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Hi. Today I was at another house in the backyard with my dog and some of my family. A close neighbor came by and my dog got weary and bit him on the back of the calf. It wasn't extremely hard, it didn't draw blood, but it was a bite none-the-less.
Now, she is about a 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix and has shown herding signs before. I'm not sure how much this is related to any sort of herding intstinct but I felt it may be relevant enough to mention. She has never bitten anyone before though she has bitten the wheels of the lawnmower that she didn't seem to like.
I'm very sure this wasn't a RANDOM bite without any sort of clear reason. I felt she didn't recognize him and for whatever felt threatened by him (he's a larger guy).
I don't condone ANY type of biting, but I am open to the idea that there are situations where a bite can be looked upon as something NOT being an act of an unstable temperment in a dog..ie, defending ones territory, feeling threatened, etc.
I am aware now that I must take measures to recondition her to understanding that this is NOT acceptable. At what point do you deem this to be a sign of unstable temperment or somewhat within the boundaries of a (for lack of a better term) justified bite? I'm open to all ideas, I'm trying to look at this objectively as possible in order to take appropriate measures as to how to fix this problem.
Any help is VERY much appreciated
Now, she is about a 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix and has shown herding signs before. I'm not sure how much this is related to any sort of herding intstinct but I felt it may be relevant enough to mention. She has never bitten anyone before though she has bitten the wheels of the lawnmower that she didn't seem to like.
I'm very sure this wasn't a RANDOM bite without any sort of clear reason. I felt she didn't recognize him and for whatever felt threatened by him (he's a larger guy).
I don't condone ANY type of biting, but I am open to the idea that there are situations where a bite can be looked upon as something NOT being an act of an unstable temperment in a dog..ie, defending ones territory, feeling threatened, etc.
I am aware now that I must take measures to recondition her to understanding that this is NOT acceptable. At what point do you deem this to be a sign of unstable temperment or somewhat within the boundaries of a (for lack of a better term) justified bite? I'm open to all ideas, I'm trying to look at this objectively as possible in order to take appropriate measures as to how to fix this problem.
Any help is VERY much appreciated