Dog Bites - People Giving Advice?

Question

I am truly amazed at the number of people on this site that are willing to offer solutions to stopping dogs from biting.

Teaching a dog to sit, or to come. Not a big issue if you get this screwed up.

Doing the wrong thing when it comes to solving a dog that is biting, especially one that is biting humans is an ENTIRELY different situation. You make an error an you could have a dog that is MORE likely to bite.

How would you feel if you gave someone advice on this site, and then found out a couple of days later that the person had taken your advice and NOW the dog just bit a 3 year old and the child has to get 40 stitches?

For those of you who are offering this advice, why do you feel it is necessary to delve into a situation that is potentially VERY dangerous?

BTW. I've taught obedience for 30+ years and I am EXTREMELY cautious what type of advice I give in these situations.

Answer 1

Welcome to YA, where common sense seems to be in short supply and because of this animals suffer and sometimes even people do.
Sometimes the types of answers that are given on this site are absolutely ridiculous and just ignorant. You are absolutely correct, people should not offer solutions to aggressive dog problems over the internet, that is a problem that HAS to be and NEEDS to be evaluated, in person, by a very knowledgeable trainer. Some of the answers here on YA are just plain dangerous.
I think people watch too much TV these days, particularly the show, The Dog Whisperer. Since that show has started everyone thinks they are experts in dog behavior and their problems.
Hey, if you think the dog bite questions are bad, just wait til you see the answers on sick dogs and pay attention to all the self called vets and vet techs we have gracing these boards.

Answer 2

Eh, if you ask questions on a web forum best left to professionals, or if you don't want to listen to a suggestion with consequences you don't like (PTS), then you get what you get. I occassionally will tell people to either get their dog(s) away from their child, or to have it evaluated. Even so, I know a lot of dogs, and none would viciously bite without serious provocation, and some would never bite. If I can tell a person is actually interested in living with the situation, and doesn't have children, then I'll give some advice such as containment or serious training. Further, I think owners, if they're interested in keeping the dog, need to be forthright about the situation. The only owner of a biting dog (large GSD) I know has him wear a 'do not pet' vest any time he's in public, and he's meticulously trained. She's honest about the situation, and they're both able to live with it.

Answer 3

I don't think I've ever given this type of advice before. If my dog bit someone, my following actions would depend on the situation in which the bite happened. Was it accidental, was the dog scared, was the dog provoked, was the dog being violent for no apparent reason? My actions would range from working to restabilish alpha status to rehoming the dog to actually putting the dog down. In my opinion, the reasons why the dog has bitten are important, and I honestly believe that there are some reasons that are relatively easy to fix, some that can be fixed but not by me, and some that can't be fixed at all.

ETA: Hey, I think I just saw the question that prompted you to ask this one. Yikes! First, I'm amazed that question was asked here (actually, more dismayed than surprised). Second, I'm shocked at some of those answers. As I stated previously, I've never given dog-biting advice, and I most likely never will, but apparently quite a few people consider themselves qualified for it.

Answer 4

To tell you the truth I have not seen too many questions on that unless you are talking about puppies (7 weeks to about 16 weeks or so) that are teething and learning the appropriate way to play. That to me is very different than an older dog biting a person.
As I have also noted in another post most people who give good advice around her suggest you hire a professional first and then go on to give a bit of advice that might help for the time being. They stress that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and needs to be taken care of when you are talking of an older dog biting most people are very adamant about getting a trainer.

I don't know where you live but there are trainers who actually make dogs worse by thinking that they have a cure all method or by mistreating the dog saying that you have to force him to behave by scaring him. So I believe that if you are going to hire a professional that it would be good to get some advice on what kind of trainer to look for.

Answer 5

Lisa is absolutely right. I have a dog who bites, and no, I did not ask friends, family or strangers what to do about it-I immediately went out and hired a professional. This is not the responsibility of the people who give advice on this site-it is solely the responsibility of the dog owner, who shouldn't be on this site asking questions about serious biting.
On the other hand, I see alot of questions about puppy biting, which is a socialization thing, and I have also seen some great advice about it. Puppy biting is not usually serious and if handled correctly, the puppy will learn that this is not allowed.

Answer 6

Yes i understand what your saying, i have a husky and he has bit once in the past - it was a situation where our dog was being attacked by another dog and its owner came to retrieve her dog (Which was leadless!) and attempted to stroke our dog after the event which led to our dog biting her - he was so wound up and i would never attempt to stroke someone elses dog especially not with the hand coming down on the head motion.. Our dog is so good natured dog and i wouldnt have believed he would have done that, but the situation arose and he chose what to do - which proves that you can never trust a dog even a trained dog you cant be responsible for other peoples actions towards youre dog, we have muzzeled our dog since this when we walk out in public - ps and our dog was took to obedience training - you cant know a dogs mind even if he is taught well

Answer 7

You completely correct. I shudder each time I see someone giving advice about just this type of situation. I'm not qualified to give advice about this and will say so but I do recommend that a professional be brought in to evaluate the situation. Especially if it's an older dog. Puppy mouthing is totally different situation and can be corrected simply with the correct training and perseverance of the new owners.
Other than that a professional is called for.

Answer 8

You must be new around here, welcome aboard. Advice here is freely dispenced by all sorts of people who, obviously, have no clue as to what a real dog is or what it can do. I have read, with horror, stories and advice given out on how to Alpha roll a 200 pound dog to a woman, stories on the latest fashion accesories for your "fur baby", stories on police and sport dog training, etc. Look at my questions going back a few months, I had one, just like yours removed because I dared question the veracity of some of the advisors. You know, I have been around this game for 27 years, most of them spent in a work dog environment and it upsets me to no end that people here, will come out of the woodwork to answer all sorts of moronic questions, but, ask a serious training question and you will get 2 answers. That tells you about the REAL knowledge of some folks on YA.
There are exceptions to this rule and without naming names, you will recognize them by the quality of their answers.
Welcome aboard and good luck to you.

Answer 9

I agree. With my experience I believe that I am qualified to help people with most biting problems, but only if I am actually able to observe the dog and people and situation involved. There are too many possible variables to attempt to solve this kind of problem over the internet with strangers.

Answer 10

I agree. As a rescue, I have to carry millions of dollars in liability insurance and my premiums are insane. If I ever have a claim, I'll get cancelled. I can't take a chance with a biter, nor would I ever knowingly take one into my rescue with a bite history.

Meanwhile nice dogs are euthanized everyday that would never consider biting anyone.

People should realize that they can and will be sued for anything in our litigious society. Sometimes the best option is euthanizing the dogs as there is no magic. Unfortunately no one wants to hear that.