I really hope that none of this is being perceived as an attack, because that is simply not the case. If no one cared, no one would bother to post.
Most dog bites occur in children, by dogs who never behaved that way before. If the dog HAD behaved like that before, most people would have gotten rid of the dog.
Countless dogs are re-homed and their past history lied about simply because the owners don't want the dog to be destroyed. Many shelter dogs with "no history of biting" have, in fact, been surrendered due to aggressive behavior that is lied about. This means that you can never really trust any dog to not have a history unless you were there to see the history yourself.
As stated in earlier posts, most dogs are on their "best behavior" until they figure out who fits in where. Most dogs wait to challenge for authority until they know WHO is in charge. Once they see an opportunity to establish their place, they take it. No one here wants that to happen. That is why everyone is writing.
Consider this:
When I was 14 years old, we were visiting my aunt and uncle. They had a 10 month old Rottie. Now, these people were VERY active dog parents. They were on a waiting list for almost a year waiting for the right pup, right temperment from the breeder they chose to work with. The pup got off to a great start and at 10 mo. old had already been trained to the equivalent of a CD title in the AKC world. He was trained very consistantly, and was extremely well socialized. He had a very stable temperment (around 5-6 on temperment tests) and both parents had earned a temperment test rating. My uncle wanted to train him to be a S&R dog, so he was already well on his way with tracking as well.
My younger sister laid on the floor with him (after being told not to) as she had been all week whenever someone wasn't watching her. She was 8. When she went to get up , she pushed herself up to a wheelbarrow like position, so that basically she was hovering a bit in the dogs' face. He lunged forward and bit her one time on the face.
She is now 19 years old. She has had 5 re-constructive surgeries since the attack. she had more than 80 stitches in her face, as well as staples in her head. She almost died in my arms that night.
This was a well trained, well socialized, well bred dog, in a great home, that a child was permitted to interact with improperly. My uncle knew his dog had a rock solid temperment, but made some mistakes in protecting his DOG from a child behaving inappropriately. This is a worst case, I know. But it is one I personally witnessed, and it gave me a perspective on dogs and children that I will never forget. Children don't know what is appropriate, and they don't know how to read a dog's behavior. Heck most adults don't. So to expect a child to know that the dog is trying to "play" their way into dominance over a child and react appropriately is wrong and it jeopardizes both the child AND the dog.
That 10 month old Rottie never became a S&R dog. He wasn't euthanized, but he was never again allowed (by law) to be out in public without a muzzle. He was not allowed to be sold, and if he were ever surrendered to a shelter he would have been instantly euthanized. He was never again allowed to play with children, including my cousin who lived with him. It's not just the children who are bitten that suffer long term consequences when a dog is put into a compromising situation with children.
When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Re: Me and Kaiser. 2nd day
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