Would anyone care to comment on the answer to my previous quiz concerning dog#1 and dog#2?

Question

Most of you were correct.. Dog#1 15 votes, dog#2 13 votes
It was dog#1 who attacked his owner bit her on the face, and left severe gashes on her lower lip. It was not because he was abused or in pain or afraid, it was because his owner misinterpreted his signals and neglected to address or recognize his food aggression. The dog had a rawhide bone which his owner gave him, then she attempted to play a game with him using the rawhide like a stick...she bent forward to snatch the bone playfully from the dog and he jealously attempted to protect his bone by crouching and growling over it... she froze and then he lunged at her face and grabbed her bottom lip leaving 2 deep torn gashes which left some scars. Luckily she was not seriously maimed, she did keep the dog and admit her fault. Although never violently or physically abused dog#1 had been poorly trained and became aggressive with food because his owner did not spend the time to train him she was too busy with school and friends.

Incidentally after the attack the dog was then chained outside and neglected horribly until I moved in and brought him inside and re-trained him because his food aggression was worse by then since she forgot to feed him often out on his chain. Dog#2 was owned by the boyfriend of dog-owner#1, I lived in the house with dogowner#1 and #2 and the 2 dogs that was how the dogs came to live in the same house. The dogs got along excellently and never fought, dog#2 is way too easy going for that he in fact helped tremendously to alter the disposition of dog#1 because of his non-confrontational attitude. His owner didnt go to school and had the time to take the dog with him everywhere, to parties, friends houses, coffee shops etc. Even though dog#2's several other previous owners hadnt done anything with him and locked him up for chewing, he learned enough from his permanent owner to be well-adjusted, well-trained and highly socialized with people, dogs, cats etc.

Dog#2 is not aggressive over food at all nor other dogs or people.Dog#1 is still aggressive over treat items and toys but has been trained to a manageable level.

Well I no longer live with the dog but he also was aggressive over just his kibble, in the time I lived there I was able to cure that part and most of the toy aggression but it is not my dog and now lives with the owners parents who know nothing about dog training but know how to manage with the training I did have time to give the dog.

he is perfectly fine as long as no one tries to forceably take a bone or toy away from him.. you can make him drop it and leave it and retrieve it after but you just cant grab it out of his mouth.

Answer 1

Very interesting case study. You probably could have included the info about it being a case of resource guarding. But it was an interesting experiment.

I like that with the info you gave, the dog with the greatest number of risk factors was not the biter. It shows that socialization can overcome a lot of potential negatives.
Socialize, socialize, socialize!

Answer 2

Wouldn't the best thing for Dog #1 be to train him/her completely out of the food agression? It's not hard as I did it with my rescue dog. He had been severly neglected and had to put on almost 10kg to be a healthy weight, he had been beaten to within inches of his life and rarely fed because, and I quote, "his owner didn't feel like it". He came out of it with severe food agression and after five incidences such as the one above, I am now able to place hy hands in his mouth while eating, take anything from him and he has no reaction except to pause, lick my hand then go back to eating. Don't just stop because it's manageable, keep going until it's gone. If you leave it at manageable it will rear its ugly head again and again, and each time it does it will get worse and worse, until he or she has to be euthanised, which i'm sure no-one wants. My first rescue had to be euthanised because of this reason, I trained her to a manageable level and cautioned her new family and explained how to treat her around food, apparently she got worse again with her new family (I had them stay with me for a week to see how it was done) she was fine at first, then started again. She ended up mauling a four year old who was visiting running around in the yard and went too close to her while she was eating. I'm on my third rescue dog at the moment.

Answer 3

i would have to say yes its wasn't the dogs intention to hurt the owner but it was the owners fault that she did not take the time or the effort to train the dog right. getting a dog is like taking care of a 2 year old kid. if you let the kid run around and do what ever he wants thats how he will act for the rest of his life. but if you scold him for doing bad things, over time they will learn whats right and whats wrong. having a dog isn't easy at first but if you take time to work with the dog then later on the dog will be easier than pie to take care of

Answer 4

I think the dog is lucky you came around. I wish you could have taken him with you! though it sounds like the boyfriend is probably helping out a lot. I think it's sad that someone 'smart' enough to be a straight A student could leave a thinking, feeling creature outside on a chain and FORGET to feed him. She doesn't deserve that dog. Or that boyfriend, for that matter.

Answer 5

I didn't see this earlier but I am a member of a SPCA. Usually the problem with dogs is the owner and lack of training and care. We have saved with many dogs that are considered "vicious breeds" and have been mistreated but with training, care, and trust you can remove their food from them with NO problems.. A dog that will bite the face of his owner is a problem. If he attacks someone else, the owner will and should go to jail. If you do not have the time to spend on your pet, do NOT get one. They deserve better. It is obvious what the dog thinks of his owner to everyone. It is a shame and criminal. If she still does not care for her dog properly, she should find it a good home where it will be loved and treated properly.

Answer 6

This sounds rotten but I would have put dog#1 down...It will always be aggressive and may even hurt a child someday. If a dog will bite its owner, it wont think twice about doing it to someone else. Dog #2 don't sound bad but it needs to go to obedience school for "fine tuning"

Answer 7

It amazes me how many people picked dog #2 because of his breed. I work at a vet clinic and I have been bitten by small dogs som many times that I have lost count and I have only been bitten by a large breed once (it was a Lab that had absolutly no training or manners).

Answer 8

Lots of details but still not sure what you are asking?

Answer 9

the answer to your queston is...