Ever get bitten by your own dog???? Part 2

See, he just felt threatened. You've taught him that his crate is a safe place, then inadvertantly violated his protected haven by reaching in and trying to grab his collar. He wasn't being aggressive, he was scared.

Don't listen to some of these people who suggest that you need to put your dog down. They don't have a clue about animal behavior.

 

I don't think so. Your dogs know that crates are safe areas, but I don't think they'll be too worried about which crate they're in. That seems evident in the fact that they've already switched and don't seem to show any problems. I would imagine that they'll transition back just as easily.

 

Be careful. Like people, there are incorrigible dogs. They are rare. My Corgi is definitely an alpha. So is my Springer. He will not attack her. She will not attack him. He usually takes his toy and leaves in the interest of peace. They coexist in times of jealousy. Since I can't talk to them about this, I let nature prevail. Put one of them down? Only on the floor for a pet.

 

Intelligence and common sense all wrapped into three sentences. Well done, my friend.

 

Danke, mein jung freund. ist geht du gut.

 

I see your point, and agree to a certain extent. The dog may have felt threatened, but it wasn't because he "owns" the den. Maybe the move to remove the pup was perceived as aggressive. The den is certainly not freedom from the pecking order of the pack. I agree, he may have felt threatened, boxed in or whatever, but based on kizdan's description of his relationship with his dog, I would say the SB was defending the pup. So really the question is why?

All the dog psyche analyzing aside, I think it was poor judgement on the big dog's part and I doubt it will happen again. You might want to visit the big guy in his crate to say hi. Make sure he knows you guys are friends.

 

I would agree. Make sure that you and your pal have a positive experience there together.

 

You're obviously a thinker. Excellent human quality! For dogs, I only wish I knew. I do know one thing. Only in a very rare aberration will an adult canine ever harm a pup. Growl, yes. Snarl, yes, snap, yes. Injure? Very, very rarely. Good training for a pup. They learn from that. Too bad we, as humans, can't seem to learn that concept. Oh, well.

 

Purina wasn't kidding when they said "You could learn a lot from a dog."

 

Woof!

 

First of all don’t pay much attention to what any of us say. You need to talk to an expert and see what they think. I am a personal injury attorney and see many people who are seriously injured by dogs. Usually, they seem to bite the face of small children. In Texas generally a dog gets a free bite before his owner becomes responsible for his dog’s actions. Your dog has used up his first bite. This and the fact that your dog is very large justifies your taking the matter seriously.

Hopefully, this was just some isolated incident related to all the changes to his household with the new puppy and not a sign of an aggressive personality trait. I may have missed it, but did you post how your dog reacted after he realized he hurt you?

 

sorry you feel that way my friend, in the last 20yrs there has always been a dog in my household, sometimes a few......and in those 20yrs I have only had 1 dog bites a member of the house(pack), proper training and socializing are the key to prevent dog attacks, but sometimes they attack and there's no real way to determine why, so.......for me it's "better safe, than sorry", you could even say "bite me once, shame on you, bite me twice, shame on me!"
I don't know about you but when dealing with large breeds like Saint Bernards, I don't feel comfortable giving him a second chance to attack anyone, because it can turn ugly real quick....but thats just me.

you see thats the thing, can you ever really trust him 100%?? not as easy as you think....or would want it to be....

+1....he needs to know that you're the Master!! and that he is not equal to you in the pecking order.

something to think about here....

+1 , you haven't posted anything about his reaction to the incident, or how he's behaving now........is he back to his normal self???

 

You could try biting him back. Y'know, reestablish dominance.

Don't laugh, it worked in Turner and Hooch.

 

There's a huge difference between an attack and a reaction. Dan described the latter, while you're making reference to the former.

 

Yeah, he bit me quite a few times before dying in 1973...haven't owned a dog since, but would still like another one..."life circumstances" have kept us from having another dog in the intervening period, but love our cats.

 

With the bite being reported, a lot of cities have begun requiring documentation of "incidents" with the hope that they can track problem dogs. Nice in theory, but arguable in practice.

As for the "bite", don't let it question your dog's temperament--yet. If I were you, I would find a very reputable positive-reinforcement behaviorist near you. If you're unsure, PM me. We work with a few here and could try to help locate someone in your area. You have two big dogs in your house and it's important to make sure that aggression doesn't become an issue. "Resource protection/aggression" is a common behavior in dogs, just not always properly recognized or dealt with. Beyond the obvious items, such as food or toys, dogs can attach to various areas (rooms, parks) objects (doorways, furniture) or people. But you should definitely consult with a professional who can identify what's affecting his behavior to rectify it and, equally important, not allow the situation to worsen. Your puppy is growing up and feeling out his space in the world.

 

Biting people is WAY out of character for a St. Bernard. I wonder what the real story is IMHO.

 

You didn't mean to spook Cujo & Cujo didn't mean to bite you. Aside from the Steven King novel/movie being about a (rabid) St. Bernard (coincidence? I think not), it was just bad timing, is all. Now that you've imagined the worst...

Just put it in the past.

 

I just re-read your post, and had the dogs mixed up. I thought the puppy bit you. Most likely, you're going to find that with a puppy in the house, the St. Bernard more than ever cherishes his personal space and is feeling like he's been evicted in favor of the pup. Have you done anything to maintain a dominance? Things like feeding him first, leashing him first, making the puppy wait at the door for him to go in and out first. Also, when you buy an adult-sized crate, it's preferable to use a movable divider for the growth of the dog rather than having the older dog switch homes. The Bernard probably isn't crazy about being moved, then having you reach in to yank him out.

 

All I said was that it seemed out of character for that breed. Of course I'm not implying you were lying. I have never met you. Like anything else, there are exceptions, and your experience may be one of them. No insult was intended.