Being bitten.

[cati]

This doesn't have anything to do with BDSM except for someone being bitten.

I was out in the backyard today with our 5 year old 100 lb. neutered male German Shepard, who is trained and usually very friendly towards strangers (except the mailman). The lady next door was pruning her garden close to the hedge that separates our properties. He and I were within 5 feet of her. Suddenly he growled and at the same time lunged through the hedge and grabbed onto her thigh. He didn't bite her in the sense that his teeth penetrated her flesh, but there was a definite bruise there, plus her shorts were torn. He immediately returned to our yard, so his plan wasn't to stay and chew her up. I could see he was going to go back tho' and that's when I put him in the house.
I apologized over and over to my neighbour, half afraid she might call the police, which she is entitled to do. He has growled at her once before through the window, but this time there was no warning.

My neighbour told me she is afraid of dogs and had been bitten by a shephard years before. Her being afraid of dogs explains why she seems so unfriendly towards him ie. doesn't acknowledge the dog when we are talking etc. I'm only saying this because "most" people will put out their hand to greet him or say hello. Dog owners will know what I mean.
The thing is I didn't know how to respond to our dog's behaviour except to reprimand him and put him in the house. I certainly wouldn't hit him. I'm so upset. I just didn't know what to do or say. I was horrified by what he had done.

My thinking is that he was being protective of me and that he lunged and grabbed onto her as a warning to stay away. Is that it? Perhaps he thinks her property is his/ours as well.

Does anyone have experience with German Shephards? Does he sense that she doesn't like him, or is afraid. She said that she wasn't afraid until he actually grabbed hold of her.
He has been the best behaved dog I have ever had the pleasure of owning and has an outstanding pedigree. We have had him for 8 months. He has always been a people dog as opposed to any kind of guard dog. He has never been abused in anyway.
What prompted this behaviour? Am I underestimating his Dominant nature?

He was at the Vet for his heartworm, booster and wellness test on Friday, so he has a clean bill of health. I just don't get it.

 

[ltnsfr007]

This doesn't have anything to do with BDSM except for someone being bitten.

MISLEADING TITLE

 

[YourCaptor]

This doesn't have anything to do with BDSM except for someone being bitten.

I was out in the backyard today with our 5 year old 100 lb. neutered male German Shepard, who is trained and usually very friendly towards strangers (except the mailman). The lady next door was pruning her garden close to the hedge that separates our properties. He and I were within 5 feet of her. Suddenly he growled and at the same time lunged through the hedge and grabbed onto her thigh. He didn't bite her in the sense that his teeth penetrated her flesh, but there was a definite bruise there, plus her shorts were torn. He immediately returned to our yard, so his plan wasn't to stay and chew her up. I could see he was going to go back tho' and that's when I put him in the house.
I apologized over and over to my neighbour, half afraid she might call the police, which she is entitled to do. He has growled at her once before through the window, but this time there was no warning.

My neighbour told me she is afraid of dogs and had been bitten by a shephard years before. Her being afraid of dogs explains why she seems so unfriendly towards him ie. doesn't acknowledge the dog when we are talking etc. I'm only saying this because "most" people will put out their hand to greet him or say hello. Dog owners will know what I mean.
The thing is I didn't know how to respond to our dog's behaviour except to reprimand him and put him in the house. I certainly wouldn't hit him. I'm so upset. I just didn't know what to do or say. I was horrified by what he had done.

My thinking is that he was being protective of me and that he lunged and grabbed onto her as a warning to stay away. Is that it? Perhaps he thinks her property is his/ours as well.

Does anyone have experience with German Shephards? Does he sense that she doesn't like him, or is afraid. She said that she wasn't afraid until he actually grabbed hold of her.
He has been the best behaved dog I have ever had the pleasure of owning and has an outstanding pedigree. We have had him for 8 months. Before this he was more of a people dog than an actual guard dog living in a country environment with two other "big" dogs. He has never been abused in anyway.
What prompted this behaviour? Am I underestimating his Dominant nature?

He was at the Vet for his heartworm, booster and wellness test on Friday, so he has a clean bill of health. I just don't get it.

Dogs read body language on humans, except they use dog body language to interpret that.

A human expressing fear, to a dog appears to be challenging or being aggressive.

Hence they say a dog can smell fear.

You could try to teach her how to handle a dog with a friendly one, then put her and your dog together.

However if you don't know someone who knows what they are doing, call an expert. A 100 pound dog requires cation and the right tools.

 

[jockdom]

I got bitten by an alsation when younger and that is the only breed of dog I do not like.They are too unpredictable!

 

[cati]

Dogs read body language on humans, except they use dog body language to interpret that.

A human expressing fear, to a dog appears to be challenging or being aggressive.
Hence they say a dog can smell fear.
You could try to teach her how to handle a dog with a friendly one, then put her and your dog together.
However if you don't know someone who knows what they are doing, call an expert. A 100 pound dog requires cation and the right tools.

Nods. So you think he could smell her fear even tho' she wasn't aware of being fearful herself?
I thought of introducing them, but I don't think she's all that interested. He was around her once, but she didn't acknowledge him.
I'm no expert, but I would certainly be able to handle that sort of situation, introducing them I mean..either that I could call Caesar *s

Maybe he's cranky cause it's so damn hot here.

Grinz..the only dogs I don't like are beagles because one tried to hump my back while I was sitting down on a couch. The dumb thing just would not get off me. i was a kid then.

 

[cati]

I got bitten by an alsation when younger and that is the only breed of dog I do not like.They are too unpredictable!

an Alsation is that like a shephard? I'm trying to think.

I got bitten, well mauled actually by a German Shepherd when I was eleven. He was on a very long chain (I found this out a couple minutes later) I was taking a short cut through his yard and decided I wanted to give him a big hug and proceeded to put my arms around his neck. He wasn't going to have any of it. I still bear the scars of his teeth marks along my arm, probably on my butt too.

 

[jockdom]

I got bitten by an alsation when younger and that is the only breed of dog I do not like.They are too unpredictable!

an Alsation is that like a shephard? I'm trying to think.

I got bitten, well mauled actually by a German Shepherd when I was eleven. He was on a very long chain (I found this out a couple minutes later) I was taking a short cut through his yard and decided I wanted to give him a big hug and proceeded to put my arms around his neck. He wasn't going to have any of it. I still bear the scars of his teeth marks along my arm, probably on my butt too.

Pretty similar I think the shepherd is the shorthair version or visa versa! My pal has a English bull dog good as gold not very clever though.

 

[cati]

smiles...that's funny. They really don't look all that clever do they.
Kinda reminds me of Winston Churchill...although he was a clever man...clever yet somehow very bullish, or was that Teddy Roosevelt?

 

[jockdom]

smiles...that's funny. They really don't look all that clever do they.
Kinda reminds me of Winston Churchill...although he was a clever man...clever yet somehow very bullish, or was that Teddy Roosevelt?

nah the bulldogs have long faces! Have you seen Oliver Twist?

 

[cati]

yes I have seen it... a couple of versions.
May I ask...Your Av is that the guy who played the caretaker in the Harry Potter films? I saw him on Midsomer Murders recently if that IS the same person. Interesting choice of Av I must say!

 

[graceanne]

You should PM dolf about this. (I think she's still hanging out at the GB.) She's a dog trainer, and is really really good with dogs.

 

[cati]

Thanks Graceanne for the tip...I will go find her.

 

[jockdom]

yes I have seen it... a couple of versions.
May I ask...Your Av is that the guy who played the caretaker in the Harry Potter films? I saw him on Midsomer Murders recently if that IS the same person. Interesting choice of Av I must say!

Nah its bob from twin peaks an evil spirit. I was just going to comment on your av, Sherillyn Fenn who plays Audrey horne in twin peaks one of the most beautiful women in the world! My opinion.

The version were oliver Reed plays bill sikes has a english bulldog in it.

 

[cati]

I was a bit surprised when I saw from your profile that you enjoyed Twin Peaks. Funny, I didn't know my AV was Sherilyn Fenn. Wow...isn't that coincidental! They aren't still doing reruns of the show are they? They really should bring it back, I missed so many of the episodes. I'm sure I would appreciate it more now.
Sorry I don't remember Oliver Reed having a bulldog, goes to show how much attention I pay to details...sigh

 

[Netzach]

No offense, but if I were the neighbor I would not be interested in re-evaluating my behavior to see if I somehow did anything at all to set your dog off, I'd be interested in you keeping it away from me permanently. It's your job to put up a fence, keep him in, deal with it, not mine.

Our alley is shared with someone who has a golden retriever with an IQ of about 6 who barks viciously from behind a high fence.

If you have a dog who has now established a history of attacking a human, for whatever reason, you need to take precautions for the sake of your dog if nothing else. You do not want to have to put him down over a misinterpretation.

 

[Bi_Kitty]

From someone who has been attacked twice now by dogs, I am afraid of other people's bigger-mean dogs. (And I say other people's because my parents have 7 dogs, lol.) But I know not to show fear around them or they will just take advantage of that.

The first time I was attack, I was about 4, that's what mom tells me anyway, and my uncle had 2 bulldogs. They knocked me over and was have a tug of war with me.

The second time, was when I was 15 and jogging down the road beside my house while my mom walked behind me. We had already gone pass out neighbor's house and we was on the return, I was less than 10 feet from my driveway when neighbor's dog came charging out at me and the whole time the neighbors are yelling "It don't bite!" BULLSHIT! It jumped up and came flying toward me, I was able to kick it down from biting me in the face or where ever but it did get me on the backside of my leg.


We had a German Shepard when we lived next to the same neighbor but before they got the dog. She was just as calm as she could be until the neighbor man(will call A) came close to her. A was worse than redneck-white trash. A would beat the children (there was like 7 of them) and then go out on the road, A was a truck driver, and take the kids mom with him and leave the kids home alone for weeks.

After our dog had puppies she became even worse about growling insanely when A was around. She never bite him but came mighty close several times (in my books he deserve it though), so finally we gave her away to a family that had lots of time to spend with her and didn't have any neighbors close to them.

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Right now, my apartment complex is having trouble with our neighbor's dogs. They come out, chase, and bark at you. We have called animal control, several fucking times. AC will come out and then the people put the dogs on chains like they are suppose to be but after AC closes they let the dogs off. If this was happening at home the dogs would have already come up missing/dead. But since I'm not we have to deal with the chance that we might get bit everyday when the dogs aren't on the chain.

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As for as the OP goes, there are a lot of things that could have caused the dog to attack. She could have spooked him; he could have smelt fear; or he could just be doing what it was trained to do. Dogs are unpredictable!

 

[jockdom]

I was a bit surprised when I saw from your profile that you enjoyed Twin Peaks. Funny, I didn't know my AV was Sherilyn Fenn. Wow...isn't that coincidental! They aren't still doing reruns of the show are they? They really should bring it back, I missed so many of the episodes. I'm sure I would appreciate it more now.
Sorry I don't remember Oliver Reed having a bulldog, goes to show how much attention I pay to details...sigh

Got them all on dvd! Sad really but everybody has to have something they adore! I have a big poster of your present avatar.

 

[cati]

No offense, but if I were the neighbor I would not be interested in re-evaluating my behavior to see if I somehow did anything at all to set your dog off, I'd be interested in you keeping it away from me permanently. It's your job to put up a fence, keep him in, deal with it, not mine.

Our alley is shared with someone who has a golden retriever with an IQ of about 6 who barks viciously from behind a high fence.

If you have a dog who has now established a history of attacking a human, for whatever reason, you need to take precautions for the sake of your dog if nothing else. You do not want to have to put him down over a misinterpretation.

Oh absolutely! We had talked earlier about putting up a new 4" high fence this summer, she let me know she couldn't afford to do this, so now its up to us (which under the circumstances is the proper thing to do anyway. She mentioned concern for her grandchildren just as I did and would never have the dog in the backyard when they are visiting. My mistake was thinking that since he is such a good dog with our family and friends, that he is good with everyone. I definitely underestimated his aggression. We have had him for 8 months and this is our first summer being with him outdoors.

 

[YourCaptor]

No offense, but if I were the neighbor I would not be interested in re-evaluating my behavior to see if I somehow did anything at all to set your dog off, I'd be interested in you keeping it away from me permanently. It's your job to put up a fence, keep him in, deal with it, not mine.

My concern was for her and the dog I have joined a discussion group for advice and you can bet your bottom dollar I will do all I can ensure it doesn't happen again. THis neighbour and I discussed putting up more permanent fencing last summer. More reason to have to done quickly. Wow thanks for being so frank

Netzach is right, maybe I didn't express it well enough earlier, but the dog needs the training, not the human.

Until the dogs behavior is corrected your should keep it on a rope when in the yard.

 

[graceanne]

From someone who has been attacked twice now by dogs, I am afraid of other people's bigger-mean dogs. (And I say other people's because my parents have 7 dogs, lol.) But I know not to show fear around them or they will just take advantage of that.

I've been bit by a dog twice. Both times on my face. Once when I was two - I don't remember that time. I only know about it cause my mom told me. The other time I was four. We'd just moved into this house and our new neighbors had brand new (read hours old) puppies. The mom didn't know me, and I reached out to grab one of the puppies (ignoring my mom going NO!). I still have some very light scars - I can see them but no one else can unless I point them out. *shrugs*

Once I was out walking my littlest sister. I was 17 and she was 1, and in her stroller. Someone was coming out of their yard and their dog got out - kinda a medium sized dog and came running straight for my sister - who was at face level with the dog. The owner was chasing the dog - it was a well known biter but normally they did a very good job keeping it behind the fence. I got down on face level with the dog and said 'i will break your fucking jaw'. The dog yipped and ran back in her yard. LOL

 

[graceanne]

Netzach is right, maybe I didn't express it well enough earlier, but the dog needs the training, not the human.

Until the dogs behavior is corrected your should keep it on a rope when in the yard.

I agree actually. Especially with a German Shepherd. They're great dogs but are hyper-protective. You have to protect your animal, as well as your neighbors, cause it would be a tragedy to have to have your dog put down because he was trying to protect you from a non-existent threat. This is also true of pit bulls, dobermen, and rotweilers. So often they bite thinking they're protecting.

 

[cati]

Got them all on dvd! Sad really but everybody has to have something they adore! I have a big poster of your present avatar.

I think that's very cool.

 

[cati]

Netzach is right to express her opinion, just as we all are. But YC he won't be put on a rope. He isn't a "vicious" dog...he's just a large dog with Dominant sometimes aggressive tendencies.
I was just curious as to what might have provoked the dog to behave like that. I wasn't trying to defend his behaviour, merely to understand it.
The bottom line is you never know what a dog is going to do and need to expect the unexpected.
As you can see I edited my earlier post in response to Netzach. I had to run out for a few minutes and had no time to re-read and re-write or else I wouldn't have replied the way I did.

I have always admired Netzach for her intelligence and her ability to call it as it is.

 

[cati]

What I noticed on my visits to the US is that many, many people have "guard" dogs of every sort. You can see they haven't been trained to do anything intelligent, so attacking is inevitable. Here in Canada, in my area in particular, you never see lost or roaming dogs like you do in the States.
We had a mini-dachshund quite a few years ago, who didn't have issues with any of my children's friends, except this same neighbour's son who was eight at the time. The kids were playing in the back yard jumping and hollering and our little weiner just went after this one kids ankles.

 

[Netzach]

Hey I like dogs more than most people and more than most children - it's for your puppy's benefit that I said what I said.

My friend has the sweetest most trustworthy shepherd-husky mix - who bit someone once. She had to take him to obedience and worked like crazy with him - he was a nice dog who was set off in some way, we still think to this day the guy provoked him and lied about it (that does happen) - and he came out of classes a nice well-trained dog. He's a weenie, he's scared of her cat.