My dog ended up biting me while at a dog park. What do you suggest I do?

Dear Mr. Frawley,

It is with much sadness that I write to you today, in search of professional guidance, to better understand what has occurred to me this past Sunday. I'd like to begin with a bit of history for your better understanding.

We have a 2 year and 7 month old German Shepherd, named Tango, that we have had since he was seven weeks old.

At that time, we purchased some of your videos, which we have found truly fascinating and appropriate, as listed below:

1. Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months
2. Eat Drink and Wag your Tail
3. Basic Dog Obedience (2) discs

It was my wife's and my decision to abide by those philosophies in raising Tango to be the best family dog possible. Our goal from day one was to have a dog that is prey driven, active, etc. to fit our lifestyle (parks, hikes, beaches, etc.). Having two kids, we were also concerned with having a well behaved dog (Trust factor). Another hope, was a dog that could protect the house while being in the yard (a characteristic dogs are not trained in, but rather assume).

From day one, we decided that Tango would solely live outside, never intending for him to step foot inside. As a young pup, we trained him to feel comfortable in his crate, and as he grew older, built him a bigger environment for him to retreat to.

Regarding his play toys, they were never left in the yard. They were brought out when we would play with him. One toy he loved from early on was chasing the object at the end of a string. He showed signs of a prey driven dog. Tango later learned to catch frisbees, which is one of our families biggest enjoyments.

Regarding his diet, we fed him a raw diet for the first 1.5 years, and have since changed to the ?Alpha? dry food diet. He is a very healthy dog.

For the first year, Tango was not taken out of the yard, and had not been around any other dog, than our other dog, a Beagle. Parvo was one of our concerns, and therefore we decided to shelter him.

One challenge to overcome in his first year, was his constant jumping on the kids, and biting of the ankles.

At his first year, I started taking him for jogs around our community, while still keeping him from other dogs. At about 1.5 years, I started noticing his desire for other dogs. While out on jogs, he wanted other dogs that came by, by tugging, barking, etc. At this point in time, I purchased the prong collar, which really helped in getting his attention. I later switched to a chocker chain, since someone had told me that the prong makes the dog feel as if it were a bite, and that the choker chain would not give him that sensation. I started noting a trend in Tango's behavior with other dogs, and I was now committed to correcting that issue, since the walks/jogs became more and more of a burden.

I understand that Leerburg does not believe in dog parks. I truly felt that at 1.5 years, I now needed to introduce Tango to other dogs, before his response to them worsened. I decided to take Tango to my children's school (gated park area), where other dog owner's take their dogs. To my surprise, I had shown up one Saturday morning, and there were 5 greyhounds running loose, with all owners looking on. As I approached, them, it was obvious that Tango wanted to interact with them. I asked the people if it would be okay to let Tango go with them, after careful introduction to the dogs. They mentioned that there would be up to 20 greyhounds coming to the park on that morning. I turned Tango around and had the other dogs approach him. I then let him go, and for the next hour, Tango had run around with 20 greyhounds with no problems whatsoever.

Since that day, I have had other opportunities for Tango to run with other dogs without any issue.

The one thing that is bothersome, is his demeanor when we get him out of the car until he gets into the park with other dogs (or in general when he sees a dog). He is very vocal, and just wants to tug the entire time. It is a constant battle that could last minutes of correction and trying to calm him before we approach the scene. Sit, stay, that's fine...sit, stay, that's fine. Then a serious tug at the choker chain..etc.

He is now 2 years and 7 months old, and has not yet been neutered. On Sunday, we went to the school to play with the Frisbees, etc. When we showed up, their was another 2 year old male German Shepherd. Not neutered. I asked the owner if he felt comfortable in introducing the dogs, with hopes that we could let them play together. Tango was unbearable, tugging, barking, wining, etc. The other dog was calmer. It took 20 minutes before we could get the dogs nose to nose. I made sure Tango was in a lay down position, as he brought his dog closer. Tango stood up and they sat there face to face, smelling each other's neck. We were still holding on to the leashes. Within 5 seconds, Tango lunged at the other dog with aggression. I immediately pulled Tango's leash, and it drew him straight back towards me. Things happened quickly that in his ?rage?, and as he came towards me, ended up biting me on the calf. His bite drew blood, as he was definitely sending me a message. He clamped onto my leg, and I had to pry his snout open. The bite may have lasted 3 seconds. There was no correction given to Tango, since it would have been too late after the fact, when I had realized what he had done. I made it to the hospital to get the appropriate shots. The bite was deep enough to draw blood and leave his entire mouth marked on my leg.

I've heard it said before that a dog who bites (especially the owner), can no longer be trusted. The pain in my heart for the occurred is much, and I am completely uncertain of how to deal with this situation.

If you would be so kind as to suggest an option, it would be greatly appreciated. Your experience with dogs is great, and it may be that for legal issue?s you cannot recommend a possible solution, and I would completely understand.

Regards,
Leo