My dog bit me. Does this mean that I have to get rid of him?

Question

My children & I were eating dinner when our 3 year old Malamute went into the kitchen and started eating chicken out of the pan on the stove. I went into the kitchen and told him no in a deep voice, while pointing at him. He growled and bit me on the wrist. The bite is very small and not deep, but I have never seen him show aggression like that (he growls on occassion, but NEVER snaps or bites). He is a part of our family and we love him very, very much. He has always been the sweetest dog in the world, but as a mother I am concerned that he will be aggressive with my kids in the future. Any advice?

Thanks for the great answers so far! WaterGoddess, I got him from the pound, so I know how sad & lonely those places are. I would never take him there. Obedience training seems to be where I am leaning.

Answer 1

You need to talk to an animal behaviorist--there should be dog training places in the phone book or you can call the humane society, they run classes on dog behavior.

A family dog should be able to have his food taken away without showing aggression, and even though Malamutes are very strong willed dogs, he should be granting you pack leader status and allowing you to take it. Fighting over food or toys IS a concern, even if he barely nicked you, he shouldn't have growled at all or made a snap. Call one of the places in the phone book and discuss this behavior and ask what you can do about it. They're trained in dog body language and can help you get him desensitized to food and toys.

Answer 2

Well first of all he bit you on the wrist because he wanted the food more than anything, I don't think you should get rid of him, but watch him when he's around your kids at all times. When you're not there with your kids, keep him AWAY from the kids.
Second of all, show him who is boss! While there's dinner on the counter our while you're cooking, or eating, give him a command "Out of the kitchen", or depending where you eat, if you eat in a serperate room, just "Out" for a command, that way he'll know the type of flooring and know, I should not be in here.
Unless biting occurs again I'd say no, don't get rid of him, he's a good dog he just needs to know who is the boss of the house, he thinks he's the Alpha of the house, he needs to know that you are.
You can show him alot of ways, but yelling or hitting is not an option, and I know you know this. :)
Make sure your kids know the command "Out" and when to use it too, if they're getting something from the fridge like a sandwich. :)

Hope this helps, my dog used to be the same way. Just take the command to him slowly, let him take his time.

Answer 3

I would for sure feel like getting rid of the dog but then I would try to get some behavioral training to see that it doesn't happen again, but I also would not let the dog near children anymore and I would feel so bad and keep apologizing. I would never say it's the kids fault. No dog should just bite someone for petting them. :( I think your kids great grandkids should just not go to her house anymore if she refuses to take responsibility for the dog.

Answer 4

I know who is in charge in your "pack." The Malamute is. No dog should ever growl at it's owner, let alone bite. If you love him he needs discipline just like any child. Get a trainer in to help you ASAP. Obedience training is in order to show him you are "Leader of the Pack."

Answer 5

I have had dogs for 15 years and have only been bitten by them a couple of times but the main time I remember being bitten is trying to take a chicken bone away that my dog took from the garbage, im sure it had meat on it to but i didnt want him to choke and he growled and snapped at me. Ive come to find that when dogs get a hold of real meat-stuff that we eat, they realize that they arent eating kibble anymore and once their mouth juices are flowing you cant take it away anymore. They are just animals-one generation away from being wild. Iwouldnt worry to much about the safety of tour kids however Iunderstand your concern, Iwould keep an eye on the dogs temperment and make sure that you can still take his kibble away from him without him getting upset. you are the master, so if you want to take his food you should be able to. Unfortunately with the chicken-that i think is to much like the ultimate meal that a wild animal would have and you couldnt take that away from any animal i dont think.

Answer 6

It was over food. So training. And growling is a NO! NO! Growling is a waning to the biting.
But do not give him to someone that can not do anything for him. Because it always goes wrong. He will then be better off put to sleep.

Answer 7

you need to gain your dominance from the dog and show him/her you are the alpha dog email the dog whisper (not joking either) If a dog growls he will bite as well but all animals bite-- You say you got him from the pound so he probably wasnt treated right or trained for people to go near the dog while eating.. good luck

Answer 8

Depending on the breed and the dogs temperment it can be very unwise to interupt a dog when it is eating. Malamutes are a harder to train dog than a lot of other breeds. They also tend be more indipendent. Check with your vetrenarian. Maybe there is a physical reason for the aggresion. Maybe you need to go to a trainer. Regardless, be very careful about having your children or strangers around this dog before finding out what is going on and correcting the problem. Good luck. It can be devistating having an animal that you love and are also fearful of.

Answer 9

Where would you "get rid of him" to? A pound? Have you ever been inside a pound? Dogs and cats rarely get adopted from these places. And add aggressive dog to his name plate and you might as well kill him yourself. No, don't get rid of him. Train him. Has he been to any training classes past puppy training, if that? Petsmart has a cheap training program for dogs basic level and up. Or find another dog trainer thourgh your vet or the yellow pages. When the dog is better trained then he should act better.

Answer 10

Did you beat his *** down to the ground for it? I'm not saying you should but if you didn't, you can bet he knows you're scared he'll do it again. So, he knows its an option to bite you. That is the worst behavior a dog can do. My dog would never let his teeth touch me unless I commanded him to.
If i had a decent size dog and it bit me and drew blood, it would be put down within 24 hours and I love dogs so that's saying a lot. You don't want to see your kid get bit or someone else that might sue you.
At least give the dog to the humane society or to someone who can handle an aggressive dog.