# My GSD has bitten me twice .. What to do?



## nsmith (Jun 9, 2014)

Our GSD is 4 years old, has been a friendly dog up until we moved from Australia to New Zealand and back to Australia. When my mum picked him up from the airport she said he wasn't himself and was acting crazy so I'm not sure if he was traumatized by the experience or what?

We are aware he is having problems with his hips, his back legs cross over when he walks/runs and he has trouble standing up, we are taking him for X-rays this week & we are meeting with a professional trainer this week to try and establish if he is aggressive or if it is medically related. 

The first incident was when he had followed me to the other end of our house to a locked area where out two cats were, I had left the door open not knowing he had followed me he saw me holding one of our cats and came straight at me I held onto our cat and stood up against a wall protecting the cat whilst the dog was jumping up on me until someone got him off me, it wasn't until after the incident that someone had pointed out that I was bleeding and he had bitten the back of my arm. I didn't hold this incident against him. 

The second incident happened last week, it was early in the morning and I had gone to help him up as he has problems with his hips I accidentally stood on his tail just the tip and he moaned I said sorry he then lunged and bit my leg. I grabbed his collar but I'm not sure how or who got him off me. Again it wasn't until I removed my tights that again I was bleeding and needed to go to the hospital. There has also been 2 other incidents where he was bitten both my dad and my brother. My brother was trying to stop him from tearing up a chair and he bit his forearm, and my dad got between him and another dog and he bit his leg (but this incident wasn't serious enough to require medical attention). 

He has also twice previously lunged at me and left marks but not drawn blood. He is definitely my mums dog, she is his "person", she thinks that our GSD might think I'm at the bottom of the pecking order and this is why he picks on me? 

My problem is that my dad has suggested we have him put down as I don't feel safe being alone with him and I certainly don't trust him and I know he can tell that I'm scared of him which is the worst thing, I have anxiety daily because I don't know how unpredictable he can be, and they are going on a month long trip and leaving me solely in charge of him and I really don't want to be bitten again. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

This is a very dangerous situation. I would do a vet check up to see if the pain in his back legs has gotten so bad that it is causing him distress whenever people are around or if there are other medical problems. If there are no medical problems (and it sounds like a pain issue) then either put a basket muzzle on him until you can sort out the cause or you will likely get bit again. I hope there are no small children in the home. I think if this behavior only began after the moving and plane ride something may have happened during that time as well to change his attitude, but if he was biting before the moving then you have a more serious situation. Either way a behaviorist may be able to help but do get help soon before you get charged with having a dangerous dog.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

> his back legs cross over when he walks/runs and he has trouble standing up


I might look for something neurological that would also fit with sudden, random, aggression. The back legs crossing sounds more neurological than injury or HD related. And if so, something neurological may also explain the sudden aggression.

At this point, regardless of reason, this dog is dangerous. You need to muzzle train him and be very careful when around other people and yourself!


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Wow....this sounds like a very difficult situation and I wish I had some answer to help you with your predicament. I guess the best I can offer is...if it was my dog or one in my family, I would seek the help of an individual who really knows how to deal with this. Being bit intentionally is something I would not tolerate by any dog I might own. I can appreciate your anxiety regarding how unpredictable he can be and I might suggest your anxiety fuels the fire to a degree but it would be very tough to not have anxiety in this situation. Perhaps, in the mean time until a correction to his behavior is implemented, I would be extra thoughtful regarding your activity around the dog so as not to give the dog any reason to take this nasty posture...but I guess that is rather obvious.

I believe it is incumbent on your mum to take a position to cure this situation if as you state " she is his "person"". She should be all over this and monitor the dog's behavior around you and others...and at the first hint of any similar behavior your mum should be all over this dog....and in a manner which leaves no doubts about it.

Regarding the notion "she thinks that our GSD might think I'm at the bottom of the pecking order and this is why he picks on me " ...this might be all true or not...BUT..if your mum is the "leader" then it is her responsibility to take the dog to task to correct this unacceptable behavior...plain and simple. I believe I most certainly am my dog's "leader" and I can assure you, if my pooch ever displayed any aggressive behavior towards another human or dog ( which was not warranted ) I'd be all over my dog in short order and it would get the message.

Respectfully,

SuperG


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

sounds like a medical issue.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

People get accidentally bitten by getting into a fight between two animals. It sounds that your dog is not good with other animals, he went after the cat and another dog. When they are in that mode of thinking, they don't know what they are doing and they can bite whatever gets between them and the pray. There are ways to safely break up fights and the first rule is not to reach near the biting end of the animal. But it is much better to be preemptive and avoid situations like this. As to stepping on his tail, some dogs will instinctively nip/bite, when they experience sudden pain. This is why vets muzzle them when they have to do painful things to the animal. It is bad and painful to be bitten, but some of these are typical animal reactions. Some dogs have better bite inhibition than others.


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## nsmith (Jun 9, 2014)

I should mention that the 2 times he lunged at me he was startled and didn't know I was in the house (my dad had been vacuuming and I had come home from being out and about). Thanks for all of your replies so far


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

He sounds like a nervy dog, he is probably somewhat stressed out by the moves. I think announcing your presence, avoiding startling him, avoiding to step on him or cause him pain, avoiding confrontations with other animals would go a long way. I got nipped by my dog when I accidentally stepped on his food. He does not have the best bite inhibition and I did hurt him. It was not a planned aggressive response, it was an instinctive response of an animal to pain. 

You should google methods of breaking up dog fights, it is not a bad thing to be prepared and know how to do it without getting hurt. The worst thing you can do is grab the collar, it is very likely you'll get bitten. Been there.


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