Corinna Bit Me

[greytluck]

This actually happened last night, but I'm still confused as to why it happened, so I'm just looking for some insight so I can avoid it happening again.

 

I was playing with my baby ( 6 months) on the floor. I was just blowing on her tummy and she was giggling. I had been doing this for a few minutes. Corinna had come up behind me at some point and was standing slightly behind my back with her head over my shoulder. She does this often. I remember giving her a quick pet and returned to my game with the baby. I heard a growl and before I knew it Corinna had bit me on the cheek below my eye. Well bite might not be the right word as she didn't break the skin, but her teeth did contact my face. I only have a slight red mark now so really no damage was done.

 

I know Corinna is very protective of the kids and actually did give my DH a good bite on the bum last year. ( tore his pants and gave him a bruise) when he was chasing my oldest daughter ( 2 at the time) around the table. My DD was screaming and laughing and with the excitement Corinna got a little carried away. We didn't fault her for it as we could tell she was confused and over excited by the game. We now just put her out of the room when we are playing with my DD like that.

 

I really don't know what triggered it last night. As soon as it happened I kind of screamed as it startled me more then anything. Corinna just went and lay down besides me as if nothing happened.

 

Corinna is a great dog, beyond patient with the kids, not that we ever let them harass her. She's cuddly and loving. She's never shown any space aggression with anybody or animal. I'm totally baffled here.

 

Just wanted to add she is 6, we've had her almost 4 years and there is no chance of her losing her home because of this.

Edited November 20, 2013 by greytluck

[Guest grey_dreams]

Turid Rugaas used to have a question/answer page on her website. I remember reading there that she thought dogs can't understand that kind of squealing laughter and misinterpret it as fear/aggression. Corinna might have thought that you were "hurting" the baby somehow and wanted to make you stop it. The way she reacted to your husband's play with your older girl sounds the same. It's wonderful that she loves your children so much. Maybe just don't let her get close when you are playing/interacting with the children in that way (which is what you are already doing with your DD's play sessions).

[LaFlaca]

Wendy has never bitten, but she is very obviously perturbed when my husband, son and grandson engage in any kind of rough play. She will bark loudly and vigorously at them. I can tell she becomes anxious and is not happy with this type of play. Maybe she sees it as aggression? Anyway, we now make sure not to play this way in her presence to avoid an unpleasant situation.

[Guest Rhea]

It sounds like she wanted to play! It took me awhile to realize it, but with Dane, a lot of his growls are in play. He just has a really 'growly' play voice. When he gets excited, he wants to play with me like I'm another dog, even though that's obviously not the case. While flattering--it's also not really appropriate, so I try to redirect his attention to one of his toys when he gets all playful like that. Mama is not equipped to play bitey-face!

 

It sounds to me, like Corinna just wanted to join in! Little kids and their higher-pitched voices can often excite a dog way more than adult voices do. It could also be an element of protectiveness, but the fact that she joined in the chasing game with your husband suggests to me that she was more interested in playing. Dogs play pretty rough with each other, but if she'd wanted to bite your face off, she would have.

 

Another option could be that she thinks things are getting too rough and rowdy, and she's being the fun-police, I suppose

[greytluck]

The first incident with my DH may have been play but I'm pretty certain last night it was not.

My baby really was only giggling not that high pitched squeal kids love to do. It was really quite a bit calmer in the room then it normally is. My 3 year-old was just colouring and nothing much else was going on. Corinna has heard the baby giggle many times before and never had shown any interest in it. That's why its got me baffled.

[cometdust1]

I agree with you from what you describe. I don't think it was play. I think she believes that somebody is being hurt and is trying to stop it. Years ago I had a german shephard who was in no way aggresive, he was always friendly to everybody. But, when anybody roughhoused with each other, he would react the exact same way your dog does. He would run around and dive at them, barking, as if he was trying to get them to stop.Very anxious, not happy or playful at all. One day we took him sledding with us. He did not like the idea of us sledding down the hill and screaming.It made him very anxious. At one point, my friends went down the hill with boyfriend lying on bottom of sled, and girlfriend on top. Lots of screaming down the hill. My dog flipped out, chased them and bit the guy in the shoulder and the girl in the butt. Very serious bites. they had giant bruises through the layers of clothing. If they didn't have all those layers on, They would have needed stitches. I'm not sure how you can desensitize her, but until she no longer reacts that way I would stop playing before she gets into that state of anxiety. It sets her up for failure and somebody could end up with a serious bite one day. She's trying to tell you as best she can that the play makes her anxious. Hope somebody has an idea for you on how to stop the reaction.

[Guest k9soul]

I wonder if the blowing sound could have disturbed her in some way? I've noticed before when people blow air towards dogs it can arouse them, but I'm not sure why. I'm not sure if it's the sound, the feel, or the motion of the mouth (I know that in a dog, puckering the lips forward is a threatening expression for them). I'm not sure, but I can understand you feeling baffled and a bit unsettled about it.

[Guest Katherineaz]

The blowing on the tummy sound freaks one of my dogs out. He does not like and will go after you as well....maybe the sound?

[Brandiandwe]

I guess you could try desensitising her. Maybe one of you plays with baby while the other stays with Corinna with cuddles and Truly Excellent Treats making her associate that squealing noise with Excellent Things? But its probably easier to keep everyone separated.

[greytluck]

I guess you could try desensitising her. Maybe one of you plays with baby while the other stays with Corinna with cuddles and Truly Excellent Treats making her associate that squealing noise with Excellent Things? But its probably easier to keep everyone separated.

The thing is she is desensitized to this kind of thing. She's lived with a kid now for 3 years, my oldest DD runs, screams, laughs and Corinna doesn't lift her head. She follows me and the kids room to room and never seems perturbed by the commotion. I've blown on the kids tummies a thousand times before without any reaction.

 

I'm definitely going to be more careful if Corinna gets to close while we are playing with the kids and either stop the game or bring her to another room.

 

She's been acting totally normal today. I wish I knew what upset her yesterday.

Edited November 20, 2013 by greytluck

[silverfish]

Without being in the room it's very hard to say whether it was play, protectiveness or being startled (perhaps) by you throwing a hand up near her face. I think it could be any of those three, just going by your description, though if you say it wasn't play because you have something to compare by her 'excited play' response with your older child, then maybe one of the other two options.

 

All I wanted to add, really, was that it might be worth bearing in mind that for a dog, being upside down with their belly in the air is a very, very vulnerable position, and if she did suddenly get the impression that what you were doing was 'threatening' the baby it might explain it. She just may have misinterpreted because you were kind of throwing your face down to the baby's belly and making strange noises - to her it might have sounded much like an attack in a serious dog-fight in which a dog will try to eviscerate his opponent. She may have seen and heard you do this many times before, but there may have been something about this time which just triggered something in her brain and made her instinctively respond.

 

I'd be careful about this type of play with Gracie loose in the room in future, because she may remember and repeat her protective intervention (if that's what it was). You may also need to be careful not to stress her by doing it in front of her. Watch her body language and if she seems anxious, reassure her. A little play, a little reassurance, a little play, a little reassurance .. in time she will understand that nothing bad is happening, but she seems to be a very watchful girl!

[greysmom]

I agree with this ^^^^^^

 

BG (Before Greyhounds) we had Great Danes. Two, a brother and sister, we had from 12 week old puppies. Joey was so protective of me that DH and I could not rough house or even have tickle fights - he would seriously attack DH as if he thought DH was hurting me. For a while we couldn't even... um... "have cheese"... without putting Joey in another room, because it ended badly (for DH) one time. (Sorry, that's probably TMI! )

[sobesmom]

I'd "guess" - and it's only a guess - that something about your play made the dog nervous. She loves the baby and she loves you - but something about your actions, the baby's actions, or sounds made, or something - made her feel uncomfortable. She obviously respects you - so instead of doing anything really harmful - she gave a "hey - cut it out" nip. And - she obviously understands you're the person to deal with - not the baby.

 

In general - I'd say Corinna's action was a very well modulated way of saying "hey - I'm confused - I'm feeling not ok with this". Now - does that make it OK - no. Nipping you in the face is never OK. BUT - I wouldn't read TOO much into it. I'd be happy that in her very rare episode of confusion she lightly "got" you - not a child - and not a full bite.

 

I totally understand that you're upset - and confused. I have been confused and upset every one of the few times these kinds of things have happened to me. Luckily - I've had a couple weird isolated incidents like yours - and many years of nothing.

 

I'd wash it off as a bad day - keep alert for any sort of trend in behavior - and if none develops - you're probably fine. I've been bitten a few times. Never badly. But - even fabulous dogs on occasion use their mouths when they're feeling stressed ( or if you roll over on and hurt their leg in bed while we're all asleep).

[sobesmom]

I agree with this ^^^^^^

 

BG (Before Greyhounds) we had Great Danes. Two, a brother and sister, we had from 12 week old puppies. Joey was so protective of me that DH and I could not rough house or even have tickle fights - he would seriously attack DH as if he thought DH was hurting me. For a while we couldn't even... um... "have cheese"... without putting Joey in another room, because it ended badly (for DH) one time. (Sorry, that's probably TMI! )

 

All I'm going to say about this - is that one time - my DH got bit in the nekkid butt by my first grey, Sobe (Sobe was MY dog - and very protective/jealous of me). I'll let you all imagine what you will about that situation. (It was not a bad bite, barely broke the skin).

 

Needless to say - we learned to close the bedroom door when it was "alone time". LOL!

[Batmom]

What grey_dreams and LaFlaca said. I'm glad you weren't badly hurt!

[KickReturn]

You got a warning nip. Don't mess with the baby when Corinna is on guard. Fascinating.

[3greytjoys]

All I wanted to add, really, was that it might be worth bearing in mind that for a dog, being upside down with their belly in the air is a very, very vulnerable position, and if she did suddenly get the impression that what you were doing was 'threatening' the baby it might explain it. She just may have misinterpreted because you were kind of throwing your face down to the baby's belly and making strange noises - to her it might have sounded much like an attack in a serious dog-fight in which a dog will try to eviscerate his opponent. She may have seen and heard you do this many times before, but there may have been something about this time which just triggered something in her brain and made her instinctively respond.

 

Also, you and your baby were on the floor level (aka: dog's level).

 

Many years ago, one of our dogs (different breed) charged a visiting infant (stranger to that dog) who was placed on the floor in a carrier seat.

[Gryffenne]

Years ago, we had an Irish Sheepdog (iirc, also called a border collie). We all had a fun game we'd play with her:

 

Get on all fours and hunker down, cover your neck -to protect against her feet - and looking like a ball, basically. Then a high pitched, "Mindy! Mindy, get me, Mindy!" and she would go nuts barking, leaping over your, determined to get her nose to your face to lick you. We all played that game with her.

 

Then one day, I was showing my best friend that game. Mindy knew her, she practically lived at our house. My friend laughed at Mindy bounding around and over me and, while laughing, put her hand on my shoulder to "help" Mindy get to my face by knocking me over. As soon as her hand touched, Mindy went from barking and wagging like a goof, to guard dog. She jumped over me, aiming for my friend and almost caught her wrist. It suddenly, and that quickly, wasn't a game to Mindy.

 

My friend was okay, and we learned to keep that game in the family as solo play with Mindy.

 

 

Sammi tries to be fun police. If anyone is trying to yell (they're boys), wrestle, rough house or anything with DS she will move to stand between him and the offender, giving them her best dead-no negotiating with her- stare. Usually that is their signal to change what they are doing, or I remind them to. I think it's cute how she stands guard with him, but I don't want them pushing her limits past that stare. let a real threat be the one to push her.

 

 

All I'm going to say about this - is that one time - my DH got bit in the nekkid butt by my first grey, Sobe (Sobe was MY dog - and very protective/jealous of me). I'll let you all imagine what you will about that situation. (It was not a bad bite, barely broke the skin).

 

Needless to say - we learned to close the bedroom door when it was "alone time". LOL!

Try being in the middle of enjoying cheese and realizing that your grey is looking down at you from above your loved one's shoulder.

Tail wagging. Confused look on her face. And you can see the drop of SNART about to drip out of her nose onto his shoulder.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Gryffenne

[Acadianarose]

Yikes! I am glad you are okay.

 

I know this is off subject, but the same “alone time” issue came up a few days ago. Had to stop right in the middle and lock Payton out of the room because he was really getting upset. DH would not have been happy to get bit on the hiney, especially at that exact moment…