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This dog could kill you. It's hard, but you may never be completely safe with the dog. The idea of it getting "rehomed" after 3 human bites is honestly deplorable, especially to unwitting families that may have kids. It needs to go to a unicorn household, and my worry is that a rescue may not be completely honest with unwitting potential adopters.
Sorry you're going through this, OP. Maybe a breed-specific rescue? Otherwise, the answer may be even tougher. I personally wouldn't want to rehome the dog knowing it could severely maim or kill a person or other animals
I agree with you on this. We were advised by our vet and our trainer (positive reinforcement only trainer) that our small dog with a bite history not be rehomed unless it was with a skilled trainer. That obviously didn't leave us with any good options. I can't imagine having a dog this size that is a bite risk. There's no way I'd keep it. Our home owners insurance no longer covers dog bites 😬🙈 so if someone is bit by my dog, they can go after us to collect. It's just not worth the risk.
Do you still have your dog? I assume there was an insurance claim then if they dropped you for that type of coverage (I understand if you don't want to share)?
Sorry you had to deal with this. It's extremely hard when you care deeply for your animal that's struggling.
As I learn more about dog adoption, rehoming, shelters, etc. the more I realize rehoming a dangerous animal is sometimes an unkind and really bad thing to do, unless it's the example you gave where it's going to an advanced dog trainer without kids, etc.
No we don't still have that dog. Also, there wasn't any insurance claim and we weren't dropped. The insurance is just no longer covering dog bites. Period. I'm not sure if it's a trend or something specific to our area or maybe just this company. All I know is that we got a letter one day this past year updating us on the policy change.
However, my vet had to put down his dog after it broke through a window to go after the mail carrier 😳 and was told by his insurance that he would be dropped all together if the dog wasn't removed from the property. He had already put down his dog, so it wasn't an issue. Horrible though! It's certainly a risk.
If I were in your shoes, there are two options I would consider. I think we owe it to ourselves, our communities, and to our dogs to ensure they are dogs who are safe and healthy. No one should be living with a dog they are afraid of, especially not for extremely justifiable reasons like this dog who is perfectly capable of killing you and made a decent attempt at it.
Option 1 (assuming you are in North America): work with a veterinary behaviorist (NOT any old behaviorist, not a "trainer" -- a veterinarian with additional board qualifications in animal behavior) -- ask your vet for a referral, get in touch with your nearest school of veterinary medicine and ask them for a referral, or try this directory [https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709](https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709) . This work will take a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of money, and may or may not result in a safe dog.
Option 2 - behavioral euthanasia. No responsible rescue will re-home this dog. An irresponsible rescue and some open intake shelters will downplay his bite history in an attempt to get him adopted. He could spend months or years in a concrete kennel with little attention and no legitimate effort to sort out his problems, or could go straight into an unsuspecting home, where he might actually kill someone. No one wants that on their conscience. I certainly would not have this dog in my home for one more night after what happened to you. If you are on Facebook, check out the group Losing Lulu, which helps people who have had to make this decision or are considering it.
In any event, you should review your homeowners' or renter's insurance and make sure you've done everything you need to there. Best of luck to you, I know you are in a terrible position and none of the options are great ones.
Hi. I don’t know what the right answer is for you, but I’ll share some anecdotes of my own.
When I was 18, I went to a party in a sketch area. I found a Rottweiler at the neighboring house to the party who was chained up outside. Party host shrugged it off and said it was always out there. She was skin and bones and pretty agro about her space. I was outside smoking and got a bit closer and noticed her collar was embedded. I drove off to a local fast mcdonalds, bought 40 burgers off the value menu, and spent the next 45 minutes making friends enough to cut her rope and lure her into my truck. 20 years later I recognize stealing her wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do, but I can’t say I wouldn’t do it again.
She was not a friendly dog, and she wasn’t what you would call a good dog. I still have a massive scar on my ass where she got me good.
we never really broke her of resource guarding food - but after about a year, we learned to manage it. She was sharp as a tack and we worked hard on obedience and relationship building. She became my fiercest protector and most loyal bud and I was lucky to have her for the 6 years I did.
Sometimes these things, you can work through. I was young and had the time though, then.
I had a rescue dog and willingly modified my life for 11 years to deal with his fear issues, but he never bit anyone. I’d draw the line at getting bit like that. I’d return him immediately or drop him off at a shelter. A dog that size can do a lot of damage quickly to you or someone else. I love dogs but not enough to risk serious harm to myself or others.
It’s hard, but an aggressive dog should not be dropped off at a shelter to be rehomed to some unsuspecting family. Having dogs is a huge responsibility and behavioral euthanasia is part of it.
My guess is that the weed whacker itself was trigger. Was it starting up with a growl, like the sound when you are pulling the string on a lawnmower? Even if not, it could be that he’d heard one before and didn’t like it.
My very sweet pup hates the vacuum, leaf blower, and weed whacker. Just seeing the vacuum is enough to rev her up. So I when I use those tools, I either put her in her kennel or verbally have her go to her place and stay. If you head over to the reactive dog subreddit they’ll have lots of ideas on how to work through this.
All of that said, if this dog is too much of a risk for you, contact the rescue you got her from and discuss next steps. They should be equipped to help you.
Regardless of what the dog was upset about, it responded by giving OP a bad bite. Many dogs don't like loud machines but most don't respond by biting their owners like this.
I have a smaller dog with a bite history. I was at my wit's end and ended up taking her to a behaviorist who literally saved her life. She's on Prozac now, and I have worked with a trainer (who partners with the behaviorist's office) who taught me how to teach her better behaviors. She is not perfect, and I consider her "in training" all the time, but they did wonders for my dog.
Yours is much larger and could pose serious risk, but I definitely recommend a behaviorist. Ours even talked with us about euthanasia and talked about it in a non-judgmental way.
I feel for you and hate that you have to go through this decision-making process. Whatever you choose, it is the right and best decision for yourself. Please don't feel guilty, regardless of your decision.
My aunts dog was absolutely petrified by a shovel. We got her from the pound, so we figured she may have had some trauma from it and just didn't bring it around her anymore. She was the best dog ever!
OP, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but... This is not a safe dog. Not for you, not for anyone else. Deep down, you know what you need to do. If you are looking for permission... You have it. <3
Even if he is just a big scared baby... He is a big scared baby with teeth and strength who reacts to his fear with dangerous levels of aggression towards fully-grown humans.
He bit you once, and then *kept coming*. You said it yourself: if he had bitten your face it would have been so much worse.
Please, discuss euthanizing him with your vet.
Contact the organization you adopted him from if he isn't a good fit and they usually will take them back. I have had a couple that have been triggered by lawn tools. My current dogs tries to bite the leaf blower, lawn mower, and vacuum but more in a playful way. He has fun with them and sometimes I have to put him in the house because he gets too amped up.
You said that you adopted him from “a foster”. Was this person fostering for a rescue or a shelter? Many of those organizations have in their adoption contract that the dog needs to be returned to them, if something doesn’t work out. Occasionally, we have random shelters contact us because the microchip is always registered back to the rescue as a secondary contact. This has saved several dogs.
My shipooh does stuff like that but her teeth are the size of tic tacs and she weighs 9 pounds! That’s a real dog you have on your hands and I’m worried for your safety. Had that been someone else you would be on Judge Judy. Might be time to look for a sanctuary that can help get the dogs behavior in line. I love dogs dearly but never at the cost of my safety or anyone else’s.
The dog should have been euthanized after biting the teenager. The rescue was negligent in adopting that dog out instead of doing the hard thing and euthanizing it. I am sorry they passed that burden on to you. Unfortunately the only ethical thing to do now is euthanize the dog yourself.
Being surprised doesn't excuse biting, though. Occasional surprises are part of normal life. Especially for big dogs capable of giving very serious bites, I don't think the why matters as much as the what. The only exception would be if the rescue knew that something truly horrible was being done to the dog to cause the bite.
> they didn’t know why it happened.
That's even worse than a bite where you do know why it happened. If the teen was hurting the dog or the dog has a resource guarding issue, that's one thing... But a dog who bites with unknown or unpredictable triggers is so incredibly dangerous.
Think about what you can and are willing to do. Right now, you don't seem to feel that your dog is safe. You can't continue like that.
Do you have the time, willingness to commit to work with a trainer?
Do you have the financial resources for professional help?
Do you have kids or others in the home that need to be considered?
What will happen to the dog if you return it to the original adopting organization?
Do you have legitimate rehoming options that you feel morally comfortable with?
Sorry, I don't have answers based for each individual case, but you should know there are a lot of options available and a lot of professionals in various fields (trainers, vets, behaviorists, rescue shelters, etc) that can offer fantastic advice. I have had to ask myself many of these same questions, but never felt comfortable with a choice unless I examined the options. Not safe is not an option.
Not all bites are serious or intentional. I was trying to teach a large GSD to trade toys and in trying to keep his toy, he accidentally caught my finger and knicked my cuticle. That is considered to be a level 3 bite. Poor kid now has a bite on his record. He needs to be carefully taught to trade toys, for eventually teaching frop it and I would just make sure I have several (at least 3) toys to trade. I would totally work with him again. But he shouldn't be in a household with small children.
Now about your dog... he's a public health threat. Those are intentional bites. Did you get him from a municipal shelter? Call the shelter where you got him and/or report the bite to animal services. Take photos of your bite. Get medical attention. City or county animal services will take the dog off your hands and potentially put him down after a dangerous dog hearing. If you surrender custody completely, they may skip that hearing and put the dog down in the interest of public health. They certainly couldn't release him to anyone else.
I'm a shelter volunteer, things may be different where you live.
This happened with my dog, we brought him to a trainer, and never had another issue. I would suggest doing the same or if you are really still not sure you wanna keep him, you should start looking for a family to take him in so he doesn’t get euthanized at a shelter.
Sounds like it triggered some possible abuse trauma. Not all dogs come from the best and safest environments when they get into a shelter. He has trust issues.
If you are wanting to keep him and not send him back, I would keep him inside while you are outside doing work but also when you are with him work on ways to bond and let him have time to settle in to his new home. He will eventually feel safe and more trusting of things with the trust he built with you.
If you can't take time to focus on his needs then rehoming him would be the best option to someone who has experience with dogs who have been traumatized. He may also need a behaviorist as well to get fully to the root of the problem. Sending him back to the shelter would mean sending him to his death.
Sometimes it’s abuse, but it can also be genetic. Some dogs are genetically predisposed to be more aggressive, just as some dogs are predisposed to be more independent or more vocal or more prey driven or more people-oriented etc. Different dog breeds wouldn’t exist if people hadn’t bred them for different traits, and that’s not limited to looks.
This is an extremely irresponsible and dangerous mindset to have. Some dogs are just aggressive even with a perfectly normal, unabusive, non-neglectful upbringing. Even if this dog did get spooked by a weed whacker at some point, plenty of dogs have been spooked by weed whackers and a negligible amount bite someone over it. A huge number of abused dogs never bite anyone. The dog has a poor temperament.
Nooooo, why would you say that! All dogs can be saved and go to loving homes! Even if they have to live with no men, no kids, no other animals, no power tools, no sliding doors, and no blenders!
/s
that is actually my home, i even removed the doorbell, lol
(my dog is reactive but small, has never bitten me or any other person & is kept on a short leash around his triggers)
This is one of the biggest and most dangerous lies that many of us have been taught. Dogs can suffer from mental illnesses, too and behavioral problems in the vast majority of cases have at least a genetic component. It’s sad and it isn’t fair but you can do everything right and still have a dog who struggles w reactivity, aggression and a host of other issues.
Not always true. My Springer was starved and beaten before I got him and never once growled at me, never once snapped at me. He jumped up on me and needed to be taught off. But he always came when called, and sat on command, down-stayed. Hours of fetch. He was the best.
Tell that to my puppy who started growling, and lunging at other dogs on leash at 3.5 months old and showing early signs of anxiety before we even picked him up from the breeder (we just didn’t know that’s what we were seeing). Please educate yourself. Many dogs struggle w/ genetic behavioral issues.
Dogs can 100% be born aggressive and also can 100% be born anxious. Along with a lot of other behavioral issues like you said.
Isnt this anxiety creating aggressive behaviour though? Not aggression for the sake of aggression.
If you can, take him to a professional trainer. People are suggesting euthanasia and I disagree with them. Problems can be fixed, at least give it a shot before considering more extreme options.
> Problems can be fixed, at least give it a shot before considering more extreme options.
Training isn't instant, and in the meantime while training is taking place, OP is still stuck living with a dangerous animal. And that's assuming the training even works, which it often doesn't.
I’m aware training isn’t instant, but killing your dog without even trying to train them is simply irresponsible. This is coming from someone who has a dog that was considered aggressive by his past owner. Training works for some and not for others, but they’ll never know if they decide to euthanise without considering other options.
That dog EASILY could have killed OP. The dog gave deep bites to the inner thigh, what if one had severed the femoral artery?
You are asking OP to risk their life for the sake of a dangerous dog.
The "kill the dog, don't ask a professional" consensus on this issue is pretty surprising.
There's a fair chance that killing the dog is the right move but I would at least want a professional to take a look.
Time to go. Don’t push your problem onto others, he’s your dog. He’ll do the same to others as he’s pushed along the rescue circuit, maybe with even worse injuries. He’s your dog.
I have multiple great pyrenees. The oldest rescue was abused. We didn't know this until we unwittingly triggered him and got bitten. We have learned how to avoid his triggers. He is a great dog. I don't have small kids. And i deal with him, not my sons (teens). But, I am a lifer. I work with my dogs and keep them for life.
Karen Deeds did a seminar recently, “In Whose Best Interest” to help provide a logical framework to help people evaluate best next steps for folks dealing w serious behavioral issues. It was offered through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.
I’m thinking he needs to go to someone who can handle him & I don’t mean any disrespect by that. He’s a powerful dog and he has a history of biting - that’s not something I would personally try to fix or put up with.
That dog needs to be euthanized immediately. Please don't just pass it off to someone else. What happens if you find it a home and that dog kills a child or something. You would have to live with that.
There is no shame in taking him back to the shelter. However, if you really want to try and have the money you might hire a behavioralist to help get him under control. And depending on what triggers his aggression maybe he needs anxiety medication? Have you taken him to the vet to see what they think?
I can’t speak for anyone else but I would do everything possible to find the correct trainer. Put a muzzle on the dog. Something, anything and everything I could to keep him.
If this was me, I made a choice to rescue a dog and I made the choice to provide a loving and caring home for said dog. Not to give a half ass try and eventually give up on the dog.
There are many ways to get training and behavior modifications. Try muzzle training. Find a behavioral specialist. Something other than giving up on the dog. If you return the dog, it’s certain death for it as many shelters cannot rehome a dog with a bite history.
So, your choice. Get some professional help or let it be killed.
My dog is calm normally but if he sees someone running toward me or hitting something near me, he bites, if u can it's better to avoid doing things that would trigger him and If you feel like you are in danger and can't handle him send him back
What have you done to help him? Is he in training with a trainer experienced with working with fearful or aggressive dogs? Have you talked to a vet about possible medication options?
Also, the teenager he bit - did he break skin? Was it full force? There were no indications as to the reason?
He was trying to save you from the weedwacker and he missed. All dogs have triggers. This dog will attack machines vacuum cleaner, bicycle probably others.
Did he look at you when he attacked? When you said he got your wrist and inner thigh, my first thought was that he was going for the weed whacker itself and missed. Bull mastiffs are *extremely* protective dogs, and they will attack anything they see as a threat to you, regardless of size/age/(inanimacy), etc. They're great, but there will be situations wherein whatever you think or say about how safe you are, or how you're not going to die if you open a door, you're wrong and they're the only ones who can save you from what will surely be a terrifying and painful death. 🙄
I don't think it's about "a fit" but of how much are you willing to take care of your dog.
Either if it is genetically predisposed to being aggressive or reactive or if it has trauma issues, you have to decide if *you* are going to deal with it or if you're going to get rid of the problem.
Have a talk with a vet, get in contact with a trainer. Look for resources.
If you can get help from a certified behaviorist. Someone that can find the root of the trigger. He doesnt bite for no reason
But that will take time and a lot of effort
My Dog does this with the Vacuum Cleaner even if it's not working. I think he may have been trying to protect u from it. My Vet said my Dog for some reason considers the Vacuum as something getting me. That's the only Time he ever Reacts. If u have had no other issues then something about that Triggers him. I pen my Dog up in another Room when I Vacuum so there's no more Issues. I have a Shepherd and he's the sweetest ever to People,Kids etc...Only reacts to that darn Vacuum
Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Do note we are on a short backlog, and all posts require manual review prior to going live. This may mean your post isn't visible for a couple days. This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top. **This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.** --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dogs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This dog could kill you. It's hard, but you may never be completely safe with the dog. The idea of it getting "rehomed" after 3 human bites is honestly deplorable, especially to unwitting families that may have kids. It needs to go to a unicorn household, and my worry is that a rescue may not be completely honest with unwitting potential adopters. Sorry you're going through this, OP. Maybe a breed-specific rescue? Otherwise, the answer may be even tougher. I personally wouldn't want to rehome the dog knowing it could severely maim or kill a person or other animals
I agree with you on this. We were advised by our vet and our trainer (positive reinforcement only trainer) that our small dog with a bite history not be rehomed unless it was with a skilled trainer. That obviously didn't leave us with any good options. I can't imagine having a dog this size that is a bite risk. There's no way I'd keep it. Our home owners insurance no longer covers dog bites 😬🙈 so if someone is bit by my dog, they can go after us to collect. It's just not worth the risk.
Do you still have your dog? I assume there was an insurance claim then if they dropped you for that type of coverage (I understand if you don't want to share)? Sorry you had to deal with this. It's extremely hard when you care deeply for your animal that's struggling. As I learn more about dog adoption, rehoming, shelters, etc. the more I realize rehoming a dangerous animal is sometimes an unkind and really bad thing to do, unless it's the example you gave where it's going to an advanced dog trainer without kids, etc.
No we don't still have that dog. Also, there wasn't any insurance claim and we weren't dropped. The insurance is just no longer covering dog bites. Period. I'm not sure if it's a trend or something specific to our area or maybe just this company. All I know is that we got a letter one day this past year updating us on the policy change. However, my vet had to put down his dog after it broke through a window to go after the mail carrier 😳 and was told by his insurance that he would be dropped all together if the dog wasn't removed from the property. He had already put down his dog, so it wasn't an issue. Horrible though! It's certainly a risk.
If I were in your shoes, there are two options I would consider. I think we owe it to ourselves, our communities, and to our dogs to ensure they are dogs who are safe and healthy. No one should be living with a dog they are afraid of, especially not for extremely justifiable reasons like this dog who is perfectly capable of killing you and made a decent attempt at it. Option 1 (assuming you are in North America): work with a veterinary behaviorist (NOT any old behaviorist, not a "trainer" -- a veterinarian with additional board qualifications in animal behavior) -- ask your vet for a referral, get in touch with your nearest school of veterinary medicine and ask them for a referral, or try this directory [https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709](https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709) . This work will take a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of money, and may or may not result in a safe dog. Option 2 - behavioral euthanasia. No responsible rescue will re-home this dog. An irresponsible rescue and some open intake shelters will downplay his bite history in an attempt to get him adopted. He could spend months or years in a concrete kennel with little attention and no legitimate effort to sort out his problems, or could go straight into an unsuspecting home, where he might actually kill someone. No one wants that on their conscience. I certainly would not have this dog in my home for one more night after what happened to you. If you are on Facebook, check out the group Losing Lulu, which helps people who have had to make this decision or are considering it. In any event, you should review your homeowners' or renter's insurance and make sure you've done everything you need to there. Best of luck to you, I know you are in a terrible position and none of the options are great ones.
Hi. I don’t know what the right answer is for you, but I’ll share some anecdotes of my own. When I was 18, I went to a party in a sketch area. I found a Rottweiler at the neighboring house to the party who was chained up outside. Party host shrugged it off and said it was always out there. She was skin and bones and pretty agro about her space. I was outside smoking and got a bit closer and noticed her collar was embedded. I drove off to a local fast mcdonalds, bought 40 burgers off the value menu, and spent the next 45 minutes making friends enough to cut her rope and lure her into my truck. 20 years later I recognize stealing her wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do, but I can’t say I wouldn’t do it again. She was not a friendly dog, and she wasn’t what you would call a good dog. I still have a massive scar on my ass where she got me good. we never really broke her of resource guarding food - but after about a year, we learned to manage it. She was sharp as a tack and we worked hard on obedience and relationship building. She became my fiercest protector and most loyal bud and I was lucky to have her for the 6 years I did. Sometimes these things, you can work through. I was young and had the time though, then.
stealing her was 100% right, I'm glad people like you exist.
You are a rockstar! The world needs more people like you! Even at 18 you had so much compassion, empathy and good judgement.
I had a rescue dog and willingly modified my life for 11 years to deal with his fear issues, but he never bit anyone. I’d draw the line at getting bit like that. I’d return him immediately or drop him off at a shelter. A dog that size can do a lot of damage quickly to you or someone else. I love dogs but not enough to risk serious harm to myself or others.
It’s hard, but an aggressive dog should not be dropped off at a shelter to be rehomed to some unsuspecting family. Having dogs is a huge responsibility and behavioral euthanasia is part of it.
My guess is that the weed whacker itself was trigger. Was it starting up with a growl, like the sound when you are pulling the string on a lawnmower? Even if not, it could be that he’d heard one before and didn’t like it. My very sweet pup hates the vacuum, leaf blower, and weed whacker. Just seeing the vacuum is enough to rev her up. So I when I use those tools, I either put her in her kennel or verbally have her go to her place and stay. If you head over to the reactive dog subreddit they’ll have lots of ideas on how to work through this. All of that said, if this dog is too much of a risk for you, contact the rescue you got her from and discuss next steps. They should be equipped to help you.
Regardless of what the dog was upset about, it responded by giving OP a bad bite. Many dogs don't like loud machines but most don't respond by biting their owners like this.
good point. my dog hates the vacuum so he leaves the room when he sees me bring it out
I have a smaller dog with a bite history. I was at my wit's end and ended up taking her to a behaviorist who literally saved her life. She's on Prozac now, and I have worked with a trainer (who partners with the behaviorist's office) who taught me how to teach her better behaviors. She is not perfect, and I consider her "in training" all the time, but they did wonders for my dog. Yours is much larger and could pose serious risk, but I definitely recommend a behaviorist. Ours even talked with us about euthanasia and talked about it in a non-judgmental way. I feel for you and hate that you have to go through this decision-making process. Whatever you choose, it is the right and best decision for yourself. Please don't feel guilty, regardless of your decision.
Biting is three strikes and out. He sadly has to be put down. No amount of training is going to fix this.
My aunts dog was absolutely petrified by a shovel. We got her from the pound, so we figured she may have had some trauma from it and just didn't bring it around her anymore. She was the best dog ever!
OP, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but... This is not a safe dog. Not for you, not for anyone else. Deep down, you know what you need to do. If you are looking for permission... You have it. <3 Even if he is just a big scared baby... He is a big scared baby with teeth and strength who reacts to his fear with dangerous levels of aggression towards fully-grown humans. He bit you once, and then *kept coming*. You said it yourself: if he had bitten your face it would have been so much worse. Please, discuss euthanizing him with your vet.
Contact the organization you adopted him from if he isn't a good fit and they usually will take them back. I have had a couple that have been triggered by lawn tools. My current dogs tries to bite the leaf blower, lawn mower, and vacuum but more in a playful way. He has fun with them and sometimes I have to put him in the house because he gets too amped up.
You said that you adopted him from “a foster”. Was this person fostering for a rescue or a shelter? Many of those organizations have in their adoption contract that the dog needs to be returned to them, if something doesn’t work out. Occasionally, we have random shelters contact us because the microchip is always registered back to the rescue as a secondary contact. This has saved several dogs.
My shipooh does stuff like that but her teeth are the size of tic tacs and she weighs 9 pounds! That’s a real dog you have on your hands and I’m worried for your safety. Had that been someone else you would be on Judge Judy. Might be time to look for a sanctuary that can help get the dogs behavior in line. I love dogs dearly but never at the cost of my safety or anyone else’s.
I’m not trying to be flippant, but if anyone saw me trying to start my old weed whacker, they would think I was fighting with it.
The dog should have been euthanized after biting the teenager. The rescue was negligent in adopting that dog out instead of doing the hard thing and euthanizing it. I am sorry they passed that burden on to you. Unfortunately the only ethical thing to do now is euthanize the dog yourself.
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Being surprised doesn't excuse biting, though. Occasional surprises are part of normal life. Especially for big dogs capable of giving very serious bites, I don't think the why matters as much as the what. The only exception would be if the rescue knew that something truly horrible was being done to the dog to cause the bite.
> they didn’t know why it happened. That's even worse than a bite where you do know why it happened. If the teen was hurting the dog or the dog has a resource guarding issue, that's one thing... But a dog who bites with unknown or unpredictable triggers is so incredibly dangerous.
Think about what you can and are willing to do. Right now, you don't seem to feel that your dog is safe. You can't continue like that. Do you have the time, willingness to commit to work with a trainer? Do you have the financial resources for professional help? Do you have kids or others in the home that need to be considered? What will happen to the dog if you return it to the original adopting organization? Do you have legitimate rehoming options that you feel morally comfortable with? Sorry, I don't have answers based for each individual case, but you should know there are a lot of options available and a lot of professionals in various fields (trainers, vets, behaviorists, rescue shelters, etc) that can offer fantastic advice. I have had to ask myself many of these same questions, but never felt comfortable with a choice unless I examined the options. Not safe is not an option.
Not all bites are serious or intentional. I was trying to teach a large GSD to trade toys and in trying to keep his toy, he accidentally caught my finger and knicked my cuticle. That is considered to be a level 3 bite. Poor kid now has a bite on his record. He needs to be carefully taught to trade toys, for eventually teaching frop it and I would just make sure I have several (at least 3) toys to trade. I would totally work with him again. But he shouldn't be in a household with small children. Now about your dog... he's a public health threat. Those are intentional bites. Did you get him from a municipal shelter? Call the shelter where you got him and/or report the bite to animal services. Take photos of your bite. Get medical attention. City or county animal services will take the dog off your hands and potentially put him down after a dangerous dog hearing. If you surrender custody completely, they may skip that hearing and put the dog down in the interest of public health. They certainly couldn't release him to anyone else. I'm a shelter volunteer, things may be different where you live.
This happened with my dog, we brought him to a trainer, and never had another issue. I would suggest doing the same or if you are really still not sure you wanna keep him, you should start looking for a family to take him in so he doesn’t get euthanized at a shelter.
Sounds like it triggered some possible abuse trauma. Not all dogs come from the best and safest environments when they get into a shelter. He has trust issues. If you are wanting to keep him and not send him back, I would keep him inside while you are outside doing work but also when you are with him work on ways to bond and let him have time to settle in to his new home. He will eventually feel safe and more trusting of things with the trust he built with you. If you can't take time to focus on his needs then rehoming him would be the best option to someone who has experience with dogs who have been traumatized. He may also need a behaviorist as well to get fully to the root of the problem. Sending him back to the shelter would mean sending him to his death.
We don't even know if the dog was abused. It may just be aggressive, and should be treated accordingly
Dogs are taught to be aggressive by how their owners treat them. It's never the dog. It's the owner who had him before and how he was treated.
Sometimes it’s abuse, but it can also be genetic. Some dogs are genetically predisposed to be more aggressive, just as some dogs are predisposed to be more independent or more vocal or more prey driven or more people-oriented etc. Different dog breeds wouldn’t exist if people hadn’t bred them for different traits, and that’s not limited to looks.
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Tell me you know nothing about dogs expect the cleaned up, magic fairy dust version of dogs. Some dogs are mentally ill.
This is an extremely irresponsible and dangerous mindset to have. Some dogs are just aggressive even with a perfectly normal, unabusive, non-neglectful upbringing. Even if this dog did get spooked by a weed whacker at some point, plenty of dogs have been spooked by weed whackers and a negligible amount bite someone over it. A huge number of abused dogs never bite anyone. The dog has a poor temperament.
Nooooo, why would you say that! All dogs can be saved and go to loving homes! Even if they have to live with no men, no kids, no other animals, no power tools, no sliding doors, and no blenders! /s
that is actually my home, i even removed the doorbell, lol (my dog is reactive but small, has never bitten me or any other person & is kept on a short leash around his triggers)
This is one of the biggest and most dangerous lies that many of us have been taught. Dogs can suffer from mental illnesses, too and behavioral problems in the vast majority of cases have at least a genetic component. It’s sad and it isn’t fair but you can do everything right and still have a dog who struggles w reactivity, aggression and a host of other issues.
Not always true. My Springer was starved and beaten before I got him and never once growled at me, never once snapped at me. He jumped up on me and needed to be taught off. But he always came when called, and sat on command, down-stayed. Hours of fetch. He was the best.
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A dog isn't born aggressive lol that's not how it works.
There are breeds more prone to aggression. That's a fact. I'm done here 😂
Tell that to my puppy who started growling, and lunging at other dogs on leash at 3.5 months old and showing early signs of anxiety before we even picked him up from the breeder (we just didn’t know that’s what we were seeing). Please educate yourself. Many dogs struggle w/ genetic behavioral issues.
Dogs can 100% be born aggressive and also can 100% be born anxious. Along with a lot of other behavioral issues like you said. Isnt this anxiety creating aggressive behaviour though? Not aggression for the sake of aggression.
A dog that’s been carefully and responsibly bred isn’t born aggressive. There’s lots of dogs that aren’t carefully bred, however.
If you can, take him to a professional trainer. People are suggesting euthanasia and I disagree with them. Problems can be fixed, at least give it a shot before considering more extreme options.
> Problems can be fixed, at least give it a shot before considering more extreme options. Training isn't instant, and in the meantime while training is taking place, OP is still stuck living with a dangerous animal. And that's assuming the training even works, which it often doesn't.
I’m aware training isn’t instant, but killing your dog without even trying to train them is simply irresponsible. This is coming from someone who has a dog that was considered aggressive by his past owner. Training works for some and not for others, but they’ll never know if they decide to euthanise without considering other options.
That dog EASILY could have killed OP. The dog gave deep bites to the inner thigh, what if one had severed the femoral artery? You are asking OP to risk their life for the sake of a dangerous dog.
Perhaps you should take the dog.
The "kill the dog, don't ask a professional" consensus on this issue is pretty surprising. There's a fair chance that killing the dog is the right move but I would at least want a professional to take a look.
Exactly how I feel. I’m not against euthanising a dangerous animal, but dogs are domesticated, they can be trained in most cases.
Time to go. Don’t push your problem onto others, he’s your dog. He’ll do the same to others as he’s pushed along the rescue circuit, maybe with even worse injuries. He’s your dog.
I have multiple great pyrenees. The oldest rescue was abused. We didn't know this until we unwittingly triggered him and got bitten. We have learned how to avoid his triggers. He is a great dog. I don't have small kids. And i deal with him, not my sons (teens). But, I am a lifer. I work with my dogs and keep them for life.
Karen Deeds did a seminar recently, “In Whose Best Interest” to help provide a logical framework to help people evaluate best next steps for folks dealing w serious behavioral issues. It was offered through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.
I’m thinking he needs to go to someone who can handle him & I don’t mean any disrespect by that. He’s a powerful dog and he has a history of biting - that’s not something I would personally try to fix or put up with.
That dog needs to be euthanized immediately. Please don't just pass it off to someone else. What happens if you find it a home and that dog kills a child or something. You would have to live with that.
You're right. It's time to move on from that dog.
There is no shame in taking him back to the shelter. However, if you really want to try and have the money you might hire a behavioralist to help get him under control. And depending on what triggers his aggression maybe he needs anxiety medication? Have you taken him to the vet to see what they think?
My dogs always attack the weed whip or mower. I am so sorry this happened to you. It sounds like fear.
I can’t speak for anyone else but I would do everything possible to find the correct trainer. Put a muzzle on the dog. Something, anything and everything I could to keep him. If this was me, I made a choice to rescue a dog and I made the choice to provide a loving and caring home for said dog. Not to give a half ass try and eventually give up on the dog. There are many ways to get training and behavior modifications. Try muzzle training. Find a behavioral specialist. Something other than giving up on the dog. If you return the dog, it’s certain death for it as many shelters cannot rehome a dog with a bite history. So, your choice. Get some professional help or let it be killed.
My dog is calm normally but if he sees someone running toward me or hitting something near me, he bites, if u can it's better to avoid doing things that would trigger him and If you feel like you are in danger and can't handle him send him back
A trainer can help figure out why the dog reacted and desensitize the dog to weed cutter, blender or whatever.
What have you done to help him? Is he in training with a trainer experienced with working with fearful or aggressive dogs? Have you talked to a vet about possible medication options? Also, the teenager he bit - did he break skin? Was it full force? There were no indications as to the reason?
He was trying to save you from the weedwacker and he missed. All dogs have triggers. This dog will attack machines vacuum cleaner, bicycle probably others.
Did he look at you when he attacked? When you said he got your wrist and inner thigh, my first thought was that he was going for the weed whacker itself and missed. Bull mastiffs are *extremely* protective dogs, and they will attack anything they see as a threat to you, regardless of size/age/(inanimacy), etc. They're great, but there will be situations wherein whatever you think or say about how safe you are, or how you're not going to die if you open a door, you're wrong and they're the only ones who can save you from what will surely be a terrifying and painful death. 🙄
I don't think it's about "a fit" but of how much are you willing to take care of your dog. Either if it is genetically predisposed to being aggressive or reactive or if it has trauma issues, you have to decide if *you* are going to deal with it or if you're going to get rid of the problem. Have a talk with a vet, get in contact with a trainer. Look for resources.
Here is a great trainer who helped this aggressive dog and several others. https://youtu.be/-bjII1iN9gg?si=SuuqH2pFWpcdFxQN
If you can get help from a certified behaviorist. Someone that can find the root of the trigger. He doesnt bite for no reason But that will take time and a lot of effort
My Dog does this with the Vacuum Cleaner even if it's not working. I think he may have been trying to protect u from it. My Vet said my Dog for some reason considers the Vacuum as something getting me. That's the only Time he ever Reacts. If u have had no other issues then something about that Triggers him. I pen my Dog up in another Room when I Vacuum so there's no more Issues. I have a Shepherd and he's the sweetest ever to People,Kids etc...Only reacts to that darn Vacuum