He bit me....hard

**Lucagirl** · 10-15-2007, 01:55 PM

Lucan was out in the yard when I heard a lot of barking and yiping going on. Our yard is completely fenced so I went out to see what was happening and it turns out the neighbours had a friend's dog visiting in their yard, a Springer Spaniel and the two of them were going at it at the fence. Lucan would bark his head off then retreat up the hill yiping like somebody was hurting him - fear aggression?
Anyway, I walked to the fence and crouched down to meet the other dog and the other dog quieted down and wagged his tail. Usually, this calms Lucan down once I've approached the threat and let him know it's okay, however this time he came up behind me and bit me in the back, hard enough to break the skin and leave 2 very sore purple marks.

He has never shown any aggression to anyone before and he plays with other dogs but always acts this way when he first meets a new dog. From what I've read, what he did was redirected fear aggression at me but it hurts just the same! He continues to go to obedience classes but I'm really wondering about an e-collar for him. He definitely challenges me a lot more than my last Dobe.

eph94 · 10-15-2007, 02:46 PM

Yeah, sounds like redirected aggression, but one never knows for sure. How old is he now? Unless you know 100% sure that he doesn't have any tendencies toward handler aggression, then I would stay away from the e-collar until you a sure. I'd hate to see him go after you when you don't even have a lead to try to control him. I've battled Harley both with and without a lead when he was around 9 months old (testy brat), and having the lead to "hang" him makes a big difference. The other time, I had to grab him behind his ears to get control of his his head and neck. Ideally, I would have liked his hind legs, but his fangs were already in my face. Even at 9-months-old and 75 pounds at the time, facing down an attacking Doberman is scary and not recommended. This all happened in our "getting to know you" phase after we rescued him but before formal obedience training.

robinb · 10-15-2007, 03:26 PM

My place is fenced so no other dogs or strange people can come up to my dog yard. However, horse runs adjoin the dog yard and I have experienced fence running after horses. I stop it immediately with the e-collar from inside the house, they just get it. It took one time with my current boy Rex, my Baron would re-test the rules a couple of times per year.

You might either think of a solid fence or a second fence to prevent him from coming up to the other dog. Personally, I would always have a double fence for my dogs as I don't want strangers or strange dogs to have any access to them. My horse fields provide that buffer for me. But you might still have to stop the fence running. fence running also can cause injuries to your dog, broken toes etc.

Murreydobe · 10-15-2007, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robinb

fence running also can cause injuries to your dog, broken toes etc.

I've seen more than one doberman run the pads right off their paws running a fence line. They were so deeply into drive they didn't even limp until the stimulus was gone.

dobesanddragons · 10-15-2007, 03:39 PM

Have seen injuries too

**Lucagirl** · 10-15-2007, 03:42 PM

He is 9 months old, 75 lbs and very strong. I don't play toy tugging games with him, I think he'd pull me over! We play fetch and he knows he has to return the cuz toy or frisbee to my feet or the game ends. We keep a short nylon rope on him in the house for control, it's funny when that rope is on there is no counter surfing or cat chasing - I think I may try a longer rope on him in the yard. I will also consider more fencing on our side, thanks.

robinb · 10-15-2007, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murreydobe

I've seen more than one doberman run the pads right off their paws running a fence line. They were so deeply into drive they didn't even limp until the stimulus was gone.

I agree, and while I don't like the fact the dog went for the owner, I think a good starting point would be to stop the fence running.

robinb · 10-15-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucagirl

He is 9 months old, 75 lbs and very strong. I don't play toy tugging games with him, I think he'd pull me over! We play fetch and he knows he has to return the cuz toy or frisbee to my feet or the game ends. We keep a short nylon rope on him in the house for control, it's funny when that rope is on there is no counter surfing or cat chasing - I think I may try a longer rope on him in the yard. I will also consider more fencing on our side, thanks.

also, he needs to practice his obedience daily, work him everyday for 15 to 20 minutes. There's more to life than just play!