What makes a dog bite?

Question

My husband and I got a dog from the pound almost a year ago, and he has been a really good dog. He is a mix between a beagle an a shepard. He seems to have changed in the past week or two. He has been showing his teeth and growling at my husband and I. He is really good with my older son, he is not mean but avoids my younger son. Last night he started to go to the bathroom in the house so my husband put him outside to go. When he came back in he snarled at my husband and either scratched him with his nails or his teeth. My husband has never been scared of dogs and he has been around some mean dogs, he and even put him in his cage last night and was scared to pull him back out. The dog was nice to me last night so I am not sure if he is thinking I am the dominant one now so that is why he was mean to my husband. So we don't know exactly what we should do. I dont want to take my son's dog away but I dont want to risk my children being bit. If anyone can give me any advice, thank you.

Answer 1

Definately time for a vet check up. Sudden changes in behavior like you are seeing can be indicative of a medical problem. The sudden aggression and innappropriate elimination both point to a possible medical issue.

Have the vet check him out completely, including bloodwork. If there is a medical issue treating the medical issue should take care of the behavioral problems that have come from it.

Should your dog check out fine at the vet find a behaviorist in your area and start working with them to nip this issue in the bud right away.

NEVER stare at a dog showing aggression, this will only raise the level of aggression. Staring a dog in the eyes in a threat in the dog world and the dog WILL react.

Answer 2

You need professional help. Sudden changes in behavior are a medical red flag. Start with a trip to your vet for a full work-up. Pain can cause a dog to bite. So can a brain tumor causing neurological changes. Hypothyroidism (where the thyroid does not produce enough of a hormone that regulates the metabolism) most commonly is associated with unexplained weight gain and thinning hair coat but it DOES affect a pet's attitude/temperament and sometimes a change in attitude is the only symptom. Some of these conditions are easy to treat, while others are not treatable.

After a health clearance by a vet, you will need to decide if you want to keep the dog and work with his behaviors to make them better. If you do decide to work with him, you need to do so under the guidance of a professional trainer or behaviorist who has experience working with these kinds of problems. Your vet should be able to refer you to one in your area. DO NOT try to train this dog on your own! Dog bites are serious and aggression is dangerous, regardless of the size of the dog. Many of the methods used (both currently and in the past) can actually make the problem worse, especially if used improperly. You NEED a professional who knows what they are doing to show you how to implement the training.

The bottom line here is that, as much as you love him, he is still a dog and your family's safety HAS to come first. Aggression problems can be genetically based, and it is most likely not anything you or your family did wrong that brought out this behavior (especially with this sudden onset). If your dog bites someone the consequences will be horrific. You could end up with a child scarred (both physically and emotionally) for life or with a legal battle in which the dog looses his life and you have to pay large monetary fines. With the current attitudes towards dogs it is even possible for legal action to be brought against you and your husband if the dog bites one of your own children severely enough because you knew the dog was a danger.

If the vet clears any medical problems and you aren't willing to work with a professional trainer (or you choose to work with a trainer and after attempting behavior modification the trainer determines that the dog is still a threat to your family) then the only responsible option left will be to euthanize the dog. It is extremely difficult to make this decision about any pet (and even more-so when the pet is physically healthy) but it is far more humane for your dog than getting passed around from home to home until he is eventally destroyed for this problem anyway.

Answer 3

If your husband takes your dog out in the wilderness and spends a day with him out in the wild (kinda like camping) your dog will realize that this person has far greater "dominance" than anything in his surrounding. Your dog is becoming too complacent in the "home" and will become so domesticated he will be the next best thing to a lap dog. You have to open up new horizons for any animal to let their mind develop and not stagnate. You don't have to feed your dog to train him. Don't yell at him and don't spoil him. The dog is frustrated and the human is supposed to be smarter than the dog. Animals love to explore the wilderness and if your husband is the one to introduce your dog to "freedom" he will look at your husband with kinda like respect for the person who brings him closest to nature. If your husband is alone with the dog outside the dog will have to be his friend. unless your husband really doesn't like or care about the dog, the dog may never like him. It takes a lot of physical activity to cahnge this behavior. Dog psychology is easy, but the trainer can't be lazy. You can't train a dog from "sitting on the couch". But only you will know if your husband cares enough about the dog and his role in the family. Also you should be able to tell if the dog is "smart" and "stable" enough to train. And it's also good for him to take him for a long walk every day, so the dog thinks of him as the one who gives him his natural freedom. After a while he can do this without even talking to the animal, and hubby will be the dogs best friend.

Answer 4

If you have had this dog for almost a year, and he is suddenly becoming aggressive - there is something going on with this dog, and he needs to see a vet.
You should not wait in taking him in, if he is in some sort of pain, his actions could be severe, and he may actually hurt someone (perhaps one of your kids). I wouldn't fool around with this. If you can't find a problem physically - remove the dog from the home. It's not worth someone being injured!

Answer 5

the dog might be suffering some somthing that is making it do this. I would take it to the vet straight away, keep it away from the kids. Lots of excresice might help in the short term.. Prepare yourself for giving the dog up, you can't take chances! We had a boy outside of our house bitten by a (what seemed to be) friendly dog and he had to get plastic surgery on his lips

Answer 6

Dog from a pound, origins unknown, temperament also unknown.... This dog is fast becoming a liability and you have to make a decision as to what is more important, your family's safety or the dog!
Choose wisely, you can get another dog, family, not so easily!!

Answer 7

" I don't want to take my son's dog away but I don't want to risk my children being bit" so what is it a great financial contributor to the household. humans before animals has kept me from being put on a pedestal with a pet. train it or get rid of it you'll be glad you did.

Answer 8

Since you are unsure of why your dog is acting this way, you will best benefit from seeking out a trainer who is experienced in dog behavior. They will help you learn how to handle this situation and will be able to give you advice first hand.

Answer 9

Maybe when you walk up to him to him its like a GIANT coming with fists as big as dinnerplates.Just Walk to him eye 2 eye to Make him calm. I learned that at Dog whisperer on channle 66.It maybe on today at around 12.....

Answer 10

ur kids will be fine, a dog bite isnt going to hurt them especially if its part beagle, its prob kind of small, if my shiba gets mad, she bites me and my brother, just wait, u will learn what makes it mad and learn its peronality, my dog is like a little person, i know what she likes and i know what makes her mad