Rachel Rumpelstiltskin Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Just wondering peoples views and opinions on when enough is enough and a dog has bitten too hard/ too many times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendbert Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Personally, I don't think thats a question that can be as answered as simply as you put it. Far too many factors to take into account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 in a home environment or in public or kennels? bit of a vague question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Personally, I don't think thats a question that can be as answered as simply as you put it. Far too many factors to take into account. I agree with Wendy - depends very much on the dog, the reason it is biting (ie was it provoked), the living situation, and numerous other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Rumpelstiltskin Posted December 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 I was talking to a few different rescues about what they would do and where they would draw the limits if they took on a dog that was biting. This convosation was sparked off by a friends dog who has a 'jekyll and hyde' personality. Usually when he is on lead and sees another dog he will turn around and bite the person holding him back. Recently he has had 2 random spats with her other dog and as she pulled them apart he will turn and bite her. He has bitten badly (without stitches needed) at least 10 times now. She loves him and is willing to work with him but i was wondering where a rescue would draw a line with a biting dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaos Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 (edited) She loves him and is willing to work with him In this instance, this is an important part IMO (though there would be many other factors to be taken into consideration too). As an individual, it is up to her where to draw the line, and I would suggest that line may well be in a very different place to one a rescue may draw? If she's willing to work with him, what's the connection with rescue? Edited December 18, 2007 by Kaos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Good thread, I know of a similar situation, exept this dog is in rescue (he's a collie), and is very unpredictable and has bitten just about everyone who has contact with him for no apparent reason, other than being asked to do something he didn't want too, I'll be interested to see what others post about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Rumpelstiltskin Posted December 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 She is a fosterer and more than capable to cope, and its not her thats in question. I am very impressed with her ability to cope If you had a foster or worked for a rescue that had a dog known to bite where would a limit be? I have helped several rescues where there has been this problem and just wondering what a individuals limits would be. I know someone with little dogs that say if a rottie or staffie bit and left bruising then that would be a limit. Where as some people would say when it becomes a regular occurance. Would a rescue ever rehome a dog that was known to be people agressive and on what conditions would that be rehomed? What are peoples personal experiences and limits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffymad Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 We had a collie like this and we did in the end PTS. He was unpredictable agressive and had to be muzzled 100% of the time and at aged 14 it wasn't fair. His mum died and after extensive vet checks, seeing a behaviourist and speaking to the best collie rescue I know, I made the decission to let him go. The foster carer was more than capable, one of the best we have but he wasn't happy and that was in the end the deciding factor. He hated being around anyone and was beyond help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 I was talking to a few different rescues about what they would do and where they would draw the limits if they took on a dog that was biting. This convosation was sparked off by a friends dog who has a 'jekyll and hyde' personality. Usually when he is on lead and sees another dog he will turn around and bite the person holding him back. Recently he has had 2 random spats with her other dog and as she pulled them apart he will turn and bite her. He has bitten badly (without stitches needed) at least 10 times now. She loves him and is willing to work with him but i was wondering where a rescue would draw a line with a biting dog I'm no expert, but it sounds as though he's feeling frustrated/anxious/reactive to being restrained by the lead - ie can't get away when he's fearful perhaps? Has she sought the (in person) advice of a good behaviourist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Rumpelstiltskin Posted December 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 (edited) She has seen a couple of behaviourists and tens of dog trainers and he is booked in with a different behaviourist in the new year. So has had lots of advice and training and help but nothing anyone has advised has yet broken the cycle. Everyone has seen him as agreed its redirected agression/frustration at being held back Staffymad, if he wasnt happy then you did the right thing- he will always remember how loved he was I think what im trying to ask is, at what point does a dog become a 'dangerous dog'? There are so many problems with 'dangerous dogs' and all the media hype and the problems with BSL. Who gets to decided when a dog can be labelled as a 'dangerous dog'? Edited December 18, 2007 by Rachel Rumpelstiltskin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted December 18, 2007 Report Share Posted December 18, 2007 Gill White from www.takingthelead.co.uk has experience of this sort of aggression and she is a positive trainer/behaviourist who was a behaviourist for the Dogs Trust for 15 years. It may be worth contacting her. Gill has taught me a lot over the years and it is thanks to Gill I found something that enabled Joe to feel safe to come back to be after being beaten by his previous owners. Brearley is another who is very good with this type of problem and is complaining she is on the computer too much at the moment Sorry Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fee4 Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 i suppose for me-and me personally in a domestic situation-the line would be no known medical cause advice/help not working level of aggression (i would tolerate the odd bruise-but if i was regularly needing stitches-i wouldnt) is the dog distressed impact on rest of family (4 & 2 legs) i did have an old X breed who most of the time was a sweetie-but he was very food aggressive-once you knew that he was fine-you didnt upset him, he wouldnt bite you! i admire people who will live with very aggressive dogs-im not sure i could long term-if i could find the triggers and learn to avoid them-if avoidable-fine -if not then personally id need to seriously consider whether the dog was for me....and in light of the ever decreasing number of homes/ever increasing number of dogs-i might well consider PTS. i am a very experienced dog owner.....and that would not be a decision i would make without due care and attention fee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meandmy4? Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 I cant imagine there is any hard and fast rule, I would imagine it would have to depend on so many factors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 This convosation was sparked off by a friends dog who has a 'jekyll and hyde' personality. Usually when he is on lead and sees another dog he will turn around and bite the person holding him back. Recently he has had 2 random spats with her other dog and as she pulled them apart he will turn and bite her. He has bitten badly (without stitches needed) at least 10 times now. She loves him and is willing to work with him but i was wondering where a rescue would draw a line with a biting dog She has seen a couple of behaviourists and tens of dog trainers and he is booked in with a different behaviourist in the new year. So has had lots of advice and training and help but nothing anyone has advised has yet broken the cycle. Everyone has seen him as agreed its redirected agression/frustration at being held back I know this isn't answering your original question about where to draw the line, but if the dog bites out of frustration when on the lead, could she not for the time being at least muzzle the dog while he is on the lead? Also, has your friend thought of getting in touch with a TTouch practitioner for a one-to-one session? I'm not sure where your friend and the dog are, but if it is something she would consider, let us know where they are (roughly) and someone will be able to suggest a practitioner I'm sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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