Bit by my own dog?
- Thread starter Inga
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Yes, Boy bit me a couple of times.
Boy had to be rehomed because he wasn't good with one of the (older) children in his previous home. He was bullied, and learned that biting helps if someone does something to him that he's scared of. He really has issues if you try to push him into a certain position, by example.
Other then that, he is one of the greatest dogs on earth.
The first time was during brushing when he didn't want to stand still, and I got irritated and pushed him back in the right position. He bit me in my hand/wrist, breaking the skin and leaving a hole in my sweater. I used some words that are not suitable for a public forum and he was just really scared, I guess expecting punishment. So I just immediately went on brushing for a while (which was kind of bloody), in hope of showing him that biting wouldn't make me stop what I was doing. He still doesn't like it but never tried something like that again during brushing time, so I guess it helped.
And some other times when I grapped him by the collar when he didn't expected it, but that were more snaps. It didn't break the skin and it didn't hurt. I really had to get used to a dog who is scared of things like that.
I would be completely surprised if Saffie would bite me. I feel that Saffie and I really trust each other on a level that Boy will never have with his owner. But that's not his fault, so I don't hold it against him. It goes both ways, he learned that biting doesn't help him in this house and I make it easier for him by trying not to make him feel threatened.
Boy had to be rehomed because he wasn't good with one of the (older) children in his previous home. He was bullied, and learned that biting helps if someone does something to him that he's scared of. He really has issues if you try to push him into a certain position, by example.
Other then that, he is one of the greatest dogs on earth.
The first time was during brushing when he didn't want to stand still, and I got irritated and pushed him back in the right position. He bit me in my hand/wrist, breaking the skin and leaving a hole in my sweater. I used some words that are not suitable for a public forum and he was just really scared, I guess expecting punishment. So I just immediately went on brushing for a while (which was kind of bloody), in hope of showing him that biting wouldn't make me stop what I was doing. He still doesn't like it but never tried something like that again during brushing time, so I guess it helped.
And some other times when I grapped him by the collar when he didn't expected it, but that were more snaps. It didn't break the skin and it didn't hurt. I really had to get used to a dog who is scared of things like that.
I would be completely surprised if Saffie would bite me. I feel that Saffie and I really trust each other on a level that Boy will never have with his owner. But that's not his fault, so I don't hold it against him. It goes both ways, he learned that biting doesn't help him in this house and I make it easier for him by trying not to make him feel threatened.
I guess it depends on "bit". Sarama can be very mouthy, and it took some work to teach her that with humans, play does not involve teeth. Docket is learning the same thing.
As for something other than play . . . Sarama snapped at me once when I rolled over on her feet while she was sleeping on the bed. But I'm sure it hurt and she was startled. Docket snapped at me once early on because he thought I was going to take his chewy away and give it to Sarama. He has since learned that a) I am not taking his things away to give to her (if I keep them he doesn't mind and just wants them back) and b) growling and snapping at me is not acceptable, even if he's really mad at Sarama.
But no, I've never suffered physical harm from my own dog. As to what I would do if I did . . . it would entirely depend on what had happened. If Sarama's snap had connected, the main result is that she would never sleep on the bed again. If Docket's had connected, he'd be going through the same resource-guarding training. If it kept happening . . . well, we'd have to see. A random, unprovoked bite would be a trip to the vet to see if they were sick, a trip to a beahviorist, and a lot of soul-searching.
As for something other than play . . . Sarama snapped at me once when I rolled over on her feet while she was sleeping on the bed. But I'm sure it hurt and she was startled. Docket snapped at me once early on because he thought I was going to take his chewy away and give it to Sarama. He has since learned that a) I am not taking his things away to give to her (if I keep them he doesn't mind and just wants them back) and b) growling and snapping at me is not acceptable, even if he's really mad at Sarama.
But no, I've never suffered physical harm from my own dog. As to what I would do if I did . . . it would entirely depend on what had happened. If Sarama's snap had connected, the main result is that she would never sleep on the bed again. If Docket's had connected, he'd be going through the same resource-guarding training. If it kept happening . . . well, we'd have to see. A random, unprovoked bite would be a trip to the vet to see if they were sick, a trip to a beahviorist, and a lot of soul-searching.
Ares is starting to bite me when I brush him. It probably hurts him - he's getting achy. Last time I brushed him, I went and got the brush and a handful of treats. I let him nibble on a treat while I brushed a little, then stopped and let him eat the treat. Then continued with him nibbling the next treat.
After 3 treats he was much less resistant to being brushed and I continued brushing without a treat in front of him for a few seconds, then rewarded him for being good about it.
Creating positive associations with unpleasant things can really go a long way.
After 3 treats he was much less resistant to being brushed and I continued brushing without a treat in front of him for a few seconds, then rewarded him for being good about it.
Creating positive associations with unpleasant things can really go a long way.
I usually sleep on the couch and Tramp sleeps with me by my feet. I wanted Tramp to sleep with me by having him lay across my chest. When I would pick Tramp up to have him lay down by me, he would get mad and bite me on the hand. Tramp did this for a while until he realized that I just wanted him to be closer to him and from then on, Tramp went willingly.
Apollo 1973-1991----------Dylan 1992-2004----------Tramp 2005-
Apollo 1973-1991----------Dylan 1992-2004----------Tramp 2005-
Honestly?
I think it encourages the dog to bite HARDER. Or to bite with absolutely no warning. I'm sure it does depend on the individual dog, though. I know I wouldn't push either of my dogs that far.
My dogs have never bitten me, or even growled at me. The most important part of our relationship is that I know them, their body language, their little idiosyncrasies... and that I know when they're feeling uneasy before they have to give any warnings. And that they trust me not to hurt them, and I trust them not to hurt me.
I'm definitely not implying that my dogs are perfect. They are nowhere near perfect. Gonzo has growled at pretty much every person that is close to him/my family, except for me. Fozzie has yet to growl at a person, but I can tell when he's uncomfortable just by his facial expression. Being that the rest of the world can be so scary, the last thing I want is for my dogs to be scared of me, or feel the need to defend themselves against me. I never, ever push them, so I suppose they naturally feel unthreatened when I NEED to do something they don't like (such as handle them when they're injured).
I think it encourages the dog to bite HARDER. Or to bite with absolutely no warning. I'm sure it does depend on the individual dog, though. I know I wouldn't push either of my dogs that far.
My dogs have never bitten me, or even growled at me. The most important part of our relationship is that I know them, their body language, their little idiosyncrasies... and that I know when they're feeling uneasy before they have to give any warnings. And that they trust me not to hurt them, and I trust them not to hurt me.
I'm definitely not implying that my dogs are perfect. They are nowhere near perfect. Gonzo has growled at pretty much every person that is close to him/my family, except for me. Fozzie has yet to growl at a person, but I can tell when he's uncomfortable just by his facial expression. Being that the rest of the world can be so scary, the last thing I want is for my dogs to be scared of me, or feel the need to defend themselves against me. I never, ever push them, so I suppose they naturally feel unthreatened when I NEED to do something they don't like (such as handle them when they're injured).
It's POSSIBLE the dog will just give up which could lead to a dog who hates the event but deals with it. OR the dog might realize it does not hurt and they end up coming to not be so afraid, they get your attention and it is not uncomfortable like they expected or it had been in the past (not likely if the dog has a serious Phobia and throws himself into a frenzy or starts biting without giving you a chance, for these dogs they end up MAKING the event unpleasant even if it's not really). What it might very well do is make the dog try other things. Worse case is the dog decides to really up the ante and full out attack you. He could also do barking, whining, running away, biting over and over, biting a little harder each time, biting somewhere else (like your face or directing at the brush), screaming etc. THEN they'd give up (but at that point you could be in seriously bad shape and would have probably let go) it's basically what the dog whisperer does when he Alpha rolls a dog and holds him until he stops trying to protect himself (not something I like). If the dog had a serious Phobia of being handled like that you may have ended up sensitizing him to the event and he'll be ten times worse next time you try even if he gave up at the end of the last session.
I would do what Corgipower said, positive association between brushing and food using small steps so the dog is never forced to defend himself and learns that brushing is not painful (and actually is a good thing) without making him panic before you even get a chance to show him it does not hurt.
As for me I've never been bit by any dog, Max never bit anyone and while Phoebe has quite the bite record (no broken skin) she never bit me, she trusts me and I never pushed her past her comfort zone and slowly I made her comfort zone larger (comfort with me doing these things anyway) so that I can pet her, brush her and handle her feet without being bit (she bites her owners for grooming and strangers for petting). She has actually never bit anyone while I was with her, I can read her, her owners can't so they don't know when to tell people to back off and they get nervous and angry with her.
I would do what Corgipower said, positive association between brushing and food using small steps so the dog is never forced to defend himself and learns that brushing is not painful (and actually is a good thing) without making him panic before you even get a chance to show him it does not hurt.
As for me I've never been bit by any dog, Max never bit anyone and while Phoebe has quite the bite record (no broken skin) she never bit me, she trusts me and I never pushed her past her comfort zone and slowly I made her comfort zone larger (comfort with me doing these things anyway) so that I can pet her, brush her and handle her feet without being bit (she bites her owners for grooming and strangers for petting). She has actually never bit anyone while I was with her, I can read her, her owners can't so they don't know when to tell people to back off and they get nervous and angry with her.
I'm trying to use treats to get Sadie to tolerate taking her meds, but basically I have to force her to do it, which is ruining our relationship. It's a liquid so I have to squirt it in her mouth. I give her treats before and after but she hates it
Nope. But Ruby is an extremely mouthy dog - everything goes in her mouth. Your hands, arms, hair, you name it - she'll put it in her mouth to get your attention. My husband lets her do it, but rarely does it to me - she's learned that anything of mom's that ends up in her mouth results in her choking or biting her own tongue
Thankfully no.
For a while Jack was very rough when taking treats (he has gotten better with us but I am still wary of having strangers give him treats--he get ultra excited about strange people feeding him) and nicked me a couple of times, but I guess I don't really count that as a bite.
Sally liked to play bite when we got her but we ended that quickly. We have very strict rules about dog teeth on human flesh during play. Even Jack didn't puppy bite for long (although that likely had more to do with him staying with his litter for 10 weeks then training).
Actually, I'm kind of surprised Jack has not bitten us. He's had various health issues that have required us to force him to stay still while we did things he clearly found unpleasant and/or painful. After his elbow surgery he had to have physical therapy exercises done on his legs that he did *not* want to stay still for--one of us had to hold him down while the other did the exercises.
More recently we have been dealing with an extremely stubborn ear infection. We have had to clean his ears twice a day and especially at first he would cry and cry while we did it, but he never tried to bite either of us. he hasn't even growled--he would moan sometimes at first, but that was it.
Actually, the only serious bite I've had from any of my animals was from my Standardbred gelding. It was what I suppose was redirected horse aggression. He was waiting at the gate to go in to eat and another horse that he disliked came rushing up behind him. He kicked at the other horse and bit me at exactly the same time, getting me in the boob.
It was really, REALLY painful. He bit me through a t-shirt and the shirt was not damaged, but I had a good sized wound there. He hadn't bitten into the skin as much as he had just torn it apart. I got a gigantic bruise too--it was the size of my entire hand. It hurt to sleep on my stomach for days and I had to wear a very supportive bra all the time for weeks. I still have a faint scare.
ETA: I think that horse related injuries get reported less for a couple of reasons. First of all, when a horse bites they rarely break skin. I've been bitten by a number of horses with varying degrees of severity and only twice has skin been broken--a bite from my old mare when I was a kid that only very barely broke the skin (no blood even), and the wound from my gelding. If they don't break skin, there is nothing to get infected or to have sewn up. Also, horses are not out in the general public as much as dogs are, so I think it's fair to say that the majority of horse related injuries occur to people who spend a lot of time around horses, and most of us have accepted that when you deal with horses you are bound to be bitten, kicked, stepped on, etc. At least in my area they don't report an animal injury unless it is a scratch or bite, so being kicked, stepped on, etc would not be something that would even be recorded against a particular horse.
In the county I grew up in though, they did take horse bites fairly seriously. When my mare broke the skin on my arm my mom was worried about tetanus and made me get a shot. The doctor was required to report the incident to Animal Control and the county made us quarantine Sheena in case she had rabies since we had not had her vaccinated for it. We had to stall her for 10 days to make sure she didn't start foaming at the mouth--out vet thought the whole thing was quite funny.....
For a while Jack was very rough when taking treats (he has gotten better with us but I am still wary of having strangers give him treats--he get ultra excited about strange people feeding him) and nicked me a couple of times, but I guess I don't really count that as a bite.
Sally liked to play bite when we got her but we ended that quickly. We have very strict rules about dog teeth on human flesh during play. Even Jack didn't puppy bite for long (although that likely had more to do with him staying with his litter for 10 weeks then training).
Actually, I'm kind of surprised Jack has not bitten us. He's had various health issues that have required us to force him to stay still while we did things he clearly found unpleasant and/or painful. After his elbow surgery he had to have physical therapy exercises done on his legs that he did *not* want to stay still for--one of us had to hold him down while the other did the exercises.
More recently we have been dealing with an extremely stubborn ear infection. We have had to clean his ears twice a day and especially at first he would cry and cry while we did it, but he never tried to bite either of us. he hasn't even growled--he would moan sometimes at first, but that was it.
Actually, the only serious bite I've had from any of my animals was from my Standardbred gelding. It was what I suppose was redirected horse aggression. He was waiting at the gate to go in to eat and another horse that he disliked came rushing up behind him. He kicked at the other horse and bit me at exactly the same time, getting me in the boob.
It was really, REALLY painful. He bit me through a t-shirt and the shirt was not damaged, but I had a good sized wound there. He hadn't bitten into the skin as much as he had just torn it apart. I got a gigantic bruise too--it was the size of my entire hand. It hurt to sleep on my stomach for days and I had to wear a very supportive bra all the time for weeks. I still have a faint scare.
ETA: I think that horse related injuries get reported less for a couple of reasons. First of all, when a horse bites they rarely break skin. I've been bitten by a number of horses with varying degrees of severity and only twice has skin been broken--a bite from my old mare when I was a kid that only very barely broke the skin (no blood even), and the wound from my gelding. If they don't break skin, there is nothing to get infected or to have sewn up. Also, horses are not out in the general public as much as dogs are, so I think it's fair to say that the majority of horse related injuries occur to people who spend a lot of time around horses, and most of us have accepted that when you deal with horses you are bound to be bitten, kicked, stepped on, etc. At least in my area they don't report an animal injury unless it is a scratch or bite, so being kicked, stepped on, etc would not be something that would even be recorded against a particular horse.
In the county I grew up in though, they did take horse bites fairly seriously. When my mare broke the skin on my arm my mom was worried about tetanus and made me get a shot. The doctor was required to report the incident to Animal Control and the county made us quarantine Sheena in case she had rabies since we had not had her vaccinated for it. We had to stall her for 10 days to make sure she didn't start foaming at the mouth--out vet thought the whole thing was quite funny.....
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Not true. IF a horse bites and means it they do a lot of damage. I am on a few horse forums and its surprising.
For example : Has anyone ever been bitten in the face by a horse - EMG Equestrian Community (keep reading.. more and more people step up to tell their stories)
now this is just from a primarily Ontario hunter horse board (a fairly active one at that) and just about bites to the face.
We are not talking about Dr. taking it seriously. (if you need part of your face stitched back on I would hope they take it seriously) I mean where are the headlines? "Standardbred Viscously Rips Off Girls Nose"? The media doesn't care. I have had a good friend killed by a mis behaving horse. That didnt' even make the local news.
The question is why when other domestic animals kill or injure more humans do only dog cases get the attention?
For example : Has anyone ever been bitten in the face by a horse - EMG Equestrian Community (keep reading.. more and more people step up to tell their stories)
now this is just from a primarily Ontario hunter horse board (a fairly active one at that) and just about bites to the face.
We are not talking about Dr. taking it seriously. (if you need part of your face stitched back on I would hope they take it seriously) I mean where are the headlines? "Standardbred Viscously Rips Off Girls Nose"? The media doesn't care. I have had a good friend killed by a mis behaving horse. That didnt' even make the local news.
The question is why when other domestic animals kill or injure more humans do only dog cases get the attention?
I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but in all the years I've been around horses I know of 3 cases where a horse has broken the skin. Twice it happened to me and an employee at the barn where I worked was bitten and gotten stitches. All the rest was bruising. I just don't think that horse bites break skin as often as dog bites do.
I think that it doesn't get the coverage because it simply is not that relevant to most people. Most people don't have that pony next door that chases their kids on their bikes every time they pass by. You don't have cases of stray horses packing up in neighborhoods and attacking the elderly.
People tend to care more about news that has some sort of baring in their lives, and while most people have little or no contact with horses, dogs are very much a part of daily life.
I think that it doesn't get the coverage because it simply is not that relevant to most people. Most people don't have that pony next door that chases their kids on their bikes every time they pass by. You don't have cases of stray horses packing up in neighborhoods and attacking the elderly.
People tend to care more about news that has some sort of baring in their lives, and while most people have little or no contact with horses, dogs are very much a part of daily life.
A dog bites a person when not running loose two provinces over from me.. how is that more relevant than someone in my own town is hurt by a horse?
Many dog bites don't break skin either. And a horse can do some damage with out breaking skin (I had a HUGE bruise on my shoulder from a horse bite.) Horse's teeth aren't pointy. Their bites have more of a crush effect.
You have been very lucky as have all the horse people you know. I have only been really been bit once by a horse (and it was an accident from the horse's POV) But I do know many people who have been. And if you take this thread for example in a very active dog community and compare it to the horse thread which is very specific and a smaller community...... The stats show that horses are far more dangerous to people than dogs (I can dig them out if you would like) Including bites (which is impressive as more horses tend to kick than bite)
Many dog bites don't break skin either. And a horse can do some damage with out breaking skin (I had a HUGE bruise on my shoulder from a horse bite.) Horse's teeth aren't pointy. Their bites have more of a crush effect.
You have been very lucky as have all the horse people you know. I have only been really been bit once by a horse (and it was an accident from the horse's POV) But I do know many people who have been. And if you take this thread for example in a very active dog community and compare it to the horse thread which is very specific and a smaller community...... The stats show that horses are far more dangerous to people than dogs (I can dig them out if you would like) Including bites (which is impressive as more horses tend to kick than bite)
wow! That brought back memories. There was a Saddlebred stallion here years back that bit a vets thumb clean off. IT was gross. I also had a 2 year old filly that bit me in the butt and lifted me right off the ground once. She was an amazing horse and ended up being my heart horse but the beginning was bumpy and bruisy. lol
I hope to never ever have those types of memories with my dogs.
Where I used to live and the stables I rode at and worked at injuries from horses would have been relevant. Four of the stables I was at were in county parks. At two of them, people could pet the horses that were in paddocks without even entering the part of the property allocated to the stables.
At one stable, we had signs everywhere telling people not to pet or feed the horses. Whenever we saw someone petting them, we'd speak to them telling them that they couldn't do that (did you see the signs?) and telling them that the horses do bite.
We'd have parents pick up their toddlers so the kids could get face to face with the horses and after we told them the horses bite, they would back up until we turned away. When they thought we weren't looking, they'd have their kid right there again in a horses face.
At one stable, we had signs everywhere telling people not to pet or feed the horses. Whenever we saw someone petting them, we'd speak to them telling them that they couldn't do that (did you see the signs?) and telling them that the horses do bite.
We'd have parents pick up their toddlers so the kids could get face to face with the horses and after we told them the horses bite, they would back up until we turned away. When they thought we weren't looking, they'd have their kid right there again in a horses face.
Yup, I run into that type of thing with the dogs as well and also the horses years ago. I couldn't help but wonder if the people were looking for a law suit. We used to have this one couple that would bring their new born baby to the humane society then visit with a Pit bull and they would have the pit bulls face all over the baby. I was shocked. How in the world did they know how a strange dog would react to a new born baby? What would a strange dog have done if that baby suddenly started to cry? Why did they always take the Pit Bulls? I just think they were looking for a law suit, I can't imagine what other reason they would do something so darn stupid.
When I used to train horses I can't tell you how many times someone would come with their children and we would catch them trying to sling their kid up onto a horse for a picture. I was like "Hey lady, that horse isn't even broke to ride!" They just didn't get it.