Any Advice For Moving On From A Bite Incident

[Guest Kasia]

Hello all,

I've read this forum a lot in the past but it's my first time posting. I am looking for advice on this particular incident with my grey. Some background info: we adopted our greyhound straight off the track. He is 4 years old, and we have had him 4 months now. Overall he settled into our house with no problems. We do let him up on the furniture, including the beds (I mention this because I wonder if it was a mistake to allow it so early).

We hired a dog walker to come in about twice a week to help us out, due to our work schedules. He had come about 5 times with no issues. The this past Thursday our grey just did not want to be walked (he gets nervous outside when all the snow and ice is melting/falling off the roof). The walker coaxed him out, but our dog did curl up his lip at him. The walk went on without further incident.

On Friday (yesterday) the walker came back. The dog just didn't want anything to do with him, so again the walker pet him and gave him some treats first. He put the collar on, and as he went to tighten it, the dog attacked his face. His glasses were broken (grateful his eyes were not hurt), and he had cuts on his forehead from the teeth making contact. He then hid his face and the dog bit the back of his neck. The walker was frightened so he locked himself into a room until I got a friend to go over to distract the dog and let him out (the dog was guarding the door of the room the walker was in).

The walker went to a doctor to get a tetanus shot and get checked over. He did write up a bite report so I am anticipating a visit from Animal Control soon.

My husband and I are obviously very distraught about this. Our grey does not display aggression normally. He did have some sleep aggression early on (growling after waking from a dream) but even that went away. He has no space aggression at all over his bed(s). He sees people inside and outside of the house often and hasn't shown any aggression. The dog walker is unique though; normally when people are at our house my husband and I are home too. Obviously with the walker that is not the case. Perhaps he was worried the walker was trying to take him away? I am not sure, and since I did not witness the bites I can never know for sure what the exact trigger was.

I am looking for any advice on how to go forward. We are not allowing him on the beds anymore. We think he needs more socialization and more time to settle into our home. We are taking him to the vet next week to ensure there is no medical issue.

Even if our grey had a reason (in his mind) to bite the walker, it's just not acceptable to us that he would do so. We need to be able to trust our dog around people - especially if we want children at some point. It's really important to us that he learns biting people is not okay. What else can we do to help him learn?

[Riverhound]

Your dog is in danger. Get the dog out of your city, now, and contact The Lexus Project.

[CharlieRhea]

4 months is not a long time for some Greys to settle in, especially with new people. So sorry you had to go through this. Did your dog walker visit while you were home so he could get to know the walker comfortably? Anyhow, good idea to have him checked out by a vet to rule out anything medical. Let us know what happens, i imagine you will have someone else come let the dog out? Best if everything!

[krissn333]

I'm not sure an alarmist approach is really the way to go...

 

Obviously this walker was not someone your dog trusts and was okay with.

 

Have your dog evaluated medically - have thyroid tests run and complete blood work, as well as a full checkup to see if he is hurting anywhere (especially his neck!).

 

Some dogs do not like to be leaned over and will react.

 

Maybe your dog could sense something about this guy that you could not.

[Guest roweboy]

OK I'm very new to grey ownership, but have had dogs all my life. Bites need to be taken very seriously. Yes, you can lose the dog but certainly there are steps in between. I'd suggest contacting a behaviorist immediately to have the dog evaluated by a professional. The dog needs to be muzzled (why wasn't he muzzled immediately by the dog walker after the first incident?) whenever in contact with other people in the meantime.

[Guest Amber]

Hi, so sorry this happened. Yes I think vet check up and a vet referral to a good, properly qualified behaviourist is the way to go. I'm not sure how the system works where you live but I guess he will now at the least have a bite record on file.

 

Meantime, it would be best if only you and your husband handle and walk him, no strangers coming in. It's a very worrying situation, I hope that a behaviorist can help.

[MaryJane]

You never know how these things will go. I suggest that you contact the Lexus Project (earlier poster gave link) just so you have someone watching your back. The ACO will come and check out the particulars but, here things can go south pretty quickly. The ACO may want to take the dog - they shouldn't need to but, you never know. You need to get advice about this.

 

As to the dog - get a complete physical and make sure the neck area is checked, There could be an injury since the incident happened when tightening the collar. It could also be a neurological issue. Make sure the dog is not allowed on the furniture. You might also want to see if you can contact the track and get some more information on him although, I wouldn't count on getting much....

 

Someone mentioned a behaviorist and this is a good idea - try and get someone from a veterinary school.

 

I understand your point that biting is not acceptable but the very nature of a dog is that there is always the possibility of a dog bite. Sweet dogs that have never bitten will suddenly bite someone. What I'm trying to say is that there is never a guarantee concerning dogs & biting and I think that is what you are looking for.

 

 

edited to add ... I used to have a German Shephard who was very big but, a sweetheart. He was great with everyone that came in to my house and to strangers. I remember one incident of a repair person coming in and I had to hold him back because he wanted to tear this guy apart. I had him straining by the collar the entire time the guy was in my house. The minute the guy left, my dog went back to normal. I can't say for certain but, maybe the dog is picking something up from your dog walker that reminds him of someone in the past or maybe he just didn't like him.

Edited March 22, 2014 by MaryJane

[Fruitycake]

Who knows what kind of body language or handling the dog walker was using, and how it might have been "read" by the dog. I don't think that 4 months is long enough for some dogs to feel comfortable with (relative) strangers coming into their new house and putting their collar on them and taking them out. Some might be fine. Some might be scared, or just having a bad day and being pushed just too far and the "telling the guy nicely" (lifting the lip) didn't get the hint and pushed him on it until the dog felt he had to say "NO, REALLY!" the only way he could. It is unfortunate for all that the walker didn't tell you the first time there was any resistance or tension or fear and that everyone didn't stop things at that point and start from scratch to make sure everything was cool and to train the dog to like (not just accept) being leashed and walked by the relative stranger.

 

Start from ground one. Get the medical checks, definitely, but also assume that your dog has limits and that you and everyone else that deals with him needs to learn them (and not punish him when the person is the one that has gone beyond the dog's capability to cope). Try to reward good behavior and calm reactions every time they happen. If you can put on the collar without a problem, can others do it when you are there or does your dog start getting worried/tense? Can you read your dog's body language and read when he's first getting tense (some signs are exceptionally subtle, and my husband who had dogs his entire childhood and most of his adult life (he's 40) still can't read our two dogs as well as I can and I've had dogs for less than 10!). Research Tugid Rugaas's Calming Signals and other dog body language experts, if you can't read your dog well. And prevent anyone who doesn't know how to read your dog well from dealing with him, and everyone from pushing when he has reached discomfort, because if he's pushed, he may think he must strike out because that way he is finally heard.

 

Month 4 may be the time period where the "honeymoon" is over and the dog is only just starting to relax, but at that time I think there are lots of potentials for setbacks and sudden reversion to "scared of the new" that can happen. Their world changed drastically when they first are adopted. While the dog didn't know that all of those initial changes when he entered your household were going to be long term he just warily waited and didn't do anything, but when he started learning to relax and allowing more reactions to things there is a tension there that wasn't there when he didn't feel he dare react at all. The dog had been watching the dance on the sidelines, but now he's trying to learn the steps on the dance floor, and boy is that stressful because so much can be done wrong and he's expected (by himself and by you) to do things right!

 

Contacting the Lexus Project isn't a bad idea, so at least you are prepared should the situation "go south" as it were.

[PatricksMom]

Honestly, from everything I've read here, I'd be asking my adoption group to take my dog (they're right across the state border) while I had him properly medically checked out, just to be on the safe side, you never know what animal control will do and getting the dog out of state is safest if that's geographically reasonable. Once you're sure your dog is safe and if it turns out there's nothing medically wrong, I would get professional behavioral help.

 

Is it possible something negative happened between your dog and the dog walker? Not that the walker necessarily did something, but maybe something really scary happened on a walk and now there's a bad association in your dog's mind for some reason.

 

Some hope too, when we first adopted Patrick, his thyroid levels were low but he seemed asymptomatic. Until he bit me in the face for apparently no reason. Fortunately, I was fine and the city/state didn't find out. Once we medicated him, he never did it again, although he would get growly with me if the generic changed, switching to name brand Soloxine cleared that up and for some reason he never got growly with anyone else. So there can be easily treatable medical issues that can cause this behavior.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Definitely contact the Lexus Project. They will help you with legal information, what AC officers can do, and what you can do. You could also try contacting a greyhound group in your area. Even though you adopted off the track, people in the group might be able to help you.

 

Four months is not a long time. Not sure about what happened between the dog walker and the dog, but obviously the dog did not trust the dog walker and the dog walker pushed the situation too far.

 

Hope that things will be ok for you and your dog.

[FiveRoooooers]

This past Thursday our grey just did not want to be walked (he gets nervous outside when all the snow and ice is melting/falling off the roof). The walker coaxed him out, but our dog did curl up his lip at him. The walk went on without further incident. On Friday (yesterday) the walker came back. The dog just didn't want anything to do with him, so again the walker pet him...

 

It sounds to me as tho your dog was being clear that he did not want to go out. As simple as that. The first time when he spoke up (curled his lip), he was "made" to go anyway (in his mind, he was "made" to do something he didn't want to do). The next time, when he spoke up and was disregarded he felt that he needed to speak louder (the bite). The walker may have sent fear signals to your dog, escalating the situation. You can get help from your group and/or a recommended behaviorist to help you with this. I agree that first ruling out anything medical is prudent.

 

 

[Guest DeniseL]

This past Thursday our grey just did not want to be walked (he gets nervous outside when all the snow and ice is melting/falling off the roof). The walker coaxed him out, but our dog did curl up his lip at him. The walk went on without further incident. On Friday (yesterday) the walker came back. The dog just didn't want anything to do with him, so again the walker pet him...

 

It sounds to me as tho your dog was being clear that he did not want to go out. As simple as that. The first time when he spoke up (curled his lip), he was "made" to go anyway (in his mind, he was "made" to do something he didn't want to do). The next time, when he spoke up and was disregarded he felt that he needed to speak louder (the bite). The walker may have sent fear signals to your dog, escalating the situation. You can get help from your group and/or a recommended behaviorist to help you with this. I agree that first ruling out anything medical is prudent.

 

I agree with this. We learned that Miami sometimes just doesn't want to walk. He just doesn't want to go out and so we let him be. When he needs to go out, he will. Obviously he was either scared or just really doesn't like the walker. It took Miami way longer than 4 months to get used to my DH and me, let alone another person in the mix. Just sounds like an unfortunate situation...but, I would be worried about AC. I would def call the Lexus project for peace of mind.

[GeorgeofNE]

The mere fact that this "dog walker" was so frightened he had to lock himself in a room tells me this person isn't a particularly saavy dog person to begin with.

 

Clearly the dog doesn't like HIM. You have no real idea what goes on between them.

 

It's very unfortunate all around and I hope there is a good ending.

[Guest sireltonsmom]

My Sir Elton was a sweet dog til someone else tried to take him out. We finally figured out he was afraid someone would take him away from his home and family and not bring him back. He held his 'business' til we got back. Eventually a close friend was able to get him out without him being fearful.

 

Good luck.

[greysmom]

Just from what you wrote, I would tend to think this is an isolated incident regarding a "dog walker" who didn't know how to handle a situation. I would NOT let this change your opinion of your dog going forward until and unless you have further evidence to indicate there's a problem. Since no one witnessed the event and you only have the "dog walker's" account, there's just way too many variables.

 

If this is an adult dog, with no (apparent) medical problems, and no history of accidents or separation anxiety - unless you're gone from the house longer than 8 or 9 hours - I would say leave the dog alone during the day.

 

Also, it's unclear from your account, but you should be using a martingale-type collar for walks and not a buckle collar that needs to be put on and tightened.

[Guest Kasia]

Thanks for the replies everyone! SirElton's mom, I am hoping that what you described for Sir Elton is true for my boy too. Maybe he really did believe the walker was just trying to steal him away. And I agree Greysmom, I don't plan on getting another walker. He can definitely hold it for the time we are out of the house. And yes, we are using a martingale collar. We just loosen in when taking it off his neck, to make it easier to slip on and off (he doesn't wear the collar in the house because I worry about him getting caught on something and choking).

I'll let you know how it all goes; the dog is his usual loving, goofy self. Again, thanks for the feedback.

[Guest BiggiesOwner]

Hi Kasia - we had a very similar issue with Biggie growling/snarling at our dog walker after a few weeks. He was initially reluctant to go out with her - but then it just escalated to him growing anytime she came near him with a leash.

 

He was able to "hold it" all day and we just decided to stop having a dog walker come in. Might not solve the problem per se - but it definitely has prevented any recurrences.

[Time4ANap]

We had a bite incident when a friend reached down to pet Rocket on his bed and he was sound asleep. She even knew better, but forgot.

 

The doctor had to report it, so we got the visit from AC. Fortunately, the AC officer understood what had happened and the fact that Rocket was loving her up the whole time didn't hurt. He ended up being on house arrest for 2 weeks, no walks in public allowed at all. The alternative was that AC would take him to their facility for a 2 week hold. That was not going to be an option.

 

If AC shows up and tries to take your hound, do not turn him over to them. Ask them to leave and contact the Lexus Project for advice. http://thelexusproject.org/

 

it won't hurt to contact The Lexus Project in advance for advice what you should or shouldn't say during the AC visit.

 

As far as moving on, the walker has to be someone that your hound trusts. Not someone who just shows up in his house and tries to take him out. It's a process, just as everything else is while your hound figures out what is expected of him in his new life.

 

Good luck.

[Charlies_Dad]

Coming in late on this but it seems to me your pup does not like the dog walker. Some pups just don't like some people and also it seems that there was warning on Thursday. I'm sorry you're going through this as I know it can be disheartening as our Stewie bit our neighbour when he got loose and was lost for a few hours. When our neighbour found him, he tried to coax him by pulling on his collar and Stewie bit him in the hand. A report was made because we had to get him to the hospital and our AC just wanted him quarantined for a couple weeks at home which was fine for us as he normally is only in the fenced off backyard. We felt terrible about the bite though and did reward him for finding our boy with a $200 gift certificate.

[Guest Kasia]

Thanks for your story Charlie's Dad! I think its true that my grey just did not like this walker.

So the aftermath was, we got a visit from a Health Inspector who had us quarantine our grey for 10 days (that's their rabies check). Obviously our boy did not enjoy that, but he took it well and is acting like his normal self. I am attempting to arrange a friend to drop by during the days I work long, to just let him out in the backyard - no walk. And if he doesn't want to go, don't force him.

I did not contact Lexus project or take my dog out of the province. I don't think it would look good if the health inspector would have come and I told him my dog is mysteriously not in the city anymore.

No follow up from Animal Control, and after I read my city's bylaws for dog bites (I am in Canada), I saw there is nothing they can do in this situation other than order him to be muzzled. I am doubtful I will even get a visit from them due to the nature of this "attack".

Thanks everyone!