Have you ever had a bad experience where children/dogs/your dog are concerned?

At Stig's suggestion, I have started a new thread on the kids/dogs question.

I fostered a Staffy who would attack me constantly. Lots of bite marks all over my arms and legs. I would never leave that dog alone with anyone, really.

But what about a dog that has been really good and gentle all his life?

Yes but not with my staff, my ambull Chance i've had bad experiences with.

He's a rescue and is human aggressive. He will attack anyone who comes into the house or come to the gate at the garden. The problem in the house has been corrected with a routine but the garden he bascially sees red.

Long story short i've been badly bitten by Chance when some kids were tormenting him and he went to attack them, baring in mind this was in MY garden. So yes i got in the way and he bit me with intent.

So yes i've had bad experiences with him

Never with Logan but yes with dogs in the past.

There were guard dogs in my family when I was young and one went for my brother when he was a toddler, as my cousins were messing around with a laser pen and pointed it on my brother which spooked the dog.

I have never personally owned a human aggressive dog but have had a very dog aggressive dog before.

I got bit once by our old BCX when I was a little drunk and decided it was a great idea to pick him up for a cuddle and he split my nose. Poor little bugger was petrified he'd done something wrong after so spent the rest of the night sat on the bed with him making a fuss to reassure him we were still best pals

Apparently when i was little our jack russell bit me (only a nip I think) I can't remember it anyway so can't have been bad!!

Daisy is very full on when she meets people, jumping up etc which I'm trying to deal with but because of this I keep her away from children when out and about. My friend has two girls and they have two dogs so they're used to them and when they've been round Daisy plays with them nicely, supervised of course

I've never been bitten by one of my own dogs, but I was bitten on my face when I was about 4 years old by our old next door neighbours dog (a black Labrador) who was usually very placid. I still have the scar on my face now from that.

I would never leave any dog alone with children.

I've been bitten with intent twice, both times by my own dog, and both times my own fault!!!

What would you class as a child?? I have a 14yr old daughter and have no worries leaving her alone with Alfie. Although saying that, of all the dogs I have owned Alfie is the most loving, laid back and tollerant people person I have met. I honestly believe if I were burgled Alfie would hold the door open while they carried out the TV!!

I trust my dogs 99% but that 1% for me is to much to leave them with a child alone. they get very playfull and know just what I can take but that may be way to much for a kiddie. even on walks i dont like children approaching unless they ask as laska is bouncy and playfull and could quite easily kock a small child over by mistake, shes a child herself and will go bounding up for some fuss. sad thing is that if the child falls over and is hurt it goes down on the dog attack statistics....
personally only time ive been bitten with intent was a by a JRT just inches from me wedding tackle, and that was my fault through and through.

Caryll wrote:I've been bitten with intent twice, both times by my own dog, and both times my own fault!!!

Please elaborate?

I've never been bitten other than in play although I've had broken bones and a few nasty cuts. We've never left Suki alone with a child but she is always extra gentle when she is around them.

I was hospitalised by a big bully male Staff i rescued when i was in my 20,s He had been mistreated and was aggressive to people, especially males. I was in experienced and did not understand his needs and fears nor was i mature enough to handle and control this dog. He tried to get out one day as i was leaving the house and i grabbed hold of him, he turned sunk his teeth into my inner thigh then grabbed my arm , pulled me to the floor and dragged and shook me like a doll, the more i tried to fight him off the more he hung on. After the shaking stopped he still would not let go so we had to choke him (bar through collar and twist).
I had 22 puncture wounds up and down my forearm and could not open my hand for 3 or 4 weeks.
This all happened because i did not have the experience of know how to deal with a previously abused dog.
We found a new home for him out in the country with people who knew what they were doing.
A very powerful animal that needs a lot of respect.
Since then (30 years ago)i have had 4 more staffies and learnt more and more about the breed with each one of them.

Tony: respect to you. That kind of experience would have probably turned most people into Staffy/dog-haters for life.

What exactly do you think triggered the attack? And where did you get the dog? Was there any indication he was aggressive before this incident? Would you be able to predict that kind of behaviour if you came across the same sort of dog now?

The staffy bitch I was looking after for a few weeks would start biting me in the park, usually. I would be practising her recall and do that thing of hiding behind a tree so that they come and look for you but when she found me (perhaps through anxiety?) she started biting me. When I yelped, as they say you should do in some dog training books, she just got more excited and was sort of working herself up into something. I had puncture wounds on my arms and legs and one even on my breast. I couldn't trust her at all but I also felt really guilty because I felt I should be able to flick a switch and make her stop. She was only nine months, I don't know much about her background except she lived with a guy who was negligent. She would also "play fight" with other dogs and just not stop for a breather like most dogs do (or mine does, anyway). It was a constant series of escalations. She was also quite bitey when I gave her a treat, she had no mouth inhibition at all.

Thankfully Rupert was forced on me shortly after and all my Staffy prejudices disappeared. I wouldn't leave him alone with a child of any age just because he is so strong. He is quite bouncy so could probably knock a small child down but is very docile and really likes kids riding on his back for example. Still.... I think a lot about that woman whose dogs killed the 15 year old. Or else the owners of the JRT who killed their baby. If that happened to me I would expect to go to prison, really. I am so heavily aware of the responsibility of having a dog. Also, I love Rupert so much I never ever want him to get into trouble.

I suppose one thing I am interested in finding out everyone's opinion about is - do dogs really "turn". Does a dog that has been docile all his life suddenly turn (except for medical reasons?).

Also - about the JRT. Why would he have done that to the baby? Was it jealousy do you think or was it more a case of seeing an interesting wriggly, small, noisy thing within reach...?

Poor parents.

I had a bad experience with Floyd just yesterday. We go to a lovely park every morning and often see the same dogs and Floyd plays with the ones I trust. Yesterday a game of 'chase me' with a stick turned into a fight between Floyd and a gsd, when Floyd went to get the stick, it escalated quickly and the gsd attacked. The dogs were separated within a minute but not before floyd had the gsd by the leg and was shaking it like a rag doll whereas the gsd bit Floyd's head and we're lucky he isn't blind. Horrid to witness. I truly believe it was self defence on Floyd's part but from now on I'm not sure if I can 100% trust him in games with sticks/balls and other dogs due to his thieving. Resource guarding escalates to possesive-aggression very quickly.

Pink.Floyd: I suppose it's much better to know this about your dog than be surprised by it at a later date in a trickier situation.

I want to know all my dog's bad points so that I always know what I'm dealing with and what we have to work on.

How did you separate them in the end?

The gsd's owner held her dog by the scruff while I choked Floyd using his collar...he let go quickly thankfully but I was bitten by the gsd in the process. The gsd had an obvious 'bite, release, bite, release' style on Floyd while he just got a good hold and shook. I just got caught by the gsd's back teeth on my wrist, a canine puncture could have done a lot more damage.

We know Floyd's a thief and we're working hard on his 'drop' for when he does nick stuff but it's a different matter entirely when possessive aggressive dogs are around. Floyd is a rescue so we don't know what happened to him for the 1st year of his life, what I know now is that he will fight if a dog is aggressive towards him and I don't doubt he would have won against the gsd. Scary thought when he's currently cuddled up on me on the sofa.

This is one of the main reasons we have him insured, he will fight back if attacked and could easily maim or kill another dog. Last thing in the world I want to happen but you have to be realistic.

personally, i was bitten by a neighbours border collie when i was ten. i knew the dog, owned by an elderly neighbour, everyone got on, the dog was really friendly and placid. on the day i was bitten, i went to pet him (Rex), and altho the details are fuzzy i think i may have spooked him by approaching from behind. he was well into advanced years, and as soon as i touched his back he spun round, and sunk into my right upper arm, and wouldnt let go, it took the owner to grab his collar and belt him with a walking stick before Rex let go. i didnt think ill of the dog then, and nobody held anyone to blame. without even speaking to my mum and dad about it (they had know each other for 15 years or so at that point) the neighbour made the decision that it wasnt worth the risk of Rex doing any real damage to anyone, and i was gutted when i found out he'd been PTS. i still have the eight scars on my arm (but my most impressive animal scar is the rabbit bite...)

other than that, i think i've posted about the staffy attack on my ex's mums face, with me sat in the room.

Asa-james: yes I remember reading that post. It's one of those things that sound so horrific that you probably thought you were hallucinating when it happened. I am just trying to imagine what people actually do to these dogs by the time they end up in rescue, and why. I know some people brutalise their dogs because they want them to fight and be aggressive but I would have thought they're perhaps in the minority considering how many thousands of dogs are abandoned. What actually turns a dog into something so unpredictable and dangerous? Anyway, I'm sorry that happened.

Pink_FLoyd: I hadn't actually thought about insurance from that perspective, it's a very good point. What did you and GSD owners say to each other after it had happened?

I know what you mean about how weird it is to think of these things when they are sitting cuddling next to you. My dog lounges around the flat like a contented beached seal. He's a completely different animal outside. He reminds me sometimes of not just one but a whole herd of cantering wildebeest.