Dog Attack
Thank you for your commentaries. Frank and Sheri |
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| Frank,
I am so sorry to hear about your mishap! I understand how difficult it is to make the kind of decision you are faced with. In my own opinion, and I love dogs and have had one all my life, if the attack was truely intentional and not accidental, I would very seriously consider finding an alternative home for this pup. Sometimes puppies can be aggressive but they think they are playing and it just becomes rough.If you are sure that this was an aggressive bite, in all honesty I wouldn't take a chance with a baby coming into the household. Puppies can be upset and spiteful of the attention a new baby gets anyway but with a dog that has already shown aggression, I myself would not risk the child. Sorry............I know this is likely not the response you hoped for but I have a girlfriend who had a dog that bit her two yr. old son. The dog never showed aggression in the past but for some reason attacked the boy. The dog took half his face off. The boy has since had surgery after surgery. probably at least 20 surgeries by now (5 yrs. later) and his face is still mangled. You might want to look into a rescue. I wouldn't want the dog put to sleep at the SPCA either but a rescue might be able to help you. Please let me know what you decide and how it works out. Congrats on the new baby that's on the way!! Marianne |
| So sorry you had to experience that. I'm sure others will be asking you for more information in order to give you their best advise. First, you said hes been doing this since he got there. That behavior should be discouraged.
I may be wrong, but my gut feeling is that this was more of an accident on the dog's part than an attack. Has he been allowed to jump up on you during play, or is he still learning that jumping on people is not allowed? If so, was he possibly jumping playfully, and just ended up in your face (with his mouth open)? Sometimes, but not always, our actions or reactions attribute to things such as this. Good luck. I hope you can resolve your situation so he can remain a member of your family. |
| Hi Frank,
Welcome to you, Sheri and Tank to the forum. What a terrible set of circumstance that brings you here, regarding Tank. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Ironically I have a BlueHeeler/Lab who is now nearing the age of 16 years. If you click on the camera at the bottom of my page you'll be able to view a photo of him. Okay it's difficult to tell you what you should do but I know there is a few things to consider. A pup at that age can't be deemed aggressive (most Humane Societies will agree with this statement unless the pup is 6 months or older.) There is a difference between the awful nipping that pups do and a vicious bite although with their sharp puppy teeth it hurts a lot!! With your particular breed and having one myself, I remember that as a pup the Blue Heeler was very dominant in him and he constantly nipped heels, expecially if he saw someone running. BlueHeelers were trained to herd cattle and the nipping of the heels is a very dominant trait in them. However, over time I managed to curb this instinct in him and the nipping of the heels is a thing of the past.The Lab side of him will probably be very gentle and love splashing around in water. Saying all of that, each dog is an individual and each will have strengths and weakness in areas...even most of us on here with our Sheepdogs can verify that each and every one have their own personalities. Okay so what to do? Please think very carefully about the commitment which you are able to enter for the next 15 years or so. A dog in the house is a wonderful experience and children can learn so much from them. If you don't think that the pup is the right choice at this time please consider giving him up when he has a chance to be adopted once again as a pup. It would be far harder for Tank to be adopted as an adult. Especially if he is mostly black, as believe it or not Black dogs in Humane Society shelters are the least likely to be adopted,. As a cute pup he has more of a chance to be adopted into a permanent home if that's what you decide to do. Here's another thought, I really believe that a pup at that age probably did it accidently or was in the midst of rough play. I remember once telling someone this at the dog park I frequent, when I heard them comment to another park goer that their 3 month old pup was aggressive.If a 8 month old HUMAN baby pulls your hair you wouldn't think to hand it back to the mother and comment that baby was aggressive. Nope ...wouldn't happen. Kinda the same thing with a very young pup of 8 wks. The nipping is annoying and it hurts!! It's his way of play however but you can teach Tank that hands are off limits...toys are okay. You yelp (as would have his litter mate to tell him he was too rough), walk away, or immediately place a toy in his mouth with lots of praise that follows. Good Boy Tank!! Tank will eventually get the idea that biting hands or feet is not good but chew toys are a good thing. Throwing a ball is a good way to let him run off some energy...it might take him a while to learn this skill but this type of dog just loves to keep busy. A tired dog is a good dog too. You may have a problem in the future concerning a little one whom will be mobile on the floor in a few months and will have toys of his/her own. I used to do Educational Pet Talks for the Humane Society for 3 years with one of my dogs and taught people about dog behavior. The best advice I can give is to educate yourself on dogs and specifically the breed you chose. Blue Heelers are very high energy dogs and are bored easily and like to keep busy. Labs are of a more laid back nature. It will be obvious over time which breed he most takes after. Just yesterday, I mentioned that Blue was originally adopted by a neighbor of mine when he was 2 months old. The family soon became bored with him and he was left isolated in the back yard with little socialization even as a young pup. Most dog experts agree the more you socialize a pup with other dogs and humans at critical stages in their life they will be a well adjusted dog in the future. It is crucial most of this be done before the age of 4 months. I ended up finding out "Blue" my dog made it to an animal shelter by the age of one or 2 and by then I had moved out of the neighborhood and went to adopt him. He has been with me ever since- around 14-15 years. He's still very active and playful at his age - still lots of energy. While Blue never truly recovered from his lack of socialization (with other dogs) he out of all the dogs I've owned (have had 7 now) is the most trustworthy of them all. He slept with my young tot (My son was aged 3 or 4) and in all these years has never nipped or shown any form of aggression towards people or small animals. Due to his lack of early socialization with dogs however he has never coped with more than one dog friend at a time and is still upset after 15 months when I brought a new dog in the household.( I now have three dogs.) Like babies, the early years are crucial as to the grown dogs they will eventually become. Another thing I would avoid with a pup is to playfight with them as this will cause them to be overexcited and I would avoid playing tug a war with them too as this is setting them up for a dominance struggle. Doggie obedience is a must for anyone as a good and well behaved dog is a joy to have around. Whatever you think may be cute now may not be cute in 5, 7, 15 years from now. Obedience while initially takes some work pays off tenfold in the long run. Whatever work you put in..you'll reap the benefits of that for many years. Personally I wouldn't return him to the shelter as recently my city set up a new law that any dog that injures a human must be put down (no exceptions) they now bypass that six month old pup rule. It might be different in your city but I would look at other alternatives like rescue as some suggested. If this is what you are considering..check the net for no kill places in your area. Good luck on your decision and please keep us posted as to how you are doing and how Tank is behaving. Happy New Years to you and your family! Marianne and the boys |
| I absolutely ageree with what Marianne has said, If your pup is only 2 months old it is difficult to imagine that this is true agression but rather I suspect a accident caused by the combination of puppy playfulness and puppy sharp teeth. This is a good time to consider whether a puppy is a good fit for your family at this time, a new baby and a puppy at the same time will be a handful!!
I would certainly not return the pup to the shelter because he should not be destroyed for somthing like this but perhaps there is a better situation for him. If you do keep him you will want to be sure that you spend lots of time on training and obedience. He is a mix of two very intelligent and easily trained breeds so training should be no problem for you. But as with ANY ANIMAL, no matter how well trained or how much you trust them. NEVER leave them unattended around a baby or small child and ALWAYS assume that the worst can happen. Many well behaved animals have been known to injure babies simply by doing what animaqls do naturally, with no malous of intent. Best of luck with your new baby and your pup. |
| I also agree 100% with Marrianne's comments.
Don't take this the wrong way, but I am honestly questioning why you would get a puppy, any puppy, at this time? You will have a newborn baby on your hands, as quite a few have right now on this list. I'm sure they can attest to who tough it would be to take care of a puppy "properly" along with a newborn. I love dogs and babies, but having both at the same time would drive me nuts. That is also a main reason why dogs are given up to shelters and rescues. Second, puppies start to learn bite inhibition at about 5/6 weeks of age. That is why it is so important that puppies stay with littermates until at least 8 weeks old. You got him at 8 weeks old, but I wonder if he was still with his siblings until that time. Nevertheless you will need to continue his training in this area. You want him to have a soft mouth, so he does not put a lot of pressure with his jaws. When he bites hard you yelp like a puppy would. Eventually he will learn, but he needs "allowable" toys to bite and chew, as all puppies need to chew things. Also, if he can have some puppy friends to play with it will help imensely with learning about bite presure. Blue Heelers (Australian Cattledogs) are very active, and bred to be tough and have huge stamina. Think of how this relates to your lifestyle, and if it is a good fit for the puppy. If you do decide to re-home the pup check what the shelter rules are as far as the biting goes, and if not a good option then place him in a labrador or ACD rescue that will put him in a foster home that can start working with his puppyiness. |
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