The Ongoing Dog Attack Mega-Thread

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

What makes a dog attack 1 week and act properly the next? What did our dog do differently then that little Shiz-tzu did the week before? I honestly don't understand that.

So many reasons. Shortly after getting my dog we were "attacked" by another dog. We were on the other side of the chain link fence, and that dog grabbed me by the pant leg. My dog defended me and got the other dog to let go; it really wasn't much of a big deal; however now whenever we see a similar dog mine goes from being happy to guard dog in a split second. He is getting better, but I still have to be careful with him. My dog also has issues distinguishing between coyotes and German shepherds; so I also have to be careful there. (To be fair, we see far more coyotes than German shepherds.

Could also be that being neighbours, your dogs know each others' scents. So in this case Molly came up and knew your dogs "belong" there.

Another possibility is smaller dogs sometimes put on a bigger show to compensate a bit. So while Shiz-tzu was trying to be defensive, Molly could have seen that as aggression.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

Sorry for the long rant, it was just a strange situation. I don't want my neighbor to lose his dog because it bites another dog or a person, but I also want to know that our dogs are safe and so are the rest in the nesighborhood. It seems like they struggle to keep their dog in their yard and one day it won't turn out well for Molly if she keeps getting out. That sucks.

There really is no excuse for letting your dog outside your yard without a leash. I have a buddy who does that, who lets his dog run around his front lawn and the cul-de-sac, and it ticks me off. So you have every right to be concerned.

On the subject of rescue dogs, we've applied for a puppy with a local rescue organization. Went and looked at the litter yesterday and the kids fell in love. Thing is, it's at least half German Shepherd, and that makes me a bit leery.

My wife points out that our last dog (also a rescue, and also raised from 3-months), had rottweiler and shepherd in her (along with who knows what else), and she was a sweetheart. We'll be diligent with training her and everything, but I've always regarded German Shepherds as quite aggressive, and requiring a strong hand. Does anyone here have any experience with raising them as family dogs?

[heep223]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

There really is no excuse for letting your dog outside your yard without a leash. I have a buddy who does that, who lets his dog run around his front lawn and the cul-de-sac, and it ticks me off. So you have every right to be concerned.

On the subject of rescue dogs, we've applied for a puppy with a local rescue organization. Went and looked at the litter yesterday and the kids fell in love. Thing is, it's at least half German Shepherd, and that makes me a bit leery.

My wife points out that our last dog (also a rescue, and also raised from 3-months), had rottweiler and shepherd in her (along with who knows what else), and she was a sweetheart. We'll be diligent with training her and everything, but I've always regarded German Shepherds as quite aggressive, and requiring a strong hand. Does anyone here have any experience with raising them as family dogs?

I've known many shepherds and shepherd crosses. I have never known anyone to have a problem. Same with dobermans, sweetest dogs they will lick you to death.

The only breed that I think has an inclination towards a true genetic behavioural issue is the pit bull.

[Coach]

Almost any rescue you find will be crossed with a Shepard. I wouldn't let it deter you at all.

[foshizzle11]

I don't have experience training a german shepherd from a puppy but my other dog, she weighs about 60lbs is a shepherd mixed with border collie and maybe something else. She is who I was mentioning as always being on leash because she isn't always predictable, she hasn't done anything to any people ever and is a great family dog. Great with little kids, etc. But with strangers she doesn't know, she lets them know to stay away by barking. If she can run away she will. She has that guard dog instinct in her, she is very smart, because she was a stray/rescue as well I got when she was 3 months old, she has "street smarts", compared to say the pure bred labs or goldens my family has traditionally had. She uses her instincts and has a great personality, but like I said that unpredictability comes from her being part german shepherd IMO.

I have had really close family friends who always got german shepherds growing up and they were the best dogs. So friendly, best friend with their cat, kids could pull his/her ears, tail, take a bone away, anything. But if someone their dog didn't know jumped into the yard without anyone else around, he/she would have made them regret intruding pretty quickly.

We also have an old guy who walks dogs as a hobby. He is now onto his 6th black german shepherd in his life. His dog is the leader of the pack, the dog is so well behaved that "troubled" dogs who aren't good walkers on the leash just follow his lead. For example a neighbor has a pitbull mix, large breed dog and he told the old guy that he couldn't walk him because he would pull him down the street. Well the old guy finally convinced him to let him try walking him with his black shepherd, the pitty mix didn't pull at all on his walk.

I honestly believe the way dogs behave has a lot to do with their owners, as so many people have pointed out. I think that you can have a great family dog with any breed, it matters how much time and effort you put into training your dog. Some people like training dogs how to fun tricks but I like to focus on training proper behaviour. I don't really care if my dog can shake a paw or speak on command but I do think it is very important for my dog to sit and stay when asked, no matter what is going on around her, or come when told, lay down, heel while walking, stay off the furniture in the house, only chew on her toys, etc. Those things are what people really want and need in a dog.

Shepherds are working dogs, if they get bored and don't have a release for their energy they can become aggressive. Same with a lot of intelligent, working breeds. They need stimulation, without that they will have those behavioral issues most people don't want.

[Vulcan]

Concerning the neighbours dog attacking one dog and not the other, I've seen female dogs inclined to attack other female dogs and male dogs more inclined to attack other male dogs.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

On the subject of rescue dogs, we've applied for a puppy with a local rescue organization. Went and looked at the litter yesterday and the kids fell in love. Thing is, it's at least half German Shepherd, and that makes me a bit leery.

If the dog is already in rescue, I think you would be fine. You are more likely to run into problems if the dog wasn't socialized properly, lived as a feral litter, or was abused, rather than something genetic.

Also, how old is the puppy and what age will it be leaving its mom? Some rescues let puppies go at 6 weeks, as soon as they are on puppy food. That is a huge red flag to me. Never get a puppy that someone lets go younger than 8 weeks. That is a critical time to learn proper manners from the mom and litter mates.

Ideally, I think puppies should stay with their moms until 3 months, but that is rarely the case. My one puppy was with her mom until that age, and she was the easiest puppy and is an amazing dog (does pet therapy among other things).

[foshizzle11]

This story is very sad.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/04...-baby-pkg.kfmb

3 day old baby was mauled and killed by the family dog, apparently the mother coughed or sneezed and the dog snapped. So sad.

There isn't any background from the video about the dog's history, if there were any signs of aggressive behaviour before.

Here is another link from huffington:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/04...n_9780078.html

Looks like an American Staffordshire terrier mix, a big dog, pitbull mix.

How do you properly introduce your new born baby to your dog? It sounds like the family was in bed together with the new born, mom, dad and the family dog, something spooked the dog and he bit the baby's head. I honestly don't know what the dog is thinking, that this little thing is threatening?

It is very sad.

[calgaryblood]

How do you properly introduce your new born baby to your pit bull? You don't.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

This story is very sad.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/04...-baby-pkg.kfmb

3 day old baby was mauled and killed by the family dog, apparently the mother coughed or sneezed and the dog snapped. So sad.

There isn't any background from the video about the dog's history, if there were any signs of aggressive behaviour before.

Here is another link from huffington:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/04...n_9780078.html

Looks like an American Staffordshire terrier mix, a big dog, pitbull mix.

How do you properly introduce your new born baby to your dog? It sounds like the family was in bed together with the new born, mom, dad and the family dog, something spooked the dog and he bit the baby's head. I honestly don't know what the dog is thinking, that this little thing is threatening?

It is very sad.

Dogs can get weird when a new baby enters the home. I saw is happen with my sister. After their baby was born the dog got really moody and started growling any time the baby would make noise, and would get really jealous when they spent time with baby. They ended up finding a new home for the dog. It was a good dog up until that point.

(It was a shepherd/husky cross)

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

How do you properly introduce your new born baby to your pit bull? You don't.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Almost any rescue you find will be crossed with a Shepard. I wouldn't let it deter you at all.

That's what I used to think even with my own dog. Now, I'm not so sure as I would have put the house on her having Shepherd in her. Wondering now how many Shepherd looking dogs actually aren't Shepherd.
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=139369

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

How do you properly introduce your new born baby to your pit bull? You don't.

I don't mean a pit bull, I mean a family dog. We have two dogs, and 1 foster who is a pitbull mix. The foster is the most gentle of the three. Our smallest, the cockerpoo is the most dangerous in terms of biting. I would be the most worried about him doing something to a small child than our other 60+ lbs dogs.

[CliffFletcher]

u

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

It sounds like the family was in bed together with the new born, mom, dad and the family dog, something spooked the dog and he bit the baby's head. I honestly don't know what the dog is thinking, that this little thing is threatening?

Dog trainers advise against letting your dog in bed with you. Dogs are instinctively hierarchical animals. In their minds, all of their relations in the household are defined by where they are in the hierarchy. If your dog sleeps on your bed, your dog thinks it's your equal (something to do with height). Experts say you shouldn't even let a dog up on the couch, for the same reason - you want your dog to understand that it's subordinate to you.

Now, I don't know why this dog bit the infant. But the dog's likely confusion around hierarchy and where the baby and it sat in that hierarchy probably didn't help.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

u

Dog trainers advise against letting your dog in bed with you. Dogs are instinctively hierarchical animals. In their minds, all of their relations in the household are defined by where they are in the hierarchy. If your dog sleeps on your bed, your dog thinks it's your equal (something to do with height). Experts say you shouldn't even let a dog up on the couch, for the same reason - you want your dog to understand that it's subordinate to you.

Now, I don't know why this dog bit the infant. But the dog's likely confusion around hierarchy and where the baby and it sat in that hierarchy probably didn't help.

The problem is that a lot of people do look at the dog as an equal family member (fur kids). And once that baby comes in and things change, the dog gets frustrated.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

I don't mean a pit bull, I mean a family dog. We have two dogs, and 1 foster who is a pitbull mix. The foster is the most gentle of the three. Our smallest, the cockerpoo is the most dangerous in terms of biting. I would be the most worried about him doing something to a small child than our other 60+ lbs dogs.

Pit bull or not I would never put my new born in harms way by putting them near a 60 LB dog.

There are thousands of dead/seriously injured children by family dogs who the owners would have never suspected their dog was capable of doing anything to their children because they're "part of the family".

[polak]

I cringe when I see those youtube videos of babys poking and proding big dogs. In most of them the dog enters a defensive/fearful/deference position like laying on their back and yet the parents think this is cute cuddles. I wonder how many of those attempted cute dog/baby videos ended poorly and didn't make the "Save the Pitbulls" fb page...

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

The problem is that a lot of people do look at the dog as an equal family member (fur kids). And once that baby comes in and things change, the dog gets frustrated.

Yes. And that sucks. Have we become so uncomfortable with the notion of hierarchy that we won't establish it over our dogs, even if it leaves them anxious and unpredictable?

[calgaryblood]

This is a story from a few weeks ago but thought I'd share it here. I was looking at buying a used bike off kijiji and had an appointment set up and on my way there she texts me that her dogs had got into a fight and she was bitten by one of them so she had to cancel. A few days later she texts me to come look at it again and I thought ok the dogs are likely inside so no big deal. I get there and she comes out with her hand all messed up and she opens the garage and the god damn dogs are in there. The pit bull looking one is in a kennel and the other was trying to jump all over me. I am not afraid of dogs but that didn't make me comfortable at all not knowing what dog had bitten her just a few days prior. To make it even worse the pit bull had a litter so there will likely be 5 more crappy owners at some time if they are anything like her. Some owners just don't deserve to own dogs.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

This is a story from a few weeks ago but thought I'd share it here. I was looking at buying a used bike off kijiji and had an appointment set up and on my way there she texts me that her dogs had got into a fight and she was bitten by one of them so she had to cancel. A few days later she texts me to come look at it again and I thought ok the dogs are likely inside so no big deal. I get there and she comes out with her hand all messed up and she opens the garage and the god damn dogs are in there. The pit bull looking one is in a kennel and the other was trying to jump all over me. I am not afraid of dogs but that didn't make me comfortable at all not knowing what dog had bitten her just a few days prior. To make it even worse the pit bull had a litter so there will likely be 5 more crappy owners at some time if they are anything like her. Some owners just don't deserve to own dogs.

"Oh don't worry, they wouldn't hurt a fly"