# Reacts with teeth if stood on



## Happy (Jun 2, 2011)

My male cockapoo is 3 and there have been occasions when we have accidentally stood on him and when this happens he tends to react with his teeth. He must have bite inhibition as he usually just puts his teeth to your foot although there has been occasions when he bears down but not enough to break the skin by any means. Does anyone else have a dog who does this? I worry myself stupid that a stranger might stand on him. We have seen a behaviourist but he did not really have any suggestions of how to reduce this behaviour. Anyone have experience of this?


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I could be wrong but he is maybe reacting like that because it hurts!? I know they get under feet quite a lot (mine do, especially in kitchen but I just make them sit on the rug until I allow them to move - that way they are safe and I am able to move), maybe you need to try to train him to stay away from under you rather than trying to prevent him from reacting to being stood on. 

How is he otherwise?


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

It seems like it would be a logical reaction for a dog. If he is inhibiting his bite he will not harm anyone and you would hope that being stood on would be a very rare occurrence. 

If he blends into the carpet perhaps get a different floor covering!


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

Actually saying that, we have trodden on a paw quite a few times and there's just a squeak.

When I read your post I imagined him lying down resting and you literally standing on him!


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Like Ruth says - maybe it's just an instant reaction if he gets hurt. Is he often in crowds? 
Ralph has a really weird thing about "their drawer".
In the kitchen I have a big bottom drawer for all things doggy.
If anyone attempts to close this drawer with their foot - Ralph goes for your feet.
If you close it with your hands, he doesn't bat an eyelid.
Ralph has also reacted with his teeth, as you say - when my young son has put his feet in his face when he was sleeping. My son knows better and is reminded regularly how to behave with our dogs.
I suppose it's just one of those weird traits that makes each one unique?


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Maybe it is a language thing because I had an image of dog being used as ladder too. 

The good news is dogs do and SHOULD react if they are at risk of being hurt. And a bite on a foot will not be so bad. However if a young dog is over reacting to minor matters I would wonder if he felt well? I'd check the easy fixes first, plenty of good food, exercise, training, fun, rest and affection. If all that is checked off and he still acts like that I'd get him to the vet to see if something is hurting him.


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

When you read about some dogs behaviours and the subject is 'how can i stop my dog growling?' or 'how can i stop my dog barking?' etc, most of the time the answer is 'you can't - he's a dog! it's what he does' We often expect their natural instincts to disappear just because they are in a domestic setting with us. Dogs have teeth and they use them to communicate sometimes. We just need to try and train them so that should their natural instinct kick in, that the behaviour is curbed. In this case your dog has good bite inhibition, even when stood on and hurt. So I think the thing to do would be as Ruth says and to make particular efforts to avoid standing on him.

You can imagine it would hurt - a person's weight on a little paw!

If you are worried though (and you know your dog better than anyone, it's always hard to visualise what the problem is really like from a description) I would try getting advice from another trainer, because they can often give different advice or different approaches to things.


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## Happy (Jun 2, 2011)

It is definitely a reaction to being hurt as he would normally yelp then strike. It has happened only a handful if times, we do try our best not to do it but he does sometimes choose inconvenient sleeping places or he is suddenly standing right beside you. He is fit and healthy, very friendly and loving with people he knows but is wary of strangers and can be quite nervous meeting new people. It seems that his paws are quite sensitive and someone told me that poodles often have sensitive paws but not sure if that is correct.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Just googled this and from what I read all dogs have sensitive feet. I guess a groomer could tell if poodles are even more sensitive than other breeds? The poodle site warned about two things, overly timid and overly sensitive genetic lines and the importance of socializing poodles as puppies. 

It sounds like maybe you just have a reactive dog? There are lots of good tips for managing reactive dogs. Very good thing he has good bite inhibition.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

I don't think it's anything to worry about. He's reacting like a dog. It's like 'ouch! Get your flipping huge foot off my delicate little paw. NOW!' And who can blame him.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Cat 53 said:


> I don't think it's anything to worry about. He's reacting like a dog. It's like 'ouch! Get your flipping huge foot off my delicate little paw. NOW!' And who can blame him.


I agree.. I would expect my dogs to react this way of they were properly stood on. If we catch them they yelp and run away. If we properly stepped on them I would fully expect them using their mouths to help extract themselves from under foot.


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

Cat 53 said:


> I don't think it's anything to worry about. He's reacting like a dog. It's like 'ouch! Get your flipping huge foot off my delicate little paw. NOW!' And who can blame him.


Like if a person dropped something on another person's foot they might react angrily and shout 'what did you do that for?!' even if they logically know it was a mistake! it's an instinct that we have to curb too!


Also I think if he's been asleep he's even more likely to react and be startled, than if he's just got caught up underfoot


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## Grove (Oct 17, 2012)

As an example in comparison: Gandhi was in the park today and him and another dog were sniffing each other when Gandhi accidentally trod on its paw. It turned around and went for him, aggressively snapping and trying to bite him  Luckily the owner had it on a lead so they tried to pull it away but then it tried to go for him again. We've checked him over and he's ok. 

Made me think how much more reasonable your dog sounds!


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

My mum stood on my cat's paw once with her stiletto heel. My cat sunk his claws into her leg and drew blood. He never did it again to anyone else ever but my mum never forgave him and avoided him like the plague for years!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

I do remember Dudley doing this when he was younger and it worried me in case a child may accidentally tread on him sometime, but i'm sure recently we have done it and he has just yelped, I think maybe when they are younger they are still working a lot of things out, and i just wonder if they do realise its an accident as they get older, because they have learnt to trust that you wouldn't hurt them on purpose. Dudley is still quite reactive with some things (high chase instinct) and if got over excited can forget himself and nip, but its very very rare now.


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## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

I think it's a normal reaction to pain for a dog. Sami and Carley get overexcited when Freddy comes home from work and volly for his attention at the same time. At times Sami will run for a toy to "Show" him to be first in line and if Carley goes for it he will snap at her and the fight is on! That's the only time they get cross with each other to the point of having to separate them on occasions if we allow it to escalate.
My point is each dog has their own personality like us and each have "Triggers" that we have learned how to deal with. So I think a reaction to pain is probably normal.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

tessybear said:


> My mum stood on my cat's paw once with her stiletto heel. My cat sunk his claws into her leg and drew blood. He never did it again to anyone else ever but my mum never forgave him and avoided him like the plague for years!


A stiletto heel would be blinking painful! I know someone who needed surgery after a stiletto heal came in contact with their forefoot. Don't blame the cat!


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## Happy (Jun 2, 2011)

Thanks everyone, your comments have been really helpful. I know accidents can happen and I am very wary when out and about to the point of being paranoid in case someone steps on him as when a dog does bite even if in reaction to pain, the outcome is rarely good for the dog. I remember reading about a guide dog who bit someone quite severely because they shut his tail in the car door.


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Happy said:


> Thanks everyone, your comments have been really helpful. I know accidents can happen and I am very wary when out and about to the point of being paranoid in case someone steps on him as when a dog does bite even if in reaction to pain, the outcome is rarely good for the dog. I remember reading about a guide dog who bit someone quite severely because they shut his tail in the car door.


Poor guide dog! I think it is just a natural shock reaction that is done on impulse x


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