BIG problem my boyfriend was bit in face by Chief

[LisaT]

Originally Posted By: onyx'girlIt 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 completely agree with this.

[GSD07]

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.

[jake]

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

[gsdlove212]

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.

[DianaM]

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.

[DianaM]

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.

[BowWowMeow]

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.

[jake]

I would respectfully disagree.everyone familiar with heel nip herding-arm grabbing-face attack seems way different to me.

[DianaM]

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.

[shilohsmom]

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.