My 2 y/o large shepherd bit my dad today

[raneubb]

It happened incredibly fast, and he has been doing SO good. This is his first bite that has drawn blood (he once bit a friend when he was younger but it was more of a nip because it didn’t leave a mark) and it left 2 very deep puncture wounds on my dad’s hand. We have a trainer, we have him on meds, I’ve been putting in the work to socialize and make positive situations for him to learn off of. My dad came in through our yard’s gate and my dog just sprinted to him while barking and quickly bit his hand.

I have contacted my trainer and we are going to practice more on having people come over in a controlled way but I am kind of beside myself. I just need some sort of support. I love my dog very much. Thank you all

 

[jazzforchrist]

@raneubb I have nothing to offer but understanding on how shitty you might be feeling right now. Just be easy on yourself about it, it sounds like youre putting in lots of effort so dont be mad at yourself.

 

[raneubb]

@jazzforchrist Thank you. It feels like such a mix of guilt, stress and shame. What sucks most is how people will (and have in the past) judge him, when he is really the most affectionate, sweet and sensitive dog I’ve ever had. He is absolutely my kindred spirit, right down to the anxiety. I need to find a way to communicate to him that he doesn’t need to be aggressive towards people in our property, but I just don’t know how.

 

[freethinker711]

@raneubb I feel you, my dog constantly tries to protect the apartment from visitors I invite over. It doesn’t even matter if she loves those people outside of our home, she sees them as a thread as soon as we‘re inside the house.

She is a shepherd mix and I know I have to get her clear signs that I‘m controlling the situation and I wish I could just talk to her about it. Obviously I can’t.

We have a dog trainer too and I hope it gets better. But the constant anxiety when having someone over is so tiring.

 

[raneubb]

@freethinker711 Exactly the same for my dog/me. It’s like we make so much progress and then he goes right back to his intense reactions. I hope things get better for you.

Also is there a reason all my comments and post here are downvoted? I’ve never posted here before so is this normal or did I say something wrong? Never had this happen while just looking for support before

 

[freethinker711]

@raneubb I have absolutely no idea, some people use the downvote just because they do not fully agree, rather than discussing.