# Help! My dog bit a friend while sledding



## Zico13 (Dec 12, 2016)

Late Saturday night some friends and I went sledding and I brought my 1.5 year old male GSD to get some exercise. When my friend pushed my other friend on the sled and let go, my dog chased the sled and bit my friend on the leg through the clothes, breaking the skin so that there was a small red mark. He wasn't growling or barking, so it wasn't an aggressive vibe. My friend is a lawyer, so I'm glad he's my friend, because I know if it had been someone else there could be serious consequences. 

He has done basic obedience training, but doesn't show aggression towards humans besides barking at people entering the house. He is iffy with other dogs but usually warms up pretty quickly. I usually keep a training collar on him, but didn't this time. He has never bit anyone since he's been an "adult" and through training. It reminded me of how he reacts to vacuums and the lawn mower (he has pounced on the lawn mower when it was off and bit the tire).

I think he was just confused because he had never seen sledding and wanted to stop them or play, but I don't know what to do or if I should be concerned. Right now my plan is to do more activities like this with the training collar so he gets used to it, I'm not sure what else to do because it was very random. I keep him on leash in public so there isn't a chance of stuff like this happening, but I thought I was OK with a group of friends...



This is my first post, so thanks for reading!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

This was just prey drive and being over-excited. Some dogs have a hard time controlling their instinct to chase and catch things, be it a ball, a rabbit, or a person on a sled. Now that you are aware of how strong his prey drive is, and how much excitment he can handle without loosing his head (as in, going sledding was too much excitement for him to handle with a clear head), you'll be able to manage him better and prevent further incidents.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Sledding can bring out the chasing and nipping behavior in many dogs. I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot, it wasn't aggression.

Two solutions- don't bring him sledding or specifically train him to leave sledders alone.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

In my opinion, its excitement and prey drive. And sledding or chasing might not be the best idea for him.
And what they said ∆


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I agree it's just prey drive and him wanting to play. I think maybe it's time to do some training where the dog learns to keep his composure even when ramped up. He took off after a friend this time. Could be a moving car or a young child next time.


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## Zico13 (Dec 12, 2016)

Thanks for the response! Now that I read prey drive that makes sense because he can get carried away and nippy when chasing other dogs around. The trainer even said not to let him get too into a chase game with other dogs because he could bite. I feel better thinking about that and won't assume he'll be fine running around unsupervised with such exciting activities going on. 

And that's why I was so alarmed, it's bad enough he bit a lawyer, but it easily could have been a kid or someone unforgiving. 

Thanks!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

see this all the time ---- the dog is in prey drive. If you had sent the sled down on its own the dog would have chased it.

I've seen this many times - one time a dog grabbed a kids boot , the sled continued , the kid did not , he was pulled off. The moment the young boy , probably around 4 years was plonked into the snow , the dog let go and chased the sled . This was a very nice dog belonging to this family.

This is the dog's nature.

We go for multi mile hikes down by the lakefront and there are several little kiddie hills . I hate to see it when someone who feels entitled lets their dog have a merry romp chasing the kids on sleds.
We used to take one of the grand kids there . Talking to one of the other supervising parents they said that there had been an incident where the dog got ahead of the sled , which then crashed and ran over the dog , ejecting the little kid in front. The dog was injured . The little kid had some injury to his collar bone .

I am not anti fun. I was the daring-do member of the family always out in the creeks and trails and hills .
My dog accompanied me . We had cardboard that we would take up to slide our way down using our outstretched legs to brake before landing in the creek!
The dog was taught to run parallel to the sled . No chasing . No targeting . At the bottom she was given the rope and her proud duty was to pull the sled back to the top -- and sometimes us !

Everybody came home glowing with rosy cheeks , an appetite and a sense of contentment.

there is a thread about the dog community. I would contribute to that by saying that people don't understand dogs as animals anymore . They assigning human expectations to them .


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## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

carmspack said:


> see this all the time ---- the dog is in prey drive. If you had sent the sled down on its own the dog would have chased it.
> 
> I've seen this many times - one time a dog grabbed a kids boot , the sled continued , the kid did not , he was pulled off. The moment the young boy , probably around 4 years was plonked into the snow , the dog let go and chased the sled . This was a very nice dog belonging to this family.
> 
> ...


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

Oh boy, these threads make me feel VERY VERY OLD, because, ya know, when I was growing up, 
this would not even be talked about, let alone considered an incident, or even a problem. You go sledding, you play with dogs, stuff happens, dogs grab pants, get in front of sleds, get in front of skiis. 
My 1st gsd (was my parents dog) pierced my sisters nose (jumping up) and we thought it was funny, not an emergency training issue--silly puppy play. Dogs do stuff like that.
I've run over and tumbled my dog (same dog) on skiis. She learned not to do THAT again.
I used to wrestle with her, hand to hand combat with bruises to go along with it--the most fun I've ever had with a dog.
Now people freak out over a raspberry mark, or a bruise--if it's a dog. Everyone gets nicked and bruised. I get bloodied picking raspberries every summer and brag about my new piercings, but if a playful dog did the same, oh my.
My sympathies to the op.
You have a normal dog. I hope all goes well. Yes, expect your dog to nip and run at fast moving things, and because 2016, you'll need to be careful to protect your dog from situations like that, and train, and train, and command and control.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

islanddog said:


> Oh boy, these threads make me feel VERY VERY OLD, because, ya know, when I was growing up,
> this would not even be talked about, let alone considered an incident, or even a problem. You go sledding, you play with dogs, stuff happens, dogs grab pants, get in front of sleds, get in front of skiis.
> My 1st gsd (was my parents dog) pierced my sisters nose (jumping up) and we thought it was funny, not an emergency training issue--silly puppy play. Dogs do stuff like that.
> I've run over and tumbled my dog (same dog) on skiis. She learned not to do THAT again.
> ...


I agree. Growing up we had a St Bernard/GSD, big beautiful puppy. My mom was quite humorous back in the day. She told me to take the garbage out, it was winter and lots of snow. Big puppy decided that grabbing my pant legs was big fun. I was not completrly thrilled, but my mom was laughing so hard she peed her pants. Yes that is how we grew up:smile2:


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## Zico13 (Dec 12, 2016)

llombardo said:


> I agree. Growing up we had a St Bernard/GSD, big beautiful puppy. My mom was quite humorous back in the day. She told me to take the garbage out, it was winter and lots of snow. Big puppy decided that grabbing my pant legs was big fun. I was not completrly thrilled, but my mom was laughing so hard she peed her pants. Yes that is how we grew up:smile2:


I love big dogs, a St Bernard/GSD sounds like a great mix! Most of my concern is protecting him from overreacting individuals. People who aren't used to GSD's find small behaviors "scary." A Chihuahua could gnaw someone's leg, but if my dog looks at them wrong, it's an issue. I live in a ranching community where a "dog is a dog," which yes, it is, but that means if I ever needed to "defend" myself or dog, I would get little sympathy.


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## Zico13 (Dec 12, 2016)

carmspack said:


> see this all the time ---- the dog is in prey drive. If you had sent the sled down on its own the dog would have chased it.
> 
> I've seen this many times - one time a dog grabbed a kids boot , the sled continued , the kid did not , he was pulled off. The moment the young boy , probably around 4 years was plonked into the snow , the dog let go and chased the sled . This was a very nice dog belonging to this family.
> 
> ...


Yes, if you think about it I spend so much time getting him to fetch and then get mad when he's chasing moving objects. I don't go sledding that often, but if I did I think I could work to get him to keep a respectful distance. Getting him to pull me up the hill would be great!


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

The first time we took Tessa she didn't know what to think. She took my husband out like an Ohio State linebacker..no teeth , full body blow.


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## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

ksotto333 said:


> The first time we took Tessa she didn't know what to think. She took my husband out like an Ohio State linebacker..no teeth , full body blow.


Good girl Tessa, good girl. Treat. Treat


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## Giovani (Oct 27, 2016)

Zico13 said:


> Late Saturday night some friends and I went sledding and I brought my 1.5 year old male GSD to get some exercise. When my friend pushed my other friend on the sled and let go, my dog chased the sled and bit my friend on the leg through the clothes, breaking the skin so that there was a small red mark. He wasn't growling or barking, so it wasn't an aggressive vibe. My friend is a lawyer, so I'm glad he's my friend, because I know if it had been someone else there could be serious consequences.
> 
> This is my first post, so thanks for reading!


I think at 1.5 yrs old your GSD did what many GSDs might do. There was no intent for your dog to hurt your friend. He was just excited and that is that. Hopefully your friend sees it that way.

You definitely want to discourage the behavior and remember he's not mentally mature yet. He has 1.5 more yrs to become fully mentally mature.

As far as biting lawn equipment and vacuum cleaners, both my GSDs have done it but to different extents. One GSD eyeballed the vacuum cleaner and one day and put big gash marks in it. I told her no and she never bit it again. My 2nd one feign bite it, barks constantly at it, cries, and circles me when I'm vacuuming. I tell her no but she always goes back to do it again.

Thanks for posting your experience. :smile2:


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Jack's Dad said:


> Good girl Tessa, good girl. Treat. Treat


We didn't have treats with us but my granddaughter and I got a great laugh out of it. :grin2:


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I think it's a good idea, if you can, to teach a pup from a breed like GSD or malinois that chasing is a no-no unless you OK it. That way it is black and white. Pup gets in the habit of chasing and it is harder to break. 

I totally understand this may not be easy for everyone to do, but pretty much all the issues we have with the breed and so-called "aggressive" behaviors, are due to chasing of inappropriate things- whether that be a car, a biker, a jogger, etc. The chase starts the prey sequence and sometimes leads to bite. Few herding-breed type dogs will just go after someone or something that is standing still.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Lol, our malamute use to bite people on the head while sledding. We didn't train him, we just went faster.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

"I did I think I could work to get him to keep a respectful distance."

good idea ! The same respectful distance applies for the dog that walks sideways eyeballing the front wheel of the wheelbarrow -- too close a little bump on the nose - a little discomfort .

The same applies for the dog learning how to run beside a bike . I have mine on a loose leash . They learn there place quickly ! It is so easy to be pitched off a moving bike if the dog bumps a wheel. Start off slow. Dog interferes with the wheel - a little touch with that wheel - a little discomfort. 

Dog learns to straighten out and get some joy from running . Yeah.

Prey drive. We had one dog that could have lived in water . He would watch the pool cleaner do it's thing , jump in and try to catch it. Fun for all and lots of laughs till he figured out he could grab the floating hose and drag it around.


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## labX (Dec 7, 2016)

One of the key things I work on is when we are walking and she come across something new and barks is sit and look at it for how ever long it takes.

The direct effect when Gigi meets something new even when I am not around as per my wife and even on an outside leash . She will sit and focus on this. Do an analysis . I had to do this only a few times . It also enforces that after a few calm sit she looses interest .

She gets mouthy when excited, before exposing to such conditions I will take her to a dog park for an hour or we brisk walk 5 miles . It takes the edge off ..Excersise . A dog full of energy ,excited is hard to control. Once she is back home, we have had 20 small kids screaming and running around and she just wants to herd them softly and no crazy mouthing or barking.





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