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Dog Suddenly bites me for no apparent reason

6K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  alexg 
#1 ·
Our 10 month old puppy just bit me and drew blood. I have three punctures on my hand. I was petting him and he seemed happy, tail wagging. All of A sudden he growls viciously and bites down hard on my hand. Not nips, but bites it. For the past three days he has had some episodes like this where he just growled ferociously and tried to bite myself or children. He was just trying to snuggle in my lap at one moment and the next moment he bites me while I'm petting him. We all love him very much, but I'm thinking of getting rid of him. Please help!
 
#4 ·
I too would rule out medical. Then I'd question if that tail wag actually meant happy. Usually there are signs leading up to a bite. Maybe you've just missed them?

Either way a dog that bites at kids with real bites that can puncture is a dog I'd get rid of. Maybe it's a bad dog or maybe you failed the dog with your training. Either way there are many stable dogs in shelters that need homes for you to keep around one that's dangerous (whatever the reason besides from medical)
 
#5 ·
does sound like a medical problem, also could be a fear biter but they generally don't bite owners in this situation, in any case they need to be able to control themselves when it comes to biting, I would seek help and don't let the kids interact with him until you find out what is going on with him.
Has he been raised as a social dog and has he had any training?
 
#6 ·
Full vet checkup since this just suddenly started happening. If that is clear, get a behaviorist or trainer experienced in aggression involved. This could be teenager with no boundaries and handler issue or something more.

It goes without saying to keep the dog and kids seperated.
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
Definitely see your vet, since this just started. Where were you petting him - ears can be a problem sometimes, but it could be anything. If he's biting you, he must be in pain somewhere.

That's how I would approach this, with my pup. But there's also the chance that your pup might have other issues going on. You said while snuggling in your lap. Are you seeing any bad behavior relating to furniture? This is easy to fix, but you have to be aware of the problem first.
 
#15 ·
Where did the OP go? Hate it when someone makes 1 post and then never responds to the questions....hope all is ok!
 
#16 ·
I wonder if it was a desperation post. Where the mind is pretty much made up, but ask anyway to see if there is some magic something that would make everything ok. I don't know what to think about the puppy. I think someone needs to see the puppy do this in person to get an understanding about what is happening, and what hope there is to turn things around.
 
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