muskymatt Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 My 10yr old chocolate lab bit my wife on the hand today while she was feeding him, and drew blood. My reaction was that if he can't be trusted, he has to go! We've had him since he was a puppy, I have 2 teenage daughters, and dread the thought of him biting one of them in the face while showing him some affection. This opinion, getting rid of him, has made me public enemy # 1 in the house. Not sure I can live with the possibility of him biting again, he's always been a great dog. Was this a one time thing or should I be concerned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 i can't judge without knowing the severity of the bite. animals are still just that, and when it comes to food NO dog can be trusted no matter what the owner says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I would certainly be concerned.... he/she cannot be trusted, if the dog did this, and it was not accidental ie. play time or a small nip while horseing around.... the dog cannot be trusted... Last thing you need is a lawsuit because he bit some kids face... you already know in your heart what needs to happen..... just make it easier on the family. not a good situation to be in.. that is for certain... G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Was it later than normal to be feed?.. and he was just excited to get to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeytier Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Labs are VERY serious about their food. My yellow is 11 now, and I know he wouldn't do that to anyone in the house, but to a stranger? When there's food involved who knows...They get grumpy when they get old. I wouldn't be so hasty, regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Exactly in agreement with Doc. I always ask mine to sit before feeding, no matter how hungry they are.If the dog is concentrating hard on its food, i will get its attention by quietly saying its name, before removeing the bowl or adding more food.I never pet them as they eat, out of respect for thier space.We forget that they are animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nipfisher Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Well Matt, either the dog or the wife and girls have to go. On a serious note my lab/collie mix is almost 16 years old and I got him just after he was 5 weeks old becuase he was being bullied by the other bigger puppies. As much as I love Duffy, if he bit either one of my boys he would be gone immediately. If he bit my wife, she would take care of him and then tell me he bit her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 1 bite in 10 years shouldn't be a death sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I wasn't home, but it seems she was giving him the "ok" to eat, we have him wait until he is "released". It was the morning feed, part of my wife's daily routing: make lunches, feed the dog, get ready for work. He's always been a bit of a grump with food but has never taken it further than a growl, until now. He's such a loving dog otherwise, I'm surprised he did bite, and although it was a nip on the finger, it still has me concerned his age may be playing into this. This is hard, he's my boy, he thinks the world of me, we do a lot together. I can't dismiss the possibility of him doing it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) Hmm...tough call, but if it was my dog there is no way he would be going down. I'd be the only one feeding him from here on out though, and I'd make sure he knows the rules about the hand that feeds him. I don't know your dog, so its hard to say. Was she trying to take his food away? Did she try to pick up his bowl as he was eating? What prompted the bite? EDIT: you answered my question at the same time. If my dog EVER growled at me over food, he wouldn't be eating! S. Edited March 28, 2012 by Sinker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 1 bite... while not serious now.... could be 6 months from now... either you trust him or not... that is the bottom line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 He just needs to be reminded who is the boss when it comes to feeding, no need to put him down at all. You feed him from now on, and make sure he knows the rules!!! S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 given that you don't have YOUNG children i would watch him closely for now. another consideration is that he might be ill or in pain? the ONLY time my dog ever growled at me, it turned out it was because she had a ripped off claw on her toe that i didn't know she had injured running through the bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 as a lab owner.... I know how serious they take their food... I made a point of putting my hand into his food bowl as he was eating to stop the food issues he had as a puppy... still today I could put my hand in his food bowl, or take it away while he is eating without any problems.... Perhaps this is something YOU should try... when you feed him tomorrow morning, put your hand in his bowl and move it around... and if he reacts then correct him. this just might fix the problem and help exert your dominance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeytier Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 as a lab owner.... I know how serious they take their food... I made a point of putting my hand into his food bowl as he was eating to stop the food issues he had as a puppy... still today I could put my hand in his food bowl, or take it away while he is eating without any problems.... Perhaps this is something YOU should try... when you feed him tomorrow morning, put your hand in his bowl and move it around... and if he reacts then correct him. this just might fix the problem and help exert your dominance. Not something I'd attempt when the dogs already ten years old, but that IS a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 1 bite... while not serious now.... could be 6 months from now... either you trust him or not... that is the bottom line. This is what has me worried, the bottom line for me is that biting is not to be tolerated, under any circumstances. I agree with the comment that maybe I, and no one else, should feed him. And do it away for the family to see if it will lessen his stress during eating. Putting him down would crush me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 That's what I'd do. I was going to suggest it, but thought you guys would think I'm crazier than you already do! Any dog that growls at you over food needs a little check up in dominance. If he growls, take it away. He will learn pretty quick what he did wrong! S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 as a lab owner.... I know how serious they take their food... I made a point of putting my hand into his food bowl as he was eating to stop the food issues he had as a puppy... still today I could put my hand in his food bowl, or take it away while he is eating without any problems.... Perhaps this is something YOU should try... when you feed him tomorrow morning, put your hand in his bowl and move it around... and if he reacts then correct him. this just might fix the problem and help exert your dominance. I have in the past tried to curb his dominance over food by hand feeding him one piece of his food at a time. he reacted ok to it and even seemed to enjoy the time doing it. Maybe I need to start doing this again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerritt Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 What I did is I put my hand into his food... My lab is 4 years old... and had issues whenever the kids went near him when eating.... I was advised by his trainer to do this as I was alpha... give it a try... and see what happens.... my guess is after a bit of correction, your lab will understand the rules.... G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaque Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 The answer for me is......you don't put your family member down because of an isolated bite. If the dog snapped and didn't release from a bite and you had to pull him off I could see being much more concerned. But from the sounds of this incident.....not even close to bein justified to put him down. It's up to you to manage him though and keep an eye on him as dr. Sal mentioned. He may have something going on that has him on edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solopaddler Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) It's really hard to say Matt without witnessing the incident. Ironically I'm "kind of" going through something similar. I have to tell you guys what just happened recently in my house. It's a long story but it's been festering for awhile now. My sister in law was living with us recently for a short while along with her 120lb mastiff. As many of you know I have a 11/2 year old german shorthair, which happens to be way less than half the size of the mastiff. By and large she's a big happy idiot that wants nothing more than to play all day, my 5 year old sleeps with her every night. Not once had I seen an ounce of aggression out of her....until recently. She pestered the mastiff constantly, trying to get it to play and the bigger dog mostly ignored her. Total opposite personalities. One morning when I was alone the house I heard this crazy racket and the mastiff had my dog by the neck shaking it like a rag doll. My dog was mewling in pain. I couldn't get it to let go of my dog. I punched it, I kicked it, it still wouldn't let go and was shaking her violently. Ultimately in complete desperation I BIT the damn dogs ear myself and she finally let go. I firmly believe it would have killed my dog. The second the mastiff let go, my dog viciously tried to attack it, I honestly was shocked. I pulled them apart, put them in separate rooms and left for work without telling anyone in my family what had happened (figured it would blow over and didn't want to cause any angst). BIG mistake. Later that night when my sister in law came home and let her dog out, MY dog went at her again like a wild animal. Apparantly it wasn't pretty. Everyone calms down and I say "that's it, sorry but this dog needs to be out of my house". My wife and her sister disagreed (it was like having two angry wives LOL!) They promised they'd constantly keep the two dogs apart until my sister in law moved out. This strange situation lasted one week. Then one night we're all peacefully watching tv and Joanne gets it in her head to bring the mastiff out for a pee. My dog was laying quietly beside me, then suddenly the mastiff chuffs at my dog and before I can do anything my dog leaps up and tries to attack it again. My wife got in the middle of the two dogs and the mastiff bit her badly on the wrist trying to get at my dog. Fractured bones in her wrist and deep wounds that required a bunch of stitches. It was a nightmare. The mastiff was out of my house shortly afterwards. NOW my issue is everyone on my wifes side of the family is convinced my dog is vicious and needs to go. No one but me saw that damn dog attack mine for no reason and nearly kill her. I've explained, but it goes over everyone's head. As far as I'm concerned my dog was protecting herself, her family and her territory. I honestly didn't know she had it in her. IMO it was the mastiff who snapped and I've flat out told my family I don't ever want my kids anywhere near that dog again. Thankfully my wife agrees 100%, but man it's causing some big time strife in our household right now! (sorry for the huge thread hijack, I needed to get that off my chest) Edited March 28, 2012 by solopaddler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskymatt Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Some very good, sound advice guys, and I appreciate it more than I can say. He has been limping a bit in his right front shoulder but the vet(who he sees regularly) says he's in really good shape for his age. I'm going to alter his feeding, as suggested in here, and will give extra caution for the foreseeable future. He deserves to be understood and given credit for being an amazing dog for the past 10 years. Plus, this route will hopefully get ME out of the doghouse, no pun intended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 If there is one dog I will never trust again, it is a mastiff! We had a dog killed by one years ago. The neighbors dog jumped the 6'fence, and ripped ours to shreds. We got home to find the mastiff in our yard, and parts of our dog. It wasn't pretty. I was just a kid, and my opinion of mastiffs has, and never will, change. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaque Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Some very good, sound advice guys, and I appreciate it more than I can say. He has been limping a bit in his right front shoulder but the vet(who he sees regularly) says he's in really good shape for his age. I'm going to alter his feeding, as suggested in here, and will give extra caution for the foreseeable future. He deserves to be understood and given credit for being an amazing dog for the past 10 years. Plus, this route will hopefully get ME out of the doghouse, no pun intended! Glad to hear you'll give things some time musky. And to Mike.....holy crap. Saying that's a stressful situation is the understatement of the year. Hope that all settles down for ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 One time is an incident. No you should not trust the dog as if nothing had happened, but it is not enough to put the dog down. You need to reassert the rules and change the way you and the family behave with the dog so to modify the dog's behaviour. If there is a second biting, well, you know what needs doing. It is no easy thing to put a friend down, and I have been called a murderer by my children for putting down one of our dogs after repeat attacks. There are no clear answers. Just do, what in your heart, is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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