Well, owning a new GSD(x?) from questionable background and a 2nd hand Aussie that has been known to be mouthy, I assumed I'd get bit someday by doing something stupid. What I didn't expect was that the bite would come from my 6 year old ever happy, Golden Retriever.
I worked 2 years on her food agression while Haz was eating his food and had come to the point where she was completely ignoring him while he ate. She never had a problem while she had her food. Tonight while I was preping food, she was laying by my feet as she has for the last 5 years. Haz let out a tiny woof from his kennel because he heard the sound of dog bowls and Bella let out a growl from the gut and latched onto my calf.
I got lucky and she immidiately released, but there is a nice dog tooth imprinted bruise on my leg accompanied by a couple scratches where her teeth went through my jeans.
Just wanted to share the story because I'm pretty sure in most other homes Bella has that even temperment that would have her sleeping in kid's bedrooms, letting her lick faces and be ridden around and other things that some parents/dog owners think is cute. Most dog bites are very unexpected! I am so glad it was me in the kitchen and so glad I am careful about all dog interactions with my kids, regardless of temperment.
To others: please remember that even the sweetest, kindest family pet is capable of an unexpected bite. There is a lot of power in those mouths that we fail to think about when they gently take treats and lick our hands.
May take a picture later, right now I'm going to reflect on my stupidity for keeping her out while I got food ready

That would rate a come to jesus meeting in my books.
I can put up with a lot but teeth on me for ANY reason is taboo!

 Quote: Bob Scott

That would rate a come to jesus meeting in my books.
I can put up with a lot but teeth on me for ANY reason is taboo!

Amen to that. I have one firm rule; you will NOT bite the hand that feeds you. We'd have done the cabinet dance.

DFrost

Our family motto: Keep your teeth to yourself.

 Quote: Bob Scott

That would rate a come to jesus meeting in my books.

Yeah buddy. NO excuse for that one IMHO.

Amy,
I'm sorry you are going through this but I am glad you posted because I agree; it is too easy to forget that ANY dog will bite if their stress threshold is reached. It is also easy to forget what their trigger is when it has been pretty much resolved. Good reminder!

As for a "come to Jesus" moment; I'm not sure if I would know what the correct response to the incident would be. Moving forward, I know I'd have the vet check him out, step up management, rebuild trust (mine)and make adjustments in our relationship....but what I would do in the heat of the moment is a mystery.

So I have a question for people who have experience with this. What should you do immediately if you are bitten by your family dog?

I'm with Bob, David and Becky. That would have been dealt with swiftly and severely.

It was. She is a very soft dog, but she got a correction like none she has ever had before. My kids learned a few new words last night . There is nothing like hearing a 3 year old mutter "f*&#ing dog" under his breath as he plays with his herding breeds dog collection
I'm pretty sure I handled this in a way that will make her think very hard about doing that again. I just want others who read the forum to realize it's not always the chained Pit Bull or unsocialized German Shepherd etc. that is responsible for bites. Bella will not add to the statistics because I won't report it, but chances are other "kid-friendly" type breeds are responsible for many unreported bites to family members.
This is a dog that has been with our family 6 years tomorrow. She has "been there, done that" with every situation imaginable without any sign of curling a lip towards a human, and she bit me. If she can do it, any dog can.

 Quote: sheila buckley

So I have a question for people who have experience with this. What should you do immediately if you are bitten by your family dog?

It depends on the size of the dog, but I'd probably grab the collar or scruff of the neck/muzzle with a "what the heck do you think you're doing?!?" response. It's not something I think about, but it would be my automatic response, followed by crating the dog.

The problem with recommending this is that your timing needs to be right and your attitude needs to be totally confident "I'm the boss, what in the world do you think you're doing?!?!?!"

Not every person is cut out to do this and if you don't do it right you can exasperate the issue.

 Quote: amy vandeweerd

There is nothing like hearing a 3 year old mutter "f*&#ing dog" under his breath as he plays with his herding breeds dog collection

Oops!

Once in a while my Amazon parrot will shout, "DAMMIT, DOGS!"


Kids and parrots will always pick up the last thing you want them to say!