# My dog bit me, please help



## Adie09 (Sep 1, 2010)

I have a 1 and a half year old Lab/pit bull mix named Dodger. He was a stray that we took in when he was a tiny puppy. He's always been nice, but since he isn't really trained except for the basic sit, lay down, wait, he gets hard to handle sometimes. Overall though, he's a pretty good dog. We have two other dogs another lab mix and a...well I'm not sure WHAT the other one is because he was also a stray and I can't tell what breeds are in there. Maybe part chupacabra lol? I have also been dog-sitting for a friend so that makes 4 dogs total. But our three dogs are mainly outside dogs, the small chiweenie I'm watching is inside and doesn't interact with our dogs at all. 

Okay so here's the problem. Yesterday, I was trying to get all the dogs inside in their "room" so I could let Buddy out, the dog I'm watching. For some reason Dodger straight up defied me and would not go inside. Almost like he was afraid of something but I'm not sure. I walked up to him to try to coax him in the house and he got on his back with his paws up in the air. He always does this when he doesn't want to do something. So I went for his collar and he growled at me, when I grabbed it he bit me! This is so strange, why would he do that? It's not like I was hurting him I hadn't even put any pressure on the collar. I've become afraid of him because I don't want that to happen. When he gives me trouble I get my dad to bring him in and he even tried to bite him yesterday. I'm really not sure what to do. I think he's become more dog than we can handle but I don't want to get rid of him. I know that there's a good dog in there, please help me 

Also I don't know if this is important or not but he isn't neutered yet, we're doing that next month. It's not something we've had to worry about because we have our entire area fenced in and he's never shown interest in mating. I mean, lately he has mounted our lab/chow female and our HUGE male dog but I think it's a dominance thing. But I will stress that we are getting him fixed lol, it's just taken us a while. Considering I had to get my friends chiweenie neutered for her, he was a frisky little dog -sigh-


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

So I understand..... The dog rolled over on its back because it did not want to do something. Then you grabbed the dog's collar and tried to force the issue and physically move the dog.... That is when the dog bit you. Am I correct so far? 

Assuming I am, how did you react at that point? What did you do?


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Long story short, your dog needs obedience training. The fact that your dog lies on his back when you go to grab him, is NOT defiance, it is usually fear. He is nervous for some reason and it sounds like he bit out of fear/anxiety etc... If he isn't trained much, he probably isn't understanding your intentions. There is also the possibility that he needs to see a vet as something might hurt and when you grabbed him, his reaction was to say "OUCH!!!" with his teeth. It isn't "too much dog for you" if you commit to training him. He needs to be enrolled into an obedience course (and when I say HE, I mean both of you) so that you guys can learn to communicate without him using his teeth.

I just wanted to add, that in a situation like that, you would have been better off snapping a leash onto his collar vs. trying to pick him up or move him by grabbing the collar but I am sure you figured that much out already.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I'm sorry you got bitten. But it appears you put yourself in that position. Grabbing and trying to force a dog to do something he doesn't 'want' to do (and you do mention he appeared frightened or stressed) is a very good way to get bit. He tried to communicate to you he was having a problem and you basically ignored his signals. He showed his belly (submission or appeasement), he growled and then you still grabbed his collar. He gave you every chance to back off and rethink the situation. Remember, he only speaks dog, not english.

Neutering the dog, while recommended just for prevention of puppies etc, is not a behaviour modification surgery. It very rarely makes any difference except maybe in energy level. The fact that he is humping the other dogs is very likely NOT dominance either, but possibly anxiety based or overexcitement/lack of training/boredom.

There is likely much more going on here than you have the experience or knowledge to assess. He DOES need training, all dogs need the mental stimulation and it is a great stress reliever to know your dog is well behaved. Find a good class that uses positive methods and I also think it may be a good idea to get a good positive trainer in to assess your dog's behaviour. Biting does not happen for no reason, and it's almost always NOT the reason you think. 

I am interested in knowing what you meant by "He always does this when he doesn't want to do something". In what situations? What do YOU do at this point? What other body language is he showing before he rolls over?

Good luck.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

He bit you because he was fearful, warned you and you ignored him.

How often are you taking him (and the other 2) for brisk walks? If you aren't taking him a couple of times a day about 40 min each time, start. It will help immensely. Excess energy often comes out in bad behavior. plus, walking with him will help him bond with you and develop trust and confidence, both of which sound like are lacking. 
Dogs left as outside dogs will often develop antisocial behaviors unless they get personal attention, training and walks daily.

Do get him neutered. Lowering testosterone levels can help with aggression. I'm not convinced that this bite was aggressive by any means, but a dog left to live outdoors should be neutered to reduce frustration levels.


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## Adie09 (Sep 1, 2010)

The dog biting me is not MY fault. I didn't even grab him, he didn't let me grab him. Why should I have thought he would bite me and back off of him when he's not normally the aggressive type? I did not try to drag him inside as it may have sounded. I just don't understand why he acted the way he did, it's just odd. So defiant and aggressive and all I wanted was him to go inside. Even if he did give me a "warning" he's not usually an aggressive dog.

Oh, and what I meant by that he always does that is when he's inside he rolls on his back showing that he does not want to go outside, or if we need to put him in the car. And walking isn't really something I can do, but we have plenty of land and trust me, they ALL get their exercise chasing rabbits, people walking past the lot, playing with eachother etc. The streets have many strays and most not friendly so if I do walk them it would have to be at the park that is 30 minutes away, so not very practical. Like I said we have plenty of land so the exercise shouldn't be a problem. No one walks their dogs out here lol, it's not practical. After yesterday I have been looking into obedience training but there isn't much out here :/


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## Deron_dog (Feb 21, 2009)

Dogs are not Defiant, the way I'm seeing this is for some reason he was scared, He rolled on his back and showed you his belly "Submission," He was telling you with his BODY language that He did not want to go inside to his ROOM. Your Pup does not have human thoughts, He knows that he was scared, and he did everything he could to tell you as much, you didn't listen to his body language so he took it a step further. I see no Aggression at all, I see warnings, a LOT of them. You are at fault not him! Your pup is your responsibility, and you need to forget about the Aggressive Defiant thing now. 

How did you react when he bit you? What did you do?


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Adie09 said:


> For some reason Dodger straight up defied me and would not go inside. *Almost like he was afraid of something but I'm not sure.* I walked up to him to try to coax him in the house and he got on his back with his paws up in the air. He always does this when he doesn't want to do something. *So I went for his collar and he growled at me, when I grabbed it he bit me! *


This is exactly what you wrote. This is why we say you provoked the bite. Get over it. This is a training issue with a dog that gave you fair warning which you did not recognize or heed. 

If you really want good advice, which is what you got here, you must accept that it may not be advice or info you like. Any dog, even a "good dog" will bite if provoked under the right circumstances. Those of us that work with dogs know this well, any time I have EVER been bitten (and it's been a few times over the years) it was MY FAULT. Now put your big girl panties on and do the work necessary to learn about how dogs work and how to modify the behaviour. Your dog didn't bite you because he's bad, he bit you because you scared him.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Adie09 said:


> The dog biting me is not MY fault. I didn't even grab him, he didn't let me grab him. Why should I have thought he would bite me and back off of him when he's not normally the aggressive type?
> 
> * It is your fault, because, he warned you in the only way he could and you ignored it.*
> 
> And walking isn't really something I can do, but we have plenty of land and trust me, they ALL get their exercise chasing rabbits, people walking past the lot, playing with eachother etc. The streets have many strays and most not friendly so if I do walk them it would have to be at the park that is 30 minutes away, so not very practical. Like I said we have plenty of land so the exercise shouldn't be a problem. No one walks their dogs out here lol, it's not practical. After yesterday I have been looking into obedience training but there isn't much out here :/



* Running loose is no substitute for walking a dog on a leash. You do not develop the bonding, trust and confidence that walking does. You asked for suggestions, and keep shooting them all down. Carry a cattle prod or bear spray with you on walks if there are that many strays. There is no excuse, besides laziness, not to walk them. It's much easier to let them live out back and run loose, rather than spend time developing a relationship (ie walking them) with them that will help them to trust you. Based on what you've written, this dog does not trust you or feel confident with you.
If you post what city you are in, maybe someone can recommend a trainer.*


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

I am not sure why your dog exhibited fear but he did. A dog rolling onto its back is doing everything except shouting at you, "I am afraid of what you are going to do next!" He then growled. This was letting you know, in dog language, "I am so afraid I think I need to defend myself.. PLEASE do not come any closer.." but you ignored that and kept on coming and you getting closer pushed the dog over his fear threshold and he bit. 

Yes. This IS your fault. I am NOT saying this in accusatory manner... just saying.... because it seems you did not know what your dog was trying very hard to tell you (and he has told you before). We are not born knowing this stuff.. we learn it. I have just given you the reasons. The dog gave you the lesson. Has anyone ever hit/kicked/yelled at this dog when he has assumed the rolled over position? Please be honest about this! ANY aversive given to a dog in a submissive position can increase his fear tremendously!

There may also be some fear associated with being with the other dogs. Do they pick on this dog? do they harass this dog? He may be afraid to go in "his room" or "outside" with the other dogs if they give him a hard time. Just something to think about.. and observe. 

Each dog should have time alone with you as the owner/trainer. Each one needs individual attention. If you don't do this (walks is one way, training is another, chill time watching TV in the house is another) the dogs will bond to EACH OTHER and not to you. It is a serious situation.. and as they bond more to each other they will become less responsive to their human handlers/owners. In fact, dogs that spend most of their time with other dogs will eventually become fearful of humans and may react like your dog did. 

Now you want to cure it. The first step is to separate the dogs and spend time with each one individually. Fact is, separating them in individual kennels (10X10 chain link kennels) so that the only time they come out is when you come to work with them can really make bonding to humans much faster work. If you want to take it to the next level, taking each dog out as an individual, out of sight of the other dogs, to feed each one will help too. Taking walks with each dog as an individual helps too (on your own land is fine since you sound like you have large acreage). While on these walks you can carry food you give to the dog every time he looks at you and that is the start of training.

It is a LOT of work to own and train three dogs like this, but if you want to fix the problem that is how I suggest you start. 

Of course they are your dogs and you will do whatever you want to with them.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Adie09 said:


> Why should I have thought he would bite me and back off of him when he's not normally the aggressive type?


Because he was telling you by his posture and growling. He can't tell you with words, so he's speaking dog. If you want to solve this problem, you need to educate yourself about how to speak dog, too.



> I just don't understand why he acted the way he did, it's just odd. So defiant and aggressive and all I wanted was him to go inside. Even if he did give me a "warning" he's not usually an aggressive dog.


People here are trying to help you understand why he acted the way he did. And it's natural to feel defensive. It's possible to be _responsible_ by your actions for the bite without having caused it on _purpose_. If you really want to solve this problem, though, you need to be able to constructively look at how your own actions contributed to it.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I'm certainly no trainer but I do know that dogs need to be walked, running around the yard isn't the same. It sounds like you tried to grab the dogs collar; then you said you didn't grab it. Which is it? As for trainers, they don't need to be around you. Find a good positive trainer and make the trip to see him/her.


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