# 3-4 yr old male GS hates my teen daughter



## njohnson5617

In November of 2017 we adopted a rescue that had been a stray. We brought him home he was very loving until the 10th day, my daughter who was 13 at the time came out of the bathroom to the livingroom where the dog was sitting with me, we had just brought him home a new toy when she came out she said you got a new toy and reached for it which had not been a big deal before but this time he lunged and barked, I thought it was weird but questioned if he was trying to play but when she reached to pet him he snapped at her so I grab his collar pulling him down the hall to his kennel in my bedroom, a few hrs later I brought him back out and held his collar while he sat at my feet as she sat further down the couch and he was fine until she went to the kitchen and as she came back he tried to aggressively lunge at her, I tightened my grip in his collar as he was still acting vicious while i dragged him to his kennel. I spoke to a few trainers who said he was resource guarding me and she needed to feed him, give him treats, toys, etc so she would become his resource, we did that and took him to some training classes where she was the one working with him. I discovered he would only be aggressive with her if she walked into the room while I was sitting or laying down. After her being the one to do everything for him he got to the point he would seek her out in her room to snuggle and things were good until the last few days he would growl and or put his head down and stare when she even opened her bedroom door but tonight he actually bit her breaking skin down to muscle, when I grabbed him and she ran to get my husband from the shop he was still viciously growling and trying to bite. He is only like this with her and only if someone else is home (if it's just those 2 home hes perfect with her), and shes not a small child shes 5'10 150lbs but he is currently 98lbs. I'm not going to keep him but now wonder if he is safe to go to a new home? I dont get why he doesnt like only her and why sometimes he will seek her out for affection. Any thoughts?


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## car2ner

I have no idea what could cause this. You can't diagnose stuff like this online. If you do turn him over to a rescue, you have to be certain that they will be honest about his bite history.


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## Magwart

Most reputable breed rescues don't deal with human aggressive dogs for several reasons: (1) there are so many other dogs without behavioral problems needing our scarce resources, (2) most rescues have no specialized knowledge in how to "fix" them, (3) breed rescues ought to be putting good breed ambassadors out in the community, and (4) risk of future liability. You might have to think about #4 too if you rehome him.


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## wolfy dog

That would a be a deal breaker for me. I would never keep this dog. Who would take him? Not rescues or any shelter with this history. He might end up as bait for dog fighting or run a great risk of being abused, end up isolated in someones back yard or dead. No matter his reasons I would put him down for everyone's safety, including his.
Check out Ian Dunbar's Biting Scale at:http://apdt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ian-dunbar-dog-bite-scale.pdf

His level is 4 at least; very dangerous. I have been in your shoes 25+ years ago so I understand. I am so sorry your family has to experiencing this. I also feel sad for the dog.
Hope your daughter has seen a doctor to prevent and/or treat infection.


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## tim_s_adams

So sorry you guys are having this problem, but glad that your daughter was not hurt more severely!

I agree that no one can diagnose this behavior online! Buy a muzzle and keep it on him to keep your daughter safe while you research your options! 

And again, sorry things worked out this way for you guys, he's a beautiful dog!


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## Gregc

So sad, scary, and dangerous. I don't know where you go from here. It's a bad place.


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## Saco

Very sad situation. How is this dog out in public, at the vet, and with other dogs?

Could be he has built of bad feeling towards the daughter and/or doesn't like kids, not an excuse but it would mean he might do well in an adult only home or with a single. There are homes like that out there, if you are willing and able to keep him until you find one- that's up to you though. 

No responsible rescue will touch this dog. They have to carry insurance (or they should) and nobody would insure a rescue that took in dogs with this type of bite history.


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## Steve Strom

The dog would never be in a position to have contact with my daughter again. I wouldn't spend 5 minutes trying to explain or define any cause or reason. Even less time trying to "fix" anything between them. Whatever you can do, kennel, leash, never inside. Whatever you and your husband are comfortable with and willing to do, or not do. There would never again be any situation where he could even sniff my daughter.


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## Jenny720

I’m glad your daughter is okay and so sorry you have to go through this. No one really knows the history of this dog. This must be heartbreaking. It sounds but I may be assuming he was never seriously corrected for these behaviors and his place in the family was still blurred for some reason and the situation just became a ticking time bomb regardless of your daughter establishing a relationship with the dog the dog still did not know his place for reasons I don’t know. I would also agree to muzzle your dog around your daughter since this behavior is only escalating. You will need speak to a recommended trainer -maybe someone on bear can recommend someone. You do have some serious decisions to make.


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## njohnson5617

I immediately muzzled the dog, put him outside and took my daughter to the hospital for treatment, while gone my husband removed the muzzle but left him in the back yard until we went to bed when his bed was moved to the heated shop and that's where he has remained except when I just let him out to potty and my husband fed him this morning. I will not be keeping the dog but he is such a good dog and loves everyone except my daughter. I've never had a second thought about anyone engaging with him stranger or not even children, he follows my 7yr old nephew around like life long best friends, he loves kids!! Just not my daughter, hes great with other dogs I've taken him to daycare boarding when weve gone out of town and they said he was great. He was aggressive with my daughter starting the 10th day we had him then was fine but started to get weird again the last week. I just dont understand what changed again except I've been taking him for more car rides again as he loves to go everywhere. I feel so lost and heartbroken for both my daughter and Ruger. I've never had an aggressive dog and am torn because I know hes such a great dog but not knowing why he doesnt like her makes me nervous to let him go to someone else.


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## CometDog

njohnson5617 said:


> I immediately muzzled the dog, put him outside and took my daughter to the hospital for treatment, while gone my husband removed the muzzle but left him in the back yard until we went to bed when his bed was moved to the heated shop and that's where he has remained except when I just let him out to potty and my husband fed him this morning. I will not be keeping the dog but he is such a good dog and loves everyone except my daughter. I've never had a second thought about anyone engaging with him stranger or not even children, he follows my 7yr old nephew around like life long best friends, he loves kids!! Just not my daughter, hes great with other dogs I've taken him to daycare boarding when weve gone out of town and they said he was great. He was aggressive with my daughter starting the 10th day we had him then was fine but started to get weird again the last week. I just dont understand what changed again except I've been taking him for more car rides again as he loves to go everywhere. I feel so lost and heartbroken for both my daughter and Ruger. I've never had an aggressive dog and am torn because I know hes such a great dog but not knowing why he doesn't like her makes me nervous to let him go to someone else.


I am sorry to hear all of this. If he is truly switching on your daughter ...ok with her sometimes, then puncturing her others...unprovoked by any obvious reason... then do not let him around ANYONE, especially children. He follows your 7 year old nephew around like a best friend? Well he also will snuggle with your daughter you said. Without knowing what flips his switch, how do you know your little 7 year old nephew wont flip it either? Take zero chances with him going forwards. It isn't worth it and it isn't fair to people who may have their guard down because he seems fine at any given moment.

I went through this, a dog I had for 4 plus years, also a GSD rescue, started to get agitated and aggressive towards things that never bothered him before. One day he did what I would never expect him to do..he bit and gave punctures on my 9 year old son's arm because he dropped something. My son and that dog were never in the same room again. He went to a family friend that had no kids while I figured out what the heck to do. A few weeks, 1000s on trainers and medical tests. No answers, and every good trainer told the truth "you can't reliably fix this with training". 

If you are honest with good rescues about this type of bite HX, they will not take him. Again, been there. I even tried a program called "Throw Away Dogs". They will take dogs that have a bite HX with visitors or are just too much working dog for the pet home they went into and place them with police departments that can't afford K9s and such. However they told me they would not take a dog that would bite a family member at such a level unprovoked (like your daughter it was a level 3 or 4 bite- not a warning shot). 

I won't say what YOU should do based on a description in text on a forum of a situation I did not witness...but the advice across the board for me from breed savvy trainers and from 2 different vets was to euthanize. 

Again, sorry I know how hard this is to deal with.


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## CometDog

I'm not sure where you are located, but here is the link to Throw Away Dog Project. They are in PA but I know they network around the states. Good luck OP.

http://throwawaydogsproject.com/?fb...qG46OMNBsJtQj4J9k1LnnpHpWzuCmO_NSdCSvrZ-Td9TU


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## Sabis mom

No one can tell you what you should do. If he was my dog he would already be euthanized. For most folks kids are a line you just don't cross. They are mine. An unprovoked bite on a child is a one shot deal. I'm sorry and I wish you peace.


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## Oasiskw

Sabis mom said:


> No one can tell you what you should do. If he was my dog he would already be euthanized. For most folks kids are a line you just don't cross. They are mine. An unprovoked bite on a child is a one shot deal. I'm sorry and I wish you peace.






I agree completely. Even with excellent training and rehab I would never feel that children would be safe after an unprovoked bite. 

To the OP, This is a terrible position to be put in. I'm sorry you and your family are going through this.


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## LuvShepherds

Something your daughter does triggers him. Does she move quickly? Have a different pitched voice? Either he came to you with this trigger or he learned it in your home. Either way, as you said, you can’t keep him. 

A woman I know offline had a dog that kept attacking her adult son. I asked her to be honest about whether the son may have done something to scare or hurt the dog, and she said yes. It’s possible the dog was harmed in some way by someone resembling your daughter. 

When I fostered, I placed an aggressive young dog in a forever home with the help of the rescue. It was a rare breed, not a German Shepherd, that had been abused by men and was aggressive toward young men. I told them I would probably euthanize the dog, but if they insisted on placing in a home, it should be in a rural type area, with a woman or a couple with dog experience and no children and very little other human traffic. They found a home and placed the dog, who thrived with them. There are so many German Shepherds needing homes, I doubt you will find anyone to take him when they have more options.


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## Custom Billet

Sabis mom said:


> No one can tell you what you should do. If he was my dog he would already be euthanized. For most folks kids are a line you just don't cross. They are mine. An unprovoked bite on a child is a one shot deal. I'm sorry and I wish you peace.


I have had to do it in the past. It isn't easy. I adopted an older GSD. So, so sweet, except with my daughter. I think she was abused by children throughout her life, then I got her at about 8. First couple snaps, (no blood) I blamed it on my daughter coming in too fast, or surprising her by being a child. Then after a while, I realized, it was PTSD of some sort. It isn't worth the chance that you may end up with something a lot more than a couple of punctures. It may be way worse if you don't take care of it now. :crying:

The problem with rehoming is that they may end up somewhere that the new owners "think" they can deal with it. Then it turns out that they can't, and someone else gets hurt. You will have to carry that on your conscience.

I wish you the best.


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## clipke

My ex had a dog that broke my skin like this. It was a shelter dog. It was completely un-triggered. Some things can't be helped. If his behavior isn't consistently positive, I'd say get rid of him or re-home him to a family member that he trusts and has had no issues with.


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## Kazel

Custom Billet said:


> I have had to do it in the past. It isn't easy. I adopted an older GSD. So, so sweet, except with my daughter. I think she was abused by children throughout her life, then I got her at about 8. First couple snaps, (no blood) I blamed it on my daughter coming in too fast, or surprising her by being a child. Then after a while, I realized, it was PTSD of some sort. It isn't worth the chance that you may end up with something a lot more than a couple of punctures. It may be way worse if you don't take care of it now. :crying:
> 
> The problem with rehoming is that they may end up somewhere that the new owners "think" they can deal with it. Then it turns out that they can't, and someone else gets hurt. You will have to carry that on your conscience.
> 
> I wish you the best.


I agree with the rehoming statement. And with a dog unpredictable but amazing otherwise the danger is increased. The new owners if they don't know what they are getting into may think you exaggerated or he isn't actually that bad. So they'll get lax and eventually something will provoke him and it could end in another bite possible more severe. 

Personally I wouldn't rehome this dog, if I wasn't keeping him I'd euthanize. These are not harmless nips they are bites. You have to think of his future liability and unfortunately the amount of aggressive dogs getting rehomed/sent to shelters is increasing and so are issues with those dogs later on. There simply aren't enough people who want to or will handle them.


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## tim_s_adams

This whole story is just heartbreaking for me! The dog gave ample warning! For whatever reason, and this is what is impossible to determine over the freaking internet!, the kid and the dog have an issue. But the dog did GIVE AMPLE WARNING! 

And IMHO, does not deserve to be put down for this incident - the kid in question is 5' 10", 150 #! I've suffered worse bites in training! 

Please at least consider finding a good home for him...with full disclosure of course!


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## Jax08

I"m sorry you are in this situation. That appears to be a full canine bite which to me shows intent. "doesn't like her" is not an accurate description of these events.

If this were my dog, he would get a good day of burgers and play before taking one final drive. You can't rehome a dog that has attacked a member of your family and a young girl to boot. The head drop and stare you describe is, IMO, downright dangerous. If I see that in a dog directed at a cat then I know the dog will kill that cat if given the chance. Until you make your decision, that dog should never have the chance to even lay eyes on your daughter.


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## wolfy dog

tim_s_adams said:


> This whole story is just heartbreaking for me! The dog gave ample warning! For whatever reason, and this is what is impossible to determine over the freaking internet!, the kid and the dog have an issue. But the dog did GIVE AMPLE WARNING!
> 
> And IMHO, does not deserve to be put down for this incident - the kid in question is 5' 10", 150 #! I've suffered worse bites in training!
> 
> Please at least consider finding a good home for him...with full disclosure of course!



Tim, you know that dogs are quite capable killing an adult, right?


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## tim_s_adams

wolfy dog said:


> Tim, you know that dogs are quite capable killing an adult, right?


Yes I do. If that scares you, you probably shouldn't ever have one!

All dogs have teeth and can do serious damage. Cocker spaniels actually have the worst track record for that...


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## tim_s_adams

A little story...

When I was in first or maybe second grade, one of my best friend's dad was a K9 officer, and the dog lived with them. We used to play ball and run around with this dog at his house all the time. He was a great dog!

One day, on my way home from school I was walking by their house and there were 2 kids teasing the dog. I tried to get them to stop, but they kept it up. Anyway, next time I went to see my friend his dog hated me... And for the next year or so that we knew each other that dog would sort of growl under his breath at me whenever I was present...because he linked me to that day! Can't blame the dog (hard to say they just live in the moment and don't generalize though LOL!)! 

Point is, it's impossible to even guess, given what we know, as to "why" this particular dog feels the way he does. But I'd be willing to bet money (given what we know from the description of events) that it isn't haphazard or random...or as in Comets case a medically induced downturn. This dog HAS a reason...that in his mind makes perfect sense! He's not "unpredictably" lashing out! And, as I said, I've had much worse bites from dogs that were absolutely fine afterward. All dogs ha e teeth, and they all can inflict serious wounds on us soft humans at any time! Kids, yeah, I draw a hard line there too...but 5' 10" kids are adults...so to me at least it's not the same, and not so cut and dried....as the saying goes...


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## Kazel

tim_s_adams said:


> A little story...
> 
> When I was in first or maybe second grade, one of my best friend's dad was a K9 officer, and the dog lived with them. We used to play ball and run around with this dog at his house all the time. He was a great dog!
> 
> One day, on my way home from school I was walking by their house and there were 2 kids teasing the dog. I tried to get them to stop, but they kept it up. Anyway, next time I went to see my friend his dog hated me... And for the next year or so that we knew each other that dog would sort of growl under his breath at me whenever I was present...because he linked me to that day! Can't blame the dog (hard to say they just live in the moment and don't generalize though LOL!)!
> 
> Point is, it's impossible to even guess, given what we know, as to "why" this particular dog feels the way he does. But I'd be willing to bet money (given what we know from the description of events) that it isn't haphazard or random...or as in Comets case a medically induced downturn. This dog HAS a reason...that in his mind makes perfect sense! He's not "unpredictably" lashing out! And, as I said, I've had much worse bites from dogs that were absolutely fine afterward. All dogs ha e teeth, and they all can inflict serious wounds on us soft humans at any time! Kids, yeah, I draw a hard line there too...but 5' 10" kids are adults...so to me at least it's not the same, and not so cut and dried....as the saying goes...


That dog was warning you. This dog as said is sometimes fine and sometimes not. That's where the 'unpredictable' side comes out. Yes all dogs have teeth and all dogs can bite. But most do not chose to attack family members they are also willing to cuddle with. I was bit once by a dog that required stitches. One off event in the dogs life. But she never showed these repeated attempts to attack me or anybody else. She was also getting old. And she bit once and stopped but did not keep trying to attack as this dog apparently does. 

The fact is dogs have teeth but there are variances on how willing they are to use them on people and that can make them dangerous. I just read an article where a lady was attacked by two dogs and forced into premature labor. The dogs were known to be vicious and weren't properly contained, the dogs were killed to get off of her otherwise it could've been worse. Dogs willing to attack people in novice hands can be dangerous regardless of if they have a reason behind the aggression or not. (The breed was caucasian ovcharka for those curious.) 

In some cases it can be handled but far too many aggressive dogs just get shuffled off to another novice owner. Or thrown into a rescue/shelter with no background and so issues aren't always caught before it's carried on into another household. On the pet rehoming groups I'm in I've been seeing a lot of dogs being rehomed with aggression issues (GSDs included) and a lot of them don't find homes. I've seen a few dogs that look identical so are likely the same dog end up in the shelters shortly after the post goes up and gets no hits because amazingly enough most pet home people prefer to not have to handle aggressive animals and there is a surplus of pet dogs right now so it's easy enough to take a pass on the aggressive ones. 

I'm not saying euthanize any dog that bites somebody. But don't brush it off as all dogs have teeth so they can bite.


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## CometDog

tim_s_adams said:


> This whole story is just heartbreaking for me! The dog gave ample warning! For whatever reason, and this is what is impossible to determine over the freaking internet!, the kid and the dog have an issue. But the dog did GIVE AMPLE WARNING!
> 
> And IMHO, does not deserve to be put down for this incident - the kid in question is 5' 10", 150 #! I've suffered worse bites in training!
> 
> Please at least consider finding a good home for him...with full disclosure of course!


How do you know over the internet this dog gave ample warning? APPROPRIATE ample warning is a dog growling at a toddler prodding it over and over until it finally gives a low level warning bite without breaking skin. Glaring at, then eventually puncturing a family member is an inappropriate chain of warning. It is a warning the dog lacks good judgement, clearheadedness, and bite inhibition. This is is powder keg situation for this family, especially considering they often have smaller children often visiting. Also, you mentioned in another post that my dog had medical reasons- we don't know that. I said I spent thousands, didn't say they came to a conclusion. He was a rescue and it could have just been a genetic predisposition to developing "rage syndrome". The only conclusion that was arrived at was that a dog that will, for no obvious reason, bite a household family member, is unsound, and unsafe to rehome. 



Jax08 said:


> I"m sorry you are in this situation. That appears to be a full canine bite which to me shows intent. "doesn't like her" is not an accurate description of these events.
> 
> If this were my dog, he would get a good day of burgers and play before taking one final drive. You can't rehome a dog that has attacked a member of your family and a young girl to boot. The head drop and stare you describe is, IMO, downright dangerous. If I see that in a dog directed at a cat then I know the dog will kill that cat if given the chance. Until you make your decision, that dog should never have the chance to even lay eyes on your daughter.


That low head and glare, after my dog bit my son and I booted him, he turned to me and he looked like that. I knew it when I saw it. Very, very not good. It was that look that made me know this was not fixable. I only consulted with veterinarians and established K9 handlers, briefly, after that. Then he got his nice day at my dad's friends house with a Big Mac. Sad, but responsible.

Who knows if this dog is same thing? OP- have a trainer that deals with protection breeds asses the situation, do a full medical exam including testing for tick borne diseases..even if just to put your mind at ease that you did all you could do. Then follow their recommendation explicitly. Until then you have to contain your dog 100%. No access to your daughter or anyone outside of the family. 

If it was me, and IF these incidents were exactly as you describe, I would give him a nice day and then release him from his demons.


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## GSDchoice

Re rehoming -
I don't know if I could in good conscience pass the dog on to another home. I would always be wondering how he was doing - i.e., what if he becomes possessive over his new owner like he was possessive with you? What if the new owner has a young female guest over who in some way (hair? smell? voice?) triggers a memory in your dog? What if the owner's friend who doesn't know dogs, picks up his toy?

Because his triggers were mysterious and unpredictable, it becomes hard to set up a 'safe' environment. For example, if his problem was that he always bit the mailman - well, make sure he's inside the house behind a closed door when mailman usually comes. Or if his trigger is food resource guarding - well, put his bowl in the crate and lock the door when he's eating. BUT since his trigger is ??? then what kind of home do you search for that doesn't have ??? and where they can carefully control ???. It is so vague, that I wouldn't know what to look for.

( And here is a last weird thought: When my daughter was a young teen, we had a lot of conflict. We got angry at each other frequently. Could your daughter have sometimes yelled at you or fought with you, and the dog read that as a sign that the daughter was threatening you? That is, you might be searching for signs of dog/daughter tension but perhaps it was actually mom/daughter tension that was setting him off. If he felt he was "guarding" you then he needs to be relieved of that duty ASAP...)


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## Sabis mom

GSDchoice said:


> Re rehoming -
> I don't know if I could in good conscience pass the dog on to another home. I would always be wondering how he was doing - i.e., what if he becomes possessive over his new owner like he was possessive with you? What if the new owner has a young female guest over who in some way (hair? smell? voice?) triggers a memory in your dog? What if the owner's friend who doesn't know dogs, picks up his toy?
> 
> Because his triggers were mysterious and unpredictable, it becomes hard to set up a 'safe' environment. For example, if his problem was that he always bit the mailman - well, make sure he's inside the house behind a closed door when mailman usually comes. Or if his trigger is food resource guarding - well, put his bowl in the crate and lock the door when he's eating. BUT since his trigger is ??? then what kind of home do you search for that doesn't have ??? and where they can carefully control ???. It is so vague, that I wouldn't know what to look for.
> 
> ( And here is a last weird thought: When my daughter was a young teen, we had a lot of conflict. We got angry at each other frequently. Could your daughter have sometimes yelled at you or fought with you, and the dog read that as a sign that the daughter was threatening you? That is, you might be searching for signs of dog/daughter tension but perhaps it was actually mom/daughter tension that was setting him off. If he felt he was "guarding" you then he needs to be relieved of that duty ASAP...)


My issue with rehoming dogs like this is that they often get stuck in a never ending cycle of home to home to shelter to shelter. The instability makes behavior worse and the dogs often land in horrid places. As @Jax08 said, burgers and a car ride.


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## atomic

Too many good dogs out there needing homes to put up with a man biter. Subtle warnings or not, no dog should be biting anyone especially a family member who isn’t actively torturing or beating the **** out of it. I’m sorry you are going through this and hopefully your daughter doesn’t hold resentful feelings towards dogs as a result.


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## tim_s_adams

CometDog said:


> How do you know over the internet this dog gave ample warning? APPROPRIATE ample warning is a dog growling at a toddler prodding it over and over until it finally gives a low level warning bite without breaking skin...
> 
> Also, you mentioned in another post that my dog had medical reasons- we don't know that. I said I spent thousands, didn't say they came to a conclusion. He was a rescue and it could have just been a genetic predisposition to developing "rage syndrome". The only conclusion that was arrived at was that a dog that will, for no obvious reason, bite a household family member, is unsound, and unsafe to rehome.
> 
> 
> 
> *That low head and glare, after my dog bit my son and I booted him, he turned to me and he looked like that. I knew it when I saw it. Very, very not good.* It was that look that made me know this was not fixable. I only consulted with veterinarians and established K9 handlers, briefly, after that. Then he got his nice day at my dad's friends house with a Big Mac. Sad, but responsible.
> 
> Who knows if this dog is same thing? OP- have a trainer that deals with protection breeds asses the situation, do a full medical exam including testing for tick borne diseases..even if just to put your mind at ease that you did all you could do. Then follow their recommendation explicitly. Until then you have to contain your dog 100%. No access to your daughter or anyone outside of the family.
> 
> If it was me, and IF these incidents were exactly as you describe, I would give him a nice day and then release him from his demons.


I admit that a short online description of events can be misconstrued. And it could be that I'm reading this wrong. But here's how I see it:

A) 10 days after bringing home an unknown adult male GSD, the daughter tries to take his new toy - the dog warned her away strongly with a bark and lunge, no bite.

This is a dog's STRONGEST warning! Press any dog after this and THEY WILL BITE YOU!

B) Rather than heed that warning, the girl tries to immediately pet the dog - still no bite, but a snap, so mom puts the dog away for a few hours. 

Pretty good bite inhibition on the dog's part I'd say! (And I want to be clear, I'm not blaming the OP or the girl! But the dog had only been with them 10 days, so not yet settled really. And without biting the dog clearly indicated a strongly felt personal boundary, which unfortunately was not understood as such...).

I've seen my own dog do this with other dogs, this exact same progression. A bark and lunge to communicate "don't come any closer"! Dogs understand this signal REAL well. On 2 occasions when the dog in question did not heed her warning and came closer, she bit them without hesitation! Granted this was between 2 dogs, but the progression, the communication, is exactly the same.

C) This dog lived with the OP and her family, without biting anyone, for over a year! And he's good with other people and animals and kids.

D) For several days the dog was growling, lowering its head and glaring at this girl. That's why I bolded that part of your comment above. This IS SERIOUS, and absolutely very very not good...but still no bite yet, so yes AMPLE WARNING on numerous occassions!

Could this be the onset of something similar to what you went through Comet? I suppose it's possible. But I don't think so and here's why: I saw pictures of your dog toward the end, his whole appearance had changed, head held differently, eyes sort of droopy and distant (for want of a better descriptive word)... Your dog also was not targeting a single individual, but had become unpredictably aggressive with multiple people on several occassions. 

We've had this conversation many times on this forum. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs PTS every year through no fault of their own! Clearly we cannot save them all...

And to be clear, if this were my dog and he had bitten a toddler like shown in the picture, he would not have survived long enough for the Mom and daughter to have returned from the emergency room! But that isn't the case. What I see here is an unfortunate chain of events and missed ques leading up to a bite, rather than an unstable dog. Hopefully people reading this thread can learn from this tragedy and prevent having a similar one themselves... Unfortunately, in the end, euthanasia might be the only option...but it's a sad one to me.


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## Gregc

When I was a teen, we had a Dobie that got like that with me. It was a rehomed Dobie that my Dad brought home from work one day. All was cool for a while and I considered that dog my BF. One day she got really nasty with me, when the two of us were alone, over seemingly nothing. It ended in a stalemate with me holding a long wooden dowel I was able to grab and the dog snarling and crushing the other end of said wooden pole. When my Dad got home I relayed to him the story. That dog was gone, for good, shortly after. I felt horrible, but it was the right thing to do. ****, that encounter scared the **** out of me~ It did not frighten me off dogs though. Thank God.... well, I'll probably never get another Dobie.


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## Thecowboysgirl

tim_s_adams said:


> This whole story is just heartbreaking for me! The dog gave ample warning! For whatever reason, and this is what is impossible to determine over the freaking internet!, the kid and the dog have an issue. But the dog did GIVE AMPLE WARNING!
> 
> And IMHO, does not deserve to be put down for this incident - the kid in question is 5' 10", 150 #! I've suffered worse bites in training!
> 
> Please at least consider finding a good home for him...with full disclosure of course!


I could not disagree more with this statement. 

These days, I totally agree with some cheeseburgers and then the needle. No unsuspecting person deserves to have this happen to them, and it is somewhat preventable by not re-homing dogs like this. Some of them just aren't right.

How are you going to keep a dog in society and make sure it never does this again? You just can't.

Full disclosure doesn't mean crap to me. Like I said not that long ago, the average pet home can't implement management sufficient to prevent counter surfing, let alone dealing with a truly aggressive dog.

Because the dog gave warning means what?? The kid should have immediately run to her room to avoid getting bit and then everything would be okay? The parents should have been able to intervene? I could not disagree more.


----------



## Thecowboysgirl

Also: a friend of mine is in a remarkably similar situation with a puppy mill bred dog that resource guards and has bitten her adult kids.

Somehow through some high school students known by the neighbors or some thing...they came up with a plan to re-home the dog. Now these people definitely know the dog bites because he bit one of them. The owner HAS told them the full story. And one of the parents is a teacher and said, he will do so well here, he can come to class with me, my students will love him.

Dog resource guards people and has a half dozen bites to his name but he is going to go to class and hang out with the students. What could go wrong???


----------



## Sabis mom

tim_s_adams said:


> I admit that a short online description of events can be misconstrued. And it could be that I'm reading this wrong. But here's how I see it:
> 
> A) 10 days after bringing home an unknown adult male GSD, the daughter tries to take his new toy - the dog warned her away strongly with a bark and lunge, no bite.
> 
> This is a dog's STRONGEST warning! Press any dog after this and THEY WILL BITE YOU!
> 
> B) Rather than heed that warning, the girl tries to immediately pet the dog - still no bite, but a snap, so mom puts the dog away for a few hours.
> 
> Pretty good bite inhibition on the dog's part I'd say! (And I want to be clear, I'm not blaming the OP or the girl! But the dog had only been with them 10 days, so not yet settled really. And without biting the dog clearly indicated a strongly felt personal boundary, which unfortunately was not understood as such...).
> 
> I've seen my own dog do this with other dogs, this exact same progression. A bark and lunge to communicate "don't come any closer"! Dogs understand this signal REAL well. On 2 occasions when the dog in question did not heed her warning and came closer, she bit them without hesitation! Granted this was between 2 dogs, but the progression, the communication, is exactly the same.
> 
> C) This dog lived with the OP and her family, without biting anyone, for over a year! And he's good with other people and animals and kids.
> 
> D) For several days the dog was growling, lowering its head and glaring at this girl. That's why I bolded that part of your comment above. This IS SERIOUS, and absolutely very very not good...but still no bite yet, so yes AMPLE WARNING on numerous occassions!
> 
> Could this be the onset of something similar to what you went through Comet? I suppose it's possible. But I don't think so and here's why: I saw pictures of your dog toward the end, his whole appearance had changed, head held differently, eyes sort of droopy and distant (for want of a better descriptive word)... Your dog also was not targeting a single individual, but had become unpredictably aggressive with multiple people on several occassions.
> 
> We've had this conversation many times on this forum. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs PTS every year through no fault of their own! Clearly we cannot save them all...
> 
> And to be clear, if this were my dog and he had bitten a toddler like shown in the picture, he would not have survived long enough for the Mom and daughter to have returned from the emergency room! But that isn't the case. What I see here is an unfortunate chain of events and missed ques leading up to a bite, rather than an unstable dog. Hopefully people reading this thread can learn from this tragedy and prevent having a similar one themselves... Unfortunately, in the end, euthanasia might be the only option...but it's a sad one to me.


Tim I agree with some of what you say, but regardless of size a child is a child. Dogs in my care have one and only one option. Leave the area. The photo is not a nip or a scratch. That's a bite. The dog intended harm. It's always sad when a young, healthy dog dies, and it's always a human at fault somewhere. Breeder, owner, shelter, etc. Somewhere along the way we failed this dog, and the countless others like him. I am NOT blaming the OP, not at all. Dogs are first and foremost companions, if they cannot be that then I'm sorry but it's over.

I kept Bud for 13 years, managed and controlled. I made it work. That is not an option for everyone, nor should it be. In hindsight perhaps he should have been put down, but in my hands it worked. I sacrificed and made changes to my whole lifestyle. No vacations, few guests, massive supervision and 24/7 vigilance. It meant no matter how sick, how tired, how busy the responsibility fell to me. Always. No option for weak fencing, unsupervised play, busted latches or sticky doors. No friends or family letting themselves in, no guests overnight, no slipping ever.
As much as I loved him and as much as I miss him, never again! 

And as serious as Bud was even he understood that children were OFF LIMITS! The few times he was near them he would simply avoid any and all contact. I may have been bitten, but a child reaching for him or his toys would make him run. He disliked my step daughter and would kennel himself to avoid her. She was 22 when he passed, 9 when I brought him home. She could feed him and let him in and out of his run, even play fetch on occasion,but he initiated no contact.


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## Stevenzachsmom

OP, my heart hurts for your family and your dog. I agree with humane euthanasia. I know you love your dog. Your daughter is about 14 now? While she is not a toddler, she is still your child and your dog is capable of serious injury. Your daughter does not deserve that. The risk that he may hurt another person, or younger child is pretty high. You, nor we, know why the dog is the way he is. All you know is that he WILL bite. No one wants to see a person harmed, maimed, or God forbid, killed by a dog. You would never forgive yourself. You hear those kind of horror stories in the news and wonder how it could have happened.

I have a hound mix with resource guarding issues. He has bitten family members. My kids are adults. He always gives warnings. He has bite inhibition. While he may cause a bruise or scratch, there isn't bleeding or punctures. We know his thresholds. As long as those thresholds are respected, there is no issue. He also only weighs 30 pounds. His behavior is predictable. 

This is different than the issues you are dealing with. You have a large dog who reacts to your daughter for reasons unknown. He can and has given a nasty bite. As of now, you must isolate him. That is no kind of life for him. Passing on your problem dog is always a liability and also not fair to the dog. If he were to bite the new owners' family member, the owner might shoot him or beat him with a baseball bat. Let your dog go peacefully, knowing that he didn't suffer in the end. 

None of this is your fault. It is a very sad, unfortunate thing. I am so sorry.


----------



## Thecowboysgirl

tim_s_adams said:


> A little story...
> 
> When I was in first or maybe second grade, one of my best friend's dad was a K9 officer, and the dog lived with them. We used to play ball and run around with this dog at his house all the time. He was a great dog!
> 
> One day, on my way home from school I was walking by their house and there were 2 kids teasing the dog. I tried to get them to stop, but they kept it up. Anyway, next time I went to see my friend his dog hated me... And for the next year or so that we knew each other that dog would sort of growl under his breath at me whenever I was present...because he linked me to that day! Can't blame the dog (hard to say they just live in the moment and don't generalize though LOL!)!
> 
> Point is, it's impossible to even guess, given what we know, as to "why" this particular dog feels the way he does. But I'd be willing to bet money (given what we know from the description of events) that it isn't haphazard or random...or as in Comets case a medically induced downturn. This dog HAS a reason...that in his mind makes perfect sense! He's not "unpredictably" lashing out! And, as I said, I've had much worse bites from dogs that were absolutely fine afterward. All dogs ha e teeth, and they all can inflict serious wounds on us soft humans at any time! Kids, yeah, I draw a hard line there too...but 5' 10" kids are adults...so to me at least it's not the same, and not so cut and dried....as the saying goes...


My response to this is basically, so what? It doesn't change a thing. The dog is willing to bite a neutral family member. It doesn't really matter why, at the end of the day. We can't send the dog to a therapist. 

Plenty of dogs would go through the same events and still never bite a child/member of their family. 

I hate that the dog is in this predicament too. But it still doesn't change anything.

My friend's dog that I mentioned who bites people-- was absolutely never teased or treated meanly by children or anyone else for that matter. I think the bigger problem for him is that he always lacked strong leadership and boundaries and in some ways he is a total nervebag so he is a nervebag with no leader. Who goes on to bite people. People are awfully quick to assume the dog was mistreated or abused and then try to make it right. PLENTY of time they are not mistreated or abused. More likely, they are simply a combination of bad genes, bad nerves, lack of leadership and structure and training, lack of exercise and voila you get a dog biting people. And someone taking it on from the mentality of someone abused this dog and if I just love it and treat it fairly, it will all be rainbows and butterflies-- NOPE!

Someone brought a dog like that in here for me to board it and with zero provocation it chewed the crap out of me necessitating stitches and weeks of recovery. It could have been so much worse than it was, too. So coming from someone who was blindsided by an unpredictable dog that should not have been in the pet population---the next unsuspecting person just doesn't deserve that. That dog was euthanized and it was absolutely the right thing to do.


----------



## Thecowboysgirl

tim_s_adams said:


> I admit that a short online description of events can be misconstrued. And it could be that I'm reading this wrong. But here's how I see it:
> 
> A) 10 days after bringing home an unknown adult male GSD, the daughter tries to take his new toy - the dog warned her away strongly with a bark and lunge, no bite.
> 
> This is a dog's STRONGEST warning! Press any dog after this and THEY WILL BITE YOU!
> 
> B) Rather than heed that warning, the girl tries to immediately pet the dog - still no bite, but a snap, so mom puts the dog away for a few hours.
> 
> Pretty good bite inhibition on the dog's part I'd say! (And I want to be clear, I'm not blaming the OP or the girl! But the dog had only been with them 10 days, so not yet settled really. And without biting the dog clearly indicated a strongly felt personal boundary, which unfortunately was not understood as such...).
> 
> I've seen my own dog do this with other dogs, this exact same progression. A bark and lunge to communicate "don't come any closer"! Dogs understand this signal REAL well. On 2 occasions when the dog in question did not heed her warning and came closer, she bit them without hesitation! Granted this was between 2 dogs, but the progression, the communication, is exactly the same.
> 
> C) This dog lived with the OP and her family, without biting anyone, for over a year! And he's good with other people and animals and kids.
> 
> D) For several days the dog was growling, lowering its head and glaring at this girl. That's why I bolded that part of your comment above. This IS SERIOUS, and absolutely very very not good...but still no bite yet, so yes AMPLE WARNING on numerous occassions!
> 
> Could this be the onset of something similar to what you went through Comet? I suppose it's possible. But I don't think so and here's why: I saw pictures of your dog toward the end, his whole appearance had changed, head held differently, eyes sort of droopy and distant (for want of a better descriptive word)... Your dog also was not targeting a single individual, but had become unpredictably aggressive with multiple people on several occassions.
> 
> We've had this conversation many times on this forum. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs PTS every year through no fault of their own! Clearly we cannot save them all...
> 
> And to be clear, if this were my dog and he had bitten a toddler like shown in the picture, he would not have survived long enough for the Mom and daughter to have returned from the emergency room! But that isn't the case. What I see here is an unfortunate chain of events and missed ques leading up to a bite, rather than an unstable dog. Hopefully people reading this thread can learn from this tragedy and prevent having a similar one themselves... Unfortunately, in the end, euthanasia might be the only option...but it's a sad one to me.


Ethically, what's the difference between a toddler and a 13 year old? To me, really...nothing. It's still a child who needs to be protected by the parent. I don't understand your outrage about a smaller child being bitten like this but no problem for a tween.

Euthanasia is sad to anyone who loves dogs. I don't think for a minute that anyone on this forum who suggested it took it lightly.

I cried over the dog that was put to sleep for biting me. I never met that dog before that day and saw it for less than 3 minutes total culminating in the bite and I still was sad enough to shed some tears that the dog lost its life and also sympathy for the owners who loved their dog.

You describe your dog resource guarding and biting without hesitation. That's not okay with me either. I have a dog who will do that and it sucks. I absolutely don't consider it acceptable behavior, and I manage her to prevent it.

My other dog will sometimes growl and kind of take off with his toy. That's totally acceptable to me although I do keep a close eye on it for progressing into anything else. And, I don't allow any dog of my own or in my care to needle a dog with a resource until it gets mad enough to lash out.

I do not agree that just because there were events leading up to this with escalation culminating in this bite, that this dog has good bite inhibition.


----------



## LuvShepherds

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Also: a friend of mine is in a remarkably similar situation with a puppy mill bred dog that resource guards and has bitten her adult kids.
> 
> Somehow through some high school students known by the neighbors or some thing...they came up with a plan to re-home the dog. Now these people definitely know the dog bites because he bit one of them. The owner HAS told them the full story. And one of the parents is a teacher and said, he will do so well here, he can come to class with me, my students will love him.
> 
> Dog resource guards people and has a half dozen bites to his name but he is going to go to class and hang out with the students. What could go wrong???


That teacher is so wrong. When the dog bites someone and they find out he knew it could happen, he could lose his job and be sued. He might even have committed a crime.


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## Thecowboysgirl

LuvShepherds said:


> That teacher is so wrong. When the dog bites someone and they find out he knew it could happen, he could lose his job and be sued. He might even have committed a crime.


Yep. What can you do. She asked me what I thought about it and i said the mere fact that these people know the dog's history and want to take it a classroom means hard NO, they are not a suitable family for this dog. That was a few weeks ago and I have not heard what happened. I'm honestly not going to be shocked if they decided to do it anyway.


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## LuvShepherds

Because they want the dog out of their house and don’t care what happens once it’s gone.


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## MineAreWorkingline

The dog is aggressive with a child because it is resource guarding mom? Somebody tell me again why that was allowed to go on this long? Was a different outcome expected?

I am so tired of hearing not being wired right. Yea, it happens.... rarely. Has this dog had a complete physical? Could there be a medical condition? Could the dog be in pain? Dogs can be quite stoic.

Is it possible that after tolerating stressful but innocent behaviors from a child for over a year that the dog finally said "not this time"? Things like hugging and cuddling? I see it here on here all the time where people are complaining that their GSD does not want to cuddle, it is a common trait in this breed. Hugging is not a behavior dogs encounter in nature and not all dogs like it. Nor do many dogs like close face contract, kissing or eye contact. Could these or similar behaviors have led up to these aggressive acts? Has this child and dog been taught appropriate child/dog interactions? 

Nobody seems to be asking any appropriate questions. Yes, a family child is involved and this needs to end now. BUT if there were mitigating events leading up to the act, then the dog is not necessarily a lost cause and should not pay with its life for reacting to a stressful or permissive environment.


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## Thecowboysgirl

MineAreWorkingline said:


> The dog is aggressive with a child because it is resource guarding mom? Somebody tell me again why that was allowed to go on this long? Was a different outcome expected?
> 
> I am so tired of hearing not being wired right. Yea, it happens.... rarely. Has this dog had a complete physical? Could there be a medical condition? Could the dog be in pain? Dogs can be quite stoic.
> 
> Is it possible that after tolerating stressful but innocent behaviors from a child for over a year that the dog finally said "not this time"? Things like hugging and cuddling? I see it here on here all the time where people are complaining that their GSD does not want to cuddle, it is a common trait in this breed. Hugging is not a behavior dogs encounter in nature and not all dogs like it. Nor do many dogs like close face contract, kissing or eye contact. Could these or similar behaviors have led up to these aggressive acts? Has this child and dog been taught appropriate child/dog interactions?
> 
> Nobody seems to be asking any appropriate questions. Yes, a family child is involved and this needs to end now. BUT if there were mitigating events leading up to the act, then the dog is not necessarily a lost cause and should not pay with its life for reacting to a stressful or permissive environment.


The first incident was right after they brought the dog into the home, so I doubt there was a long time of child making dog uncomfortable leading to this.


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## Muskeg

I agree- it really doesn't sound like the dog has demons or is wired wrong. To me it sounds like there have been issues and tension with this child and the dog for a year, and the dog finally had enough. 

I'm curious what their interactions looks like, if you had a video. I think the body language between the two would be telling. The bite is deep, but it is one bite, not a repeated attack. Plenty of reactive dogs look like they'll tear you up on leash, but don't if they actually are loose- so the behavior when held back doesn't tell me much.

Because the OP has said the dog is good with everyone else and every other dog in his life, I do wonder what has made the particular kid the target. 

I'm not arguing the dog should stay in this home, clearly he shouldn't but I think he could be responsibly rehomed.


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## MineAreWorkingline

Thecowboysgirl said:


> The first incident was right after they brought the dog into the home, so I doubt there was a long time of child making dog uncomfortable leading to this.


I would consider that normal behavior for a breed that is very devoted and loyal to its family like a GSD. Ten days is nothing. The bonding process hadn't even begun. The dog was still waiting for its owner to come find him and take him home. I would not expect stellar behavior under such stressful conditions.


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## Sabis mom

I feel for the OP, I really do. This is a horrible position to be in for the parents and especially the child. And I am sincerely happy that the damage was not worse. 
For me, the why's and wherefores are a moot point. For me the bottom line is the dog crossed a line. It bit a family member, someone it knew and was living with and a child at that. 
To me it's sort of like arguing that Johnny only became a criminal because... At the end of the day the result is the same. A pet dog willing to put teeth on family is not a pet anymore. As a group we need to understand that we are not representative, for the most part, of the average pet home who has not the skill, experience or means to deal with this dog. Once again the people who could and should have this dog probably don't want him.
I hope the OP comes back, and I hope she understands that whatever decision they make I wish them peace.


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## Stevenzachsmom

I think some of you need to go back and read the first post. The dog has been in the home for a little over a year. They got him in November of 2017. The 'child' was 13 at the time. That would make her 14 as of November 2018. The behavior toward the daughter started 10 days after the adoption. 

Here is my take. As a Mom, sorry - not taking a chance with my kids no matter how old they are. I don't find that behavior normal or acceptable no matter the circumstances. When I adopted my first GSD, she was a 2 year old shelter dog. It was 2001. Back then, the dog did not meet the whole family. She was spayed just before leaving the shelter. She met my kids, when she walked in the front door. My kids were 10, 6, and 2. And that dog was perfect from day one. Never an iota of aggression toward my kids. Yeah, I know I was lucky. But if there had been any tiny indication that she would harm my kids, that dog would have been PTS.

All we can say, on the internet - maybe this happened, maybe that was the cause, maybe, maybe, maybe. What we know is that this young girl sustained a nasty bite from the family dog. I am old school. My original training methods are/were old school. The one rule I remember most, "Teeth NEVER touch human skin." Accidents happen, but this wasn't one.

I mentioned my hound, in a previous post. He is a neurotic ______ (pick a disgusting body part). We all love him, in spite of himself. If anything were to happen to me, my 25 year old would take him in a heartbeat. But - I would never rehome him and never put him in a home with small children. No one else would put up with him. No one else should. 

Dogs should enhance our lives. They should be good companions who are enjoyable and reduce our blood pressure. A dog who bites our kids is not that dog.


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## LuvShepherds

I tried to suggest by hinting that the child may have done something but that isn’t an acceptable answer. But the family needs to know that if they ever get another dog after this one. I had company over the holidays. Lots of people in and out. My older dog is small and cute and got far too much attention. One family member would not leave her alone. I could tell she was starting to get stressed out by too much attention, so we all had a chat and it stopped. This is a rescue and you don’t know what his triggers or stressors are. Most of us can see when our dogs are stressed, but not everyone does. It’s very possible the teenage girl was behaving in a way they seems alright on the surface but is very upsetting to the dog. The dog gave advanced warnings that were ignored. It didn’t just happen out of the blue. I’m sorry to the OP if I seem critical but you need to know why it happened so it doesn’t happen again with the next dog.

It’s possible this dog could be alright in a different home but I would not chance ever having him around non adults or many strangers. I haven’t said to euthanize because I’m still not convinced it’s his fault.


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## Jax08

to me, this is not about the age of the person that was bitten. It was that the dog bit with intent to harm, and for no apparent reason, a member of a household that he has lived in for an extensive amount of time.

If my dogs bite someone outside the household, I can secure them and isolate them so they can live a full, if not limited life. Biting a member of a household with a full canine bite with intent to harm that member is not acceptable nor will I try to fix it.


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## Nigel

Unfortunately unless a cause or "trigger" can be identified and mitigated with 100% certainty, then there really is only one option imop. A single bite is bad enough, but the potential is there for far greater damage and it can happen quickly. The treating medical facility will most likely have to report the incident and this can lead to problems with your home owners insurance so keep this in mind as well. Depending on your location there may be other requirements such as a quarantine window that has to be adhered to. Sorry you are going through this and hope that your daughter mends quickly.


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## Jax08

OP - please watch that wound carefully. I ended up at a wound specialist over a bite just like that. I had to pack it daily with gauze soaked in Dakin's solution so it would heal from the bottom up. If you only went to the ER, I would suggest finding a wound specialist. There are a ton of germs in dog bites.


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## LuvShepherds

The reason age matters is that teens sometimes do things they think are funny or cute that aren’t and can be less willing to change a behavior if called out on it. Adults can be thoughtless with a dog, but it’s less likely. Maybe I should have used the word “mature” instead of “adult.”


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## Stevenzachsmom

The OP stated that the dog was fine with the daughter, when it was just the two of them. Also, that after the daughter went to training with the dog, the issue had been alleviated, until the last few days. Her Mom was there, when he bit. That doesn't sound, to me, like a teenager who was doing something to the dog. If she was, why wouldn't the dog have bitten her, when she was alone with him?

I agree with Michelle. *"to me, this is not about the age of the person that was bitten. It was that the dog bit with intent to harm, and for no apparent reason, a member of a household that he has lived in for an extensive amount of time."*

Sadly, maturity really doesn't come with age. Some teenagers are more mature than some adults. Regardless, I cannot imagine what the teen would have done to deserve that bite. If her dog needs to be PTS for biting her, I'm sure she will feel terrible. She probably loves him, despite his behavior. I think it is unfair to blame her.


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## DaBai

The girl was lucky that the bite didn't land on the face especially the eyes. Just imagine what would it be like for her if the bite landed on the face. The girl doesn't sound like she was actively abusing the dog (since the dog snuggles up to her at times), and I don't think any other reasons besides medical ones can justify a bite like this to a family member. Before reading this thread, I don't even know there are so many dogs around that are willing to bite a family member, I have always thought that was extremely rare and I have never known one in person despite having known quite a few reactive/aggressive/overall problematic dogs. Once my reactive dog's muzzle broke off and I had to physically restrain her from a fight, she turned growling to bite me but literally stopped midway in spite of her aroused stressed fighting state of mind after realizing it was me, that is what I would expect of a companion dog.


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## Pipper

So sorry for your daughter's experience. Why your dog did that might relate to his backstory because some dogs might be abused or threatened or hurt by someone before being rescued. Although your girl didn't attack him or do somethings posing huge threats to him, probably her behaviors recalled his terrible memory and made him scared to protect himself. We don't know his prior experience so it's hard to find out the exact cause. You could try to ask the worker in the rescue center about his backstory.
What's more, to shorten the gap between them, try to walk your pup with your daughter together but remember to *leash* him before going outside. 
At home, it's advisable to use *positive reinforcement*: teach you dau not to stare, touch, and communicate with the pup, if he is good at performance, throw the *treats* on the floor (don't feed him by palms directly). If he eats them without aggression, walk nearer to the dog slowly and observe his reaction again. However, if he still can't calm down, ignore it and don't give him treats.
Of course, all the training should be under your eyeball, never leave your daughter alone with the dog again. After training, leash him or crate him to prevent similar accidents. 
However, if he is eventually difficult to get on well with your girl, finding a dependable new home could be a great option. 
Good luck!!


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## Stevenzachsmom

Pipper said:


> So sorry for your daughter's experience. Why your dog did that might relate to his backstory because some dogs might be abused or threatened or hurt by someone before being rescued. Although your girl didn't attack him or do somethings posing huge threats to him, probably her behaviors recalled his terrible memory and made him scared to protect himself. We don't know his prior experience so it's hard to find out the exact cause. You could try to ask the worker in the rescue center about his backstory.
> What's more, to shorten the gap between them, try to walk your pup with your daughter together but remember to *leash* him before going outside.
> At home, it's advisable to use *positive reinforcement*: teach you dau not to stare, touch, and communicate with the pup, if he is good at performance, throw the *treats* on the floor (don't feed him by palms directly). If he eats them without aggression, walk nearer to the dog slowly and observe his reaction again. However, if he still can't calm down, ignore it and don't give him treats.
> Of course, all the training should be under your eyeball, never leave your daughter alone with the dog again. After training, leash him or crate him to prevent similar accidents.
> However, if he is eventually difficult to get on well with your girl, finding a dependable new home could be a great option.
> Good luck!!


There is no known backstory. The dog came into rescue as a stray. I think this family is way past the 'positive reinforcement' putting their daughter out there to see what will happen next stage - not after a bite like that. 

I would be at the, "I don't care why you are the way you are stage. You bite my child like that, you are out of here." You speak of preventing an accident. This was not an accident. An accident is when you give a treat, or play tug and the dog catches your finger. This bite was intentional.

We all, I would think, feel guilt when we have to put a pet to sleep. Whether the dog is old and sick, or dangerous, we still feel guilt. We tend to blame ourselves. It is human. You said this,* "Although your girl didn't attack him or do somethings posing huge threats to him, probably her behaviors recalled his terrible memory and made him scared to protect himself."
*
How must this child feel when people say, "I don't know what you did, but you must have done something and now the dog needs to be put to sleep." That is not fair.


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## Jax08

That was all terrible advice. First, genetics have been completely discounted and we fall back on the "oh hes a poor abused rescue" theme. Second, this dog put an unprovoked bite on a member of the household. That kind of behavior gets a Come To Jesus moment...not a cookie! 

My male guards me against every member of the household, sometimes even the cat. He still would not dream of biting one of them, except maybe the cat.

The behavior displayed by this dog in the original post is not normal nor is it going to be fixed with a cookie. And it certainly can NOT be rehomed.


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## Katsugsd

I read most of this yesterday, and can't remember if the dog was ever put on medication. My mind jumps to either mental illness or genetics. Regardless, if this happened in my home, I would be taking that car ride with a cheeseburger or two for the dog. 


I've had a puppy puncture my thumb about half an inch deep with a canine because I went to pull him back from a dog that was overly aggressive. THAT is an accident (and also my fault for sticking my dumb hand in there). My shiba has bit my hand when he got into a spat with a friend's dog and I went to grab his collar, he left no marks. A bite like this - that's no accident.


I can't imagine what your daughter must be feeling. I'm so sorry she was harmed but am grateful that it wasn't any worse. If you do choose to get another dog down the line, I hope this dog has not spoiled her affections for a new dog down the line.


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## MineAreWorkingline

A child should feel safe in their own home. This home is not a good fit for this dog anymore.

For those calling to kill this dog for an UNPROVOKED attack, I am not sure where that is coming from. Just because one inexperienced person was not able to identify the warning signs that led up to the tipping point does not mean the signs weren't there. I am not accusing the child of deliberately agitating the dog in any manner, but once again, the agitation could have been something as simple as repeated hugs or some innocent type of restraint to name just a couple. 

The FACT that this dog is fine with all other people and animals and only has issues with one person is clear evidence only that there is a problem between this dog and child and not an overall problem with the dog.

From the limited information given, there is no reason that this dog can't be placed into another home, one without children.


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## wolfy dog

To the OP: I don't know what you have decided but please do not involve your daughter in this decision. Teens cannot oversee this yet and it will add to the guild. Regardless of what triggered the bite, no dog should respond to this like that. In the past we lived next to a family with chained Pitbulls. Their kids abused these dogs like I couldn't even watch it. They never, ever bit and it wouldn't have surprised me if they had. Instead they always wagged their tails when they saw them.
OP, can you give us an update?


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## Stevenzachsmom

MineAreWorkingline said:


> A child should feel safe in their own home. This home is not a good fit for this dog anymore.
> 
> For those calling to kill this dog for an UNPROVOKED attack, I am not sure where that is coming from. Just because one inexperienced person was not able to identify the warning signs that led up to the tipping point does not mean the signs weren't there. I am not accusing the child of deliberately agitating the dog in any manner, but once again, the agitation could have been something as simple as repeated hugs or some innocent type of restraint to name just a couple.
> 
> The FACT that this dog is fine with all other people and animals and only has issues with one person is clear evidence only that there is a problem between this dog and child and not an overall problem with the dog.
> 
> From the limited information given, there is no reason that this dog can't be placed into another home, one without children.


Nowhere, in the limited information given, does it say that the girl gave the dog repeated unwanted hugs. OP said this, *"After her being the one to do everything for him he got to the point he would seek her out in her room to snuggle and things were good until the last few days he would growl and or put his head down and stare when she even opened her bedroom door but tonight he actually bit her breaking skin down to muscle"* The dog went to her for snuggles. Where does it say that these are inexperienced dog owners who can't read the signs? Your conclusion is that, the issue is only between the daughter and the dog and not an overall problem with the dog - so it must be the girls' fault. You say this dog can be placed into another home, one without children. The daughter in the current home is 14 years old, 5'10" and 150 pounds. She is clearly adult size. So, the dog goes into a new home, where it decides to be intolerant of one person and issues a similar or worse bite - I don't see how that is a good idea. It's a liability. I'm sorry for the dog, but IMO, the risk is too high. Seriously, if a dog bit like that due to a hug, that's a huge problem. I'd expect a stable dog to be more tolerant than that.


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## Gregc

I don't think the OP is coming back...


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## MineAreWorkingline

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Nowhere, in the limited information given, does it say that the girl gave the dog repeated unwanted hugs. OP said this, *"After her being the one to do everything for him he got to the point he would seek her out in her room to snuggle and things were good until the last few days he would growl and or put his head down and stare when she even opened her bedroom door but tonight he actually bit her breaking skin down to muscle"* The dog went to her for snuggles. Where does it say that these are inexperienced dog owners who can't read the signs? Your conclusion is that, the issue is only between the daughter and the dog and not an overall problem with the dog - so it must be the girls' fault. You say this dog can be placed into another home, one without children. The daughter in the current home is 14 years old, 5'10" and 150 pounds. She is clearly adult size. So, the dog goes into a new home, where it decides to be intolerant of one person and issues a similar or worse bite - I don't see how that is a good idea. It's a liability. I'm sorry for the dog, but IMO, the risk is too high. Seriously, if a dog bit like that due to a hug, that's a huge problem. I'd expect a stable dog to be more tolerant than that.


No where in my comment did I state that the child DID give the dog unlimited hugs. Not sure where you are getting that from or where you are reading that this attack was unprovoked as told by an experienced eye. I have not seen the information where the OP presents herself as anything more than a concerned mother and dog owner. "The dog went to her for snuggles". Did he? Or did he go to her to lay at her side, GSDs do like to be near their owners. Many don't like to be fawned on, IME I found that to be a breed trait as well. It is a major reason that I own the breed and not Golden Retrievers. The OP clearly states that the dog was giving warning signals the last few days, so she is experienced enough to see some signs. Why did this mother observe warning signals and not intervene? Who does that? What was the purpose of ignoring the signs? A dog giving off warning signals is not the behavior of an unstable dog. 

Once again I am not sure where you are getting your information about my conclusion but I never posted any such thing such as it was the child's fault. Please read MY written word and take it at face value, not what you want to perceive it to be. I clearly stated that from the information given, there simply was not enough information given to be calling out to kill this dog and out of the information that was given, there still was not enough information to suggest this dog may not do well in a child free home. 

You are calling out to kill and not rehome this dog based on an assumption that this dog will become intolerant to another person. Out of the limited information given, there is no reason to believe that this dog will as evidence shows there is an issue between the child and the dog, not an issue with the dog and people in general. 

I am sorry but there is way too much speculation as to the root cause of this dog's behavior. I am not blaming the child and it would not matter whether I did or not. This is not about the child's behavior at this point. This is about whether this dog could safely be rehomed or not and a dog that has issues with one person only demonstrates that there is a problem between that person and the dog, not that the dog is too unstable to place in another home.


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## LuvShepherds

I had a rescue that was a fear biter. Everyone told me to euthanize him. But I was able to take him to day care where they said he was the sweetest and most loveable dog they took in, out of about 80 regulars. I started looking at when and where he tried to bite and realized it was very infrequent. It was only when someone he did not know or trust reached toward him like they were going to take him from me. It only happened with people who were fearful of him. He liked his groomer and he liked a vet tech. He passed the rescue group visit and the meet up when we adopted the female we have now. So, we kept him until he passed at an old age. 

A dog that only bites ONE person obviously has a trigger from that one person. We don’t know what it is, but I would guess the family would if they knew how to evaluate the behavior. I think, because it was a teenager, he should not be around teens. That makes logical sense to me because something triggered him that could have something to do with her behavior or movements or voice, which could be related to her age. I also think euthanizing is a last resort but it seems to be the first for a lot of people. This dog could have a good life in the right home. He is young. He is protective, or seems to be. He has been a decent pet except for this. If this were another breed we would not jump on euth so quickly. He should not be an inexperienced home. But I would guess someone like Steve or MAWL could take this dog and keep him as an acceptable family member. 

This is obviously an emotional subject for all of us. I don’t mean to argue, but I think there are always many sides and solutions to any dog situation.


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## LuvShepherds

Gregc said:


> I don't think the OP is coming back...


It’s ok. The next person to read this with a similar situation might benefit from it.


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## Kazel

LuvShepherds said:


> I had a rescue that was a fear biter. Everyone told me to euthanize him. But I was able to take him to day care where they said he was the sweetest and most loveable dog they took in, out of about 80 regulars. I started looking at when and where he tried to bite and realized it was very infrequent. It was only when someone he did not know or trust reached toward him like they were going to take him from me. It only happened with people who were fearful of him. He liked his groomer and he liked a vet tech. He passed the rescue group visit and the meet up when we adopted the female we have now. So, we kept him until he passed at around 13-14.
> 
> A dog that only bites ONE person obviously has a trigger from that one person. We don’t know what it is, but I would guess the family would if they knew how to evaluate the behavior. I think, because it was a teenager, he should not be around teens. That makes logical sense to me because something triggered him that could have something to do with her behavior or movements or voice, which could be related to her age. I also think euthanizing is a last resort but it seems to be the first for a lot of people. This dog could have a good life in the right home. He is young. He is protective, or seems to be. He has been a decent pet except for this. If this were another breed we would not jump on euth so quickly. He should not be an inexperienced home. But I would guess somelike like Steve or MAWL could take this dog and keep him as an acceptable family member.
> 
> This is obviously an emotional subject for all of us. I don’t mean to argue, but I think there are always many sides and solutions to any dog situation.


If it was a different breed I might be even more worried depending on the breed. For example a mastiff biting a family member shouldn't be something you see. If you are seeing bites like that you should be worried. 

Anymore there are a ridiculous amount of pet dogs being bred that are higher on human aggression or aggression in general than they should be. A lot of that is bad breeding, lack of training, and other such issues. But they are being passed around from house to house and generally leaving a trail of issues. The OP already stated she is not keeping the dog. Chances are it will go to another home unable to handle it than that it will go to a home able to handle any issues.

As another user pointed out the users on this forum are NOT representative of the general public. I only personally know 2 people that I would trust with a dog with this kind history and neither of them would want it. Better yet even if they wanted to take it because of other circumstances neither of them would be able to. The home available versus the dogs in supply are not in a good ratio.


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## MineAreWorkingline

I don't think LuvShepherds was talking about breeds that bite and stop at submission but breeds that bite and ignore submission.


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## LuvShepherds

Yes, MAWL is right. I didn’t want to get off track on other breeds but to point out it seems to be alright to make assumptions about our breed that people do not about others. I was not talking about mastiffs. For example, I fostered a relatively uncommon breed for a while and one of them was a crazy dog that was very aggressive toward younger adult male humans. Because there are so few in foster care, there is no way the rescue would euthanize the dog. As a result, I had to keep the dog until they could find a family to take the dog from me. They did, but I could not wait to get that dog out of my house. At that point, I switched back to German Shepherds, which I understood better. There are other breeds that are known for biting which are too often rehomed after biting, but again that is off topic.


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## Thecowboysgirl

MineAreWorkingline said:


> I don't think LuvShepherds was talking about breeds that bite and stop at submission but breeds that bite and ignore submission.


I don't even think this was a one and done bite. Didn't the mom say the dog was still trying to go after the daughter as she ran to get her dad? And she was holding it back?


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## LuvShepherds

Thecowboysgirl said:


> I don't even think this was a one and done bite. Didn't the mom say the dog was still trying to go after the daughter as she ran to get her dad? And she was holding it back?


 Nuanced, but the post was referring to something else. My post was not referring to German Shepherds as a breed.


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## MineAreWorkingline

Thecowboysgirl said:


> I don't even think this was a one and done bite. Didn't the mom say the dog was still trying to go after the daughter as she ran to get her dad? And she was holding it back?


Actually I was responding to an off topic post, past history.


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## Sabis mom

I do not get this save them all mentality. I really don't. There are thousands and thousands of wonderful dogs that die in shelters around the world and yet people would see dogs with health and behavioral issues take up space and waste resources. I could take a dog like this one on, easily. I DON'T WANT TO! One dog like this that needs evaluation, training and special consideration takes up space and resources that 10 dogs may need.
Why would I foster one dog that may take months to place when in that time I could save mom and a whole litter, repeatedly. 
Seriously makes me crazy! I had room for 6 fosters. SIX! When I am looking at sometimes 10 times that many in a week and making really hard choices. The faster rescues can vet, evaluate and place the more dogs get helped.


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## MineAreWorkingline

The definition of a "wonderful" dog is subjective. That is why we have dog breeds, genetically bred to act and behave in specific ways. Form follows function. 

People on a German Shepherd forum should not be overly concerned with HA as it is part of this breed's standard. Whether that aggression is appropriate or not has not been satisfactorily determined to all. Although we all agree that aggression directed at a family child is not acceptable, that does not mean that there are never extenuating circumstances. Few things are black and white.

My last experience with a rescue was with an HA GSD. The shelter had people lining up at the door to adopt him. A rescue snatched him up. They failed him by placing him in an inappropriate foster home resulting in them killing off this dog that had many hoping to adopt him. In return, the rescue was trying to pawn off "cuddle bug" GSDs, to those who had been interested in the original dog but had no takers. The rescuers lamented about how long these nice "cuddle bugs" had been in rescue and how they could not place them. 

Lesson learned, to each his own.


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## LuvShepherds

No one said save them all. I didn’t. I’m off of rescues at the moment. I might again in the future, but rescuing also gave me a boatload of troubles. But I’m not sure after all was said that THIS dog has earned a death sentence.


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## debhib

We had an aggressive GSD, 6 months old, purchased at 4 months. He acted aggressively towards all of us at one time or another, and was quite aggressive toward other animals. He had not even bitten us, although he did nick a trainer on the chin who was trying to help me establish leadership. She felt he was going for her throat. Our vet actually recommended we put him down. We ended up placing him with the breeder's father who had experience with aggressive dogs and lived alone, no kids, one older GSD. He promised us he wouldn't let the grandkids around him, so we felt this would be an okay setting. He went into it knowing the dog's history of aggression. I would talk to your vet, talk to the rescue where you adopted him. Most rescues will take back a dog if it doesn't work out. They can decide whether to find a more appropriate home or put him down. I would not let your daughter stay alone with him in the meantime. It's simply way too dangerous. He could end up fatally attacking her to be frank. You just never know what might set him off. I know it's hard. We hated giving up on our dog, had never returned an animal before, felt that our commitment was for a lifetime. Sometimes it's just not the right fit. We ended up adopting another GSD who is an absolute delight, and the last I heard, our former dog was doing well with the breeder's father. It all worked out for the best.


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## Jax08

Was this dog adopted thru a rescue? If so, that does change things. You should have a contract that you have to contact them.


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## njohnson5617

So we made a decision to rehome him to a friend with another gsd and gsd experience, he has no kids, and doesnt work so has a ton of time to spend with ruger and he will has a gsd buddy!!! Hes been there since yesterday afternoon and is liking it there til it's time to go to bed and he is missing home so he whines but in time he will be ok. This was a much easier decision then to euthanize him as he really is a good boy except with my daughter. This was a dog I had an extreme bond with so it was a very hard decision that I shouldve made when he first showed aggression with her but she cried to keep him and it's just unfortunate that it took the bite to see he really needed a new home despite our love for him. Thanks to all for your advice ?


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## wolfy dog

Did you tell them that trouble started after the 10 day honeymoon was over? 10 fingers crossed.


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## Jenny720

It must of been a really big decision but one that had to be made with not much choice. I hope your daughter understands this, I imagine she has to be heartbroken. The situation could of been made to be worse. A good lesson though for her to remember -your child above the family dog but hopefully your daughter will never have to encounter something like this again. Also always take the advice of a recommended trainer and not from the Internet but I think you knew what you needed to do and he is very lucky you had found ideal home for him that took him in with his known history and very limited options. German shepherds are incredible family dogs they would do anything for all their people and your experience is not the norm for this breed although, I would be very thoughtful of where I get my gsd from. Again so very sorry you had to go through all this.


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## Gregc

I hope this works out well for everyone involved. I think you did a good thing. Kudos! Now, I hope you can find a nice pooch for you & your daughter.


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## Stevenzachsmom

Wishing you all the best. Hugs to your daughter.


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## Shane'sDad

Good for you.....let me say it again...GOOD FOR YOU !!!!...I'd been following this thread but had resisted posting because I know how they usually end....the OP disappears without leaving a clue as to what happened to the dog....what the final outcome was.........OP you came to this forum-- told your story and started this thread....I don't believe you ever mentioned what you might be going to do with the dog you were simply looking for advice (you knew he had to be gone).....here's what you got----"put the dog down"---"euthanasia"---"euthanize" and that classic "Release the demons" and on the subject of rehoming---OMG you can't do that he might bite again or next time OMG he might kill someone.......soooooo from someone who has had a few dogs with a "bite history" ( I have one now) there are always options but the dog's owner has to care and want to do the legwork to find that solution just like the OP here did....and YES I'm one of those folks who will always try to save them all and to some of the members (you know who you are-'cause I'm standing on your toes as you read this).....so for the majority (Not all thank God) of the members here who responded------woudn't it be a great idea to change the name of this forum from GermanShepherd.com''''to hmmmm... this will have a good "ring" for some of you----German Shepherd Euthanasia Support Group.com---sounds good doesn't it ????


To the OP once again from my heart thank you thank you---THANK YOU for taking the time to find to find another solution besides euthanasia----again THANKS for finding the right solution for your dog !!


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## CometDog

njohnson5617 said:


> So we made a decision to rehome him to a friend with another gsd and gsd experience, he has no kids, and doesnt work so has a ton of time to spend with ruger and he will has a gsd buddy!!! Hes been there since yesterday afternoon and is liking it there til it's time to go to bed and he is missing home so he whines but in time he will be ok. This was a much easier decision then to euthanize him as he really is a good boy except with my daughter. This was a dog I had an extreme bond with so it was a very hard decision that I shouldve made when he first showed aggression with her but she cried to keep him and it's just unfortunate that it took the bite to see he really needed a new home despite our love for him. Thanks to all for your advice ?


Thanks for updating! I just wanted to compliment you on following through and being open to advice and other's experiences. Going to a breed knowledgeable kid free owner who understands Ruger is changeable and has shown unpredictability, complete with an injurious bite, was probably the only possible alternate outcome here. I hope all that is the case with the rehoming. I wish him and Ruger all of the luck and successes.


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## Saco

So happy for this update. I am glad the OP gave him a chance to continue to enjoy life and give joy to his new owner.


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## Jax08

I'm so glad you found a solution that may work for all. It's a terrible spot to be in. Wishing all of you the best.


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## JewelLaverne

I was just wondering— did you have Ruger checked by a vet? He’s probably healthy, but it’s worth checking, just in case he is in some sort of pain or has another medical issue that is affecting his behavior. When I was a kid, our neighbor had a GSD that suddenly became aggressive, and it turned out he had a brain tumor. He suddenly became aggressive towards everyone, though, and had never been like that before, so it was obvious something was wrong with him.

Also, while I realize that whatever triggered him to bite your daughter probably doesn’t matter now, and we’ll likely never know what it was, I was reminded of a mountain lion I used to know when I worked in wildlife rescue. I volunteered at a wildlife hospital with an area where animals who could not be released due to permanent injuries were available for the public to view. Our mountain lion had come from an abusive situation and could not be released to the wild due to having been raised by humans and thus being too comfortable and unafraid of humans, plus not really knowing how to survive in the wild. She had been at the museum for years by the time I knew her, and was very used to seeing all kinds of people watching her in her enclosure without issue, but went crazy when the UPS guy walked by. He wore a hat, had a beard, and wore a uniform. She had shown some mild aggression (like staring) towards men in hats before, so we suspect that her abuser had a beard, wore a hat, and may have worn a uniform. This just made me wonder if your daughter had an outfit or hairstyle that day that reminded your dog of a previous owner that he didn’t like. Probably doesn’t matter now, but something to consider with any future people he may encounter.


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## LuvShepherds

njohnson5617 said:


> So we made a decision to rehome him to a friend with another gsd and gsd experience, he has no kids, and doesnt work so has a ton of time to spend with ruger and he will has a gsd buddy!!! Hes been there since yesterday afternoon and is liking it there til it's time to go to bed and he is missing home so he whines but in time he will be ok. This was a much easier decision then to euthanize him as he really is a good boy except with my daughter. This was a dog I had an extreme bond with so it was a very hard decision that I shouldve made when he first showed aggression with her but she cried to keep him and it's just unfortunate that it took the bite to see he really needed a new home despite our love for him. Thanks to all for your advice ?


Thank you for letting us know. We know it was a very difficult decision and you did what was best for the dog. In doing that, you also protected your daughter. Ruger will love having another dog to play with, too. 

If you decide to replace him with another dog, please get one with a known history. Strays are difficult because you can’t know their histories. Work with a trainer in your home until the dog is adjusted, or consider getting a puppy from a good breeder who breeds for sound temperament and train the dog to fit your family. If you get a rescue, go with a group that understands the breed and your situation. Not all rescue groups are good ones. If you need help finding a dog, ask. We can walk you through the process.


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## mkculs

After such a difficult experience, you deserve the good luck of knowing someone both in a position to take on this dog, and equipped to do so. Best of luck to all involved, and may you and your family find new love to fill the hole in your hearts, when the time comes.


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## Whfoster

njohnson5617 said:


> In November of 2017 we adopted a rescue that had been a stray. We brought him home he was very loving until the 10th day, my daughter who was 13 at the time came out of the bathroom to the livingroom where the dog was sitting with me, we had just brought him home a new toy when she came out she said you got a new toy and reached for it which had not been a big deal before but this time he lunged and barked, I thought it was weird but questioned if he was trying to play but when she reached to pet him he snapped at her so I grab his collar pulling him down the hall to his kennel in my bedroom, a few hrs later I brought him back out and held his collar while he sat at my feet as she sat further down the couch and he was fine until she went to the kitchen and as she came back he tried to aggressively lunge at her, I tightened my grip in his collar as he was still acting vicious while i dragged him to his kennel. I spoke to a few trainers who said he was resource guarding me and she needed to feed him, give him treats, toys, etc so she would become his resource, we did that and took him to some training classes where she was the one working with him. I discovered he would only be aggressive with her if she walked into the room while I was sitting or laying down. After her being the one to do everything for him he got to the point he would seek her out in her room to snuggle and things were good until the last few days he would growl and or put his head down and stare when she even opened her bedroom door but tonight he actually bit her breaking skin down to muscle, when I grabbed him and she ran to get my husband from the shop he was still viciously growling and trying to bite. He is only like this with her and only if someone else is home (if it's just those 2 home hes perfect with her), and shes not a small child shes 5'10 150lbs but he is currently 98lbs. I'm not going to keep him but now wonder if he is safe to go to a new home? I dont get why he doesnt like only her and why sometimes he will seek her out for affection. Any thoughts?


I had the same exact thing with a GSD that I got at 8 weeks old from a very reputable breeder. He always had a lot of drive and no impulse control. He was a lot of dog from the beginning but I kept working through it bc the breeder claimed he would
Be a great family dog. He began growling at my daughter who was 13 when he was 1,5. This went on and off for almost 3 years. He lunged at her anytime she would walk in the room from upstairs. She never did anything to him. He bit my nephew after he was at our house for a week. He ran up to sniff him and when my nephew said hi he lunged up and bit him on the elbow. I was willing to deal with his aggression towards strangers and dogs on walks but he lunged at my daughter for the last time. I didn’t want a dog that was aggressive towards his own family. I was able to grab him but he looked crazy, growling barking and hackles raised. I had to put him down. No one has the right to judge anyone who is put in such a Terrible situation. The breeder has a responsibility to place the right dog with new owners. Everyone who saw his pedigree which was a very strong working line pedigree, couldn’t believe I was sold a dog like him. He had weak nerves and was not stable. I’m so sorry for what you are going through. I tried to re-home my dog too, but nobody wanted the liability.


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