Rehoming a dog that has previously lightly bitten a few people?

[Anonymous]

" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It depends in what circumstances. My herding dog, when he was a teen, nipped a human teen who was playing with him after a long day in the snow. He was super riled up and tired. He never did it again, because I made sure he was never riled up and tired and around excitable people. Now at 5 years old, when he gets excited, he pees (ugh), but doesn't nip.

The circumstances you describe are more concerning because we're talking about a behavior that has not corrected itself for years, and now the dog is well into adulthood. I doubt this comes out of the blue, however. Your SIL has to figure out what's triggering the dog - is it guarding resources, getting overwhelmed, or what?

I also want to add, in case your SIL doesn't know, that adult dogs have insanely quick reflexes and are entirely capable of avoiding contact with human skin. That slips a bit when a dog isn't well trained or has fear or fatigue. But this dog is making sure never to hurt people. Otherwise he could bite WAY harder. He's sending a message. Your SIL needs to find out what it is.

OP here. good point, thank you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

OP here. Yes I meant "nipped"--it's nipping, not biting. I didn't think of the word when I was writing my OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Lightly bitten!?”

There’s no magical farm that accepts all the unwanted pets. You should know that by now.

Exactly. The lengths these people will go to put their aggressive animal ahead of innocent people. Op you are gross.

[Anonymous]

Australian Labradoodles are not herding dogs, if that was part of your reasoning for considering a farm placement. They aren’t part Australian Shepherd, though because of their name people sometimes think they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

OP here. Yes I meant "nipped"--it's nipping, not biting. I didn't think of the word when I was writing my OP.

"Nipping" is a herding dog behavior that doesn't break skin. This dog is not a herding dog and is breaking skin. This dog is biting.

I will ask again, is this dog ever in a room with anyone's children, including the ones it lives with? Because if so these parents are grossly irresponsible parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

OP here. Yes I meant "nipped"--it's nipping, not biting. I didn't think of the word when I was writing my OP.

"Nipping" is a herding dog behavior that doesn't break skin. This dog is not a herding dog and is breaking skin. This dog is biting.

I will ask again, is this dog ever in a room with anyone's children, including the ones it lives with? Because if so these parents are grossly irresponsible parents.

OP here. Yes, the dog is with the kids (tween and teen). They have just put it together that this is the fourth time over the six years (because happened once with DH, once with DW, once when one of the kids had her, so they hadn't added up until now. Broke the skin on only one person. The parents are very concerned, have talked about putting her down, and started using a muzzle on her when outside.

Since, with a few exceptions, the PPs have been more interested in villifying them or me rather than being helpful, I will mention some things I have researched...

1) Behavioral expert to come to figure out what conditions create the behavior
2) There are ten medications that can help with anxiety that the vet can provide
3) They can contact the breeder for advice, or see if there is a give-back option, or if he has any leads on places for her,
4) They can contact their vet for advice

And btw I just remembered there is Best Friends which takes all dogs, even former pit bull fighting dogs. They are in Kanab, UT and years ago I took a tour there. ha, I guess that's where I came up with the farm idea...because there sort of is one, although it's not actually a farm, but a sanctuary in an incredible spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

OP here. Yes I meant "nipped"--it's nipping, not biting. I didn't think of the word when I was writing my OP.

"Nipping" is a herding dog behavior that doesn't break skin. This dog is not a herding dog and is breaking skin. This dog is biting.

I will ask again, is this dog ever in a room with anyone's children, including the ones it lives with? Because if so these parents are grossly irresponsible parents.

OP here. Yes, the dog is with the kids (tween and teen). They have just put it together that this is the fourth time over the six years (because happened once with DH, once with DW, once when one of the kids had her, so they hadn't added up until now. Broke the skin on only one person. The parents are very concerned, have talked about putting her down, and started using a muzzle on her when outside.

Since, with a few exceptions, the PPs have been more interested in villifying them or me rather than being helpful, I will mention some things I have researched...

1) Behavioral expert to come to figure out what conditions create the behavior
2) There are ten medications that can help with anxiety that the vet can provide
3) They can contact the breeder for advice, or see if there is a give-back option, or if he has any leads on places for her,
4) They can contact their vet for advice

And btw I just remembered there is Best Friends which takes all dogs, even former pit bull fighting dogs. They are in Kanab, UT and years ago I took a tour there. ha, I guess that's where I came up with the farm idea...because there sort of is one, although it's not actually a farm, but a sanctuary in an incredible spot.

In your OP you stated the dog bit “not family members but strangers or aquaintences.” Now you’re claiming the dog has bit DW, DH, and one of the children. So which is it? And how could they not remember if it’s been 4 or 5 times?

My 12 year old dog has bitten zero people ever. I would think even 1 bite would be pretty memorable. Multiple bites would not be something I could just forget. I honestly don’t even understand how anyone lets things get to the point of multiple bites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

Is that like “lightly fried tuna”?

[Anonymous]

The current family do not seem that concerned to me. They didn't do a thing to manage the biting dog the first 4 times it bit people. No confinement, no trainer, no behaviorist, no vet for meds, just carry on as usual? Apparently they didn't even count up how many separate people the dog bit. Suddenly now they are 'very concerned' and need some magic stranger to step in and take the dog so that they don't have to deal with it. How strict do you really think they're gonna be about that muzzle? And for how long? The dog could be managed, but, what is a stranger's motivation to do so? Euthanize ithe dog and be honest with your kids, it is probably kinder than the alternatives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

Is that like “lightly fried tuna”?

Not to derail, but I thought of that, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Lightly Bitten" ...ok

OP here. Yes I meant "nipped"--it's nipping, not biting. I didn't think of the word when I was writing my OP.

"Nipping" is a herding dog behavior that doesn't break skin. This dog is not a herding dog and is breaking skin. This dog is biting.

I will ask again, is this dog ever in a room with anyone's children, including the ones it lives with? Because if so these parents are grossly irresponsible parents.

OP here. Yes, the dog is with the kids (tween and teen). They have just put it together that this is the fourth time over the six years (because happened once with DH, once with DW, once when one of the kids had her, so they hadn't added up until now. Broke the skin on only one person. The parents are very concerned, have talked about putting her down, and started using a muzzle on her when outside.

Since, with a few exceptions, the PPs have been more interested in villifying them or me rather than being helpful, I will mention some things I have researched...

1) Behavioral expert to come to figure out what conditions create the behavior
2) There are ten medications that can help with anxiety that the vet can provide
3) They can contact the breeder for advice, or see if there is a give-back option, or if he has any leads on places for her,
4) They can contact their vet for advice

And btw I just remembered there is Best Friends which takes all dogs, even former pit bull fighting dogs. They are in Kanab, UT and years ago I took a tour there. ha, I guess that's where I came up with the farm idea...because there sort of is one, although it's not actually a farm, but a sanctuary in an incredible spot.

OP, a "bite" that doesn't break the skin isn't a bite. Your post is needlessly inflammatory.

The dog has bitten once, in unclear circumstances. Fwiw, our dog has broken skin a couple times when taking a treat clumsily. Oh well. Was your dog biting or was it during play/eating/other time?

[Anonymous]

^^^ Putting teeth on or holding with the mouths is not biting, it's communicating.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been through this situation with my own dog. In our case, the dog is clearly motivated both by fear-based aggression and some resource guarding of the home and family members.

You need to be honest about this dog’s history because you don’t want it to be put in a placement where the behavior could become more dangerous, especially under the stress of rehoming. It’s not fair to the new family, and it sucks when the dog ends up being euthanized without the comfort of its primary people. Unfortunately, every rescue I spoke to over years would not take a dog with a bite history. The trouble is two-fold: It costs thousands of dollars to keep a dog for years on a farm. Also, there are far too many adoptable dogs, and it’s near impossible to place ones with known problems. (House soiling, hyperactivity, and biting are the biggest reasons why rescues get returned). I talked to several rescue farms, and my dog was rejected from all. I also contacted Human Rescue Alliance for referrals, and they very gently told me no such magic farm for dogs with bite histories exists. Even if past bites are mild from a medical perspective, once it’s a pattern of behavior (2+ incidents) rescues worry about the risk of escalation. The only time to get on top of this is when there are signs of aggression/discomfort but no bites or a history of one bite in a circumstance that was clearly provocative.

Your family members’ realistic choices are to work with a behaviorist or pursue euthanasia. Behaviorists can be really helpful in determining triggers and offering avoidance strategies. In some (but not all cases), you can reduce the level of a dog’s reactivity (but rarely eliminate it). It’s a haul, but I highly recommend Nancy Williams of Dogs with Issues. She evaluated Michael Vick’s former fighting dogs. Locally, Brittany Fulton of Dances with Dogs is a great behaviorist. She has led reactive dog classes at Humane Rescue Alliance. I spoke with some veterinary behaviorists, and I wasn’t impressed. Their waiting lists are long, and they are very, very expensive. Better to have a vet experienced in behavioral issues (few are) and a good behaviorist.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I am being honest with the history. The dog has not bitten the DH, DW or kid(s).

The dog was WITH the DH when nipped someone, WITH the DW when bit someone, and WITH one of their kids when nipped someone else OVER THE YEARS.

So two weeks ago when a nip happened and DH and DW sat down to discuss the incident, THAT is when they realized it's been 4 times. (3 nips and one bite that broke the skin)

But the bite/nips were not communicating or playing or holding hand in mouth or "oops." It was intentional.

There is no way they are not going to be honest about the history when trying to find a solution. They are talking about putting the dog down, so if they find someone who will take the dog, they are not going to lie about the reason and risk further problems.

I think they would agree with you 12:21 that it's a behaviorist first, (or maybe contact the breeder first, or the vet for anxiety medication), or they will put the dog down.