My dog bit me.....Help!!!?

Question

My dog is 4 years old. My sister brought her 2 dogs over for me to babysit for 2 days (1 is a puppy, and the other is old). I set out their food (3 different kinds). I gave my dog his food first, and then the other 2 dogs their food (All away from eachother). My dog ate 1/2 of his, and then went for the puppy's food. I told him to stop and went over to nudge him out of the food and he bit me. He bit me pretty hard on the forearm and then ate another bite and ran away. I didn't hit him because I was too concerned about my arm. (It really hurt!). This is the second time he has bitten me. He knows it was wrong and he's hiding. After about 10 minutes I called him over and scolded him. His tail is down and he knows he's in trouble. My question is......Should I be concerned about this? Should I keep him outside away from the other 2 dogs? How should I have handled this?

Answer 1

You should definately be concerned. It sounds like he is food aggressive - it doens't mean that he needs to be kept away from other dogs, unless he is showing aggression that you didn't mention. You might want to feed them him in a different room until you fix it, though.

I have fostered dogs for a shelter for a long time. I've only had 1 that was food aggressive, but this is what we did to stop it:

We gave her a food that she REALLY liked, so it was more likely to maker her aggressive (like wet food). My husband put her leash on and stood behind her with her leash taut (you can ask a friend or relative to do this if you don't live with someone). Get a broom or the lid of a large storage container - something to protect yourself with (don't worry, you won't hurt the dog).

Put the food in front of the dog and let him start eating it, then use the broom or lid, close to your body, to push the dog away and move in towards the food, stepping over it - until you are on top of the food and the dog can't get it. Don't pull the food towards you, push the dog away from the food. If the person holding the leash needs to pull back on the dog a little thats okay too. If he starts growling or nipping have the person holding the leash yank on it (giving the dog a warning, not hurting him). The leash also provides security in case the dog lunges, that person has a grip on the leash and its taut, so they can pull the dog back. Keep the food until the dog is calm and doesn't care that you have it. He should sit or lay down and not be growling or fixated on his food. Do this several times until you can take it away without him caring. It might take doing this several times a day for several days before it works.

Answer 2

When did he bite you the first time? Was it while he was eating? If it was then I would say he has food aggression. With the help from a behaviourist or a trainer you can correct this behavior.
It also could be his way of being more dominant over you. You also need to take steps in showing him that you are the Alpha. That too, can be done through proper training.
If he if fine with the other 2 dogs on an overall basis, they I don't think you need to keep them separated. I would however, keep them in different rooms at feeding time.

Answer 3

Dogs protect their food. Yes the dog needs to obey, but you also need to respect that it's an animal. Scolding the dog after 10 mins is too long. Don't have short memories, you need to get him right away. Depending on the size and age of the dog you can do submissive positions. Not harming the dog, but flip it on it's back and hold it down until it relaxes. This is one of the major ways of teaching a dog who's boss. Take some training classes, even if it's just PetsMart classes.

Answer 4

Honestly, your first mistake was letting him get away with it. Scolding him 10 minutes later accomplished nothing. You should have taken care of it right then. Also, I would be cautious. A dog biting (in a hurtful way) is not a good sign, and if he did it to you, the person that raise him, he will prolly do it again. Now, I'm not saying you can't fix this, but training, and action is in order. NEVER scold your dog minutes after it has done something. You always do it right then and there. I would either go and get some obedience training or maybe talk to a vet (they are always helpful). Good luck.

Answer 5

Put alcohol on the scratch or whatever. And your dog needs to be trained. You should have said NO firmly to the dog. Then he would of learned he is not supposed to bite you. Keep him away from the little dogs. You shouldn't be too concerned about this but make sure you do not allow your dog to do this.

Answer 6

O.K. the people out there who are saying he was being dominant over the puppy and/or you should just give your dog the food and back away are all very foolish.

Your dog's behavior is classic food aggression and an attempt to be dominant over YOU. It can NOT be allowed!
The problem with giving your dog its food and backing away because your dog WONT LET you take food from it is two fold. The fist issue is one of dominance and your ability to control your dog. In packs the pack leaders eat first and as much as they want and they leave the scraps for the rest of the pack. biting like he did is a natural way of correcting a lower pack member who has gotten out of line. You NEED to show your dog YOU are dominant over him (the fact that he ran off means that he isn't certain of your place in the pack, so it isn't hopeless. He "corrected" you and then 'thought' to himself oh crap! I might NOT be in charge) Next food aggression is a big problem for his own safety. You MUST be able to stop him and remove from him things he is eating that are not good for him.

Feed the 3 dogs separately and read up on food aggression!

Answer 7

I'm going to love the replies you get here. Especially the ones that will tell you that you have to show your dominance over the dog. I hope they give you their name and phone number, so if anyone or any other animal gets hurt you can sue them.

If your description is any where close to being accurate, you have a big problem on your hands.

You need to a professional look at this dog and determine what the problem is. By law, this dog should be quarantined and kept in a place where it cannot get loose, or out. PERIOD. NO EXCUSES.

IF this dog bites anyone else, it's YOUR fault. This is not a dog that isn't housebroken. That's a minor problem. This is TOTALLY unacceptable!

If I haven't made myself clear enough, YOU NEED PROFESSIONAL help here. There's a possibility the dog should be put down. Who cares about anything else?

In order to evaluate dogs such as this, the person needs to SEE the dog. They need to see how it reacts in its surroundings.

I have evaluated Rottweilers for Rottweiler rescue.
I have rehab these types of dogs and it can be DANGEROUS. This is not an area where people should be giving advice if they have never resolved this type of thing.

DO YOU WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING SOMEONE ADVICE AND THEN A CHILD GETS BIT?

Answer 8

Your dog is possessive over his food. That is not something that will just go away. When your dog bit you, you let him run off. That was a mistake. When your dog bites, he needs a VERY firm correction. Go to www.leerburg.com. A bite should never be tolerated. He is food aggressive. He is protecting his food. He wants his food, as well as the others food. Leerburg will give you plenty of advice on how to turn the situation around.

Answer 9

It's pretty much rule of thumb that you never physically interrupt a dog while they are eating to test their behavior. No matter how good your dogs normal behavior is, it is instinct for them to react the way he did, this is a normal pack response, he's displaying alpha behavior, over you. Not that that makes your arm feel any better. :) The best thing to do is completely separate the dogs when they are eating and try to keep him away from the puppy food, feed the puppy in a room that he can not access and when the puppy is finished eating take what ever is left of the food (if any) and put it out of reach.

Answer 10

I bring my puppy over my sister-in-laws and she also has a puppy. I never feed them in the same room or together. Its common for dogs to have food aggression towards other animals. Does he bite you just when try to feed him.. Have him sit I act like im eatting his food this is what the alpha dog does. Also i make him sit before i give him his food. hes not use to the other dogs,plus its a new food. his house so hes trynna be boss. just i would feed them alone in seperate rooms or the other 2 in one room and your dog in another.also scolding him after the fact isnt very good. He was hiding, i would ignore him for awhile give him no attention.scolding him is giving him attention attention is what he wants. hope this helps.Good luck!