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A Brief History of Seeing Eye Dogs
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Have any of you sought behavioral modification training for your dog that has bitten someone? LONG?
First off, if your answer is to have him put down, that is not going to happen.
Brief history: Dog was dumped here 2 years ago. Very fearful and scared. Took a couple of months to gain his trust. He had pellet gun wounds thanks to some neighbors that got mad he got in their trash before we adopted him. He had clumps of tics, lacerations and was a mess. We got him to vet and back to great health. He has been a wonderful dog, in fact, saved my life. He is a Lab mix. Other than liking to pull on his leash when he sees rabbits or squirrels and barking at delivery men, he has been a joy. Recently kids had been setting off fireworks and I have noticed he tucks his tail and trembles again. I also noticed his barking got worse after that.
My husband asked a police officer friend of his about the legality of them. He stopped by one day on duty to give us some info and my husband was out doing yard work and had our dog on his 40" tie out. Our dog (on his tie out) and friend approached each other and then as soon as my husband walked up and the guy went to pet him, he bit him on the forearm. Of course all was reported as he was on duty and had to go have it checked and it was the right thing to do. He was very nice about it when we called to check on him. He knew I was upset and asked how I was, so an amazing kind man. My vet and others have said that I should find a trainer that specializes in behavioral problems like aggression. I am sick over his friend getting bitten, sick over my beloved dog doing this and worried about getting him on the right track. He loves kids and they only people he does not bark at and seems to trust 100%. He also loves cats that are accustomed to dogs.
At any rate, we start a course right away- private training sessions with a trainer that used dogs in the war and also trains police dogs. He is very confident with me learning a few things and working with my dog on the homework he gives me each week, we can solve this problem. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure my dog has whatever he needs to become better adjusted so he does not hurt anyone as I could not bear that or the thought of having to put him down. I won’t go into details but this dog helped me walk when an illness struck, he helped with depression that came with it and is a member of the family. He is my constant companion and is gentle with my little dog and cat. He isn’t around a lot of people as I have a health issue I am dealing with and husband works for a company w/ crazy hours responsibilities. So, I am sure we will probably work on better socialization, although he is good when we are out places. All of the drive-thru people at banks, restaurants know him by name and have treats for him. I assume I will be instructed by the trainer to muzzle him and have him around people more?
Have any of you have success with retraining a dog that has bitten someone? What did that training entail?
The trainer when I called him was very impressive- talked to me for almost half an hour and answered many questions. He obviously loves dogs and has almost 40 years experience and experience with dog that have bitten. When I called my vet’s office, they said they have had tons of dogs that have bitten even them, and all, when worked with, have been rehabilitated. He said I would need to get some things like a choke chain but that he does not hurt the dogs- he uses praise not treats as a reward. As I understood it, this is the slip type chain not, the dreadful pronged type.
Any input if you have experience with this?
Again, if you don’t like dogs or your first solution is to put him down, that is your opinion. I am wanting to hear from those that take the time/ energy and expense to care for their dogs and hopefully have some helpful info about what to expect at training and success stories. At this point, the best training I can find is the only way I know how to proceed. Thanks.
Bindi- I did go to http://www.iaabc.org. Only 2 behaviorists are listed near me. One does not even deal with dogs that bite and the other despite claiming she deals with behavior issues on the website link she posts there, then, actually says total opposite on her blog- that dogs that bite will just bite worse the next time, even after training. She uses a rating called Ian Dunbar’s Bite Scale. That would make my dog an L3 ! She suggests "rehoming them" if you have kids, which I don’t, but then does not say what if you don’t. I bet she would say to put them down.
Now (after reading all answers) uncomfortable with my choice of trainer, he has said that he thinks I need to establish myself as the alpha male and he is going to train me. If only there were a way to have THE dog whisperer. I wonder how far he travels for those shows??? Seriously. 3 am can’t sleep- 1st class in 12 hours. Dog lovers wish us luck. Still would love details of a success story.
As long as the dog is safe around you, I completely agree, you should keep him in your life. He can be a joy with your family and there is no reason to treat him as anything but. Given the condition you found him in, he sounds more like a fearful biter than an aggressive one.
With dogs that bite out of fear, training them isn’t really about modifying their behavior so much as their reactions to things that frighten them. For the time being, you should make sure he is not outside off-leash/tie-up, has you or another person (whom he trusts) watching him whenever he is outside, and do not allow other people to approach him without your say-so and careful guidance.
If your dog looks fearful or tenses up and becomes apprehensive, tell the other person to step away and get your dog out of the situation. It may take a long time, but by gradually introducing people to your dog (starting at a far away distance and taking weeks or even months) you should be able to diminish his fear, even if he still becomes nervous. Oftentimes, people walk directly up to an animal, which the pet may see as a threatening action, and feel the need to defend themselves.
If there is anything else you would like to know, please feel free to ask.
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Your dog sounds like a fearful dog and there’s lots of things you can do to help him. I personally think the person he bit did everything wrong – you never, ever approach a fearful dog and you NEVER pet him – the dog has to be the one to initiate contact. The dog wasn’t ready for that – especially if the guy loomed over him, made eye contact, and/or petted him on his head.
If you feel comfortable with this trainer, go with him. But remember, this is your dog, if he ever wants you to do something you feel is wrong for your dog, don’t do it. You need to be your dog’s advocate.
I can recommend a few really excellent books for you to read. Patricia McConnell’s "The Cautious Canine", "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt, "Getting in TTouch With your Dog" by Linda Tellington Jones, and "Get Connected With Your Dog" by Brenda Aloff.
A fearful dog shouldn’t be muzzled – that’ll add to his distress. What you do is not let people approach him if he’s uncomfortable with it. Counter-conditioning works wonders with fearful dogs. You start feeding the dogs bite-size pieces of high value treats before they get over threshold, keep feeding treats until the person’s passed by or feed if you’re talking to someone. When the person’s gone, the treats stop. The dog eventually makes the connection that people are a good thing. But it’s important you don’t let anyone approach him – he needs to make the decision to go up to someone new.
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I think there is a great deal of positive information here.
First, the dog is a "fear biter", not an aggressive biter. He went for the policemen because he was on a tiedown and couldn’t get away, plus sometimes a police uniform, with all its accessories and weapons, can be very intimidating. You don’t say *how* the police officer friend approached the dog, but it may be been in a manner that that the dog found intimidating or threatening.
Work with your trainer, but keep an open mind. Sometimes these police/army dog trainers are *very* heavy handed and, especially in the case of a fear biter, can make the situation worse. Not saying that’s the case here, but it’s something to keep in mind.
By the way, keeping a dog tied outside is a very bad idea. As mentioned, they can’t get away from perceived threats, which can lead to situations such as did occur here. In some places, tying a dog out is actually illegal. And, as you said, it exposes them to fear-inducing things like the fireworks.
Good luck, and more power to you in trying to address the problem.
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Based on your description your dog sounds fear aggressive. A fear aggressive dog can never be completely fixed. There is always a chance something will trigger the aggression again. If you feel the dog is safe with yoru family and have no young children in the house it is fine if you choose to keep him but know that another bite is always possible and take steps to protect others. Also just side note there is nothing "dreadful" about a pinch collar (aka a prong collar or german choke) they are a good and humane training tool when used correctly. Any training tool including a regular buckle collar can be abused.
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Personally I don’t like the sound of this trainer. I’m not a fan of someone who sticks a dog in special collar right off the bat. He hasn’t even met the dog.
Your dog sounds very fearful, I have great hesitations about using chokes and prongs on fearful dogs. There use can actually make the dog worse. It may supress the outward display the dog may show, but it does nothing to change the way the dog feels about the situation. In fact it can make the dog feel even worse about it. Because you have scary thing, and now you add corrections to that. If you were afraid of snakes and tried to tell me you scared everytime one got to close and instead of listening to you I popped you in the face, do you think you’d feel better about being around snakes? You might quit telling me you’re afraid, but you’ll still be afraid. Maybe you’ll even start acting out towards other things didn’t bother you before.
I would look for another trainer, preferably a behaviorist. You can look one up here http://www.iaabc.org If you can’t find one there you can email me and I’ll help you find one in your area. If you have questions about working with fearful dogs, again feel free to shoot me an email.
In the meantime let your dog warm up to people on his own. If he seems comfortable with them, advise them to pet him under the chin or on the side of the neck. Reaching over the top of a dogs head to pet them is considered threatening to many dogs.
Success with my fearful dog doesn’t fit what you were looking for for stories, she can put on quite a show but has never bitten anyone. For a success story of a biter I will refer you here http://www.dogster.com/dogs/418007
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