# my 5 yr old shepherd just bit me



## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

Hi there!
I have a 5 year old female shepherd who is my whole world and I love more than life, her name is Arleigh. I work from home and she was just in my home office and got a hold one of my post it notes and when I tried to get it back from inside her mouth she really bit me and broke the skin, she snarled at me and showed her teeth after I got it from her, I smacked her butt and put her in her cage but now I'm a complete wreck because I don't know how to handle this, it has never happened before. I knew I needed some space because I am very upset at what just happened and needed to treat my hand, any advise on how to proceed? She has always let me take her rawhides, toys or food from her, sometimes she plays with me and her toys and she doesn't want to let them go but she's never been mean aggressive with me before.

Thank you.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

It probably had to do with your emotions and the way you went towards her to take it. To her it may have looked like you were kind of attacking her, not just taking something away. I'd spend some time teaching her to willingly give things up, drop it on command. Its different then taking things away.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Try not to get too emotional. She will pick up on that. Just be matter of fact and back up a bit in your training and up your training. Everything is training and you are clear and consistent. Also, when you hear "love of my life" I think of a dog that could be spoiled. So you could also make sure that she only gets rewarded when she does something for it. Don't shower her with praise for no reason. If it feels to daunting, get help from a trainer on how to alter your relationship with her.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

My first thought of why this happened was exactly as Steve thinks. You probably panicked a bit, and approached her with body language that alarmed her. She probably fed off that energy and thought that something bad was going on.


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## Dalko43 (Mar 30, 2015)

Steve Strom said:


> *It probably had to do with your emotions a*nd the way you went towards her to take it. To her it may have looked like you were kind of attacking her, not just taking something away. I'd spend some time teaching her to willingly give things up, drop it on command. Its different then taking things away.





Castlemaid said:


> My first thought of why this happened was exactly as Steve thinks.* You probably panicked a bit, and approached her with body language that alarmed her.* She probably fed off that energy and thought that something bad was going on.


This is utter nonsense! People are really getting too over-analytical here! 

A 5 yr old dog (which I assume has been with the owner its whole life) just bit its owner over a piece of paper and the people on this forum want to talk about emotions and body language?!?

That is not normal behavior, regardless of whether or not the dog picked up on any "emotions." 

OP, don't spend anymore time on this forum and go look up a reputable GSD trainer in your area...you need to get expert feedback on your dog's behavior and why she is acting out. There is no point in anyone here offering their insight, because with the lack of context and information about your dog, it would be uneducated speculation at best. There are whole list of reasons why a dog might lash out at its owner: health issue, lack of training, challenge for dominance, ect. 

No one here can tell you why this has happened. Someone needs to physically meet and assess your dog in person.

In the meantime, don't let your dog think she has won this battle. Make sure you project confidence and don't let her get away with other incorrect behaviors...though do all this with some added caution (ie dont put yourself in a situation where she might be inclined to lash out again).


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

Yup, trainer/behaviorist right away and, even more importantly (for you), a doc visit and ANTIBIOTICS RIGHT AWAY...the smallest dog bite can turn into cellulitis in an instant. Also a vet visit for her to make sure there's nothing physically wrong with your girl, to cause something like unusual or unexpected aggression.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Dalko43 said:


> This is utter nonsense! People are really getting too over-analytical here!
> 
> A 5 yr old dog (which I assume has been with the owner its whole life) just bit its owner over a piece of paper and the people on this forum want to talk about emotions and body language?!?
> 
> ...


 Sorry but call the trainer later. Five year old dog, sudden and drastic behavior shift. Call your vet, get your dog in for a check up, including if necessary, blood work.
If a seemingly stable, well loved and well behaved dog suddenly lashes out my first thought is pain or illness.

_she's never been mean aggressive with me before_


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## Dalko43 (Mar 30, 2015)

Sabis mom said:


> Sorry but call the trainer later. Five year old dog, sudden and drastic behavior shift. Call your vet, get your dog in for a check up, including if necessary, blood work.
> If a seemingly stable, well loved and well behaved dog suddenly lashes out my first thought is pain or illness.
> 
> _she's never been mean aggressive with me before_


A vet check up also makes sense. I don't think the OP has provided any information yet that would indicate a medical issue, but it certainly doesn't hurt to rule out that possibility.

OP, scheduling both a vet appointment and a meeting with a trainer would be a good approach.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

It's not a battle. I never want to put my dog in a situation where the message I'm giving him is that it is a fight, and either he or I win. I'm the smart one here (supposedly - that could be debatable), and I have a breed of dog that has been _bred_ to stand his ground and fight if he feels attacked. 

If my best friend in the world (human friend), suddenly jumped up and came at me swinging looking like he wanted to beat me to a pulp, you bet your tootsies I would fight back! I'd be confused and bewildered as to what brought this up, but who in their right mind would just take it and not react? 

True, we weren't there, we did not see the whole interaction, perhaps Stephanosis did not over-react, and the dog's actions were completely out of character for the situation. Then yes, vet check first if this is a drastic change in behaviour.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Dalko43 said:


> This is utter nonsense! People are really getting too over-analytical here!
> 
> A 5 yr old dog (which I assume has been with the owner its whole life) just bit its owner over a piece of paper and the people on this forum want to talk about emotions and body language?!?
> 
> ...


 You ever go towards your dog in anger or just a physically aggressive way? Do they react the same way as when you calmly, or happily do the same approach? That's all I'm talking about with emotion. They react to it. You may describe it as challenge for dominance, I would just leave off dominance and say she saw it as some type of threat or challenge.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

How did your dog respond to being corrected/disciplined? Any further growling ?


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## Dalko43 (Mar 30, 2015)

Steve Strom said:


> You ever go towards your dog in anger or just a physically aggressive way? Do they react the same way as when you calmly, or happily do the same approach? That's all I'm talking about with emotion. They react to it. You may describe it as challenge for dominance, I would just leave off dominance and say she saw it as some type of threat or challenge.


A) It doesn't sound like the OP approached this dog in an aggressive or angry manner. So you're getting into a hypothetical debate there, not relevant to the OP's problem.

B) I have approached my dog when I was angry with him, and yes he could tell how I was feeling. However, he has never bit me and certainly has never snarled or bore his teeth at me. Short of physically abusing the dog, there is no reason for those kinds of reactions on the dog's part. Bad vibes or emotions from the owner shouldn't be enough to provoke biting and hostile posturing out of a well-trained, well-socialized GSD...they are known for being able to roll with the punches (metaphorically of course).

As I said earlier, there is very little context on this dog or the overall situation. The OP would do well to seek medical and training expertise in person.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

I gave an opinion of one possibility. That's all. The op can decide whether its relevant or not.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

OP this type of behavior doesn't sound like it part of her daily character and behavior perhapsa vet visit for a checkup sometimes growling can be irritability due to pain ,and tiredness.I would also go to a reputable tainer who knows GSDs and see what they think and reccommend.


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## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and recommendations. Yes she is very spoiled and has been with me since she was 9 weeks old. She definitely didn't want me to take the paper from her, my biggest fear was and is how to move forward after this with her. She takes off with papers or napkins all the time but always let's me take them from her, not always happily but she does. She's never aggressive with me or anyone else. This was just a very unexpected incident that scared and panicked me.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

I think what you've seen is the results of all those times. Start training her to out a toy or drop things on command for a reward. Its a big difference from the conflict of taking things.


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## IronhorseRomo (Jul 20, 2015)

A friend of mine has a black lab. Very playful dog. His wife is a sweetie. The dog ( Hondo) is constantly challenging her for dominance because he knows he can get away with it. He tried pulling that crap with my friend and realized who was boss. He keeps telling her she needs to be more assertive but not aggressive. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

get with Jonathan. Training will bring out the dynamics of your relationship and bring it back to black and white. Jonathan Katz


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## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

Thank you!


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## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

Nigel said:


> How did your dog respond to being corrected/disciplined? Any further growling ?


 She went straight to her cage almost without prompting. She knew.


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## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

Steve Strom said:


> I think what you've seen is the results of all those times. Start training her to out a toy or drop things on command for a reward. Its a big difference from the conflict of taking things.


Thank you for responding Steve, coincidentally we have recently been working on the "drop it" command when we play fetch, hoping this wont ever happen again. I think I was more in shock than anything.


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## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

IronhorseRomo said:


> A friend of mine has a black lab. Very playful dog. His wife is a sweetie. The dog ( Hondo) is constantly challenging her for dominance because he knows he can get away with it. He tried pulling that crap with my friend and realized who was boss. He keeps telling her she needs to be more assertive but not aggressive.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 This sounds familiar. It's just her and I and I let her get away with a lot, so I take responsibility for this. Thank you!


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## Stephanotis (Aug 29, 2014)

Dalko43 said:


> A vet check up also makes sense. I don't think the OP has provided any information yet that would indicate a medical issue, but it certainly doesn't hurt to rule out that possibility.
> 
> OP, scheduling both a vet appointment and a meeting with a trainer would be a good approach.


 She is perfectly fine, medically speaking, no signs of any pain or trauma, she has been eating, sleeping, playing normally. I am very in tune with her and don't waste any time getting her to the vet whenever she needs it. Even when people think I'm overreacting, we have travelled to the 24 hour vet on more than one occasion which is an hour away. A trainer however would probably be great!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Dogs generally do not express pain the same, and aggression is often a symptom of something not being right. With her age, I would agree that would be my first step.

Some dogs are ok with us taking stuff from them, reaching in their mouth and pulling out a prized item, treat, bottle of pills that they got a hold of. No issues whatsoever. 

I used to try and condition my dogs to my taking stuff from their mouth like treats and stuff. And while it never caused an issue for me, I understand now that I could have caused or worsened any resource guarding by making the dog concerned that I was going to take whatever. So instead of making them feel comfortable with my retrieving something, it could make them quicker to swallow whatever it was, and tougher to go after it altogether. With most of my dogs I haven't done this, and have never had an issue taking something out of their mouthes.

Now, the thing is, your dog does seem to have a problem with that. It is not so bad as it sounds. Your dog is not indiscriminately biting people without warning. Your dog seems to be protecting its catch. The dog found something it thinks may be fun or good to eat, and it is afraid you are going to steal it, and indeed, you are.

I would let the dog settle down. Increase leadership, maybe check out NILIF -- google it, it stands for Nothing In Life Is Free. Increase your training -- the bond can always be strengthened by good training. Train in agility and train in tricks -- this may seem silly, but you are working with a critter who is similar to a 4-6 year old child, they like tricks, the dog has fun, you have fun, the dog is happy, bond builds. 

Now the meat of the situation. You are training your dog some cool tricks and using lots of treats. You are having lots of fun. Teach the dog to Drop It as though Drop It is a real cool trick. Teach the dog to drop it into your hand. You can use the command, GIVE -- always return a good treat when the dog gives whatever it is, into your hand. And work with lots of things of different sizes, shapes, and textures. 

I think your initial reaction was what it was. I don't think it will negatively affect your girl at all. I don't know that it will teach her not to bite you if you open her mouth and shove your hand in there going for something she found. 

Good luck with your girl. Increasing the training with our intelligent, athletic, dogs -- you cannot go wrong.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

-- "Yes she is very spoiled and has been with me since she was 9 weeks old. She definitely didn't want me to take the paper from her, my biggest fear was and is how to move forward after this with her."

no more indulged princess -- 

time , big time , to change this , now.

training. Limitations in the house .


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