# My Golden bit me



## jlucianil (Mar 12, 2010)

Today my four year old girl bit me really hard, my hand is so swollen that I am afraid something is broken. It happened this way: my husband has some pet birds and he was playing with them when one of them tried to fly and fell to the floor; my dog went to get it and I held her by the collar, that is when she turned around and bit my hand. I thought that she hadn't realized what she had done, so I called her name and tried to hold her again, but she showed me her teeth, growled and tried to bite me again.
I am so sad this happened! My dog has always been so good! She was loving and obedient, we are together all the time, I just don't understand why she bit me. Also, I don't know how to treat her now, I know she is not a person, but am I suppose to forgive her and act as if nothing has happened?
Please, let me know what you think I should do.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I don't think it is all that serious. It sounds like resource guarding to me. You were keeping her from getting what she wanted and she told you she was not happy about that. Sitting on the floor and hand feeding her a few pieces of her meal at a time may help. It worked when my Oakly was a puppy and guarded his food. 

You have to remember that goldens are bird dogs and have an instinct to get the bird buried centuries deep.

Oh, I forgot to welcome you to the forum. Please make yourself at home here.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Sorry that happened and understandably you're shaken and have hurt feelings over it -- but yes, you do need to forgive her and move on. She has. Dogs don't live in the past.

It does sound like resource guarding. Training for a solid, reliable "leave it" where she understands she's not to go for what she wants at that moment, combined with a solid, realiable "drop it" where she lets go of the prized object are two super important skills that can help prevent future guarding incidents. 

Has she ever growled/shown teeth/snapped/bitten over anything before?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Also, if you are unsure of the best way to train for high reliability in the two behaviors I just mentioned, finding a qualified trainer can be very, very helpful.


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## maggie1951 (Apr 20, 2007)

Oaklys Dad said:


> I don't think it is all that serious. It sounds like resource guarding to me. You were keeping her from getting what she wanted and she told you she was not happy about that. Sitting on the floor and hand feeding her a few pieces of her meal at a time may help. It worked when my Oakly was a puppy and guarded his food.
> 
> You have to remember that goldens are bird dogs and have an instinct to get the bird buried centuries deep.
> 
> Oh, I forgot to welcome you to the forum. Please make yourself at home here.


 
Tell me about goldens been bird dogs thats the only time Daisy won't listen to me when she is chasing all sorts of birds


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

And please go to the doctor soon to get your hand checked out. I feel your pain as I have a puncture on my finger from a dog tooth and I smashed my hand in a dog crate yesterday. It's not fun and bites can be scary. 

Then call a professional. If there were punctures... you'd likely be best of finding a veterinary behaviorist.


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## jlucianil (Mar 12, 2010)

Thank you all for your welcome and your replies!
I spoke with the vet and she has an appointment tomorrow for blood work, he says it is very strange that such a sweet dog would react like that and wants to check if there is something else that is hurting her. The vet also told me about a trainer and I will call him tomorrow.
Bonnie is a very sweet dog, she has been hand fed every day since we rescued her two years ago, and never, until a month ago, had she ever tried to bite. A month ago she tried to bite my husband when he held her by the collar so that she would leave my 5 years old nephew eat his piece of cake. My husband kept telling me that she had tried to bite him and I wouldn't believe it, well now I do! 
I hadn't thought of the birds as food, but obviously she did! 
My hand looks better today, it is still very swollen but it will mend, but my broken heart is not, I think I need a trainer too!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Interesting that both incidents have to do with restraining her by the collar. Could be that something is out of alignment or pinched and is causing her pain. Or it could be plain ol' redirected aggression. Either way, ruling OUT a medical issue is a great first step. If they opt to test thyroid, please be sure they send the blood out for a full work up and not just the standard in-house panel which only includes a few of the thyroid levels. In aggression, you want a comprehensive Thyroid panel. Generally sent out to either MSU (Michigan State) or to Jean Dodds at Hemopet.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

And in the mean time, do NOT grab her collar as a way for restraint.


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## jlucianil (Mar 12, 2010)

I promise I won't!!!!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I have heard also that grabbing by the collar is a threatening sign to dogs. Since you said she is a rescued golden, I wonder if she was disciplined in a mean way by a previous owner by her collar. Bringing in a positive behaviorist will be the best thing for you to do. Good luck


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

I wouldn't call aggressive her but more reactive!.She wanted the bird,you stopped her,by grabbing her and she didn't like it!.Keep a leash close to you and when need be,use it!.
Also,I have found that dogs that dont like that,dont mind as much when you hold the handle of the martingale collar!.


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## ldragon (Jan 8, 2010)

collar grabbing may make her feel unsafe, but at the same time, I think the way we human actually grabbing the collar is also important. Always grabbing the collar to the side, therefore make her physically un balanced is a good way, or grabbing the collar up, use it like a choke chain is also fine, but pull it back is really wrong.


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## jlucianil (Mar 12, 2010)

*She is back to being my sweet baby*

The vet's exams were back last week and they showed she had a very strong allergic reaction, although it didn't show anywhere. She is being treated with antihistamines now, so maybe she was just in a very bad mood because she was feeling awful!
I know her previous owners and I don't think she was phisicaly abused in any way, they were a couple who divorced and Bonnie stayed in the house with the ex wife who didn't like dogs, so she just left her out in the yard and never paid attention to her anymore, she had to sleep outside and didn't even have a bed in a covered space, she was never walked or washed or combed in other words she was fed but completely alone, this went on for about six months until the ex wife moved and left the dog behind, that is when I went in and brought her home. After two weeks without thinking of feeding her the ex wife came back, I guess to see if she was still alive and it was then that she learned that the dog was with me. It seems she thought it was fine that I took her in, since she has never asked for Bonnie again and that was more than two years ago.


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

My Willow would bite me too if I pulled her around by the collar. I don't need to test out my theory to know it. So this is how I handle it: I never pull her around by the collar. 

My sons hand swelled up a lot when he had a puncture wound and then as it deflated it turned all back and blue. If your dog broke the skin, that's a doctors visit. Puncture wounds can look small but get mighty infected. 

Sorry to hear about the incident. Try not to take it personally.


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## Keri Kuch (Feb 21, 2010)

I'm so sorry that this happened. You have gotten great advice from the other posters. I just wanted to add that I really agree that you should have a Dr look at your wound. I was attacked by a dog once and had puncture wounds in the leg and my arm. The arm was the worst because it also came with crushing injuries to the tendons and ligaments. I know how much it hurts! They can get infected very easily...I would urge you to at least wash the area with betadine and continue to do so until the wound heals. Good luck with your trainer.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

jlucianil said:


> The vet's exams were back last week and they showed she had a very strong allergic reaction, although it didn't show anywhere. She is being treated with antihistamines now, so maybe she was just in a very bad mood because she was feeling awful!
> I know her previous owners and I don't think she was phisicaly abused in any way, they were a couple who divorced and Bonnie stayed in the house with the ex wife who didn't like dogs, so she just left her out in the yard and never paid attention to her anymore, she had to sleep outside and didn't even have a bed in a covered space, she was never walked or washed or combed in other words she was fed but completely alone, this went on for about six months until the ex wife moved and left the dog behind, that is when I went in and brought her home. After two weeks without thinking of feeding her the ex wife came back, I guess to see if she was still alive and it was then that she learned that the dog was with me. It seems she thought it was fine that I took her in, since she has never asked for Bonnie again and that was more than two years ago.


Aw, that poor dog! Thank goodness for you or she would probably have starved to death.

I'm glad you've gotten this sorted out. When dogs are in pain they don't really know what they're doing, so a normally sweet dog could very well lash out like yours did. Hope she's feeling better!


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## birdybaby81 (Apr 12, 2010)

I think it's ridiculous that no one sees this as serious. OF COURSE IT'S SERIOUS THE DOG TRIED TO *BITE* HER! Our pets are someone we love, someone we trust, and when they turn and ATTACK that's not okay. They are the animal, we are the owner, they need to respect the owner. I don't understand why everyone is so quickly to blame the victim, "Oh it's because you pulled on her collar" You should be able to yank that collar and make the dog do whatever you want and the dog should obey you. What if a child touches the dog's collar??? And it goes nuts because in her mind "No one touches my collar". I believe that that dog was testing and it'll be an even harsher attack next time.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

birdybaby81 wrote: I think it's ridiculous that no one sees this as serious. OF COURSE IT'S SERIOUS THE DOG TRIED TO *BITE* HER! Our pets are someone we love, someone we trust, and when they turn and ATTACK that's not okay. They are the animal, we are the owner, they need to respect the owner


What would you suggest she do for her dog to respect her?


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

birdybaby81 said:


> I think it's ridiculous that no one sees this as serious. OF COURSE IT'S SERIOUS THE DOG TRIED TO *BITE* HER! Our pets are someone we love, someone we trust, and when they turn and ATTACK that's not okay. They are the animal, we are the owner, they need to respect the owner. I don't understand why everyone is so quickly to blame the victim, "Oh it's because you pulled on her collar" You should be able to yank that collar and make the dog do whatever you want and the dog should obey you. What if a child touches the dog's collar??? And it goes nuts because in her mind "No one touches my collar". I believe that that dog was testing and it'll be an even harsher attack next time.


 
Are you a trainer???? Have you worked extensively with neglected/ rescue dogs???? Of course it's not ok. And of course you would not want a young child pulling on them until the issue is resolved. I would certainly advocate professional help and firmly believe you don't correct behavioral issues with force. There are several top notch trainers on the forum which I'm sure can address the issue.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I agree it's not okay for her dog to react the way it did but at the time, OP was probably unsure how to go about correcting the dog. Disciplining the dog in the wrong way at the time could have made things worse but that's not to say nothing is going to get done regarding the dog's behaviour. Not to mention disciplining a rescue dog is a different case than disciplining a dog you've owned since it was a puppy.

Ideally all dogs would be able to not mind being pulled around by the collar, getting their hair tugged (gently), or hugged around the neck. Unfortunately, not all dogs had great upbringings filled with love and trust. Some deep-set issues might never be able to be fixed enough for the dog to LIKE it, but hopefully for the dog to not react like that. 

Case in point - Ranger is a rescue from an abusive situation. The first week I got him he was standing with his butt towards me nosing around in the garbage I had foolishly left open. I stupidly said "hey!" while I reached out and touched his tail set (forgetting about his mistreatment in the past). He whipped his head around and growled at me because I had started him. He immediately stopped growling and I sent him away from the garbage. Had I reacted with force (what he was expecting) the situation would have escalated. Since then, I spent months desensitizing him to someone grabbing his rear end when he's not looking. Now you can pull on him, hug him, drag him around by his collar and he accepts it happily. My old border collie was a rescue too and while he never liked being hugged or having his collar pulled, he too learned that was not allowed to show his displeasure by growling, snapping or especially biting. He had to learn to deal with it - which he did, though he never liked it. 

Biting, no matter what the cause, is never acceptable but it can't be cured in one day. Especially if it's a rescue dog that you're not sure how it's going to react. Regarding the "we trust our pets" comment - I didn't trust Ranger's reactions for awhile after I got him. Not because he ever did anything bad but because I didn't know HOW he would react in certain situations. I've had him a year and NOW I trust him in any situation, but back then? Nope. I don't put blind faith in a dog who's been abandoned and not looked after to know how to react appropriately.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I definitely think reactivity to the collar pull is something that can improve. Choose some quiet times, and grab a handful a small, yummy treats. Pet her around her neck, scratch under her collar, watching her carefully for stress or distress. If she's fine with that, tug her collar a bit & give a treat. . . Do over and over. Eventually, she can reframe being held by the collar. Saying that, I agree it is a huge deal when any house pet bites his or her human- huge. I see it as a threshold issue- the prey drive awakened by the bird on the floor combined with the reflex reaction to the pulling on her neck exceeded her threshold. You can increase that threshold, but realistically the OP is right to be quite worried. Ideally, a golden you share your house with has a threshold so high for biting a human, it would be practically impossible to exceed.


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## birdybaby81 (Apr 12, 2010)

I would definitely say she should seek the help of a professional because if the dog bit at her husband and her the next one is going to be even harder and may even break skin. I just thought it was odd that every post kept saying, "it's not a big deal and forgive the dog." My main point is it's not okay and it is the dogs fault. But if you love your pet and don't want to have to get rid of it, then NOW is the time to fix the behavior before it's too late.


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## jlucianil (Mar 12, 2010)

Everybody seems to think Bonnie's biting is an ongoing thing but it is not. It happened just that time; since then, I have pulled her by the collar, touched her tail ( she didn't like that when I first got her), pull her hair and everything else that was suggested, she is back to being a loving dog and I am as puzzled as ever as to what happened to her on that one ocasion. The only explanation I could agree with, is that she was in "hunters mode" and didn't realize what she was doing. On the other hand, I am always on top of her when she is with small children, my nephews used to come to my house every week and now they don't. I wonder when I will be able to trust her again!


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

I posted this reply on the other thread about a biting incident. The book is somewhat a slow read in that the author draws upon case history, scientific data, and her own very very unique insight into animal behaviour.

_*I would suggest you find a copy of "Animals In Translation" by Temple Grandin and read it. I am not quite done yet and will be posting a synopsis of it later for all the members, but, I will say it has opened my eyes to a lot of areas I had never considered before. It provides a much needed look at animal behavior (not just dogs but all animals) from the authors very unique viewpoint and and explains how they think, act, and feel. *_


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