My Dog Bites Without Warning -- Is There Hope?

[ezorn33]

We have what we're hoping is a fixable behavior modification issue. Our black lab mix has always been skittish around men in particular, and we've been working on trying to get him more comfortable. For example, he barks and growls at deliverymen, visitors, etc. We began taking him outside to meet new people there and then come inside with them, and that worked to some extent. We've also tried giving him lots of things to do ("Sit here, sit there, roll over, etc.") while a visitor is over, and that has been beneficial too.

However, there have now been three incidents where he has viciously snapped at, snarled at, or bit someone -- one around Christmas, one (where it was aimed at me) a few months ago, and one earlier this week.

1. We (stupidly) brought him to my girlfriend's family's Christmas eve event. He seemed fine, but someone reached down to pet him and he snapped at him and gave him a relatively minor bite on the finger.

2. He got out of the yard and followed another dog down the street. I chased after him and (since he had no leash) reached down from behind to grab his collar and pull him around. Not knowing it was me, he turned and growled and snarled -- then seemed to realize it was me and calm down.

3. This past Sunday, we took him on a walk through town. Like at Christmas, he seemed fine -- multiple women had come up to him, and all he did was sniff their hands. Then we see a group of two women and a man approaching, and he seemed interested in them (pulled us toward them). The man started to hold out his hand, and the dog snapped and jumped up and bit his hand. He jumped back up a second time, but this time I was able to pull him away first.

At this point, we're concerned that it's not safe to walk him outside our yard and that it wouldn't be safe to keep him long-term, with the possibility of kids in the future (and young kids in my family anyway). We've talked to a couple of trainers, and we intend to set up an actual session or series of sessions in the next week or two, but the core problem seems to be: since the behavior isn't consistent -- we don't necessarily know when he's going to snap and when he's not -- how do we ever know that it's "better"? How could we ever feel confident that he's not going to bite a child we pass on the street?

Any feedback would be much appreciated. I'll check back throughout the day to answer any additional questions. I'm sure I left out quite a bit.

 

[Danefied]

Sounds pretty consistent to me. The poor guy is scared, his humans aren't picking up on his signals of distress, and when he gets overthreshold he snaps. Also makes perfect sense that his last bite was the worst one - these things get worse if the underlying issue isn't dealt with.
Collar grabbing bites are one of the most common ones and super easy to desensitize to. Reaching for a dog who is overwhelmed and distressed is also a fantastic way to get bitten. Really, nothing very unusual at all in what you have written.

This is actually a very typical progression for a fear reactive dog. I think its excellent that you have contacted a behavioralist. I think you should also look in to some books on canine body language - I like Turgid Rugaas and Brenda Aloff. The more you pick up on and respond to your dog's subtle signals, the less need he will have to go for the obvious ones like biting.

 

[ezorn33]

Thanks for the reply.

When I say it's not consistent, I mean only that he's been in situations like those in which he bit (specifically examples 1 and 3) many times since we've had him, but only in those two instances did he bite. I hope you're right and that there is something we can do to minimize or eliminate the risk, because I'd like to be able to have family over and not be scared poopless that he's going to bite.

 

[Danefied]

Just because the dog has made it through an overwhelming situation (to him) without incident, doesn't mean he wasn't overwhelmed. That's why I'm encouraging you to learn your dog's signals so you can take action BEFORE he gets to the point he feels the need to lash out.

Google "calming signals" and then watch your dog interacting with a stranger or an uncomfortable setting.
I did a quick you tube search for "baby and dog" b/c that's where you often find the best examples of dogs asking as politely as they know how to please back off. Here's a great example of a dog who is uncomfortable and showing it, but being completely ignored. Watch with the sound off.
YouTube - Baby Lucy laughing with dog - the original!
Doesn't mean the dog will bite, and this dog had an escape route, but if the dog percieves no escape (note the dog's perception is what matters), then the fight part of the "fight or flight" equation kicks in.

Here's another great example of calming signals from our rescue boy a few days after we got him. He's making eye contact which is great, but he's *very* uncomfortable and nervous. Ears back, yawning, licking, paw lift, turning his head away, slow blinking, low tail wag... Its textbook stuff.
YouTube - calming signals in a great dane

Your job now, that the behavioralist will have to help you with, is to counter condition and desensitize the dog to the stimuli he finds distressing. You should start at a distance where your guy can stay calm, and gradually decrease the distance and increase the stimuli. Please make sure to work with someone who understands this and who will NOT use corrections to try and "fix" the behavior. This will make things far worse in the long run, and you will get someone hurt.

 

[Greenmagick]

Something I have been recently looking into and researching is a fairly new technique called BAT (Behavior Adjustment Therapy). It is kind of a combination of desensitizing, using functional rewards (the dog gets to leave and learns that they are not stuck in a situation..that you will listen to them) and uses set ups and real life encounters. I am not at all doing this description justice, but people I have talked to who have used it have had wonderful results. It is catered to aggressive and fearful dogs though many of its principles can be applied to all dogs. May be worth looking into

 

[Maxy24]

I would definitely find a good, positive reinforcement trainer. Make sure the trainer is not someone who tries to correct his growling, tensing, or other warning signals. I believe the real difference between a biting dog who should be PTS and one who can be made safer, is whether or not the dog warns. A dog who keeps his mouth shut until he finally can't take it and bites, is very dangerous. If the dog growls before he bites, then whoever is making him uncomfortable will know to stop before anyone gets hurt.

In the mean time I would invest in a good muzzle, a basket muzzle so treats can be given. Have him wear this in public or if you have guests. Don't let people pet him, let them offer treats through the muzzle, but no touching. If he seems reluctant to take the treats, stretches to take them from the hand, then I would stop letting the people interact with him at all. If children are over then I would put him in his own room. If he likes fetch then you can let guests toss the ball for him. Make sure they don't take the ball from him though, he should drop it and sit or you should get the ball from him and hand it to the guest.

I think it's important to find out if he IS showing stress signs that you don't notice. many people don't know how to read dogs' body language. A dog may be very stressed or scared and be telling you that, but is not growling or tucking his tail. A slight change in ear set, a change in movement, stiffness, looking at the person touching him from the corner of his eyes, clenching his jaw, lip licking, repeated yawning, and so many more changes, are important signs that the dog is becoming uncomfortable. A good trainer will help you to see these things.
Once you are able to notice these behaviors, you'll know if the dog is getting stressed. This will allow you to stop whoever it touching him, and instruct the dog to move away to a safe place (his crate or a bedroom) to calm back down.
This will also allow you to tell how the training is progressing. You believe that his biting is unpredictable, he gets pet by strangers a lot but only gets upset in a few cases. If this is true then I would really never consider him safe at all. If, however, he is showing signs of stress most of the times he gets pet, then you will be able to watch those stress signals go away and know that progress has been made. Otherwise you would train but never really know if he feels better because you don't know what triggers his fear.


So a positive reinforcement trainer and a muzzle would be good.

 

[*blackrose]

Does he seem to have a high threshold in other situations?

I ask, because my dog Chloe is just an all around low threshold, anxious dog. When she is in her comfort zone she is perfect, but it doesn't take much to get her out of her comfort zone and when she reacts she reacts at the extreme spectrum of things.

If you accidentally bump her when she is sleeping, she'll snarl and snap. She's been stepped on numerous times, so now if you just touch her she reacts like she is being stepped on.
She gets anxious when guests come over (unless they are kids or very frequent guests) and if she starts to feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable - even if she was previously soliciting attention - she'll snap. She has "bitten" (air snapped/made contact with no mark) a handful of guests. As a result, I just keep her leashed or put up unless it is someone she is comfortable with.

She's fine with me, no problem. But anyone she isn't 100% comfortable with (basically, anyone besides me and my sister) she reacts to in certain situations.

But Chloe has one general issue. It isn't fear specific, it is just anxiety/temperamental. I know you mentioned kids in the future which is why I asked if he was overall a kind of...temperamental dog, or if you think it is only a fear reaction. I wouldn't trust Chloe around any young child, ever. She gives warnings before she reacts, but it is only a hard eye, a tight mouth, and slight stiffing and it only happens for a second or two - I've known plenty of adults that can't see it, let along a young child. When she was a pup I had a really hard time with my family because they couldn't understand that a dog didn't have to show its teeth or growl to be uncomfortable and ready to bite. Now that they all know how to read Chloe, however, things have gotten a lot better.

I think the behaviorist could help you out there.

 

[milos_mommy]

This is probably a fairly fixable, or at least manageable, problem.

One thing I wanted to mention, is never, ever reprimand him for growling. If you do this, he's going to bite without growing next time.

Finding a good positive reinforcement trainer will help. I don't think you need to worry about walking him if it's not in a very crowded area with people close by...just don't let passerby pet him. If you do feel he's a risk, you can try getting him used to wearing a basket muzzle around the house first, for short period of times, so it doesn't make him more nervous.

Also, I would read up on dog body language a bit more. My guess is "without warning" just means that you are unable to recognize the warning signs that he's uncomfortable. Things like lick-lipping, and "wall-eyed" as signs people often don't recognize as fearful behaviors.