Dog has bitten two people....

[311Hemi]

OK....I think I already know that answer to this but my buddies dog bit another one of our friends this weekend. My thoughts are the dog should be put down but I am looking for some advice.....just to be sure.

Basically what has happened in both events...possibly more than that but the dog has bitten the lip of two of our firends. Whether the person is bending over or standing the dog will jump towards your face for no real reason. Not sure if this is a training thing or anything else can be done......but it is not biting because of being hurt or anything and the dog is not getting agressive and attacking the person....

I will never put my face near this dog...and tell everyone else the same because he like to nip at you if your face is near.....which is not good.

I think I know the answer to all this but wanted to double check there was nothing else that could be done. I know my buddy and his wife are in a really tough position....as can be expected.....

[gundoglily]

As hard as it might be, it is time to put the dog down. From your description, it sounds like this dog attacks (for lack of a better word) even when unprovocked.How will the couple feel, if God forbid, a child gets bit.How about if it got in a tangle with another dog..and the other dog got hurt, it could also ruin a friendship. Would you trust yourself or your dog around this dog? If a claim for medical treatment has been submitted to their homeowners insurance, the decisiion might be made for them. Not to sound like a harda$$, but the dog should be put down before it causes major injury to some other person, possibly even the owner.

[setterguy]

I agree, there is no place for unprovoked aggression in animals. If my dog is getting teased or threatended and bit someone, different story. But if there was no sign of this, then the tough decision must be made.

[311Hemi]

Yea.....because of the possiblity of it hurting someone else is reason enough.

I bring my 11 month old lab over there and they play just fine and have never had any issues.....nor has the owner personally. More towards people the dog does not see or know....which right there is another strong reason.

All in all I know what has to be done.....it will be on him to do it.

And your right......although no claims have been submitted to his home owners it could be done very easily.

Man.....it's a sad day when you lose a hunting partner.

[Jager]

Boy, that's a tough one.

How old is the dog?

Without knowing the dog it's hard to judge.

First of all was the dog trained not to jump up on people and is it re-enforced?

Second, the dog wasn't acting aggressive? So no growling or the ears weren't back?

Has someone been playing with the dog with something in their mouth so the dog has misinterpreted this action for playing??

Don't blame the dog if the owner has failed.

[311Hemi]

The lab is 4 years old. He has been trained to jump on people and yea it's enforced...but I have still seen the dog do it.

No...the dogs ears were not back and not growling....never have been when this has happened that I am aware of.

And nothing was in anyones mouth....each time it happened. They are just bent over petting him.

I have seen him nip at a few people for no reason now that I think about it a bit more...mainly if they are petting him or something. And he does not have any injuries.

[marine_man]

I hate to say it... but I agree with everyone else... if the dog is biting unprovoked it's time to do the right thing.... and giving the dog away is not the responsible thing to do... who knows what could happen if this would happen to a child, stranger, well meaning neighbor, etc... one can't always be with their dog when other people are around. If it's happened twice it'll happen again...

I wish your friend good luck in their decision...

marine_man

[gorrilla]

My buddy had a lab that did the same thing. He has two kids and its great with their family, but be careful it your a stranger. The dog showed no forwarning and it seemed like she was biting out of fear, not aggression. The owner firmly reprimanded the dog once when he was present for a "nip" at me. I'm not sure how or if he handled it but I know the dog is still kicking. I think he just doesn't let he dog unattended with someone new EVER...

[Ufatz]

It may very well be that the dog needs to be put down.But first we need to analyize whats going on here. Dogs are sometimes fascinated with the human mouth. It has also been established that when a dog sees your teeth it MAY take that as a sign of YOUR aggression. If the dog is four years old we have to ask :is this something new? If not, how did it develop and why hasn't it been corrected before this. It sounds to me like this is accidental and not intentional. But of course the RESULT is still the same; a bitten lip or face. If the owner has an electronic collar and wants to take the time I think this could be cured. On the other hand, it might be best (for the dog) that it be put down.

If the dog is a nice dog other than this nasty quirk it is a (Contact US Regarding This Word) shame.

[311Hemi]

Well.....he thinks when the dog ran from his house to the neihbors house a few times 2-3 years ago that the neihbor beat the dog.....and thats where it stems from.

This is not something new.....I mentioned two bites of our friends...the other was 2 summers ago. It also sounds like he bit the hand of one of the girls that night also (this past Saturday)....but did not break skin.

I can't really see the e-collar doing much for training...as what would you train against or to? You certainly don't want to wait for the dog to bite again before you correct him.

The other bad news I just found out is the dog has had 3 seizures in the past 2-3 weeks. One was a few minutes long. But this whole other deal has been around long before this...so. I feel bad for them.

[almostthere!]

The dog should be put down for two reasons:

1) buying a new pup is cheaper than paying for a lawsuit, given the history, home owner issurance may not cover the lawsuit;

2) the most important reason, no person should ever have to put up with being bitten by this dog, unprovoked.

[Ufatz]

Okay. That does it. Put the dog down. No more delay. Do the dog and the family a favor. It ain't easy and it ain't fun but some things you just have to do. Get it over with.

[311Hemi]

ok....relax man.....just was looking for some advice.

It isn't my dog and I am not doing anything personally. I am just looking for advice to give my friend....and I know what that is.

Thanks all.....it's a tough decision they are faced with.

[Wayne Sieber]

Quote : "The lab is 4 years old. He has been trained to jump on people and yea it's enforced..."

Am I missing something here?? A lab was trained to jump on people? Ummm, why?

[LABS4ME]

I'm sure it was a typo... bet he meant trained not to jump on people and it is enforced.

Good Luck!

Ken

[311Hemi]

Doh!

Labs...you are correct. Thats a typo!

The dog has been trained NOT to jump on people.

[keith99]

today was a sad day for me I had to put down my 4yr. old yellow lab because she also had bitten two of my neighbors in the last year so my feeling is yes the dog should be put down

[311Hemi]

I am very sorry to hear that......I have not talked to my buddy this week about his situaion yet.

[springerspeed]

The only thing that I would add to this topic is that the owner of the dog should contact the breeder and inform him of these traits. As a breeder I would want to know this for future breedings.

[311Hemi]

Unfotunatley I don't think thats an option. The pup was aquired during college and was not from a regular breeder.

[gorrilla]

All I can say of the numerous dogs I've own/trained and been around, is that a definate link to the environment or upbringing of a dog IS the cause of aggression and biting. When the pups are mistreated or not socialized properly its often the result. Some dogs are very, very rarely get to the point of biting and some reach that point much quicker. Its a matter of timidness or disposition, but given the wrong situation, all dogs can bite. I do agree, sometimes the damage is done and the steps necessary to undo the conditioning aren't worth the risk and liability which are very unfortunate. My only thought is to reflect on what might have caused the problem. I'm not saying your friend mistreated his dog, I don't know him. All a person can do is to SOCIALIZE the heck out of puppies and introduce them to tons of kids, other dogs, and adults at and early age. Also make sure you never play rough with your puppy or dog (and don't let the neighbor beat him??). Later

****this message is from Gorrilla - the dog wisperer...

[Swamp Scooter]

Too bad of a thing to have to deal with but as another has stated. maybe it is a dominance thing too and the direct eye contact on the dog's level is invading the dog's space and they are feeling trapped and the nip/bite is the only way - and since it has not been resolved so seems to work- to get away. Still a hard decision to have to make. I guess all you CAN expect is this WILL happen again. The only questions are when, to whom and how bad it will be. Maybe trying to place it at a country farm setting might help. Out of the city and away from a ton of people.

Best of luck to your friend. We are the owners... we have to make the hard and right decisions, then we feel for the loss. Better than being responsible for the damage.

[gundoglily]

The idea of placing this dog in the country, or on a farm;is a bad idea. The dog has bitten people in its home setting, what do you think will happen,when the dog is put in a setting where everything is unfamiliar and the dog feels abdandoned. It is unfair to both the dog and the potential new owners. In our 'sue happy' society, I can see nothing but something bad happening. Wish life wasn't this way, but the owners need to make the hard choice and decision with this dog. As the last poster stated, we feel the loss after the decision is made, but better than the responsibility for the damage done.

[xedge2002]

If I were you I would talk to a vet and maybe a couple of dog trainers to see if they have any ideas on how to correct the problem or if they would recommend putting the dog down.

[Moose-Hunter]

Quote:

---

The other bad news I just found out is the dog has had 3 seizures in the past 2-3 weeks. One was a few minutes long.

---

Is there any connection here? From my understanding of canine epilepsy, it can rear it's ugly head at anytime but usually in the first 1 1/2 to 2 years... For a 4 year old animal, if it had been only 1 seizure, basically an isolated incident, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. But 3 in as many weeks? That is not common even for a highly epileptic dog.

Could there be something more (medically speaking) than just "freakish" agressive behavior?