April 12, 2011
Our lab-mix bit our 7 year old son today. What should we do?
Full Question:
Hi Ed,We are having a serious problem with our lab mix. First we were told when we bought her as a puppy she was not mixed with pitt, but even the vet now believes she is. She's always been hard to train, strong prey drive, hard to break with puppy biting etc...but that was all in the past. However now that she's about a year and a half old things have gotten bad. When ever we put Misty into her crate or touch her collar she bites us. Not enough to break skin, but enough to scare you to death. If that were not bad enough, she now bit our 7 year old son today. She wouldn't let him up the stairs. Each time he tried she'd jump on him. When he commanded her "NO!" and walked by her she bit his arm. Again not drawing blood, but it hurt him. My husband saw her and yelled no, and she did stop. He doesn't think she would if he were not there. I also have an infant and a 3 year old. We don't want our kids to end up like the poor boy on your site. We think it's time to put her down. What do you think? Is there any hope?
Ed's Answer:
This problem did not evolve because of the dog's genetics. It evolved because of the lack of proper training and the way you handle the dog. In other words it's an owner problem not a dog problem.
This dog should have received serious corrections for every incident of unwarranted aggression. It should have had a solid foundation of obedience training - with a prong collar. If after that it showed signs of aggression it should not be loose in the home (out of the crate) unless an adult was present.
With this said - if you have allowed this to get this bad I doubt you will be able to handle the changes to correct the problem. So, you should probably find a new home for this dog.
This dog should have received serious corrections for every incident of unwarranted aggression. It should have had a solid foundation of obedience training - with a prong collar. If after that it showed signs of aggression it should not be loose in the home (out of the crate) unless an adult was present.
With this said - if you have allowed this to get this bad I doubt you will be able to handle the changes to correct the problem. So, you should probably find a new home for this dog.
No ratings yet
Was this Q&A helpful? Let us know!
Can't find what you're looking for?
No ratings yet
Was this Q&A helpful? Let us know!
