Ooof, dog attacked (our fault)

[Milkfloat]

@gbb If your lab is food crazy (almost all are), then working on recall should be pretty easy. Start in the house by rewarding the dog when they just happen to come near you, then progress to calling them and rewarding when they come, then have them bounce between two people each with rewards. Never chastise them for not coming, just reward when they do and if you need to change the rewards often so they don't get bored, some carrot or cheese works wonders with labs. You can then progress to trying this in an outside place with no distractions and then work in more distractions like other dogs and people with picnics etc. The same goes for using a whistle, but I would save using the whistle outside the house when you are 99% sure that the dog will react, don't use it when you don't have it fully mastered as you want it to be a guarantee it will work.

Having said all this, when I open our boot at our Guide Dog puppies favourite free running spot, we have to tell her to wait if any dogs are around else she will be straight out as soon as the boot is opened.

 

[Nibor]

Discussing after, we agreed, were it ours and were told the situation with other dogs, we'd muzzle it without question. Id hope the fella may well consider it, i'd equally hate to think he'd give up on it.
The situation was well used to explain to the grandkids why you should never, ever approach a strange dog.

My son was there, he remembered some dogs have this locking trait and grabbed a stick to pry in and lever the jaws open. There is a 'tool' made for this purpose .

I use my thumb but make sure you push the biting dogs "lip" with the thumb abd they won't bite them selves not for the faint hearted

 

[byegad]

It constantly amazes me what goes on in the dog world. One neighbour I had, thankfully for only a few months, owned a Doberman that would snap at people. As I'm somewhat wary of dogs, I took care not to get too close but our other neighbour's toddler wasn't as wary.

Toddler approaches 'Wuff, Wuff! Hand outstretched. SNAP! goes the dog.

Fortunately the toddler had tripped and the total damage was a howling toddler, three ashen-faced adults and a few locks of said toddlers hair. 'He's never done that before says the owner. Oh yes he has! says I. Result was the neighbour, complete with snappy dog moved a month later. The police had been informed and 'had a chat' with the "Caring owner" and took no action.

 

[raleighnut]

It constantly amazes me what goes on in the dog world. One neighbour I had, thankfully for only a few months, owned a Doberman that would snap at people. As I'm somewhat wary of dogs, I took care not to get too close but our other neighbour's toddler wasn't as wary.

Toddler approaches 'Wuff, Wuff! Hand outstretched. SNAP! goes the dog.

Fortunately the toddler had tripped and the total damage was a howling toddler, three ashen-faced adults and a few locks of said toddlers hair. 'He's never done that before says the owner. Oh yes he has! says I. Result was the neighbour, complete with snappy dog moved a month later. The police had been informed and 'had a chat' with the "Caring owner" and took no action.

My German Shepherd was completely the opposite, he loved kids, often toddlers would come running up to him and throw their arms round his neck and he loved it. Mind the look on their parents faces was priceless until I told them that I trusted the dog implicitly and we had 3 Grandaughters.

 

[Time Waster]

You know that attitude amazes me. Probably every case of a dog mauling a child has an owner who says that they've never done that before and it loves kids. Dogs are capable of causing a lot of damage especially to kids. IMHO no owner should let any young child throw their arms around their dog and parents shouldn't let their kids hug dogs like that neither.

It's like that oft used term "nanny dogs" often used for staffing. There's no such thing. Kids and dogs need supervision when they meet. If the dog started to become aggressive could you stop it before harm is done?

BTW my local rescue centre had a large mastiff or American bull terrier that was a long term resident never to be rehomed. However volunteers often took it to the centre s cafe. The volunteer was a staffie fan. I was there when another large Staffie type dog with owners who used the nanny dog for theirs and that big, unrehomable dog. The volunteer agreed and they both went on about those fighting breeds being safe and nanny dogs. How safe is a dog that the highly trained animal behaviourist who volunteers to assess dogs says should never be rehomed because it's not safe to do so?

An unsafe dog should never be rehomed in most cases. However, there are occasions when it's possible to let a dog with behaviour issues of concern to live with very experienced owners. Strict procedures and safety precautions must be used. The responsibility for the dog must stay with the rescue centre and the situation monitored. Muzzles, no kids or other pets, safe garden without the possibility of the dog escaping. At the end of the day the dog must go back to the centre if there is any concern.

Patterdale terriers are what I view as high instinct breeds. IMHO they're working dogs and not pets. I feel there's many breeds like that I different ways. Even the border collie I believe should not be a family pet unless the household van genuinely work them. I had a friend who took on two litter brothers who were failed working dogs. She worked from home in a very rural location with experience who walked them for 5 hours a day. They were heavily trained and never left her side, if she went somewhere without them they stayed with another person who had similar experience of the breed.

There's two couples near where I used I live in a town who owned 2 huskies each. One couple were keen runners and took the dogs running a lot. They also got into bike joring and the running equivalent. Also took up wheeled sledding with them.

The others liked the look of the breed. This second couple had two dogs that dragged them around and snapped at other dogs.not under control. Every dog owner in the area would avoid them on site. The second husky owners ended up only taking them out when it's quiet because they got grief from responsible dog owners over their dog choice being unsuitable. Pariahs I the local dog world.

BTW huskies are a bugbear to me. Where I used to live there was a bit of a trend to own huskies. Often in towns by owners who really only want a low maintenance dog that looks good. Before I left the huskies count was very low. I suspect a fair few got given up for adoption or rehoming. Probably the best result for the dogs.

Sorry about the rambling rant. Nanny dog attitude and inappropriate breed ownership are my dog related pet hates.

 

[Legs]

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are my bugbear. Even the name 'Staffies' makes them sound cute and cuddly, but they're actually all evil, vicious f*ckers.

 

[cosmicbike]

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are my bugbear. Even the name 'Staffies' makes them sound cute and cuddly, but they're actually all evil, vicious f*ckers.

Twaddle. Any dog can be made to behave in an aggressive manner, take a closer look at the owners. I'll not dispute that some recue dogs can be fickle, but it is always down to how they have been previously handled or trained, not inherent to the breed.

 

[classic33]

Twaddle. Any dog can be made to behave in an aggressive manner, take a closer look at the owners. I'll not dispute that some recue dogs can be fickle, but it is always down to how they have been previously handled or trained, not inherent to the breed.

Neighbour has had Alsatians and Rottweilers, never felt threatened by them. Other than they're large dogs and when running they require a bit more effort on their part to stop.
Being "run over" by a dog in a hit and run can hurt.

 

[DRM]

Twaddle. Any dog can be made to behave in an aggressive manner, take a closer look at the owners. I'll not dispute that some recue dogs can be fickle, but it is always down to how they have been previously handled or trained, not inherent to the breed.

Got to agree, any dog can be made nasty, a work colleague had a staffie, the most evil thing it did was steal a bacon butty, when we were kids my mates dad had a German Shepherd to guard his business, but yet when not guarding during business hours was able to be walked quite safely by 2 ten year olds with never a hint of aggression to anybody, yet if someone broke in after closing, well good luck with that

 

[Andy_R]

The patterdale should never have been put out as a rescue, it can’t be trusted near other dogs, they knew it couldn’t be trusted near other dogs, could be a child next time, it should have been put to sleep, harsh but I wouldn’t give a dog like that house room, adopters have to jump through hoops to get a rescue dog, some dogs are, like this one, incapable, and wholly unsuitable of being rehomed, dogs are like magnets to each other, it’s impossible to never let such a dog go near another. Begs the question why wasn’t it muzzled?
Doesn’t bear thinking about if it had been your grandchild that had run round the corner.

Absolute and utter bollocks. Have you ever owned dogs - it doesn't sound like it. All dogs have boundaries and strangely, friendships with other dogs.

We have a Patterdale. He loves people, but is reactive towards some other dogs. He is always on leash and is only introduced to other dogs in a careful manner. He has some dogs he likes, and some he doesn't. What pisses me off is when an owner of a dog off leash shouts out "It's ok, s/he's friendly". My dog hasn't met them before, doesn't know them and may be scared of them/act reactively towards them. All dogs should be leashed in public spaces, and should be introduced in a careful manner.

 

[DRM]

Absolute and utter bollocks. Have you ever owned dogs - it doesn't sound like it. All dogs have boundaries and strangely, friendships with other dogs.

We have a Patterdale. He loves people, but is reactive towards some other dogs. He is always on leash and is only introduced to other dogs in a careful manner. He has some dogs he likes, and some he doesn't. What pisses me off is when an owner of a dog off leash shouts out "It's ok, s/he's friendly". My dog hasn't met them before, doesn't know them and may be scared of them/act reactively towards them. All dogs should be leashed in public spaces, and should be introduced in a careful manner.

I stand by what I say, some dogs should never, ever be rehomed, you are obviously a careful owner, as were me and SWMBO, you know your dog, the owner mentioned in the OP didn’t, or probably didn’t care, now it’s too late, and @gbb had his dog injured, could quite easily have been their grandchild that ran round the corner, so go read the first post, before being so abusive

 

[rivers]

The patterdale should never have been put out as a rescue, it can’t be trusted near other dogs, they knew it couldn’t be trusted near other dogs, could be a child next time, it should have been put to sleep, harsh but I wouldn’t give a dog like that house room, adopters have to jump through hoops to get a rescue dog, some dogs are, like this one, incapable, and wholly unsuitable of being rehomed, dogs are like magnets to each other, it’s impossible to never let such a dog go near another. Begs the question why wasn’t it muzzled?
Doesn’t bear thinking about if it had been your grandchild that had run round the corner.

Just because a dog is dog reactive does not mean it is people reactive. I have a dog reactive dog. She is a rescue, wasn't socialised with other dogs as a pup, just bred from a few times and then dumped. With her it is fear based. She doesn't want to play/interact with other dogs so she will run up and rugby tackle other dogs telling to f*ck off (it's why we have her on a long line and walk her in quiet places).
However, around people and children (including our 3 month old), she is the sweetest dog. Now, I would never leave a child alone with her because both kids and dogs can be unpredictable. And most of the time, when a dog bites someone, many warning signs were given by the dog through its body language.

 

[gbb]

Reading peoples thoughts is...thought provoking itself.
Part (most) of me thinks the guy is not at fault, hes trying to do the right thing, give a dog a chance. That said, if it were my dog, after seeing that incident it'd be muzzled without question, but then for me, a dog is to play with, to have fun, not to be ever wary of. Respect to the fella but i dont know if id ever trust the dog...therefore it'd have to go.

The rehoming agency ? Its a lose lose situation. Its now rehomed in a busy urban environment, its going to come across dogs, cats, kids, im surprised they didnt insist it be muzzled, (they may have, the new owner may have thought otherwise)...
If they rehomed it in a quieter area, its more likely to be off the lead...and thats more dangerous although the chances of meeting ither animals and kids is less likely.

Its a ticking time bomb, im not sure anyone can guarantee an incident wouldnt happen. The dogs shown major agression, were it mine, itd have to go, perhaps the ultimate sanction is best.

 

[DRM]

Just because a dog is dog reactive does not mean it is people reactive. I have a dog reactive dog. She is a rescue, wasn't socialised with other dogs as a pup, just bred from a few times and then dumped. With her it is fear based. She doesn't want to play/interact with other dogs so she will run up and rugby tackle other dogs telling to f*ck off (it's why we have her on a long line and walk her in quiet places).
However, around people and children (including our 3 month old), she is the sweetest dog. Now, I would never leave a child alone with her because both kids and dogs can be unpredictable. And most of the time, when a dog bites someone, many warning signs were given by the dog through its body language.

All well and good, but how many children can read those signs? Many younger kids see it as furry and cuddly, not an animal with sharp teeth that bites, ooh look a doggy and they want to interact with it, both should be monitored, but both kids and dogs can get away from a parent/owner in the blink of an eye

 

[rivers]

All well and good, but how many children can read those signs? Many younger kids see it as furry and cuddly, not an animal with sharp teeth that bites, ooh look a doggy and they want to interact with it, both should be monitored, but both kids and dogs can get away from a parent/owner in the blink of an eye

It's why you shouldn't leave children and dogs unsupervised and not let children climb all over dogs or run up to unfamiliar dogs. Have rules in place. When my little man is old enough to move around,he'll be told that when Roxie is in her crate or leaves the room, she doesn't want to be bothered. She is also not a toy to be climbed all over, and taught where is okay to pet her and where she doesn't like to ne touched. Teach children to ask before approaching a strange dog and petting it. My wife used to pet-sit a mini daschund that was small for a mini daschund, and as a result was very cute. But he was also a very nervous dog that would bite if approached by strange people. We were out walking him one day and a little girl and her father asked us if she could pet him. We politely declined and explained why she couldn't pet him, which caused her to cry. But her dad used this as a teaching moment as to why you always must ask before petting a dog, and just not run up and pet a dog.
It's all about responsible dog ownership and parenting. Unfortunately for the OP, the situation that happened is his fault. His dog was the "out of control" dog as his dog was off lead and ran up to an on lead dog.