# Dog Attack: Good Reaction or Bad?



## Dave Immure (Oct 15, 2008)

I was walking my dog tonight on leash in this snow storm we are having, and all of a sudden a white poodle came out of nowhere and bit my 5 month old GSD. I literally only had time to step between the dogs and yell but the poodle lunged at my GSD and bit his back leg. My gsd yelped. As soon as the poodle latched on I grabbed it by the jaw and forced open its mouth. We're talking real small dog here and then I picked the dog up and held it by the neck until the owner got there. My GSD didn't do anything "aggresive" when I pulled the other dog off him and into the air he just looked at me and him and wagged his tail like he wanted to play. When the owner showed up I told him to get control of his f'n dog (sorry for the language). As soon as the owner walked off I dropped his ball and started playing with him, then took him home and gave him a big meaty lamb bone. My goal was if he was effected by it to get his mind off of it as fast as possible. He has no puncture wounds or anything. No blood. He is acting like nothing happened. Was this a good reaction or a bad reaction? My concern is aggression of course. Considering he was wagging his tail when I pulled him off isnt that a good sign? Can dogs withstand mild attacks (no wounds, pain after the fact) like that and not develop dog on dog agression? What should be my next course of action? I'm so pissed right now haha. Although I'm glad my dog is alright.


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## David Scholes (Jul 12, 2008)

Que sera sera. 

Doesn't sound like he took it too serious or at least figured you saved him. May just looked at it as rough play. I wouldn't worry. But I wouldn't let it happen again. Next time it would be GOOOAAAAL. Then you could play a little tug with a toy :twisted:.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I agree with David, considering your pup was bit, it sounds like you reacted right, you didn't panic and act scared yourself, and pups take their cues from us. It sounds like your pup did not suffer any ill effects, but if it happens again, drop kick the little POS. I also think having a high value toy like a tug or ball in your pocket is a real good idea too.


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## David Scholes (Jul 12, 2008)

susan tuck said:


> I agree with David, considering your pup was bit, it sounds like you reacted right, you didn't panic and act scared yourself, and pups take their cues from us. It sounds like your pup did not suffer any ill effects, but if it happens again, drop kick the little POS. I also think having a high value toy like a tug or ball in your pocket is a real good idea too.


and if you don't have the toy with you, you can improvise with the "toy" poodle :lol:. 

Seriously though, I try to make any negative or scary event turn into positive and fun so they eventually want to work through any fear because they know a reward will come. The results are most evident when training a prey animal such as a horse with clicker, work through the fear and a reward is coming.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Dave Immure said:


> I was walking my dog tonight on leash in this snow storm we are having, and all of a sudden a white poodle came out of nowhere and bit my 5 month old GSD. I literally only had time to step between the dogs and yell but the poodle lunged at my GSD and bit his back leg. My gsd yelped. As soon as the poodle latched on I grabbed it by the jaw and forced open its mouth. We're talking real small dog here and then I picked the dog up and held it by the neck until the owner got there. My GSD didn't do anything "aggresive" when I pulled the other dog off him and into the air he just looked at me and him and wagged his tail like he wanted to play. When the owner showed up I told him to get control of his f'n dog (sorry for the language). As soon as the owner walked off I dropped his ball and started playing with him, then took him home and gave him a big meaty lamb bone. My goal was if he was effected by it to get his mind off of it as fast as possible. He has no puncture wounds or anything. No blood. He is acting like nothing happened. Was this a good reaction or a bad reaction? My concern is aggression of course. Considering he was wagging his tail when I pulled him off isnt that a good sign? Can dogs withstand mild attacks (no wounds, pain after the fact) like that and not develop dog on dog agression? What should be my next course of action? I'm so pissed right now haha. Although I'm glad my dog is alright.


Sounds fine, but you won't truly know until later. I think the most important aspect of this is your dog believes you will protect him. When that trust is gone, that is when problems develop.


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## R Janssen (Jul 25, 2008)

Agree with the other posts above, this is a situation you shoud prevent at all costs with a puppy.
Its not the pain/wounds that you need to be concern'd about, its the mental shock.
But it sounds like he experienced it as "rough play" so he shoud be ok, 
just keep a eye on him when there are other dogs around, and if he still reacts the same way to them as before the incident. 

Next time try to pick up the puppy, and when there is not enough time just kick the other dog, so he gets the message, and he can't even come close to your puppy.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I try to make sure that my pups don't get bitten but on the other hand, I think it stays in our mind whilst the pup doesn't make a big deal out of it. One of my pups was bitten at 6 months whilst tied to a fence at the club. The dog just made a beeline for him. He became one of the least aggressive dogs I've had. I don't honestly think you can combine being bitten with becoming aggressive.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

rene_limburg said:


> Agree with the other posts above, this is a situation you shoud prevent at all costs with a puppy.
> Its not the pain/wounds that you need to be concern'd about, its the mental shock.
> But it sounds like he experienced it as "rough play" so he shoud be ok,
> just keep a eye on him when there are other dogs around, and if he still reacts the same way to them as before the incident.
> ...



easy to say but hard to do. The near same thing happened to my POS rottie except my rottie is missing a chunk of flesh from her shoulder. It happens so fast and I think all of us with the exception of Jeff mrgreen are not so willing to kick a dog.


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

I had a simular happening last night. I took my two Boston pups out and the dog next door Schauser(?) charged them. They saw it coming and met him in the middle of the yard. Both of them barking and nipping at him. Scared him and he was afraid to move. I grabbed the pups up and he ran home quick.

This too will tend to make them dog aggressive which I don't want. Things happen so quick that there isn't time to do much.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I see this as a pack behaviour. We used to do puppy classes (not those that bring in the money today) and I always separated the ones who came with litter sisters/brothers.

I can't honestly see however that "good" dogs will be marred for life, i.e. become aggressive. It's more what WE see not what they experience in my (less than) humble experience.


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## Dave Immure (Oct 15, 2008)

Update: I was walking my boy this morning and he saw two other dogs. He barked which is usual for him but it was his normal I want to play bark. Tail wagging. I'll keep an eye out for the future. For the record I love dogs, but any dog or human for that matter that attacks my dog I will consider a personal attack on my family. I have no problem attacking either if need be. Dog or not.


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Dave, why should your dog bark when he's with you on lead or not? It's not the barking at other dogs that bothers me, but that when he is with me, he has to remain absolutely neutral, no pulling on lead, no barking, etc. and when Goofy himself walks by - I see this as disrespect for the handler.


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## R Janssen (Jul 25, 2008)

@Dave and Chris, Maby i'm a little classic in my approach to this kind of situations, 
But those things can have a severe impact on a puppy, and can give you a lot of problems on the trainings field on a later age...


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

It sounds like the pup had a neutral reaction to the event. I wouldn't make to much out of it as far as making him dog aggressive. I think many encounters like this make the dog "selectively" breed aggressive depending on the dog but in this instance it doesn't seemed to have phased the pup. I have had calls from people with my pups where an older dog waylayed them pretty good. Once the older dog was subdued, the pup just sat back and stared at the dog with no emotion. People wondered about the reaction which was no fear, no anything. I explain to them that that reaction is ok, but, the offending dog is on borrowed time and the pup "will" even the score at a later date even if it is getting the other dog to submit. After the score is evened, the dog will be fine. Here with numerous dogs, I know to keep a closer than normal eye on the two involved simply because no male will accept defeat. If they react like the pup in this scenario, I don't worry about it. 
I think the reaction in this case is probably the best one.


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