Insight? Dog Just Bit Someone...

[Guest Kashmir87]

I'll start from the beginning. We got our two year old GH (Pixie) about a month ago. We got her on a Friday and the following Monday I started bringing her to work. She's a bit shy, submissive, generally very laid back.

 

A gentleman that comes into my office almost everyday came in and Pixie went right up to him and kind of leaned up against him and he was petting her just like he always does and she turned around and bit his hand between his thumb and index finger. No growling, nothing. Just bit his hand and then laid down on the ground. I was in shock that she did that. Nothing was abnormal as far as I could see with him petting her. And, she's met him many times before. I'm at a loss about what to do. I got Pixie because I wanted a dog that would be with me 24/7. I wanted a velcro dog... That's just what I've got. Over the last month she's become very close to me. She wasn't in between he and I. That was the first thing that came to my mind was that she was protecting me... I can't figure out what triggered it and will most likely never know. I don't want to live in fear that I don't know when my dog is going to bite someone else. It may never happen again but it's frustrating never being able to tell whether it will or not.

 

Any insight would be helpful.

[grey14me]

That seems really unusual. I wonder if she has a sensitive/sore spot that he accidentally touched?

[Sambuca]

How hard did she bite? Did she leave a mark or break skin?

 

To me, it sounds like she'd had enough. Either he hit a sensitive spot or she just got over stimulated and that was her way of stopping him. A vet visit may be in order. You can also imitate what he was doing while giving treats so that she associates those sensations with good things.

[carronstar]

Was it an actual bite or more of a nibble? I ask because I have a nitter -- she will chatter and will actually nibble at/on people she likes when she is happy. She took to my uncle the day she met him and nibbled on his arm. He knew what it was, and was teasing but he did say "I am going to sue you because your dog just bit me." It definitely made me work on her nitting. She rarely does it anymore and then only to me.

[Sambuca]

Also, look up calming signals. There are many signs preceding dog bites. Growling and baring teeth are only one of many many signs.

[Guest Kashmir87]

It was a real bite. She punctured the skin.

 

Pixies teeth clatter and make all sorts of noise when shes excited but this was mire than a play nibble.

[greysmom]

Please don't jump to the (inaccurate) conclusion that something is "wrong" with your dog, or that she's aggressive or a fear biter. There is a lot of room inbetween for behavior which is perfectly normal. If you weren't watching the incident closely enough you probably don't know why she did what she did. As others have said, she may have had a sudden painful spot, or she may have felt threatened for some reason completely unrelated to you or your co-worker.

 

Did she break the skin or just put her teeth around her his hand? If she's a fairly shy girl, you may be missing behavioral cues that she is becoming overloaded and needs a break. Or she may be beginning to come out of her new-to-the-homelife shell and starting to assert herself about her wants and needs.

 

For the time being, I would not allow people coming into your office to pet her. Observe her closely throughout the day for signs of stress or anxiety. Does she yawn and lick her lips frequently? Does she appear to shut down at times during the day? Does she statue or seem to be reluctant to return to the office after potty breaks? Does she curl up and try to make herself small and unnoticeable? Does she tremble and shake at all? Do certain sounds or certain people seem to bother her? Perhaps a busy office environment is not the best place for this particular dog.

 

If she has not been assessed by a veterinarian, this is also a place to explore for causes.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Agree that because she is new, you are likely missing a lot of her cues and communications. How was the man petting her? Was it slow, calm, and gentle, or fast and rough? He might have hit a sensitive spot. Has she had a complete exam/health check at the vet? It would be good to limit her interactions with your co-workers until you figure out what's going on.

[sweetdogs]

You only got her a month ago - she's still adjusting to her new life. She's also shy & submissive which will mean she'll get overwhelmed easily, especially at first. She needs time & space to figure things out. Don't put her in situations that will make her uncomfortable, whether or not it seems like she shouldn't be. It's great that you can bring her to work with you - for now, I would let her have her own space & not let people interact with her too much. She's just too new to everything. I'm sure she'll come around in time.

[MaryJane]

Hmmm -- was the person by any chance rubbing her ear a little too hard or patting the head a bit vigorously? The reason that I ask this is that when I was doing meet-n-greets with greyhounds I would constantly have to tell people to pet my boys more gently. If someone was pulling at her ear too hard or rubbing her back a bit too much, it could cause a snap.

[Guest Marsroving]

If he was petting her by her ears I would get her checked for an ear infection. When Mars first came home his ears were so infected the doctor thought they would have to put him out to clean the eats thoroughly....but Mars is a real trouper and allowed the vet to get in there and dig the stuff out.

 

Other than that I'm as baffled as you are...but dogs only have a few ways of communicating and unfortunately for us one of them is with their mouths. Please don't let this incident shake you up too much and if it's any condolence if she was really trying to hurt him this would be a completely different thread.

[DesiRayMom]

FWIW: Desi has a very sensitive spot behind each ear. In his case, if you hit it just right, he'll squeal, but I could see a more sensitive gh giving a bite.

I'm always having to tell people to be careful with his ears. In one case, a gentleman was fondling, squeezing, gently tugging his ears......if he'd been doing

that to a lab, the dog would have been in heaven. Not Des. He squealed like he'd been stabbed. His ears are not infected, it just seems to be a very sensitive

spot that he would rather you not mess with.

[GreytNut]

That sounds like a reaction to pain. I suspect he hit a sore spot. Many dogs will snap reflexively at something that hurts them (and that has nothing to do with viciousness). A serious bite would leave a heck of a lot more than a puncture. My first stop would be the vet's office to see if they can figure out what hurts.

 

Another possibility she felt overwhelmed and was telling him to back off. Was she licking her lips or yawning a lot? Those are signals that she may have been uncomfortable with what was going on. Since they aren't as obvious as a growl a lot of people miss them.

 

Again, it doesn't sound like a vicious attack. It sounds like she was saying, "Ouch, that hurts! Stop it!" or "Hey, I'm overwhelmed! Stop it!" If she'd really meant to inflict harm she could have ripped him open, and she didn't do anything of the sort.

[Guest k9soul]

Rudy is very sensitive about his ears too. I always use a very light touch and don't give him the ear rubs that I give my other dogs. I did have his ears examined at the vet to be sure and they looked good, so it just seems he is sensitive about them. The outer ears seem fine but any rubbing on the inside seems to upset him and he will growl or move away.

[gryhnd_adoptee]

Our first grey was painfully shy, and it took over a year for us to be able to get close to her, and even then, it was on her terms. She would get very uncomfortable if her space was invaded, or it she was pet too roughly. Her triggers were if she was leaned over, hugged too tight, or "pat" (not pet) very heavily. I had to often tell people to please not pat my dog hard enough for it to sound like a thump on their bodies. My prother especially, who was used to petting rotties, would thump my girls side without even giving it much thought, and it would set her off.

 

So perhaps this guy was merely leaning over too close, or thumped her side while petting her?

[Acadianarose]

Where was he petting her? Payton loves butt scratches, but only briefly and softly, and if someone he doesn't know well scratches him too long or hard, he will try to nip at them.

[sobesmom]

Please don't take this wrong - but it usually takes more than a month for a dog to become truly settled in, and for her personality to come out. It might have just been too soon to take her to work.