Dog bit 2 people. What do I do?

[hosee]

TLDR; my dog (a pit mix, about 3 years old) has bitten 2 people in the past 2-3 months. Do we need to put our dog down now? Each time he bit someone he was in our fenced in back yard and the other person was on the other side of the fence.

The first time it happened neither my husband or I saw. Our neighbor who was bit told us what happened. The dog was in the fenced in yard and started barking as this neighbor approached the fence to pick something up. As the dog was barking and jumping, he bit the neighbor as the neighbor was standing up. He needed 7 stitches. The neighbor was understanding and kind (thank god). We got in contact with animal control. We sent in his shot records that were up to date. The dog quarantined for 10 days as instructed. An animal control officer came to the house and took the dogs picture for their records.
We started more training. We got an e-collar. Sometime after he bit our neighbor and the training started, a different neighbor approached us stating our dog bit her too. Our gate was open. He left our yard, nipped at her, then bit her hand. Thankfully, no blood was drawn. However, my husband and I felt awful. Now that neighbors husband is scared of our dog and angry with us (I completely understand). But he’s made it very clear he is very upset with us.
Training was going well. Then a couple months after the first incident, my brother and his girlfriend are trying to walk into our yard. At the time we were watching a friends dog. Our dog has his e-collar on. He broke from his command and was not responding to the collar. Both dogs were barking and jumping at my brother and his girlfriend from the other side of the fence. Our dog jumped up and got my brother in the face. Gave him two gashes by his lip and one on his chin. He went to urgent care and needed one stitch in his chin, received a tetanus shot, and an antibiotic. Thankfully, my brother is okay.
We haven’t reported anything to animal control about the second incident. I asked my brother if urgent care said anything to him when he told them what happened. He said my husband and I have to report what happened or my brother needs to.
My brother said he’s talked to several friends since this has happened and believes I need to put the dog down since now he’s bitten 2 people. It’s been 3 weeks since the incident with my brother. We haven’t had any issues with the dog since. I’m calling the vet tomorrow to get more guidance. Overall, I’m not sure what to do. We’ve done lots of training. We don’t let him go in the yard unless me or my husband is in the yard with him. We are continuing to use the e-collar. I worry if this happens again, it could be a more serious situation than the other two times. Do we need to put our dog down?

 

[lostinthepast]

@hosee Why do you say he bit two people? I’m seeing three.

 

[lalady59]

@hosee I am confused about the management (or lack thereof) that was happening around the fence. Why was the gate open? How was the dog able to bite through the fence? And why was the information about the first two bites being relayed by the neighbors, which seems to imply that the dog was not being supervised outside?

OP, I am very sorry that you are in this position, and it sounds like you were very compliant and accountable after that first bite incident. That said, this is an issue that requires a lot of management (not aversive training techniques, which can unfortunately increase aggressive behavior).

 

[spyderco]

@hosee Oh man. I’m struggling with the words to phrase this gently.

OP, you’re doing everything wrong. You are using a highly aversive tool and have an aversive trainer. Get him off the e collar now. Stop with it. Ask your vet for a referral to a behaviorist. Put in the training work with a behaviorist. All this aversive training is increasing his reactivity. FWIW it seems he’s resource guarding his property, but that’s not the immediate issue at hand. The big issues are the e collar and current trainer.

I also don’t understand why people keep approaching your dog from the other side of the fence and he’s able to bite them that severely. Please supervise your dog and at this point look into getting a full privacy fence, not one where he can poke his head through or over to bite someone.

He doesn’t need to be outside in his yard at all right now without a leash. Leash him any time he goes outside. The fence clearly isn’t the barrier you and other people think it is.

 

[tecumsehmaverick]

@hosee you need to actually do something to prevent the bites. If the fence has gaps or is low enough for the dog to reach over to get to someone on the other side, the fence needs to either be replaced or the dog needs to be prevented from going to the fence with a tie out line since the ecollar isn't being respected.

Stop leaving gates open.

Not to sound harsh but after the first bite you were aware of, your negligence allowed the second to happen.

Having a dog that can and will bite is a huge responsibility and you need to respect that responsibility

 

[hosee]

@tecumsehmaverick We are looking into getting a new fence. We should have earlier. Animal control has been contacted. I don’t think you’re being harsh. It’s absolutely not okay any of this happened. Obviously it’s not ideal to have to put my dog down but peoples safety has to come first. We are meeting with the vet next week to discuss more behavioral options. Hoping animal control gets back to us soon. My guess is we will have to put the dog down.

 

[tecumsehmaverick]

@hosee If animal control doesn't require it and you don't elect to do it, please consider exploring tie-out lines. There are ones rated up to 150 pounds and up to 100 feet long but you can adjust the length to fit your needs.

I usually use one designed for two dogs and use a collar and a harness with a line connected to each. If one line fails, it gives me a backup.

If the dog can't get to the gate or the fence, they can't escape and bite or bite someone over the fence. They're like $50 USD and will help mitigate danger while you get the fence replaced.

My dogs are not bite risk but I've got a shep who never grew out of being mouthy so it's easy for people to THINK they're going to be bitten which for a random is just as scary.

 

[hosee]

@tecumsehmaverick That’s helpful. Thank you. I will look into that

 

[yhudithagios]

@hosee If you read other comments here, it honestly sounds like your dog hasn't been given a chance. You're working with an aversive trainer and using a tool known to make dogs more aggressive.

There are lots of things you can still try before resorting to BE...both management (muzzling, no unsupervised time outside, a better fence), and training and potentially medication (working with a vet behaviorist or an actual certified behaviorist, not just someone saying they're a trainer). There are lots of great resources included in other comments.

 

[nic_88]

@hosee Training is not going well, unfortunately e collars can increase agression so good trainers don't really use them. If you want to try and keep him you need to commit 100% to safe managing techniques.

You also need a good trainer and a board certified veterinary behaviorist (not some random person who calls the a behaviorist). r/dogtraining has a good wiki on finding a trainer. Search for vet behaviorists in your area or see if you can find one that does virtual appointments.

Make an appointment with your vet tomorrow and lay out everything, be completely honest. They can help with looking for possible medical triggers and maybe can start medication. An appointment with a behaviorist will take a while so if your vet is comfortable starting medication before then it could be helpful.

Also order a basket muzzle now, as in right now put some in your Amazon cart and press order (order a few sizes/brands) and start training with the best fitting one as soon as they get to your house. The muzzle up project has great resources for properly fitting them and training your dog to be comfortable in one. I believe there is also a good subreddit for this if someone has a link. Also add on a sturdy collar or harness (whatever you don't use), a waist leash and a coupler to attach the collar/harness.

Lastly your dog is never alone in the yard again, he is always on a double leash and muzzled every single time he walks out your door unless you have worked extensively with a trainer and have beefed up your fence.

If you feel like you cannot handle his management public safety comes first. He has bitten multiple people so BE is probably warranted, if you feel like BE is the right path ask your vet about it.

 

[his_word_is_truth]

@hosee This makes no sense. If the person was on the other side of the fence how did they get bitten?

 

[church116]

@his_word_is_truth Probably through the fence.

 

[hosee]

@church116 It was not through the fence. The dog put his front two paws on the fence and while he was barking and jumping the incidents occurred. He no longer is allowed to be in the yard unattended. When visitors come over we have him on a leash to start. Visitors are asked to come through the front door.

 

[charliegirl_24]

@hosee as others have said, he needs to be muzzled anytime he is outside ...he has earned it

 

[yhudithagios]

@hosee As others have said, I would begin muzzling him 100% of the time he is outside it if he's inside with guests over. You do have a powerful dog, but the good news is that muzzling can be a great way to minimize risk. As others said, just make sure you're using it correctly. The Muzzle Up Project is a great resource.

 

[dr650adv]

@hosee The management is not good. You’re using a shock collar. That causes aggression. Do you want the dog to be aggressive or not? I’m sure the dog is confided. I don’t know how the dog is biting through a fence, but it needs some reinforcement.

 

[patrickmiller]

@hosee this is negligence, there is no reason the dog should have bit twice, and e-collars are a joke

 

[jwoolace]

@hosee Um.Your dog bit three people. so far. You need to do the right thing here.

 

[menicklady]

@jwoolace I agree with this. What if he bites a child's head next. A few shakes would break a toddler's neck.

 

[mykell]

@hosee The good news is there’s predictability to the biting incidents: in or near the property. The bad news is your dog will get closer to the scary thing to make it go away via biting and 2 of the bites resulted in hospital trips. It could very well result in more serious bites but no one can predict this.

It’d be best to talk to your vet about a thorough work up (oftentimes aggressive behaviors occur as a symptom to some kind of health issue) and thoughts on behavioral euthanasia. If you’re planning on trying to keep your dog and the public safe you’ll probably be needing a vet behaviorist + strict management (leash in yard, muzzling, airlock at gates in and out of your home, etc).

Something to bear in mind that another commenter touched on is that the ecollar could’ve escalated the issue. Now we’re not sure how the tool was introduced and how it was used, but usually it works by causing discomfort to the dog. The desired behavior is maintained in avoidance of getting the stim/shock. It’s not uncommon for behavioral fallout to occur with this kind of tool. It gives a false sense of security and appears like the dog is getting better when it’s shutting down. Warnings can be punished so the next best choice is to bite.

If you decide to move forward with a board certified vet behaviorist and/or positive reinforcement trainer you’ll be undoing the previous work with the ecollar. You’ll be setting up situations so your dog can feel safe and will not harm others. You’ll be pairing the scary stimulus with something pleasant. However it’s worth noting that even with extensive re-training there’s no guarantee that your dog won’t bite in the future. Realistically consider if you can handle ~10 more years of training and management.

I understand you’re in a vulnerable place right now and are growing more concerned. Take some time to process the options and reach out to multiple professionals. Take care, OP