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BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Chief

37K views 289 replies 79 participants last post by  JakodaCD OA 
#1 ·
Trying to keep my composure here, I cannot believe what just happened..


My boyfriend came home from work about 30 minutes ago. Chief was on the floor and just woke up from sleeping because Todd called him to take him outside. Chief refused and hopped up in bed and curled up behind me as he sometimes does. Normally Todd will say 'Let's go Chief!" again and he will follow him to the door. Well this time Todd reached for his collar to pull him down, not in a mean or rude way or anything, and Chief lunged at him aggressively and bit his face. Todd has a big gash in his cheek and across the bottom of his chin. He straight up with no warning lunged and put gashes in his face!! He just left for the minor emergency clinic to get it cleaned up, it is nasty and he said very painful. Omg I didn't even know what to say or do, I am completely shocked and I feel absolutely horrible. There was so much blood on his face and on the bathroom sink and floor. Now Chief is super attached to me but he has never shown any aggression to Todd. He has started to bond with him really well and would often cuddle with him in the bed and on the couch, something he would never do even with me in the beginning. I cannot believe he did this to Todd. I do not and cannot have this happen again. I love my dog to death but now I don't doubt he would act this way towards ANYone to "protect" me. This deeply concerns since it has hit close to home. I know this is Todd's fault since he is the one that went to move Chief but IMO this should NEVER happen, Chief should not act that way towards him. I am so thankful he did not get his eye. I mean I am just at a loss, this has never happened before? What do I do? Does Chief need to be re-homed, can he be trusted to a new home unless it was a single person? He apparently bonds to one person. He obviously has a pretty serious bite history now and that would be a big liability to put him up for adoption. I am really scared and worried. Todd totally kept his cool and didn't react to Chief but I could tell he was extremely upset, [censored], angry, etc. I am VERY upset about thinking of euthanasia and wonder if that is overreacting but tell me what should I do, I need some insight PLEASE. I know Todd is going to have a very different view of Chief now, and i dont blame him, but now I worry that he will direct his frustrations and anger onto me because of what my dog did and I don't want it to break our relationship apart, we are planning on purchasing a home together in May, he's not just a guy I could easily say goodbye to.

OMG
 
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#27 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I would get a full vet check-up first and then see a behaviorist. In the meantime I would keep a leash on him so there is no grabbing of the collar and limit his resources (no furniture privileges, limited toy/treat privileges under supervision, etc...)
 
#28 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

Originally Posted By: MustLoveGSDsI will be completely honest here. Elaine I was still pretty much asleep when this all happened. I did immediately make him get off the bed after the incident, I did not verbally correct him though as I was just taken completely off guard, dumbfounded, baffled, shellshocked, etc. By the time I took everything in it would have been too late to correct him. I followed Todd to the bathroom and stood there in silence next to him as he was bleeding in the sink. Chief walked up to him and lightly touched his nose to his hand where there was blood and had the look in his eyes like he knew he did something wrong. Todd left and Chief went into a corner and curled up. His crate is currently being occupied by our new foster dog who I can't leave to just run around freely and to his own devices just yet.

I haven't repeatedly let him get away with aggression to the friend. I stated that when I was not at the house, Chief and my brother's friend played and got along great. It was that one time I happened to be at the house with chief when the friend came over and Chief got protective over me. The next couple times I was over there with Chief when the friend showed up I had Chief crated to avoid that from happening again(and he would bark in the crate at the friend and I would correct him). I don't think it's cool, funny, or cute at all when a dog is protecting me from friends/family who are not threats. Chief has never shown any aggression towards Todd. In fact he loves to give him kisses and will roll over for him. Todd has fed him plenty of times and has worked OB with him. They have formed a good relationship but Chief is definitely my dog.
Never have more dogs than you have enough crates for.
 
#29 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I am so sorry that this happened to Todd and you...


I was just wondering if maybe having the new foster dog, another male and a large breed, in the apartment might be putting stress on Chief? You say that he is very mellow and calm...maybe he just isn't showing that he isn't happy about sharing his "life" with the dobie.

I had a Golden once who was the best dog ever, well I took in a foster dog, a male standard poodle. My Golden was not happy and was showed he was very stressed about having another adult dog thrust upon him. (I did have a JRT, at the time, too) My Golden was so stressed out by the new addition that he actually began breaking out with hot spots. He was clingy, sulky and would try to get as far away as possible from the new (very active St. Poodle). When I re-homed the Poodle , my Golden was back to his old happy self.

I agree with what the other posters have said about the resource guarding and everything else...just thought I would mention what I was thinking about...

Good Luck!!
 
#30 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I'm so sorry this happened, I hope your BF is going to be okay.

I agree you got excellent suggestions on how to handle Chief's problem. I just have one tiny suggestion I haven't seen listed yet. It's gross but ...

When I'm having a behavior issue, I do something that isn't exactly something you'd find in Miss Manner's Book of Etiquette ... I spit in the dinner bowl of the dog whose behavior I'm trying to modify.

This sends a silent message to the dog, that he's the low man on the Totem Pole, he's eating only after the leader (ME) has had her fill. (If it's a pack issue, I'll also allow the other Hooligans to take a small bite out of the offender's bowl.)

People may disagree with this, but it's always worked for me.
 
#31 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I am so sorry this happened and understand how shook up you are. I have had similar things happened and they were shocking and life changing. Basu bit someone and spent the next 2 years leashed to me and on strict NILIF for the rest of his life. We worked it out though and it never happened again.

I agree that he's resource guarding combined and that big time NILIF is called for. I would not keep him out of the bedroom but would crate him in the bedroom. And I think that Eisis is on to something REALLY important. There has been a big change recently in your household.

When Chama got older she started acting out when I got a new foster or adopted a new dog. She didn't act out towards people but she would try to attack strange dogs we saw when walking.
This was a dog who lived with me her entire life, was the perfect model of obedience and was off leash trained, etc. and she charged into the street after another dog. I almost passed out the first time it happened, I was so shocked. Then when it happened again at the beginning of another foster I put two and two together. She was not very secure about her role in the dog pack and the new dog put a tremendous amount of stress on her.

I would think seriously about finding a different foster home for the dobe and hold off on fostering, getting a new dog until you get things worked out with Chief.
 
#32 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I just wanted to point out something that someone had said as it was one of my first thoughts too...get yourself ready for A/C to show up at your door. Get Chiefs vaccination records ready and try to prepare yourself mentally for the knock at the door.

I'm sorry this has happened and wish you the best of luck. Your getting a lot of good advise here, def take it.

I think theres a part of each of us that want to feel 'protected' by our dogs, but WE need to be the ones to decide what we need protection from. In this case though, I tend to believe that Chief was making too many decisions on his own. He was protecting HIS right to lay wherever HE wanted when HE wanted to lay there.
 
#33 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I'm sorry this happened...it is scary and many of us have been through it so take a deep breath


Most Doctors will have to notify of a bite incident so it may be on Chief's record. One bite is not usually a death sentence unless it is particularly viscious. Noone can really know why this happened as we don't know your dog like you do, but this concerns me:

<span style="color: #000066">(I know this has been noted previously in this post but is important enough to note again!)</span>

Originally Posted By: MustLoveGSDs His crate is currently being occupied by our new foster dog who I can't leave to just run around freely and to his own devices just yet.
As well as the resource guarding, you have recently added a new family member and Chief may be a bit unsettled by having his crate occupied as well as a new family member. We always have a period of adjustment (ours is still going on a year later) when someone new enters the pack.

Even a dog with few protective instincts doesn't like their space invaded by another, even a family member (Jukka and Loki get REALLY nasty if one goes in the other's crate). A German Shepherd who is naturally protective may have a stronger reaction. Chief has had his home space and his sleeping space invaded and may be pretty reactive to that...just my opinion.

The advice that you have been given is really good advice-I hope that some of it helps you. Please keep us posted
 
#34 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

Todd didn't give any information out about Chief to the doctor. Not even color or breed. There was no bite report filed, he didn't want to do that to Chief because he knew what would happen.


I contacted the rescue I adopted him from and they're working on a place for him to go and he will be behaviorally evaluated and tested. With what has happened I just honestly do not feel comfortable with him being here. I know my boyfriend and I know he will probably never fully trust Chief and will always be somewhat fearful of him and that's not fair for someone to be scared of their own dog and have to live like that. I do not want to touch Chief or even look at him right now. Every time I see Todd's face I feel so horrible. I can't believe how nice he was about the whole situation, if I was to get bit in the face by a boyfriend's dog I would likely come unglued. Poor Todd knows I love this dog dearly so I guess he doesn't want to hurt me.

There was a time when I was living with a family last year, the people who originally fostered Chief and for some reason Chief never liked their son after he became my dog. He would jump up and bark everytime he came home, one time he even bit his hand as he walked past, not hard but he nicked it. He even barked at him when he was crated in my room with the door shut and her son was walking into the home. We were told to keep Chief on a leash and have the son give him treats(make him work for it) and all of that kind of stuff but it didn't work, Chief just didn't like him. Now that I am sitting here thinking more about it, he has only reacted this way towards men and never a woman. One of my good friends dog sits for me at times and one morning her husband went to let Chief out of the crate and he immediately ran into their bedroom and hopped up on the bed and lied down next to the wife, refusing to go outside to potty when the husband tried to call him out.

About the new foster and the crate issue...Chief has lived with a number of different dogs since he came into the rescue and has been around fosters going in and out of the household. We had new ones in all the time with the family I lived with and he never had an issue with other dogs, he was never aggressive to them or anything, he just did his own thing. At one time we had 5-7 dogs in the house and they all got along great. We had a pit bull last year in our apartment who we added to the pack and Chief had no issues with her, they were playing in no time and became best buds. The second day this Doberman was here Chief began playing with him and they have played a few more times. It's not a new dog issue..he doesn't get that kind of stress and if he did I would never do that to him. We folded Chief's crate up a long time ago and it's been sitting in the closet because he is a very trustworthy dog and doesn't get into trouble, he just finds a spot to curl up and lay down when we leave. He is crate trained but we haven't had to crate him in the longest time. He doesn't see the Doberman using his crate as an issue, he could care less. Chief has no resource guarding issues when it comes to toys, bones, food, crates, etc.


I honestly don't feel that all the work and training in the world could rid Chief of this issue, I think a behaviorist could give me the tools to manage it, but Todd has done everything right with him for 8 months now(feeding and practicing NILIF and obedience) and he still did this to him. I am sorry but I am here with my dog. I heard the bite and I now have to see the holes in my boyfriend's face. The doctor said the one on his cheek will likely scar. He didn't do stitches for fear of infection.


Our pit bull had to eventually be euthanized due to unmanageable human aggression. I got a lot of hate and flack for even considering that but I felt guilty and tried to hand her to someone who tried rehabilitating her and it did not help in the end, and she was too much of a liability for us to manage for the rest of her life.


I full on expect to be judged in this situation..it was the same thing we went through with our pit bull..i've heard every side, everyone has their opinions, if I am not welcome here for my course of action then I will calmly delete my account. I do not want to start a war. If this had been a bite on the hand it might be a bit different but the face is just too major for me to try and deal with. Whose to say down the line when we have a kid and they come running to me or come near me or something that Chief wouldn't lash out and bite down..and one bite to a child's head is all it would take to be game over. I have had Chief for a little over a year now and yes I am super attached, but I want to do what is fair and right for everyone involved, I know there are some people out there that would want a dog like him, but that is not me. I am very involved with rescue and am not one to go around dumping my pets, but this is one very serious situation and I know I do not have the resources or means to take on a task as this one.
 
#35 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Good Luck to Chief in finding a new home...

Most of us don't mean to come across as sitting in judgement. You ask for advice and we offer the best that we can.

I know how much work it is to deal with a sensitive dog issue. Impossible to do it if your hearts are not in it.

Best of Luck
 
#36 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

MustLoveGSDs

I originally accepted Thor as a rescue from a life tied to a tree far from anyone. He had been tied to the tree at 3 months and remained there until he was a year old. He came to me with no housetraining, no clue of commands, no socialization. He was an aloof, distant dog when he arrived but I loved him and worked with him using (instinctively since I had never heard of it then) NILIF. He became my shadow, bonded closely to me. I rescued another female from our local pound a year and a half later to keep him company and used NILIF with her as well. Both my dogs are well behaved with me. They do not get toys, have their leashes put on, go out the door, or eat until they sit and wait for me to tell them they can do so. In fact they do nothing unless I tell them it's okay.

Yet all of this did not keep Thor from biting a neighbor without any precursive warning. We all agreed afterwards that he felt a provocation as the man was holding a bunch of branches in his hand (he talks with his hands) and was swinging them in the air towards me. The neighbor, A/C, and I all decided he thought I was in danger and responded accordingly in a protective manner. It wasn't until he went after the same man again who was doing nothing that we realized we had a problem on our hands. So much of a problem that Thor was indeed named a "potentially dangerous dog". He must be controlled on the property (either leash or fenced yard) and he is not allowed off the property without a muzzle.

Now, anyone that knows Thor (animal control, family, friends, his vets and their assistants, his OB trainer, etc.) think he is the most laid back, the biggest wuss, they've ever met. Takes 3 of us to hold him down just to get his nails clipped; he screams, whines, and cries like we're amputating his leg without anesthetic. A behaviorist was brought in to try and understand why he bites without provocation (no warnings, no growls, no hackles, nothing...from a perfect sit to a lunge/bite). His conclusion/diagnosis is that Thor suffers from fear aggression and separation anxiety....in walking Thor away and out of sight from me, the dog cried and cried and pulled to get back to me the entire time.

I wish I were closer to the behaviorist, and/or had the money to work with him and Thor but for now, I just keep Thor in a muzzle whenever we go for walks. However, now that he's been labeled (and rightfully so) a potentially dangerous dog, I have no choice until I can afford to work with him. But what is strange to me is why this big baby, this lovable boy who allows me to hug him, squeeze him, play rough with him and he's never even growled at anything with me and is totally bonded to me, is so reactive to outsiders. Your Chief's behavior sounds only too familiar to me. If I had any suggestion, it would be to find a behaviorist who will work with him as he sounds like he shares the same fear aggression that Thor suffers from.
 
#37 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

Look, I would hate to be in your shoes. Todd is acting like a prince in this, he must be a good man. I surely understand your consideration of his welfare and that of anyone in your home.

As a not very experienced person I have no business to say this, but perhaps you can reconsider the situation after you hear the evaluation of Chief. His problems need to be dealt wherever he is, and you and he have formed a bond.

In any case, you have my sincere hopes that Todd will recover well and that Chief can find the right home, even if it's not yours,

I'm sorry that you have to cope with this.

MJ
 
#39 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

It would be great if you can post updates on this after he has been eval'd.
It is knowledge that helps us all and even though this being such a horrible experience, we can all possibly learn from it.
I hope no one here judges you, they don't walk in your shoes.
After going thru nearly the same thing with my foster, I really feel your pain.
 
#40 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I do have to say, that hopefully Chief will have a better chance at being rehomed than being pts in this instance - it really sounds like the bite was not his fault.

This is the second dog with human/dog interaction issues. I think perhaps it's time to evaluate what is going on with the dynamic in the household? The fosters, the human relationships, etc.

Also have to wonder, not meant to be answered or defended on this board, how the relationship between you and your bf is, and if he has any harbored resentment towards you. On the surface, my (soon to be) ex were getting along fine, had no clue what he was up to behind my back, but Max sure took note and they got along less and less, and stb-ex almost got a couple bites from him.

And if that relationship is okay, I also wonder, what is really going on with that relationship that those two have, that you are not seeing - again, not meant to be answered or defended on this board.
 
#42 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I don't think anyone is judging here, that's a difficult situation and everyone just tries to give their opinion how to deal with it. Nothing is wrong with finding a better, more suitable home for a dog because it will be a better outcome for everybody in this situation.

I agree with Lisa about the need to reevaluate the dynamics in the household. At this point I think it's a good idea to let the rescue rehome Chief and also find a different foster home for your dobie pup. There is nothing wrong in misjudging your abilities to handle a serious breed (your pit) once, you didn't know better, for the second time it's a warning sign and a high time to rethink your handling techniques (Chief), but it will be very sad if the story repeats itself third time in a year with your new pup. Dogs are not toys and we need to remember the lessons they teach us.

Chief bit in the face because the face was close to him and because he was issuing a correction, not because he was extra vicious.
 
#43 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

dogs have as much an emotional life and suffer from emotional disorders just as humans do.Some would say it is medical disorder-lack of NILF training-dominance related.I have posted problems with my son's dog under human aggression.
Will give advice from behaviorist who evaluated my son's dog for human aggression.He did not euth the dog
Advice was-this dog may NEVER be safe with any human.He is very compliant with his training and does NOT consider himself an alpha.He is very much fear driven and also compliant ( NO aversive /punishment techniques are used by current owner.)IF you want to continue to interact with this dog and have him a part of your family you need to be very aware of "fear" not aggressive signals.Any obedience training should be done with MORE than one person-who the dog is familiar with.This is NOT a problem that will be solved in the near future and indeed may NOT be solved.Physical interaction with this dog may result in an attack.
Hate posting this but think I should
 
#44 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I am so glad that your BF did not tell anyone about the bite. In the state of Texas ANY dog that bites on the face is supposed to be humanely euthed and the dog tested for rabies. Which I think is absurd. DH did a stint at an ACO and that is what the laws said. Even a police K9...even little Fifi....if a dog bites from the neck up, then the dog doesn't get a second chance.

I pray that Chief is able to get eval'd and you can decide where to go from there. I pray he is able to find a good stable home with strong fair leadership. And I pray there is never another incident.
 
#45 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I would hazard a guess that Chief is NOT human aggressive. If he was, your BF would be looking at a facial transplant surgery. Chief issued a correction that is akin to a punch in the arm. Unfortunately human faces are only marginally stronger than tissue paper and toothpicks which is why face bites really SUCK. In the right home, Chief would likely do fantastic.

Please post the evaluation of Chief. I'm interested in what happens to him- he's got a face that just tugs at me.
 
#46 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

On a side note, any chance of taking him to a schutzhund club for an evaluation? If he gets good marks there, that could help the rescue find him a good working home. He could have a temperament issue, he could just be a strong dog without enough guidance and leadership for his needs, but a good training director/helper should be able to tell a lot about Chief.
 
#47 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

Please don't give up on Chief. Dogs bite because they have teeth. As someone else said, your bf got bitten in the face b/c his face was right there. If he wanted to do serious damage he could have and he would have. Without seeing what happened I'd say it could have been a correction but it also could have been defensive/fear based. Or it could have been b/c he's not feeling well.

I know it's scary (yes, I've been bitten more than once) but a dog that bites out of the blue like this has something going on. I hope the rescue will get him a full medical work up too. And I hope he does ok in his foster home. Please don't give up on him.
 
#49 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I think in situations like that, as someone said the face just happened to be the closest thing. Dogs don't really understand that we don't have thick skin and thick fur so they deal with us like they deal with each other. It's not for us to say on an internet board but from the sound of it, Chief just needs very strong, strict leadership and a job. Chief is a dog for a true, natural leader, not one who has to read about leadership in a book. If the rescue allows him another chance and I sure hope they will, Chief may get a chance to find that home.

 
#50 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

I know this has been a difficult day and I appreciate that. I just wanted to add whenever something HUGE like this happens (life changing in other words and highly emontional) it might not be the right time to make any big decisions. Its just a thought. It might just be the right time to make sure everyones safe and gather information so you can make a decision you will be able to live with later. I think you may have made up your mind, but I wanted to throw this out there just in case.
 
#51 ·
Re: BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Ch

Just a question, if Todd didn't give any info about the dog (not even color or breed) that protects you, but if thats the case he would have to go through Rabies shots if he was bit by an unknown dog right?
 
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