# Aggressive bite :(



## Sarah11

Was just hoping for some advice from the more experienced dog owners on here. I have an 18 month old male neutered Cockapoo who has always been the most placid, loving dog you could wish for. However, today while playing in the garden he turned on my eight year old and gave him a nasty bite on the foot. Now we have gone through the nippy puppy stage and when playing now he is very gentle with his mouth. This was completely different. To set the scene, I had given him a bone to chew/play with in the garden earlier in the day. He has never guarded food and has always been happy to give up bones/chews when he has finished with them. There was no sign of the bone so I assumed he had buried it somewhere in the garden. About half an hour after the bone had disappeared my eight year old and I went outside to look for the bone. My son went to put his hand inside a large bag of grass cuttings and the dog went for him. He snarled and then attacked him by biting his foot. He immediately broke the skin and a large bruise appeared immediately. I was shocked as he has never done anything like this. I initially thought he must have buried his bone in the bag, but it wasn't even in there. I just don't know what to do. We have been to puppy training classes and reward based training is ongoing. My dilemma is that I want to do the responsible thing as a parent (I keep thinking that it could so easily have been one of my son's friends he bit and then things may have been taken out of my hands) but is it fair for me to keep the dog around my son? I was literally standing next to my son when he was bitten and it all happened so quickly there was nothing I could do. Any thoughts would be gratefully received. Thanks.


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## fairlie

I don't know what to think, it sounds so strange and random. Very worriesome, maybe Marzi will have some good advice?


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## RuthMill

How was he after it? What signals did he give before, there are always lots of signals. 

Did you find bone, was it close to where you were looking? There's no way your son stood on your dogs paw and didn't realise?


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## Nanci

I agree . . . this is very abnormal for poos? Something was abnormal somewhere.


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## Sarah11

Hi Ruth - thanks for your prompt reply. Nothing unusual before or after. Dog had been playing with his ball and wandered over to us when we came out. There was no sign of the bone (or any part of it) in the grass bag and I still haven't found it - it was enormous, one of the Natures Menu range designed to be played with, washed, played with again and again. As the weather has been so warm here I was keen to get the bone back in the fridge before the flies found it! I think he must have buried it in the garden. Ted did not display any obvious signs that I saw, no warning growl or anything like that, and it just happened so fast. He definitely did not step on his paw as he was barefoot and the dog was standing away from him. As my son bent over to look in the bag, he lunged at him. I'm so upset for my son (who has taken it surprisingly well) who calls the dog his "little furry brother".


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## Grove

I'm sorry to hear this has happened, maybe it's worth a vet trip to check him over. Sometimes a dog can change his behaviour if unwell

Maybe thinking of events earlier in that day or even in recent days or weeks may help to work out if there's any trigger for this as well as just the seconds leading up to it


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## RuthMill

This seems very strange indeed. I can't help but think there must have been something very specific to cause your dog to react this way. Just wish it was obvious. 

The only thing I would advise is some work on trading toys and food using high value trades/treats, going back to the basics of training against resource/food guarding. Something has made the dog frightened or intimidated and he's lashed out. I wonder did he realise everyone was looking for his bone and he was guarding it, wherever it may be? I wouldn't allow him to have any bones in the garden, have him eat it where you can see it and remove it when he is finished. Don't take it off him without a trade-off. Maybe try these training methods to assure him and allow him to realise he doesn't need to worry or guard. 

I wouldn't write your dog off as aggressive just yet. I do know what you mean, that it could have been worse and it was still bad enough. I just wonder why your dog felt threatened? 

Marzi is very good with this kind of stuff, she will pop by soon I am sure with more advice and suggestions.


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## Lexi&Beemer

I wonder if there was something dangerous in or near the bag that he was protecting your son. Ruth raises really great questions about how your poo behaved before and after. I also wonder what kind of a bite it was. Did he snap real quick and let go right away or did he clamp down and you had to pry him loose? It doesn't sound like your poo wanted to hurt your son but more of a warning then a really big warning with your son's foot the unwitting casualty. The snarl was a warning not to move anymore. I'm guessing the next time your son hears it he will freeze and back away. In addition to all the other suggestions, teach your son to freeze when he hears it. 

I'm sorry for your son and how scary it must have been for everyone. But in light of how you'd describe how he has been for 18 months I'm sure this can be sorted out with some investigating and training.


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## 2ndhandgal

Where are you located? With a bite serious enough to break the skin and a youngster I would be getting some advice now from a good positive trainer who may be able to spot some triggers you did not.

Has he had bones like this before? how do you normally take things off him? What did the dog do immediately before and after the bite? Was it a warning nip which just broke the skin or a bigger bite with full intent?

It does sound like some sort of resource guarding but that is normally on a sliding scale with the dog showing earlier signs of unhappiness and the growl and bite being the dog escalating the warning. Unfortunately for us the signs of unhappiness are often subtle and we do not always read them and the dog feels he needs to escalate his warning


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## Sarah11

Hi 2ndhandgal, yes he has had bones like this before and usually he is fine with giving them up when he has had enough. I have recently (about 4 weeks ago) changed him over to a completely raw diet although have always fed him raw chicken wings and other bones. He will normally bury them either somewhere in the garden or, on occasion, i have found them down the back of a sofa!

Immediately prior to the bite he was playing with a ball on the grass and just wandered over to us on the path. After the bite he appeared as placid and calm as he usually is - it is so out of character for him. He has never guarded food in the past but maybe he is feeling hungrier on a raw diet, who knows? I did some internet research last night on dog trainers/resource guarding and was worried to read about one trainer (who called himself the dog whisperer) who claimed that cocker spaniels are genetically predisposed to resource guarding and that 75% of his work with resource guarding is with cocker spaniels. 

It was definitely not a nip! This was a full-on snarling/snapping bite which broke the skin and bled immediately. I will definitely be contacting a dog trainer to see if they can offer any help with this. I don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be so many conflicting views on the best way to work with this type of behaviour. I read one which seems to make perfect sense and then find two more that completely blow the first theory out of the water!

Thanks for all the responses guys.


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## fairlie

Very frustrating I bet. If cockers are such guarders I wonder what happens if you just remove all bones, toys and treats? I wonder what they'd do if there is nothing to guard?


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## Sarah11

According to the dog behaviourist Fairlie, he claims that cockers will often also guard their beds and will show this by growling and grumbling if they're asleep somewhere and someone tries to move them. He says that they will guard spaces they like, and even their owners, so I guess they will manage to find something!


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## 2ndhandgal

Molly was a resource guarder when she first came to me at 18 month ish and to be totally honest the two things she guarded the most were leads and me!! She would also guard spaces so beds or chairs - remove them and wherever she is laying will do. The more you remove the higher in value to the dog other things will become. Anything stolen will also become hugely valuable.

Sadly it is also true that the two breeds most commonly showing resource guarding issues are cocker spaniels and golden retrievers. It does not mean all of those breeds will have the issue of course but if someone has the problem the odds are pretty high that they will have one of those breeds or crosses of them.

There are two schools of thought for treating guarding - the show 'em who is boss type and the gently gently type. The only dogs I have heard of being cured have been treated the gently gently way and I have heard of dogs treated the other way ultimately biting again and being either destroyed or rehomed.

With Molly I learned to give her lots of space with things if she was feeling worried. As she relaxed more I could approach her, give her treats and leave her in peace. As she got more relaxed still I could stroke her and ultimately she trusted me enough to swap the item for something really high value and then get her treasure back.

She now sleeps on my bed at night (which I would not recommend for a resource guarder ) in the past few weeks I have taken a stolen sock from her, she let it go when asked, then we played tuggy with it, I asked for her to let go again, then left her with it. I have also taken a bone she was chewing from her, she was reluctant to let go but did allow me to take it and she was rewarded with a biscuit.

With a youngster involved who has been bitten though you need someone to see if there is anything else going on and IMO this needs to be someone who will treat positively. If anyone talks of pack, dominance or hierarchy run a mile.

Just to add - a good trainer will also suggest a visit to the vet to rule out any physical problems - rather than a quick check this should be a thorough check of joints and for any possible pain and preferably a blood test to rule out things like thyroid issues.


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## fairlie

Brilliant 2nd again, just spot on! It all makes sense.


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## wilfiboy

I'm not suggesting that you don't go and see a trainer and can totally appreciate how worried you are. It sounds like he's used to high value food stuff ie bones and carcasses etc but I bet he had tried to hide it in or under the bag earlier and thought your son was going to find his prized stash. There maybe was body language that you didn't notice, and why would you but I think his snarl was him upping his warning before the bite came. Like I said I'm not suggesting you don't get help but I think he did what dogs do. I'd maybe give him these high value things somewhere where he can't hide them so that you know where they are just to eliminate the chance of it happening again. I don't let Wilf into the garden with his, just cos the thought of them being dug up later...yuk or upstairs cos I don't want to find them under my pillow. Glad your son seems ok and not too worried about the incident, good luck xx


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## Marzi

You poor thing - it is a worry and obviously as a mum you are concerned for your son.
Others have given fabulous advice and I hope that you are feeling less worried now and there have not been any other incidents.
It is interesting what 2nd handgirl said about biggest resource guarders being cockers and GRs - both breeds that are often recommended as family dogs and both very popular breeds. Also both breeds that are working dogs - bred for a purpose, clever dogs with lots of energy.
I also have sons and dogs and I know that my sons love to play and tease the dogs - who they have always viewed as hairy siblings. My daughter sometimes also plays in a way that I correct her for, but less so than the boys did. Inzi certainly nipped my eldest son and broke the skin a couple of times when he was more irritating, bujt i would not describe the wounds given as being puncture wounds and certainly never deep enough to require mecical treatment. Play with toys has also sometimes ended with a hand or finger being grabbed.
Your son is quite possibly an anfgel compared to mine. However I would just check on their interactions and encourage your son to get increasinly involved in training with your dog - does your dog take treats gently? If not you work on him with this before involving your son in reinforcing it. 
First lessons include getting your son to make the dog sit and wait while he puts the dogs food down and not allowing the dog to go to his food bowl until your son gives him a release command. 
You supervise training sessions and make sure they are fun for both boy and dog - make some jumps and practice recalls over jumps and send away to a toy over a jump. Let your son praise and reward the dog when he gets it right.
If your dog is used to taking commands from your son it will help in their future interactions - but remember all training must be fun, fear free and based on positive reinforcement, lots of prasie and treats. Get your son to watch u tube videos on training with you for inspiration. Children are often brilliant with clicker training - fast reactions and good observation skills.
Keep us informed as to how things go and good luck.


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