Dog attacks are not pretty and they are definitely no laughing matter. When dogs attack people it can lead to serious injury or even death. Fatal dog attacks are rare but they do occur and even a simple dog bite can be very painful and cause injury. It is estimated that 2% of the U.S. population are bitten by dogs each year. These dog attacks are often the result of the close proximity of dogs to people in every day life.
So, why do dogs attack people?
There are really only four main reasons why dogs attack humans:
1) Protecting their owners or property – Most dogs will instinctively protect their territory. This is usually done by simply barking, but some dogs will actually attack someone who invades their territory. Any dog, big or small, may attack to protect their territory. However this is most common with certain breeds that have been bred and used as guard dogs or attack dogs for many years.
2) They are not properly socialized – All dogs need to be socialized and learn how to act around humans. Dogs that have had very little or no human contact are much more likely to attack a person that gets close to them.
3) Trained to attack by bad owners – There are lots of crazy people out there who actually train their dogs to attack any and all people. This is different from a properly trained guard dog. These dogs have been raised to be mean and don’t differentiate from a friend or an intruder.
4) Protecting themselves – Dogs can and will protect themselves if they deem it necessary.
People who are uneducated about dogs often blame dog attacks on certain breeds of dogs but the truth is that most dog attacks are due primarily to the actions or inactions of the dogs’ owners. Or they are because the dog was protecting its home, family, or itself.
Dogs are not inherently mean or prone to attacking humans. Some dog breeds are better for protection and guard work but even those breeds aren’t going to attack humans for no reason. There is no such thing as a “mean” or “bad” breed of dog and no dog is born aggressive. Furthermore, no dog breed is more prone to attack people than any other breed.
Most of the time dog attacks are the result of human behaviors, especially by people who are unfamiliar with dogs (often children). Dogs usually don’t respond to these behaviors with aggression but sometimes they will, and certain dogs will do it more than other dogs of the same or different breed.
These human behaviors include:
* Challenging the dog for food – Removing food from a dog or getting between a dog and its food, even when it’s an accident, may trigger aggressive behavior in some dogs.
* Attacking a dog, its family or companions – Dogs will often instinctively defend themselves from an attack or perceived attack. They may also defend those they consider their pack, which can be their human family or dogs and other animals they live with.
They may also be triggered by behaviors that are perceived as an attack. Examples of this would be a sudden and unexpected approach or touch by a stranger, inadvertently stepping on the dog or part of its body, or startling a sleeping dog unexpectedly.
* Invading its territory – Many dogs will fiercely defend their territory, which usually includes their house or yard and other places belonging to their family or areas that the dog thinks of as being theirs. This is especially true for breeds that are typically used as guard dogs.
It should be noted that the territory a dog recognizes as its own may not be the actual property lines that its owner and the legal authorities recognize, such as the neighbor’s yard or a place that the dog visits often.
* Failure to recognize fear – Dogs that are afraid or fearful of something or someone may turn and defend themselves against perceived threat, just as humans do. People who don’t have much experience with dogs will usually not recognize the signs of fear so they approach and trigger an aggressive reaction.
* Getting between a dog fight – A human stepping in between two dogs that are in a fight may be badly bitten. It is not the intent of the dog to attack the person but in the heat of the moment it often happens.
* Showing threatening body language – Staring directly into a dog’s eyes or a person the dog doesn’t know getting very close to their face may be seen as a challenge or threat. Looking directly into a dog’s eyes is most dangerous when on the same visual level as the dog or when the human is a stranger to the dog.
* Prey behaviors – Dogs have many predatory instincts that are imbedded in them, including the chasing of prey. Running away from a dog or behaving in a way that shows weakness can cause a dog to chase you or get overly excited and attack.
* Intruders – A trained guard dog or attack dog will most likely attack or act aggressively towards an intruder without warning.
Remember that any dog can attack unexpectedly given a certain situation. There is no such thing as a certain breed of dog that will attack or not attack humans. Most dogs will never hurt anyone, but it can happen and knowing some reasons why dogs typically attack and warning signs of it can save you from being injured. Hopefully this post has answered your question as to why dogs attack people and will help prevent you or someone you know from being attacked by a dog out of ignorance or neglect.
One final thing I want to stress… Don’t believe all the crap you hear about Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds (or any other dog breed) being vicious or dangerous. It’s NOT true! There is no such thing as a vicious or dangerous breed of dog. It’s all a bunch of media hype and myths, and any dog expert can attest to that. Any dog, of any breed, at any time, in any place can attack a human for many reasons, and it has nothing to do with what type of breed they are. That is a fact.
I am a lawyer. I need an expert to testify about the reasons dogs attack – as appears in this site. Please call at (number removed) or email.
My daughter has a golden lab. He is almost 3 yrs old. He has bitten me and my daughter and her boyfriend in the stretch of 2 months. Two of the cases was because he was not fed at the same spot he usually gets fed. The other was her boy friend went to pet him while he was on my daughters bed and he growled and bit him in the hand. He loves to steal things and thinks they are his. No matter how many times we send him to his crate he keeps doing it. Now he will growl at you when he has some thing he knows is not his. What can we do?
Thank you,
Diana
@Diana:
One thing you and all members of your household need to be sure to do is establish dominance over the dog. That is done by being calm and assertive. Do not show fear even if that is hard to do after being bitten. Don’t approach the dog in a fearful or overly aggressive manner.
And make sure you DO NOT hit the dog or punish him for bad behavior because that won’t help at all and will probably even make it worse. Positive reinforcement for good behavior and calm assertiveness are all that will work.
Remember that 99% of the time any negative behavior displayed by a dog is a result of human error in understanding dogs or training him properly.
My fiance’s daughters Blue Heeler attacked one of his daughters friends a couple of days ago. I was not in the room so all I know is what I was told. They were sitting beside eachother on the sofa and the dog wanted to get up there too. She was told no and she attacked. She did some damage to the fore arm and even the woman’s throat. But thank God she is going to be fine physically. No doubt she will have other things besides bites and scars to deal with for a while. The dog is now quarentined for 10 days. She is an older dog and I have been concerned for about a month that she was going to bite me. She has snapped at me often but has never actually bitten me. I have told everyone in that house that its a matter of time before she actually does bite me. I don’t know what will be done with the dog. I don’t know if she can be trained. She doesn’t get enough exercise and from what I’ve read about the breed that is key. Besides the obvious problem I am now too afraid to be in the house alone with the dog. How can I get my confidence back? I love animals and I don’t want her to be put down. She is becoming more agressive and I am frankly very afraid for my safety. She is loved by the family and I totally understand that, but I’m afraid. I’m actually getting married on Saturday and don’t know how I will be able to conquer my fears.
Can anyone offer any advice? I need it badly.
@Marie:
In almost any situation where a dog attacks a person it is because it was provoked in some way or it has been trained to do so by its owner. That does not seem to be your case but it sounds as if the dog is getting old and possibly confused. Sometimes they get “testy” about even little things much like many elderly people do. They can also form behavioral problems as they get older.
Exercise is definitely important so they can have an outlet for stress and anxiety. If you were cooped up in the house all the time you would probably not be a very nice person to be around. It’s the same for dogs.
You should also try very hard not to be afraid of the dog. Yes, I know that is easier said than done, but they can sense fear and can instinctively go after someone or something that is afraid of them.
Also read the above post and comments carefully as there may be something already mentioned that can help your situation.
* Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person.
* Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner or handler most often is responsible for making a dog into something dangerous and attack prone.
* An irresponsible owner or dog handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous. Example: Leaving an infant alone with a dog.
* Any individual dog may be a good and loving even though its breed is considered to be potentially dangerous. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. You cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then say whether or not it is going to attack.
Hello, thanks for the info.
I have a question: My brother always teases my Dogo Argentino (he is 2 years old now) he has been teasing him for a year and a half, he gets a kick out of seeing the dog and hearing the dog growl without biting, and when I’m ready to leave and the dog is in the car my brother provokes him to attack but shuts the back door and opens the front door while my dog is trying to get him, then I leave. My brother is the only one who ever teases him, I know he loves dogs but out of our own ignorance he attacked him and tore a big hole in his arm, I got the dog off right away but it was to late to avoid any damage. Now looking back we should have known that it was wrong. I learned that you should never tease a dog especially when it’s warning you. IS THAT RIGHT?? And please help me to understand where we went wrong? Thank you so much.
-Thomas
@Thomas:
You don’t need me to tell you where you went wrong. You already said it in your comment… Teasing a dog to make him growl and come close to attacking because you think it’s fun is just asking for him to actually attack you at some point. Your brother could have been seriously injured and it’s his own fault.
You should NEVER tease any dog for any reason!
First of all, it’s just plain mean to tease them and secondly it’s a good way to become the victim of a dog attack even if you didn’t think the dog would ever actually do it.
A little common sense can go along way in preventing dog attacks!
Hey I have a German Shepherd, he turned a year old today. He is a good dog but last night he attacked my little brother who is 11 years old. He has never even growled at anyone in our family. Now he is growling at my little brother whenever he sees him. He has never been teased or beaten, we take care of our dog. What can you tell me about this?
Thanks Jacob
I have a 7 month old boxer pup who is the greatest dog with my 5 yr old daughter, but my step son has been teasing him for a couple of months now for reasons i think are of jealously, but my dog “Buckeye” will go after him every chance he gets even if they jump on the trampoline he goes after him from under it, i keep telling him to quit but he wont listen.
i am a owner of a dog who has bitten someone recently, he is in jail at the pound! the bite victim has requested he be destroyed after receiving 9 stitches. he is a social dog, any one could take his food that knew him, he didn’t like any one coming in the yard that he didn’t know, yet if u say his territory exceeds property limits maybe this could be the result, i live out of town, a walking track is frequently used every day some times by me and the dog to walk to town he has meet these people along the way a few times yet on a day where he got out of his yard, he bit 1 of 2 women walking not far from the yard 25 metres/ 75 feet, he is a kelpy healer cross, he is to be put to death in a week if i choose to surrender him by signing him over for euthanasia, could you shed some light on why he would of attacked this woman when he showed no signs of aggression, no warning, i need answers for chucky my dog!
I have a 8 month old Golden Retriever puppy. I have been having problems with her biting at my other dog over food. I have been feeding her in a separate room while she gets used to him eating in front of her. They both can see each other. I have a gate between them. Today when she was on my bed she started to throw up and I grabbed her collar to pull her down from the bed. She threw up on the floor and then went to eat the throw up and I pulled her away. She was really aggressive and growled very loud and tried to bit me. All teeth showing. She was not just playing a game. I was not afraid of her before but now I am. She never tried to bit me before. After she ate, I could take the bowl away and she wouldn’t think anything of that. I really love her but I don’t know what to do.
We live next door to a lovely woman who has 4 german shepherd dogs, one male three females, two are interbreeds… one female bit a little girl down the road last year and the owner went to her house and said sorry, but tonight when the woman’s door was opened, a bitch came out and sunk her teeth into my 4 year olds head and nose, we rang our local nhs up who said she has had her pre-school tetenas, so would be ok, but i don’t want this to happen again as this woman has her 1 month old granddaughter around a lot, also what should i do about the health of my 4 year old daughter, we have a german shepherd ourselves and she is so different compared to the dogs next door?
The more interesting question is what people can do to defend themselves against dog attacks, when their owners fail to control them. This is a big problem, actually. Also, I would be interested in reading the scientific background for certain breeds of dogs not being genetically prone to being more aggressive than other breeds.
I have a 2 year old dog who is half shit tzu and half poodle. On February 16th 2010 he got bit by another dog in which resulted in him needing surgery and staying overnight at the vet. After this incident, he has never been the same. He would steal stuff that isn’t his and would go underneath the sofa making sure no one takes it, If anyone tries to take it away, he will bark and growl and also try to bite us, in some cases he almost bit my hand. Now he is getting to be out of control, I would pet him and all of a sudden he would try to attack me. I fear that I will have to put him down due to his behaviour. I am out of solutions and love him dearly. Does anyone have any idea what to do?
I read about the woman in France who had her face bitten of when she passed out. This really shocked me. I couldn’t believe that a pet dog would do that. Why would a dog do something like that?
Close to 3 years ago, we bought a Soft Coated Wheaten terrier from a breeder in Missouri. We picked up the dog at 8 weeks. We also have a 9 year old yorkie. We live in New Mexico. For the first year, the Wheaten puppie and the yorkie got along fine, played with each other, etc. After about a year and a half, the Wheaten started going after the Yorkie and I intervened and the Wheaten bit through my nail. Not pleasant and very painful. The dog also started getting aggressive with my teenaged daughter. The Wheaten was on its back relaxing while my daughter was petting it. Then the Wheaten fell asleep and my daughter continued to pet it. All of a sudden the Wheaten started growling in her sleep and before you know it, she leaped at my daughter. I grabbed her and she bit the hell out of my hand sending me to the hospital. Most of the time, the Wheaten is calm and affectionate towards us, but she’ll get these triggers and when she stares at you a certain way, it’s usually followed by an attack. She is a small Wheaten, around 25 pounds, but she’s 25 pounds of muscle and teeth. Also, for the first year, she loved people, then she became petrified of all people. We were told she might have had a bad boarding experience and that is why she is petrified of people, but she is still attacking us, her own pack. We were separating our Yorkie from her out of safety, but the Yorkie got out of the media room a year ago, and the Wheaten grabbed the Yorkie in her mouth and started to shake her violently. It took me, my wife and daughter to pry her mouth off of the Yorkie. It was a miracle that the little Yorkie survived with only soft tissue damage and some puncture wounds where she needed some anti-biotics. All things considered, she seemed to be doing better lately until my wife asked me to let her out to pee this evening. We have her on a long lead and tied to a ponderosa pine support beam because it’s safer that way. I approached her nicely and with a calm voice I said, “Let’s go outside Marley.” She didn’t move. I yelled to my wife, “she’s not moving.” My wife came in and I said to her, “is she alright?” Just as I said that, my wife, who knows the signals of aggression in Marley told me to step back. I did so, but Marley attacked me, ripped my sweater and chewed a little bit out of my hand. Just a scratch really, but all I was trying to do was take her out to pee, not threaten her. We don’t know why she behaves this way. She’s not provoked, not threatened?? I JUST DON’T KNOW. I had to put a Yorkie down years ago and the injection did not go well and I swore then that I would never have any of my dogs put down again. I NEED HELP! Please.
Hello,
I have a serious issue with my dog. I have a cockapoo mix named Molly.She is three- legged .She is very aggresive towards men.She has attacked my dad many times over the years, with deep bittings on the nose, leg, and hand.Also the arm pretty much anywhere she can. She literal tries to take chuncks out of him. We have had her for around 6 years and have had many numerous other dogs and have had no problems.She growls at everyone in the family including myself.I can be sitting two feet away from her and she will mysteriously start growling at me.I did not even touch her at all. She will be fine one moment and then attack the next.I do not know what exactly to do to stop her behavior. I have put her out side my room to keep her from trying to protect it.It helped for a little while, is not helping currently.We do not provoke her.This currently is her only problem she can be very affectionate, and does not potty in the house.I really would like this behavior to stop and will try about anything.I NEED HELP!!!!
PLEASE HELP MY DOG!!
A lot of you people need to go back to basics as Cesar says Rules, boundaries, and limitations and by reading these letters these dogs have none. I have had dogs all my life and was quite forceful in training them early on until I realized that it was not the way to go, neither was gushing affection. You need to keep your dog on a leash at ALL times so you can use it to control the animal. You need to make sure it recognizes you as the pack leader,like the one woman said my dog was attacking her pack…exactly she was correcting you when she should be part of YOUR pack! These dogs require a lot of supervision with calm and assertive behavior. My latest pup I use very little verbal communication, my body language and positive assertive energy lets him know what I want of him. You need to make the dog understand this. Also get a kennel and make this the place for the dog not out of punishment but a place of calmness and structure. Walk your dog…BY YOUR SIDE not in front of you even you small dog owners and if you have 2 dogs that don’t get along you must walk them together, this is the strongest bonding activity for 2 dogs that don’t get along. Don’t allow play fighting even if you think it is cute….I taught my puppy who was annoying my old dog by stepping on his leash and standing over him until he relaxed and layed down on his own and then walked away now they just meander around together calmly had I not intervened every time it would turn in to a letter like the ones I have read. So leash and walk your dogs and don’t allow any behavior you don’t want in a calm assertive nature and it will work out over time!
We have a german shepherd that is 5 months old and he is showing signs of agression. Everytime he see’s someone he doesn’t know he gets ready to attack. I’ve also noticed that when someone pulls up in the driveway that he doesn’t know the hair on his back sticks up. We took him to an obidience class at pet smart and the trainer was giving him a treat by hand and he snapped at her and he got kicked out of training. What should we do?
Ok, I was viciously mauled by an Akita about a week ago. I am very curious to know why. I was raised around pitbulls, german shepards and boxers my whole life, and have worked in a vets office. I have been thru training and how to handle dogs. But on a monday I went to drop my kids off at my moms house, there was a stray dog in her yard. The dog was antagonizing the neighbor dogs and had apparently already went after another neighbor, no one bother to tell me this. I got out of my car, I said hello to the dog, held my hand out for the dog to sniff and with no advance notice like a growl or bark, he attacked. I knew what was gonna happen so I took off running to get him away from my car(which still had my 3 small children in) he bit my bottom, He then bit my calve, followed by my thigh. I got his mouth off my thigh, he then latched on to my forearm and would not let go. He was removed from me, and took off running. The police later found him at home, his owners were gone, the back door open. The police later stated he had attacked someone else in previous days. “beast” was his name, he was euthanized that day, as sorry as I am for their loss of the pet, I fell he was a threat to many others and all I really wanna know is why he attacked? I dont know his owners but my theory is it was how he was raised because of his instant attacked in an unprovoaked situation…
@Nikki – It’s impossible to say why he attacked without knowing more about the situation and how the dog was raised. From the sounds of it, he may have been raised by bad owners that either trained him to do that or neglected him in such ways that he simply grew up to be mean.
One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is that he wasn’t born mean and this situation has nothing at all to do with the type of dog he is (Akita). Whatever the problem is can be traced back to humans in one way or another.
I hope you can help us with our mixed-breed dog. We adopted our male shepherd/golden retriever mix (we think, anyway–he looks like a blond German shepherd with a bit of a mane) a few years ago, and he has been a wonderful addition to our family with one exception–he has developed an aggressive attitude with others, especially males. Normally it isn’t an issue unless he manages to get out of the house. When he gets out unrestrained (which he tries to do if the kids are outside because he wants to be with them)he roams the neighborhood and has been known to chase and snap at people, especially if they try to get away from him regardless of whether he was chasing them.
He had to be quarantined once because he bit a neighbor’s fifteen-year-old and we sent our dog to live with our in-laws, but today he escaped when he lunged for their mailman. He ran around their neighborhood and tried to enter a UPS truck, and he scared my mother-in-law by his unpredictable behavior to the point that she doesn’t feel they can keep him. She wants to send him to the animal shelter, but is there any way we can train him not to chase and bite? Is there any hope for him? How would we correct a behavior that happens only rarely?
my girlfriend just got a rescue dog a golden mix he has been around for about two weeks at first he was a very sweet dog until he met my dog how is a big german shepard but very sweet and friendly. the golden mix attacked my dog right away, didnt think much of it we were warned by the pound that he may be aggressive to other dogs but anyway no prob we just wont let them be in the same room. about a week after the dog fight i was over at her house just me her and the dog i took him out for a walk everything was fine then me and my girl left and came back and we were in her room and the little golden mix went nuts on me bit me a few times i left the room and shut the door and then came back in loud and tried to be the boss. then i was trying to be nice put my fist up so he could smell my hand then he tried to bit again. what can we do to change this how would we stop this dog. thank you casey
I rescued a mix when he was a puppy and he’s 3 now. He’s always been slightly aggressive, certain things set him off like putting a collar on or off him or taking things out of his mouth. When he gets aggressive he actually will attack whoever is there, I’ve been bitten a couple times by him. Its normally without warning, he’ll just lunge at you and start attacking.
He bit my mom really bad the other day and my family wants to put him down within the next couple of weeks. I LOVE this dog and I understand where my parents are coming from, but before any action is taken I want to know if there’s ANYTHING AT ALL that I can do.
@Amy — DO NOT PUT YOUR DOG DOWN!!!! There is rarely any type of behavior issue that can’t be corrected, no matter what kind of dog it is or how old it is. And it sounds like yours is actually relatively minor if it only happens every once in a while and only when doing certain things.
Putting a dog to death should be the LAST resort and it happens a heck of a lot more often than it needs to. Dog problems can almost always be fairly easily taken care of if the proper training is given. No need to kill a dog you love over a simple behavior problem that can be corrected with some time and effort.
It’s hard to tell you exactly what to do when I can’t see the problem myself or take a hands-on approach. So what you should do is find a good dog behavior specialist in your area and hire them RIGHT NOW.
Something you could do yourself is put the collar on and off many times per day. Do it over and over again. The same with taking things out of his mouth. Just keep doing it. And have other people do it too (people he knows and trusts). Reward for good behavior but DO NOT punish for bad behavior.
If he does attack just hold him down in a non-threatening or mean way until he calms down. And then do it all over again. Don’t give up when he does try to attack. You need to persist through the issue.
Trust me, this can be corrected! I know that for a fact. It might not be quick or easy but you can do it. Just be consistent and work with him every day. And hire an expert right away. Don’t let your family talk you into putting him down when it is not necessary.
I have a mutt (Poppy) I rescued at 2 months old and she is now 4 years old. During the last year she has attacked 4 people. One who was jogging by when she was in the yard alone and she broke of her chain and bit his leg. another incident that happened twice with different people were walking by her area and she got here snout throught the fence and bite them on the ankle. The latest person she bite was the pool man who is the only one she has seen before and barked at this time she was on amother chain that she broke throught and got to him and by the time we got to Poppy she had one of his shoe laces in her mouth.
Poppy is a usually nice dog with lots of energy and is very nice to most people but during these incidents she becomes very aggressive which is scary because she is a strong dog.
Please Help.
~Anya~
The neighbors dog has become a big problem. A few months back it bit me when I was walking to the mailbox. It came running up and barking, then went to the rear and bit my leg. Now when it’s out whenever it sees me it snarls and comes running full tilt after me. Usually I just get back inside. Whenever I am outside it snarls and jumps at the fence trying to get at me. The owners don’t seem to have very much control over it. What can I do to try and keep this dog from coming after me?
The best way would be to convince your neighbor to let the dog get to know you. Have a formal meeting with it while the owners are present. Give it treats. Take it on a walk. And so on. Just have some bonding time so it knows you are not a threat. Also, don’t run or be afraid when you do see the dog.
hello ;
plz i need ur help , i have a 60 days old GSD puppy , and his only way of playing or even dealing with me is by biting , the only action he does with me is trying to bite my hands and my legs only , not any other parts , and when i try to carry him away to make him stop bitng or trying to hold him so he can’t reach my hands , he starts screaming and gets very angry and tries to escape from that position so he can bite my hands again , when i finally lose my hope and leave my hands for him so he can bite it , he bites it slowly and dithout agression , what only hurts me when he sees my legs moving and tries to bite it , that really hurts me , what i am afraid of is when he gets older , those bites , iwon’t be able to tolerate them , help me plz , how to make him stop biting befire he gets older and it turns to be a real nightmare for me ??
I have a 2 year old farm dog, he is very friendly most of the time but he seems to attack random people that visit my house. The first time he nipped a small child on the nose. I understand why he did this because the child was wrapping her hands around his neck very tightly. The next time he attacked another child. The child was down to his level but I don’t believe was posing any threats, she was nipped deeply on the nose. A few days ago he attacked a girl on the mouth, she had a cut on the lip, scratch marks on her cheak and a few scratches on her neck. All these people had been down to his level and were quite young. My children roll around on the floor and he is fine with this. Please help?
I have a 10 yr old australian shepherd. He was always great around people and kids up until the age of 2. My stepson would constantly bang on his crate or play rough with him,and we noticed a change after that. We can no longer have him out in public or around people at the house-as he will bite.
He doesnt see too well due to having Colombomas of the eyes-since he was born. Being 10 I noticed a greying of one of his eyes-like cataract-which doesnt help his already poor vision.
He is very intelligent,and has always been very attached to me.He loves to cuddle with me and be by my side.
A few years ago-while cutting his nails-he gave a growl-I continued to cut his nails and he bit me-enough for stitches. He has bitten /attacked me about 6-7 times-the one being most recent-while I was brushing his under belly.I must have snagged on a knot or something which caused him to go into an attack. I got bit on my forearm,legs and upper arm.
The majority of the time,he is fine-but you never see his attack coming.He is very protective of his red ball outside(obsessed)-he will caress it..ride it etc..I suffer from anxiety disorder and am wondering if he is as well. Do you think medication will help this attacking? These are very painful bites-leaving me with scaring.
One of my friends who is a dog behaviorist-says putting down would be a good idea-but I wont have any part of it. I want to try and help him-if possible..
Hi I have a mixed breed dog his name is Bruce and he is a German shepherd/Rottweiler. He’s super sweet towards me and my family but ever since hurricane Wilma hit us down here in Florida, he won’t let any of my friends near me or him. If they are around anyone else in my family he’s fine. I’ve always wanted to invite my two best friends to my pool but can’t because he lives outside. He also will snap growl or snarl at anyone near me. I’m scared for them and him because although we have a big backyard I would love to take him for a walk or even to the dog park but can’t. My parents say he’s too old to be taught but I believe you can teach an old dog new tricks with perseverance and patience. They also say I should put him in his cage when my friends come over but I refuse that is after all his territory. Please I need your HELP!!!!
Sincerely,
Meghan
So I recently moved in to my brothers apartment and he lives with his girlfriend. this morning my dog was laying against the main door and his girlfriend was leaving the apartment. she didnt try to tell my dog to move out of the way, she just opened the door with him lying there. when she opened the door and forced him out the way, he jumped up and bited her leg and had her against the wall and was standing up against her attacking her. he didnt bite her face, just the leg but was trying to get her. I was wondering if it was her fault or my dog was out of line? I understand it was out of line for him to attack her but the way she forced him to move was that out of line? I want to know so i can tell her that she needs to handle that situation out better. like talk to him and politely open the door so he gets what shes saying.
@Adrian
It’s hard to say who is “at fault” but from reading your post it sounds to me like the dog may have been startled when she unexpectedly opened the door and it caused your dog to react. Especially since he is in a new home with new people, he is probably a bit more on edge.
I was bit by a boxer a week ago. This is a dog that I’ve been around 100 times. My 10 yr old daughter is at this house almost every day and spends the night there almost every wkend…the dog even sleeps with her. I walked inside the house with the owner and literally within 5 seconds the dog attacked me. It was a vicious attack, biting my calf. My 12 yr old son was right behind me…he witnessed me getting attacked and had a hard time with the amount of blood pouring out of my leg. No warning. No provocation. Nothing.
He has also attacked another lady in the neighborhood. The same kind of attack. Identical actually. No reason. Same bite and was on the calf as well. She didn’t not file a police report and I haven’t either. YET. This dog has tried to bite other people as well. And he apparently ‘showed signs’ that he was going to bite me a month ago. The owner said she could tell by the way he was acting around me that he was going to bite my arm. Of course now I’m really thinking about that now that I was attacked.
Now they want me to come back down and they will put a muzzle on the dog and ‘use me as bait’ to see if he tries to attack me again and then they can correct him as it happens. No way in hell! I have since had 2 panic attacks around other dogs. Thanks for that! They think the dog will grow out of it. I’m worried he will bite one of their children ages 3,6, and 10, or another kid that goes over. My daughter is no longer allowed over. I’m furious over this situation. The night I was attacked they kept saying they needed to have him put down. That’s why I did not file a police report. Now they are not.
Any thoughts???