I warned the person to stay back. Dog Bite - need help! (Xebby)

rwbeagles

well, I am cautious soul...so I would muzzle him in public. Because the alternative (idiots getting bitten) has the most possibility of ending badly for my dog. First thing I would do is familiarize myself with the Dangerous Dog laws in effect in your area and see which if any apply here. Your neighbor may be a nice guy, now...but that could change, or he could talk about it with his Mom or Uncle who can report it for him. HE does not have to report it, for your dog to be affected. I like muzzles because they send a CLEAR message of "do not approach not friendly. And even idiots can tell that. It's great knowing everything is up to date but I would definitely keep this dog's interaction with an uncontrollable environment to a MINIMUM until you have this worked out. Obedience is fine and all but you cannot control the people around you with 'sit" and "watch me". Personally I'd be getting him acclimated to a muzzle because at the end of the day if another person is an idiot even in a public place...your dog will be the one who pays if things go wrong.

 

In addition to muzzling him, which I would consider, I've seen some dogs in harnesses, and one of the trainers where we go to flyball classes has one, that say something to the effect of, "ask to pet." One of the dogs we walk with regularly gets muzzled sometimes because he can't be trusted around some dogs. He's actually fine with Luke.

This is what I've found about the PA Dog Bite Law

http://dogbitelaw.com/statutory-strict-liability-state/pennsylvania.html

I really don't understand what this is saying actually, but perhaps someone else can interpret.

A friend of mine used to have a reactive, nippy dog and he would wear a head halter like a Gentle Leader.  A lot of people assume it's like a muzzle and avoid the dog.  If they don't, she said it gave her way more control over the dog's head and mouth.  Even if the dog is wearing a muzzle, it can still lunge on a normal leash/collar and attempt to bite (and in a dog's mind, making that contact is the same as biting, hence why muzzle work is popular for training working K9s).  You have to protect people from the dog but also consider what is going through the dog's head when these incidents happen and work through that long term.

I spoke to two different trainers today.

One suggested I cut his hair around his face and body so I could read him better. Said that all long haired dogs should be groomed short. I don't know about that. I knew he was not himself before the bite happened, he gave me clear signals that this was not a good situation. I warned the person not to pet him. It was the person who moved in that I had no control over. I am wondering if I should seek out a different trainer who know the breed better rather than generalizing dogs?

Other trainer who is my friend who also suggested the head halter when I walk him since many people think it is a muzzle anyway. Also said I would have more control over his head. She gave me good advice but this really isn't an area that she would be abel to help me in the way I need it.

One thing I really do think is affecting this is my own mental state. I am a little unbalanced right now. Not to get personal but my boyfriend has been hospitalized, I just started a second job and switched hours at my current job. Even though Logan has not been with me long he would know things in the home are not stable. In the last week or so I haven't been able to work with him as much and have slacked on our training and walks. The way he is acting right now seems to be reflecting how I am feeling. Maybe I am just reading into that too much but it really does coincide with recent events.

If it were me I wouldn't trim him, especially since you already had that "vibe".  Just trust your own instinct.  For me this is hard because I'm generally very nice and accommodating, I don't like getting in someone's face and insisting "no", but just be committed to being your dog's advocate and I think your instinct is correct.  Now that you are aware of his behaviors, you can start working with him so that it doesn't come to having to read his face at all.  I think the goal would be to have him view strangers as neutral, rather than learning to read his face for signs of discomfort or aggression.

I think it's very possible the tension you are feeling is affecting him.  For now it may be best to spend one on one time with him until things are more stable for you, and then you can start to be more proactive about Logan.  Who knows he may just be a dog that doesn't tolerate stranger interaction and would prefer to stay home and play with you. 

I definitely believe that dogs have a way of "reading" us, as much as we think we're the ones reading them.  If when your neighbor approached, you were tense because of the previous experience with the woman at your fence, Logan probably picked up on that and reacted.  I think this because in my SDA protection training we have an exercise called "friendly greeting".  You must perform this at the beginning and again at the end of all protection trials.  Basically the dog is in a sit and the decoy comes out of a blind walking very purposefully (but not threateningly) toward you and he comes right up to you and shakes your hand with the bitesuit literally brushing the dog's face (in real life, the way they do this would be an invasion of personal space, but they are intentionally pressuring the handler and dog without a direct threat).  The dog may not react.  I've found that with my dog, if I tense up worrying about whether he will react to the decoy, he does react.  If I greet the decoy with friendly chatter and relax, my dog sits there.  Of course this is in the context of protection work, so the dog is already more likely to react to a perceived threat based on a lot of environmental cues, but I've discovered that with my dog, the most important thing I can do to pass this exercise perfectly is relax, not tense on the leash, and greet the decoy before he is in my space reaching for my hand (this is allowed in trial, I just say "Oh hi there decoy man, how are you today?" and reach my hand out to him).  My dog is reading me much more than he's responding to a sit/wait command.

Be careful to not look for excuses for this behavior or chalk it up to your own stress transfering to the dog as the reason for the behavior. Remember that the dog was reported to have a history and also remember that you weren't likely to see it until the honeymoon period is over. You should treat this as it will happen again, not that it is an isolated incident. Shortening the hair around the face might not be such a bad idea. Not for you per say but for other people to be able to read the signs. That might not change the outcome though, who knows. People don't tend to read the signs unless there is a clear growl or something.

Hopefully you can find a trainer to help. Have you checked youtube? There have been several stranger reactive dogs in my control unleashed classes and those dogs did well. Might be worth reading up on and watching videos.

Xebby, I'm sorry you're going through such a stressful time.  I'm sure your stress has been felt by Logan.  But it doesn't matter because you still have to treat the incident as your wake up call and I know you have done that.  You're feeling what anyone would feel right now.  Shocked and embarassed that your dog bit someone.  It's normal to want to analyze what happened but at some point it becomes counterproductive to feel guilt or place blame.  

 I can't understand why neither of your trainers talked about using classical conditioning to change how he feels about strangers. Maybe it was discussed and I missed it in your post. A consultation with a true behaviorist would be ideal but you can start the process yourself.  I know some people say they don't care if their dog doesn't like strangers but Logan isn't neutral and you can't hope it won't happen again. 

 I hope your boyfriend is ok and life settles down soon.  In the meantime, if Logan doesn't have to go out in public, keep him at home.  Your stress and his will lower and you can work on the behavior when you're ready.

I got a call while I was at work from the Health Department asking for Logan's info.  It was a friendly lady I have spoken to in the past about bite cases with dogs who have come into the shelter.  This time it was about my own dog, she understood and told me not to be worried, we laughed about how embarrassed I was.  She said the person with the bite admitted he was the one to blame, he said I gave him the warning but he ignored me and tried to pet my dog anyway.  The hospital visit was just to make sure he was alright but nothing bad came of it.  Since I have all the records and license in order I was alright, just a 10 day quarantine in my home. She said since I already work in the shelter she would not need anyone to visit my home, she trust I would do it. She is going to call back in 10 days and make sure Logan is still healthy and he can be release from the quarantine.

Once the at-home quarantine is up I am taking him straight to a trainer and a vet. Till then, he has to stay confined, no contact with other dogs, people (besides me) and only leash walks to take outside to potty.  Yeah, he's going to love that...  ohhhh Logan.

*hugs* at least you don't have to wonder what will happen anymore.

Glad he admitted it was his fault when he went to the hospital, and it's not going to be too bad.

Jewlieee

*hugs* at least you don't have to wonder what will happen anymore.

 

That's what I was thinking.  I'd almost be relieved to get that call and know nothing more will come of it even though it means the quarantine.