Got bit

[3forks]

To the OP: One other observation… it looks like you let that dog on your bed.

Anything you allow that makes the dog think he’s got a similar status as you guys do is going to contribute to the problem.

 

[2531usmc]

I respect your position but that seems like an excuse over controlling the animal. It’s a dog and it doesn’t know any better. Make him know better.

Sometimes you get a bad one though, I’ll admit that.

This was a lessons learned for me. One of the yuppie neighbors had a mid sized cutie dog that liked to snap at people. Yuppie neighbors though it was cute....

well their little kid started playing with the “cute and mostly friendly” dog as it was eating. It bit the little kid in the face and just about ripped his upper lip off.

speaking for nobody but myself, there are just too many negative implications from dogs biting people. One strike is all it takes.

 

[mlgc20]

I had a golden retriever that bit me when he was a puppy. More aggressively than you would expect from a golden pup. I immediately put him on his back and I bit him back. Very hard. Yep, I literally bit a dog. I'm not sure that was the right thing. But, it worked. He never bit me or anyone else. He lived to be 13 and I cried my eyes out when he died.

 

[2ski]

Eh. It's not good he did it but it sounds like a case of protective of his food. There's a ton you can do that doesn't involve rehoming or shooting him. Know not to let him have the bone when the kids are around and active. And make sure the kids know not to reach for his food or bone.

Next time you have a pup, when you feed it make sure you put your hands down around the bowl. In the bowl. Etc. They get used to it that way.

 

[Badland]

Thanks for all the feedback guy, truly appreciated. To answer some questions he is 2 in February. He is not food aggressive whatsoever. I wouldn’t have a worry in the world if anyone went and took his food away because he’s never displayed that type of reaction. Occasionally if he has a chew of some sort and is afraid he’ll lose it to my other dog or myself or girlfriend he will act protective but even then it’s generally pretty laid back. So this was out of character. He also is only occasionally allowed on the bed, he does not sleep with us. He knows this and remains on the floor. He is fully crate trained and he has some good conditioning training but is not fully FF trained though I am planning for it.

We are a young couple without kids so we will absolutely try to work through this. I grew up hunting over a GWP so this is why I got one now. He is an absolute beast at only 55lbs and I knew it wouldn’t be easy but overall I feel he is very well trained. He definitely respects me as the alpha outside of the incident. When it occurred I did pin him on his back and showed him who is boss. He cowered the rest of the night and still has been this morning.

 

[*zap*]

If you give your dog something it is best to leave it with him rather than play games...I owned/trained dogs that could put someone in the hospital if they played stupid games with them.....very alpha dogs are very good for protection/police/military roles but they can be dangerous if not handled correctly.

 

[Badland]

And when I say he is very protective I mean he is aloof with strangers and alerts us when people are here. He doesn’t incessantly bark but definitely alerts us. We leave him feee at night only for that fact because if anyone broke in I promise you they would regret it. Let’s say my buddy decided to come over unannounced, he isn’t going to attack, he attempts to wake me up or my girlfriend up. But looks very menacing doing it.

I am lucky enough to know a guy in my town who is a renowned GWP trainer so I will absolutely consult him and didn’t even think to before seeing your guys posts.

 

[2ski]

It should have been dealt with in the moment, all you can do at this point is try to provoke him again to get a second chance at it. If it were my dog I’d have him by the collar with one hand and the other one an open palm going to town on his face for 15-20 seconds while yelling “no” as loud as you can and yanking him around by the collar.

You aren’t going to fracture his skull or any of the other dog training horror stories you hear about with an open hand, but don’t take it easy on him whatsoever.

Yeah. Go to town with an open hand with full force is cool. Won't fracture he's skull but could cause other issues. A dog understands dominance. You understand physical violence. Not the same things. May have worked for you but doesn't make it the right way to do it.

 

[*zap*]

Maybe if you need what he has in his mouth....tell him to drop it from 10' away and call him to you. Then tell him to down/stay....go pick it up. I had one shepherd that was bad news if you went near him when he was eating, put his German owner in the hospital. Great dog otherwise for an experienced person so we worked around it.

 

[ODB]

Instances like these I basically body slammed my dog and lay on top of them, it hurts their ego and reminds them of who’s alpha.
Never tried it again, I might would provoke him again with the bone and if he even growled a little I’d body slam him (lack of a better word) not trying to hurt him, not sure how else to describe it and be on top of him with a no command if he knows it.
Learned this from a trainer and it has worked for me

A trainer I know does the same. Seems brutal, but it’s literally getting the dog to know their place in the pack.

The comment about not being on the bed is a good observation. My trainer friends dogs all have approved spots, the bed or couch aren’t approved. When my kid is over there helping, all interaction with the dog is on the floor. Never the couch. It was worked very well for 20+ years.

 

[Ralphie]

If he’s acting agressive at all towards you or your girlfriend he does not know his place in the pack is at the bottom.

I would have flipped him on his back and glared into his eyes along with a “NO” like he has probably never heard. While thumping his chest. Not in a way that actually hurts.

What he did to you would probably be strikes one and two for me. But it sounds like you may need to start over a little with where he thinks his place is.

With kids there are no second chances. I don’t mean like a puppy nipping at a kids’ heels.

I had a heeler bite my son in the face. No real damage to my son luckily. I shot the dog that day.

 

[svivian]

This was a lessons learned for me. One of the yuppie neighbors had a mid sized cutie dog that liked to snap at people. Yuppie neighbors though it was cute....

well their little kid started playing with the “cute and mostly friendly” dog as it was eating. It bit the little kid in the face and just about ripped his upper lip off.

speaking for nobody but myself, there are just too many negative implications from dogs biting people. One strike is all it takes.

Its unfortunate that people can't differentiate when a dog is truly aggressive versus proper dog training. 99% of the time a dog that bites its due to its owner and its environment. I always got dirty looks with my pitbull but she was a sweetheart and never bit anyone.

To the OP I agree with all the comments about Alpha and dominance. The smarter the dog is the more they will test you to see what they can get away with. When you say he is protective of his toy, any amount of push back from the dog should result in instant feedback by you asserting yourself regardless if its minor. The dog needs to know who is boss 100% of the time. Horses are exactly the same, they know an inexperienced rider from someone who is going to break them.

 

[30338]

I force fetched my 80 pound draht at 8 months of age. It changed the entire dynamic with him. My wife can handle him. He has a rawhide chew, she says "give" and he gives it up. Failure to comply is never an option. Some people should avoid owning some types of dogs.

 

[Badland]

Surely hope that isn’t directed towards me. These things happen and I am open to feedback but saying I shouldn’t own my breed isn’t called for.

 

[Hoghead]

I personally don't mind the dog on bed or other stuff. My hog dogs sleep in bed with me and my kids. They also know there place in the pack. They are savages on a hog but not around people at all. Every dog is different you need to figure him out. Some dogs respond to pain others to scolding.
My American bulldog you can yell at her all you want but unless you make her feel it she don't care. My Catahoulas changing your tone is worse than a beating. Figure out your dogs personally. One thing I would definitely say is as soon as there is a behavior that needs correction apply it. My lead Catahoula is a alpha and keeps dogs twice her size in line in the truck and on a hunt. I don't feel like a alpha dog is a problem as much as a dog owner not understanding what there dog is and dealing with it accordingly

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[jmez]

Do you know any law enforcement dog handlers in your area? If so talk to them. Even if you don't know one, search them out and they would likely be glad to talk to you. They deal with that type of dominance/behavior every single day and would be a great resource.

You dog needed and alpha role and sounds like he got one. That was the correct response. Some dogs never get over this. Even though is was a chew toy he is displaying rank drive. You are going to need to be very careful with him going forward.

There is a reason you see a lot of police dogs with muzzles on in public.

 

[KurtR]

Maybe if you need what he has in his mouth....tell him to drop it from 10' away and call him to you. Then tell him to down/stay....go pick it up. I had one shepherd that was bad news if you went near him when he was eating, put his German owner in the hospital. Great dog otherwise for an experienced person so we worked around it.

Problem with that he is a hunting dog it’s job is to give you what’s in its mouth. What if he has a pheasant and it still alive you can’t drop that at distance it will run. Take the dog to some one who has force fetched before and it will fix this problem.

 

[roosiebull]

I am never a fan of being overly physical with a dog. That being said, with a an episode like you described it may be required. A lightning quick grab, put him on his back, holding his mouth closed firmly should get his attention. It won't hurt him, but will show who the alpha truly is. I had my Weimeraner snap at my sin when he was young. I was on the couch next to him and did the pin/clamp maneuver. Never had an issue ever again. Another route is to run a training session with the Christmas bone. Simple sit, stay, drop will again put you in charge of him and the bone. Good luck!

same exact here, and like anything, do drills... i would keep giving him the bone, get into his bone, and take it again.... a little proactive training now is huge. i would give him treats just to take them and test him... anything but a submissive reaction isn't ok. i have 5 dogs and don't let them get aggressive with each other either, and will purposely set up scenarios that test them

 

[loganwayne]

I’ve got two brittanys and they are both “talkative “. My oldest dog is turning 11 and he grumbles a lot more than he use to. My now fiancé moved in and I he wouldn’t listen to her, she’s soft hearted and wouldn’t correct him. She was scoulding him for something and popped him on the butt and he spun around and grabbed her hand. I think more of a reaction than anything because he was just standing there with her hand in his mouth. We corrected that quickly and he knows she’s second in command.

That said he’s had little kids pulling his ears and tail and doesn’t react.

 

[*zap*]

Problem with that he is a hunting dog it’s job is to give you what’s in its mouth. What if he has a pheasant and it still alive you can’t drop that at distance it will run. Take the dog to some one who has force fetched before and it will fix this problem.

The dog may give up a bird with no trouble and just be possessive of things he eats...the op did not mention trouble with getting birds from the dog. I agree that a hunting dog needs to be force retrieve trained thou and agree that the person doing that needs to be skilled.