My Doberman might attack someone again and it wont be his fault NEED ADVICE?

Question

My 5 year old Doberman Nitro attacked a 3 year old child ..This child ran up with out warning and started pulling on My son(Nitro) tail and Nitro defended him self and bit the kid causing 25 stitches and my dog was put in quarantine for 10 days and was then released to me.now i am being harassed to put my dog down I WILL NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN Even if the authorities forced me to i would put him in hiding........ thank god that isn't the case..because my dog only bit one time ...Dogs are allowed three strikes.... but most stupid dog owners who had a dog that bit usually volunteer to put their dog down right after the 10 day quarantine HOW DISGUSTING
ANYWAY>>>>
How can i get these stupid people to stop harassing me
...........My dog wants to attack them .....Help

Answer 1

put signs all over your yard

NO TRESPASSING
TRESPASSERS WILL BE BITTEN

let him out in the yard (only if he doesn't go out of the yard) to bite people! that's what they get for being on your property. they have no business on your property. press charges on anyone who comes into your yard - including the 3 year old. the parents should have been watching her.

ONE BITE means the kid probably scared the poor baby. i'd bite, too, if i were a dog. since i'm a full grown adult, i would punch and kick , and the kid would be DEAD or at least SEVERELY hurt. just ask my husband who walked up on me while i was doing dishes and ended up in the hospital for 3 nights.

Answer 2

Without a location of the incident (your yard, your enclosed yard, your neighbor's yard, etc.), I'll refrain from HARSH judgement against the neighbors, which is incredibly tempting from the onset. So I'll simply leave it that it is a PARENT'S responsibility to observe their small children at ALL times, and to be right with their children or even better, holding their children, when their child has ANY interaction with an animal, whether it be a Chihuahua or a St. Bernard (or a Doberman, as the case may be).

Our pets have NO way other than by barking, whining or lashing out with their teeth to let us know their feelings. In the instance of a tug on the tail, it could have been extreme pain. If someone had walked up and given a swift tug on the 3-year-old's hair, I'm certain no one would hasten to say that the 3-year-old was at fault for the incident.

Since you have not mentioned it in the post, I have no way of knowing what methods you take to protect your animal from this behavior. But judging from the fact that you're even posting your anger over this situation, I would guess you are a pretty concientious dog-owner who is making an attempt to keep your animal safe from such situations.

I wish people would GROW UP and not let poor parenting or adult's disregard for animals become the responsibility of the animal. This has always been one of my great pet peeves, also.

Answer 3

That is a tough question....I love animals but I want to be honest here, your animal did not use good judgement attacking a 3 year old that way, and YOU did not use good judgement by not being on top of the situation from the start.
Now that this has happened you need to DO SOMETHING as opposed to doing nothing...your dog has shown he can hurt a child and is not affraid to do so. This is a SERIOUS dilema and I cant say I blame your neighbors for being scared of the dog.

Now it is time to show your neighbors your on top of things by letting them know your either:
A)using a leash restraint(s)
B) putting up extra security like fence(s)
C) going to doggy or obidience school for training

All of this will look better to a judge too should something like this happen again, it shows you are trying to be a responsible owner of this animal. Lets face it, animals are unpredictable, and if your animal did it 3 times....what would you do then? I would not want my animal to be put down either...but clear boundrys and rules need to be set. If your Neighbors still harass you after you make efforts to ensure this wont happen again, I guess your only other options are to move....wait until your neighbors move....
Good Luck!

Answer 4

I have had 5 Dobermans grace my life and happily I can say none have ever bitten anyone.

Honestly, your "My dog wants to attack them" comment worries me. It sounds as though you don't take the situation seriously -- nor are you willing to take any responsibility (even a tiny bit) for what happened.

There are six common reasons why dogs bite. They are:

Dominance aggression - This is where the dog believes that he is in charge - that his humans have not earned the status to tell him what to do. Members of the dog's human family are most often the victims. This doesn't appear to apply in your situation.

Protection of valuables - A dog's list of valuables can include food, toys, territory (a house or a car) or even their human family members. Early training and lifelong management are the only solutions for dogs with natural "protective" natures. This may potentially apply to your situation -- clearly a dog's tail is valuable to them. But -- have you taught your dog to handle his protective nature properly? Do you work it daily?

Fear aggression - This is most often directed toward strangers. Veterinarians learn early in their careers: when in doubt, muzzle. Like people, dogs are naturally fearful of unfamiliar and potentially threatening situations. A dog raised in a quiet adult household will be distraught by noisy, fast-moving youngsters. The dog may bark and lunge to drive them away and deliver a stinging nip to children who do not heed the warning. Sounds like this may have been the case in your situation. One has to ask if Nitro has been socialized around children at all. Again, something only YOU can do.

Maternal aggression - The first two to three weeks after a female dog gives birth, her puppies rely on her for all they need to survive: warmth, nutrition, stimulation to prompt elimination and protection. Given your dog is male, this wouldn't have applied.

Redirected aggression - An attempt by a human to break up a dog fight is the most common scenario for this category of biting. Again, doesn't apply to your situation.

Pain-induced aggression - ANY dog can bite if hurting, depending on the degree of pain. Like us, each dog has a unique pain threshold and tolerance. This may apply to your situation resulting from the tail being pulled.

Pestered beyond limits aggression - Bites in this category are often prompted by children (or adults) who simply don't understand that even a dog has limits. Hug a sleeping dog, blow puffs of air in his face, put a rubber banded knee-sox on his nose to turn him into an "elephant dog," ride him like a pony, stuff him inside a pillowcase just to see if he'll fit, poke, prod, tickle him, and sooner or later, the dog will say "NO!" the only way he knows how - through a bite. Again, may have applied to your situation.

Bottom line -- there are three keys to bite prevention: learn to understand canine behavior, take the time to socialize and train all dogs - the younger the better - and teach children to respect all dogs. With this accomplished, there is no telling how low bite statistics can go. But sadly -- and all too often -- the humans involved are just too lazy to step up and do what's necessary. Do you fall into this category?

Given that you also posted a question entitled "My dog bit me .....Please read?" this isn't the first time Nitro has shown dominance. You clearly have a training issue -- and are a poster child for people who should not have a Doberman.

Answer 5

Training training training....This dog may get leery of any child around and attack without provocation. Then, not only would the dog be put down...you end up in jail.
If you ever take the dog out for walks you are responsible to ensure the publics safety.
I suggest you purchase a 10 dollar muzzle for walks and a use a harness rather than a collar.....a harness would give you better control.

Answer 6

Unfortunately for you,we live in a man's world and animals and pets are viewed as inferior creatures that must conform to our way of life and not vice-versa.
As the owner of the dog you bear the legal responsibilities for your dog's actions and this means that you could potentially be faced with hefty fines and/or civil liability action if your dog bites again. Even if your dog is provoked, someone who gets bitten by your dog could sue you and claim that because the dog has bitten before, it is negligent of you to not have muzzled the dog.

Answer 7

I am really sorry but your dog seems to be vicious. I own 2 dogs and have had my dog NIP at a child because he was trying to climb our chain link fence. i felt so bad. But i have since not let him around kids. You need to keep control of your dog and put him in a separate room when people are around because they will put him down if he bites someone else,and of course you do not want him to hurt anyone else. I hope everything works out 4 the best. My dogs are my babies. and it would kill me to have to put one of them down because of my mistake.

Answer 8

this place seems to be full of NEGLECTFUL PARENTS. press charges on the 3 year old for the dog. the kids parents SHOULD have been watching it. and taught it not to bother dogs.

i have a maltese (all of 4 pounds) who bit the finger off of a man who put his hand into my car. he tried to press charges on me. the judge looked at him and said "case dismissed. " looked at me and asked if i would like to press charges on him for putting his hand in my vehicle and causing undo stress to my dog. (he had come with his entire family - including his 2 year old granddaughter) i said "no. maybe he'll learn to teach his grandchildren not to go near dogs without permission". the judge LAUGHED his head off. (so much he had to ask for a potty break!)

Answer 9

You have my full sympathy. Often it's the negligence of the parents that lead to an accident. A dog is a 'person' and when his space is violated he has every right to defend himself. Of course I do not condone the attack on the child, but at the time, the dog must be accepted for what he is, a dog, and it is the job of the parents to keep a child away from a big dog.
If the harassment continues, you might consider moving elsewhere with your dog. Good luck.

Answer 10

I don't agree with the child running up and yanking on your dogs tail that was really rude, however I think your neighbors would be happy if you were to get your dog some form of training that would help control himself when it came to dealing with stupid people and their children, along with the training the chances of this happening again would be smaller and therefore you wouldn't have to worry about the three strike law.
Good luck