That was the question my very desperate and distraught client posed to me in our most recent conversation. You see, she has an adolescent dog who bites. Not playful bites, but real bites, drawing blood, putting pressure into the bite, and holding on. The worst part? He's been doing this since he was a puppy. She'd been told that she spoiled the dog and that's why this happened (not true, otherwise most of my clients dogs would be biters, as would my own two spoiled dogs!). She'd been told that he needed obedience training and not going to classes was the reason for his behavior (also not true since biting people isn't an obedience problem, it's a serious behavior problem and not something that can be dealt with in a classroom situation). From our first conversation months ago until now, this dog has continued to bite. His biting frequency has improved as his owners have gotten better at reading the early warning signs and not putting themselves (or the dog) in a position where a bite will occur. The big problem with this dog, however, is that he has multiple triggers. Lack of sleep makes him aggressive, as does trying to move him, walk past him, step over him, or move around him. All bets are off if he has food, a toy, or a sock. While he's better in the morning, as the day wears on, he becomes worse until everyone in the house avoids him in order to keep from getting bit. You may be asking yourself why in the world would someone keep a dog like this, but believe it or not, I know a lot of dog owners who are living with dogs who are very much like this one. Let's dive into this a little deeper.
Any dog who bites has a better than 90% chance of biting again. I've been helping pet owners for almost 30 years at this point, and I can attest to the validity of this statistic. Every dog bites again IF you don't change YOUR behavior. Read that sentence again. You aren't changing their behavior, you're changing your own. You see, aggression isn't a curable problem per se, it's more about learning what triggers the aggression and anxiety and controlling those triggers to the best of your ability. So, if your dog is triggered by children and tries to bite your kids (or does bite your kids), then your dog can't stay in your home unless you plan to re-home your kids, which most parents are unwilling to do! Any dog who bites children has no place in a home where kids live, visit, or stay for any length of time. And if your dog resource guards the couch, your bed, or the doorway he's blocking, then he can't be allowed on the couch, your bed, or to lay in doorways. Yes, that means your dog will be restricted as to where he can go and what he can claim as his own. It's for his own good; you aren't being mean to your dog if don't let him on the furniture. It's worse to let him up there and then have him bite you when you sit down or try to move him. I've had clients bit on the face and neck for sitting near their dogs on the couch or climbing back into bed after a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
I always get asked about where aggression comes from. I know dog owners feel overwhelming guilt and shame about their biting dogs. They feel like they are being judged by their family members, friends, and neighbors for keeping their biting dogs. They are afraid that they did (or didn't) do something that they should have and that's why their dog is aggressive. I always make a point of telling them it isn't their fault at all. I've seen severely abused and neglected dogs who NEVER make the choice to bite someone, so abuse isn't where aggression comes from. I've seen lots of rescued dogs as well and being rescued isn't an excuse for aggressive behavior. Dogs behave aggressively because the aggressive behavior works for them. It is a choice to bite. A dog who doesn't want to move off the couch could simply growl to tell the owner "Hey! I'm not moving!" There's no reason to escalate to a bite. Listen to your growling dogs! Change your behavior so they don't feel compelled to escalate and make a choice that could be their end. Nothing in life is free. Some dogs need to be reminded of that and need to work for their meals rather than eating in a bowl that they will guard aggressively, for example.
And here's the part that's really hard for some dog owners to grasp: aggression is heritable. Dogs whose parents (or grandparents) were aggressive are likely to have issues in aggression as well. It goes without saying that reputable breeders don't perpetuate issues in aggression by breeding dogs they know are aggressive. When you get a dog through a puppy broker, puppy mill, foreign rescue, etc., however, you won't know anything about your dog's family tree and there's risk involved in not knowing.
While owning any aggressive dog is risky, owning a dog that bites people is the biggest risk. There is liability involved if you know you own an aggressive dog and your dog bites someone. It doesn't matter if you told the person not to approach your dog; it doesn't matter if you had the dog in another room and someone accidentally let him out; it doesn't matter if the gate was unlocked and the worker came into your yard unannounced. In all of these cases, you are responsible for your dog's actions and when you get sued, you will be held monetarily accountable. You can love your dog to the moon and back, but if his behavior means you will lose your house when you get sued over a dog bite, this changes your perspective.
I know that no one, least of all veterinarians, wants to talk about euthanizing a healthy dog. But the fact of the matter is, dogs who bite people aren't mentally sound. It isn't normal to make the choice to bite people. In the case of my client's dog above, he literally bites someone weekly, and some weeks, he bites more than one person. Euthanizing him can be considered a public safety act. My client doesn't want to think about euthanizing her dog, I know that. When I broached the subject with her a few months back, she just couldn't see them doing it. They wanted to change their own behavior so that they could reduce risk and keep their dog. The problem is that no amount of changing their behavior has changed the way this dog behaves. He is a risk to his owners, guests in their home, and workers on their property. This latest bite may get them sued, a risk that I also explained to them months ago. I don't like saying "I told you this could happen," but here we are. I'm frustrated too. They spent a lot of money acquiring this dog and he's not a healthy, happy dog by a long shot. I really hope that when we talk tomorrow, she makes the right decision and we talk to her vet about guaranteeing this dog never bites anyone again.
I know this has likely been a tough post to read. For those of you who've lived with, or are living with, aggressive dogs, this probably felt like picking a scab off of a fresh wound. But, it needed to be said. You should not be held hostage by your aggressive dog. Seeking help is good, but accepting that the problem isn't fixable is important too. I can't make your decisions for you, but I truly hope that you will hear what I tell you and understand that I don't enjoy telling you your dog needs to be euthanized. I just want you, your family, and the community to be safe. I love dogs, but I love their people even more. I have to try to protect you if I can. It's part of my job.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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