.

 

Tammy , I cant add anything to the advice already given, but wanted to add my support , you must be so worried , so very sorry and much good luck xx

 

I agree it’s all of the advice above. I too wouldn’t take her out with lots of people around and agree that a positive behaviourist in this situation would be best. Fingers crossed the guy doesn’t take it any further, but I would still put things in place such as possibly a muzzle and support around her body language. Thinking of you x

 

Regardless of whether he does or doesn’t report me I will still take action. We have contacted a behaviourist and are going to pet shop tomorrow to get a few bits, muzzle, nervous dog lead etc.
I cannot put her through this again and we too cannot go through this again. Way too upsetting and stressful. X

 

This sounds just awful for you.
I totally agree with UncleBob.
Sounds like you are doing the right thing - hang on in there and fingers crossed he just goes away
xx

 

I agree. It's unreasonable to expect the public to work around aggressive dogs.

UncleBob said the guy was "plain stupid". Yes he probably was. But it's still the dog owner's responsibility to manage their dog in such a way that stupid people are safe too.

Why? Well think about it from the other side. If dog owners expect "non-dog owning joe public" to shoulder some level of responsibility for dog/dog owner's actions, what sort of opinion is "non-dog owning joe public" going to form about dog owners?

Great advice given so far about muzzle introduction/training and keeping her away from similar situations for now. Humans generally get to choose where they go but dogs don't. I can't begin to imagine how upset and distressed she must have been to actually bite someone

 

We are not in the UK so legislation would be different I realise. But, my son was bitten by a dog last spring. The owner had his dog off lead in an area where it was not allowed. My son and a group of childten from hus class (school outing) ran across a field and the dog started running after them. I dont think it was viscious more like "hey kids running, fun!!" and somehow he jumped up on my son (probably the slowest runner lol!) and bit his face.

My husband and I were not there but many parents were. The other mothers phoned the police and the dog owner fortunately stayed. My husband left work and got there while the police were there.

My son was okay fortunately. We had a follow-up from the police a couple of days later. The owner was forced to complete a course at a certified dog school, had a warning on record about his dog being off leash, and he was to pay any private therapy costs for my son if my son needed counselling due to a developed fear of dogs. Which he didn't, in fact he was rather proud of going into school and showing his wounds "I got ATTACKED and I SURVIVED!" in 8yo boy style.

I just can't see a govt putting a dog doen after one bite unless it was a severe "attack" that caused severe injuries. Although you might be required to attend dog classes or behaviour training.

 

I'm very sorry this has happened and I hope everything is ok in the end. I would also get in of the nervous dog caution vests for her. It gives a clear indication to keep away and are bright yellow and black. They are effective. Best wishes x

 

I have nothing to add to all the excellent advice, I just want to say that I'm really sorry that this happened, you must be very worried. I hope that common sense prevails - blood wasn't drawn, no stitches or antibiotics needed - but obviously this can't be allowed to happen again.