Got bit

[Badland]

I’m an amateur compared to most of you bird dog owners. I tried to take a chew away from my wirehair tonight (who definitely is a guard dog and is very protective in general). I took it away and he freaked out which is a bit odd. I gave him some commands and he gave it back which was normal. Then I came back a few minutes later and he knew I was there and I tried to take it and he clamped my hand. I didn’t realize he drew blood until a few moments later but it definitely is worrisome with us having kids around at times. He’s normally just the perfect badass all around hunting dog who is very protective, but this was intense. He also is fantastic with kids and very gentle ALWAYS. He is not food driven but bones/chews he tends to get intense.

This is a Christmas bone we have periodically been taking and giving to him since the beginning of the month to make it last.

Should we be worried? My girlfriend is upset but I’m thinking we will be ok and it was a freak thing that drew a little blood. We have our nieces and nephews over a lot so it’s important.

I’ll note it would take a lot more from this for us to remove him from the home. This is not even remotely us looking to rehome. He’s our baby and we will take every precaution. He is our child and will not be left behind.

I know there’s upland forums but I knew lots of guys could help me out outside of that category and would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice.

Justin

 

[Whaledriver]

I am never a fan of being overly physical with a dog. That being said, with a an episode like you described it may be required. A lightning quick grab, put him on his back, holding his mouth closed firmly should get his attention. It won't hurt him, but will show who the alpha truly is. I had my Weimeraner snap at my sin when he was young. I was on the couch next to him and did the pin/clamp maneuver. Never had an issue ever again. Another route is to run a training session with the Christmas bone. Simple sit, stay, drop will again put you in charge of him and the bone. Good luck!

 

[2531usmc]

I’ve been a dog owner all my adult life and have two golden retrievers at home now. A single dog bite drawing blood gets a trip to the pound. No dog is worth keeping if it could ever possibly be in a position to hurt a child.

 

[hflier]

I have had dogs all my life, usually multiples. Had one biter. He never changed.

 

[Jfinan]

Fix the situation before it gets to be habit. There are other punishments besides being physical

 

[Fullfan]

The dog has to know his place in the pack. Show him who the alpha is, or you will be answering to him.

 

[Gobbler36]

Instances like these I basically body slammed my dog and lay on top of them, it hurts their ego and reminds them of who’s alpha.
Never tried it again, I might would provoke him again with the bone and if he even growled a little I’d body slam him (lack of a better word) not trying to hurt him, not sure how else to describe it and be on top of him with a no command if he knows it.
Learned this from a trainer and it has worked for me

 

[ThisIsMyHandle]

It sounds like he needs some extra toy training. My dog was protective of his bones and would destroy furry toys within minutes. We would put the bone in front of him but command him to not take it. Then we would take it and say “mine”. We would do that 2-3 times. Let him take the bone and keep it for a minute. Then command him to drop it, Never forcefully take it from him. When he drops it, say “mine” and take it away from him. If he growls or goes for it, stop reaching for it and firmly say “no”. Then take the bone away. You’ll do these steps multiple times every day for as long as it takes for him to break from his protectiveness and realize that it’s your bone but you’re letting him use it.


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[KurtR]

If he is a hunting dog I assume force fetch has been completed. Is he crate trained? I would be done with bones and chew toys. Does he have the run of house go where ever when ever?

Best answer find a pro and have them help you. We’re just people on the internet

 

[3forks]

I had a drahtharr (GWP) early in my bird dog career, and he was sharp.

He bit me once breaking up a fight, which is something that can easily happen, but he also bit a neighbor.

The dog showed early signs of being dominate, and I did everything I could to remind that dog of his place, but it was a pain in the ass.

At the time we had that dog, we didn’t have kids. If we did, there would have been no way I would have kept him around because too much could go wrong.

Lots of young dogs will guard their food or a toy, but it’s pretty easy to get that stopped right away. For other dogs, if it’s a behavioral trait for them to be aggressive or contunually challenge your place in hierarchy, it’s best to recognize it and decide what you‘re willing to accept as the dog’s owner because that trait is always going to be in the dog.

Maybe for a single guy who likes how the dog hunts, and can keep the dog out of trouble by largely avoiding situations where most other dogs are fine, it would work out. But, for a lot of other owners - the constant challenge of owning a dominate dog, assuming the risks of the dog’s behavior, and having to keep the dog mostly on leash and isolated, wouldn’t be worth it for most people (Especially if they have a family).

Typically, when I get a dog it’s for better or worse, but I would never go through life owning another sharp dog. It’s just too much liability and hassle.

For what it’s worth, you will hear from a lot of VDD/GWP owners who will claim their dogs are the sweetest ever, and the best family pet they’ve ever had. That could be true, but I’ve also known of a LOT of other VDD/GWP owners who have had dominance/aggressive issues with their dogs.

In short, the breed isn‘t known for being a good choice for inexperienced owners and will take strong hand to keep in line.

 

[Hoghead]

How did you respond when this happened? I agree with some of the others he needs to know his place in his pack. This is correctable if you take care of it soon. There needs to be no doubt in his mind who the boss is. Depending on the dog how far you need to go. Sometimes the pinning until submission will work. With a truly alpha dog you might need to be more force full. I hunt hogs with dogs I won't tolerate dog fights. My hog dogs live in the house and sleep with my kids. I have lifted them over my head and then put them on the ground and pinned them until they understand. Doing this it's not necessary to slam the dog or hurt him in any way but it is unnatural for a dog and scares them. You have to get there mind to change focus.

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[Lowg08]

Raised and trained hounds and hog dogs up until 9 years ago. Some dogs need one thorough beat down and it changes there whole perspective. I have two 100lb bulldogs in my house and if I speak or stand up they sit and stop. If they are barking outside and they hear me coming they will meet me at the door. If you ain’t the boss they think they can be. One fiest who’s sole mission in life is to make everyone happy. Never laid a hand on him

 

[Mosby]

I would not trust him around small kids and I would probably avoid and limit contact with children going forward especially around food or bones. I would consider getting some professional help with a dog trainer. The cost of that will be a lot cheaper than the liability you will incur if he bites someone besides you. It is likely a dominance thing and right now he thinks he is in charge of his stuff. That will need to change.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Man Griffs are the softest dogs I've ever seen.
Id guess you've let him run a muck.
If it happens again one good smack and tossing his treat should do it.

3rd time 22 bullet.
Don't take him to the pound so he can bite someone else.

But man Griff are soft shouldn't take much.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

If I didn’t have kids, I’d take the time to work with him. With kids in the house, I’d take no chances. Dog bite on a child is a huge danger. Looking past the immediate danger of the bite, if you have to seek medical help, you will likely be dealing with child services as well.
There is also the liability of him biting a neighbor or friend of your children that could be a huge liability/financial risk.

 

[Blackstorm]

I have had similar situation with a few dogs some can be broke from the dominance some won't.
The first rule of dog training is repetition, both good and bad. So, if a dog does something and in essence gets away with the behavior it is viewed as acceptable behavior, you will not view it that way, but he was not corrected when the behavior happened, so his current thought is it is acceptable. Now how to correct out the behavior assuming there is no underlying physical reason (think dental) for his reaction of removing the chew. You actually have a few options and the first is very simple one. you and your guests never give him another chew or toy and he doesn't have a food issue (if he does feed him in a closed crate). The one exception is to give him the toy only in a closed crate. Again, the problem is solved for children and others who could be bitten. It sounds extreme but my dogs have no toys at all and never do and are great for the most part with all my guests for the past 40 years. Now I suspect you think this is not what you want for your dog and family. To do the work you will have to be very physical with the dog and have to create a similar situation (set the dog up) and do an immediate correction to the dog so they understand why they are being corrected. This is where it gets hard there are a lot of ways to do it and I won't get into details online, but you will be very physical by pinning the dog (they may bite you if done wrong) consistency is the key and again repetition. This method I generally start with puppies, but I have been successful with adult dogs as well. I can reach into any of my dog's bowls while they are eating without any issues of them biting or growling. Now with this said I've had to put animals down that were inherently dominant and would only listen to me, but my family was fair game, it is never pleasant.

 

[Will_m]

I’ve been a dog owner all my adult life and have two golden retrievers at home now. A single dog bite drawing blood gets a trip to the pound. No dog is worth keeping if it could ever possibly be in a position to hurt a child.

I respect your position but that seems like an excuse over controlling the animal. It’s a dog and it doesn’t know any better. Make him know better.

Sometimes you get a bad one though, I’ll admit that.

 

[LaHunter]

That dog does not fear / respect you and does not see you as the alpha / master is my suspicion.
That needs to be established beginning day 1 when you bring the dog home.
You will have to decide if this dog is trainable or not.
Also, you will need to decide if you are capable of training this dog.
If either are a 'no' get rid of the dog.

 

[Jbehredt]

Old Yeller.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

It should have been dealt with in the moment, all you can do at this point is try to provoke him again to get a second chance at it. If it were my dog I’d have him by the collar with one hand and the other one an open palm going to town on his face for 15-20 seconds while yelling “no” as loud as you can and yanking him around by the collar.

You aren’t going to fracture his skull or any of the other dog training horror stories you hear about with an open hand, but don’t take it easy on him whatsoever.

I was bit by a dog that was eating as a kid, didn’t know any better, and right or wrong I won’t tolerate it in any of my dogs. I would purposely put my hand down in my current dogs bowl while he was eating and stir his food around, pick it up and make him sit, etc.

I have had several dogs this did this once while young, even a growl is enough to merit the response I mentioned. I never had anything happen again from them.

If it is repeated, I’d consider it a genetic fault and the dog would be in the ground. Not worth the risk of some kid getting their face torn off trying to play fetch.

My in laws have some type of lab mix that is food and toy aggressive. They refuse to and are afraid of taking something away from her. She’s old and I cannot wait for her to pass as we have two young boys.