Dog lovers--HELP--MY dog bit me
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Dog lovers--HELP--MY dog bit me
I have a 2 year old male mix--maltese, yorkie, and 2 parts poodle. Normally a very sweet, loving lap dog. Last night we brought home 4 month old male Jack Russell that we rescued from a bad situation. The Jack Russel has been cowering at everything, not barked or whimpered once. He just shakes and hides. When we brought the Jack Russell in, our 2 yo dog went ballistic and attacked it. We were trying to introduce them slowly and gently and all that kind of stuff. But our dog haunched its back, bared his teeth, and then lurched.
So, we have been trying to be gentle with them both, holding them away from each other so our dog can't hurt the pup, but letting them sniff, etc. Our dog just keeps bearing his teeth and growling at it. And every time he lurches, I pull him back. The puppy just cowers and shows no sign of any kind of aggression.
So a little while ago, I was trying to work with them again. Our dog did his ugly thing and snapped at me so I ordered him to his kennel. He went upstairs and went behind and wouldn't come out. I reached behind it to pull him out and he bit me hard. I have 4 holes and 2 tear marks and my hand hurts. And I am mad now.
I am trying so hard to understand and be gentle, but right now I am so mad at that dog for biting me.
But the point of this is, any suggestions to make this go better? I would love to keep the Jack Russell. He is so sweet. But I don't think I want another dog right now. (Right this second I'd like to give away our dog and keep the Jack.) We are looking for a good home for it. But how can I get our dog to settle down with the pup until that happens?
I've introduced dogs before but NEVER had a problem like this. Usually, they sniff for a little while, growl a little, figure out who alpha dog is and within a few hours, it is all okay. We've had this pup here 24 hours and our dog is so mad about this that he bit me. HELP!
And dh just doesn't understand why this hurts my feelings.
Debbie, I think you are doing everything right but it does take time. My number one question is is your first dog neutered? if not, then that will make him more aggressive.
Our dog was neutered over a year ago. The pup has not been but he's not doing anything. Just shakes and hides if he can. But like I said, he came out of a bad situation.
I would love some advice. Maybe some trick I haven't thought about.
We've been speaking gently (except for a few moments right after he bit me), offering treats to both but to the older dog first. Letting them closer and closer. Telling older dog he's a good puppy. And doing it in small doses.
When I let our dog out of his kennel after he bit me, he came out wagging his tail and lay down and rolled over exposing his belly which I petted. He knew he'd done a BAD thing and trying to show his submissiveness.
I just am upset. I have never had an animal that was so aggressive against another.
And my hand hurts. I've never been bitten by a dog much less my own. It hurt my hand and my feelings.
If it were me, I would keep them seperate completely for at least a couple of days. Then try to spend time with the new dog and then go to your dog with the smell on you. Dogs can be very sensitive. Pushing the issue can make things dangerous. I would NOT let my kids handle the new pup at all, unless you are willing to have them change clothes and wash down well.
Most dogs learn to get a long, but it can take time.
For your hand, make sure you take some pain reliever now and ice your hand.
I agree that I would back off a bit on putting them together. I would work on getting the new dog a little more comfortable and confident before trying too hard to have them get along. Do you have a gate that you can put up that they can see/smell each other through the gate, but they can't get to one another?
Per Scott, definitely crate them both. Have you had another dog in your home - that is, is this a territorial thing? Is there any chance your "own" dog thinks you are playing favorites? A gate might work, if it is high enough that neither dog could possibly jump over it or climb over it and sturdy enough to not be pushed over, but your "home" dog might spend a lot of time charging the gate and growling at the Jack Russell anyhow. Scott says it takes time, probably a lot more than 24 hours, and some dogs will just take a dislike to another specific dog and nothing can be done except to keep them separated. Our Sascha loves to play with most other dogs, but there are two that we sometimes encounter in our walks that she just hates.
And, please, do go to the doctor. Dog bites of the kind you are describing, 4 puncture holes particularly, are very prone to infection, and should be seen by a professional. I got a really bad infection in my hand once from a cat bite, and will never forget it because my hand swelled up terribly and it took almost two weeks to return to normal.
Since the intial meeting has already taken place it will be harder. I think it is a territory thing as well.
I was told by a trainer, to always introduce dogs outside(On leashes) on neutral ground. We have a foster dog(Coonhound)was being assertive/agressive to some of my new doggie customers. This is what the trainer told me.
I am not sure what to do since both are in the house already. I also second the crate thing. I hope you can get some help.
{{HUGS}} I'm sorry this is happening to you! I would be devastated if my older dog bit me, for any reason. I agree with the others in backing off on putting them together.
On a side note, I have 2 Jacks and your new one sounds so sweet and like he needs a lot of love. We'll take him. 
It sounds like you do not plan on keeping the dog. If that is the case, I would keep the dogs seperated.
Dog bites are horrible. I have had a few. Make sure you clean it out really well and use plenty of antibotic cream. I would ice it too. When I got bite on the hand, it swelled up huge. I hope you do not have that!
If you put your dog in his crate, keep a leash on him so you can use that to guide him out. The problem is that you introduced an unneuted dog into your home. Your dog sees that as a threat on his turf. I would not keep them seperate at this point, but would kennel when not home. Keep a squirt bottle handy with 80% water, 20% vinegar and squirt your little guy if he starts to get a tude. Also, never reach for your dog if he starts to growl or show his teeth with the new dog. Use the squirt bottle, or use your body and stand between him and the new dog backing your dog away with a harsh (but not yelling) voice saying "Go" or any other word you might want to use, just be consistant. I deal with this all the time introducing dogs into new homes (I run a non profit animal rescue). They will work it out. It also might be your guy is being a punk because the new guy is so submissive.
With the bite, you can use spray bactine or better yet boil some milk, have it come to room temp, soak a towel in it and then leave it on the bite for several minutes. THe lactid acid in the milk does wonders for dog bites. We did this when I worked at a Vet's office. Only use neosporin after the bite wound has scabed over. Feel free to e-mail me at dogs at my casa @ hotmail . com
From what Scott says, Shelly is right about not using topical antibiotic right away on puncture wounds. The antibiotic is in a cream or jelly base and blocks air from getting into the lower part of the puncture - not a good thing. Don't know about the milk treatment, but spray Bactine can't hurt. Do keep a close eye on the hand wounds and at any sign of swelling or redness, especially redness spreading from the immediate edges of the wounds, call your doctor immediately if you haven't already done so.
My index finger is swelling so I have a dr's appt this afternoon. And my tetanus is about 8 years old. So gotta do that. I washed it immediately yesterday with antibacterial soap and water, then peroxided it. Let it air dry until late last night then put the neosporin on it. I did take some tylenol. Forgot to ice it.
Dogs--funny when I let my dog out of his kennel after he bit me, he came out wagging his tail, lay down on the floor with his belly up doing the submissive thing. I took him outside. He came in with dh and neither of us realized that the 2 dogs were in the same place. I walked into the room to discover both dogs in the middle of the room standing straight up, tails wagging a little and sniffing each other. They both kept circling and sniffing. I watched. Finally, my dog snarled a little and the pup headed to hide behind the couch but he came back out pretty quickly. Same scenario a couple of more times then I had had enough and put them both in kennels.
Sounds like your doing a great job with the new guy! I don't know what state you live in but here in Ca. if you go to the Dr.'s with a dog bite wound, the city comes out and quarenteens (SP?) the dog in your home for 10 days. THey just put signs on your house, and your dog can not leave the house.
They can quarantine my dog if they want. He's had all of his shots, well taken care of, and we have an invisible fence and he never leaves the yard.
He was just mad about the pup and when he went behind his kennel, he was caught in a corner and came out fighting (or biting I guess). I understand but it made me mad and hurt my feelings nonetheless. He held on for a few seconds and really sunk his teeth in.
BTW, I appreciate all of the advice. That is what I really needed. Some of it we had already done. Like we did introduce them outside in the back yard on leashes. Some of it is stuff I hadn't thought of and will use like the vinegar/water spray. But since our dog got into trouble for biting me and the pup has begun to feel less nervous and holding his own some, our dog seems less aggressive to it. And when I first caught them together by accident without leashes, they were doing better. And when I put the leash on the pup to take it outside, my dog starts growling at it. So now I'm letting them have small doses of each other off leash with spray bottle in hand. And then I'll put one in the kennel, give it a treat, and let the other sniff safely. And then change out. Then they both go in their own kennels for awhile.
I hate to go thru all of this just to give the Jack away. I think dd is hoping that nobody will want him. I never thought I'd like a Jack Russell, but he is so sweet.
I got a tetanus shot and antibiotics for the dog bite. My index finger is still a little swollen but better. Then the doc noticed the swelling on my forehead where I was stung by a red wasp on Saturday and starting checking around my head and found 2 swollen lymph nodes from that so she gave me a steroid shot. I didn't bargain for 2 shots. My arm and my rear both are sore this morning. URGH!
The Jack is not full blooded per the vet. But he is in pretty good shape overall. He's not cowering so much any more. But he still seems scared although he has started standing up to our dog. And as long as neither dog is on a leash, my dog doesn't bully the pup so much. He'll run at him and bark once just to make the pup run behind the couch but he isn't snarling or baring his teeth. And the pup comes right back out wagging his tail. It's almost funny to watch. This scene takes place over and over. I won't leave them alone uncrated for a long time though. Don't trust my dog that much. Haven't had any calls about the pup yet. DD is praying that he just gets to live with us. Dh and I both just about caved in when we heard her saying that. It wouldn't take much for us to just keep him.
Sounds like it's a good thing that you went to the doctor! It sounds like they are starting to get along a little better, too.
My friend's dog bit me pretty badly a couple of years ago. Louisiana has one of those laws about quarantining the dog. I had to go to the ER, and in Louisiana, anytime anyone goes to the ER with an animal bite, the police are called and a report is made and animal control is immediately contacted, and the dog is quarantined away from the home UNLESS the *victim* signs a waiver/release so that the owner can keep their dog at home. I did sign one, it was purely an accident.
However, this particular dog has since bitten several other people, though none as serious as the bite I had, and none went to the hospital or doctor for it, and my friend has since discovered that her dog has lost most of its hearing, and apparently startles easily when approached.
But IMO, this particular dog (cocker spaniel) is a psycho animal. LOL If my friend has a party or gathering at her house, she has to either board her dog or crate it in the garage because it barks constantly and just plain doesn't like most people.
My sister tried to separate her 2 dogs last year when they got into it, and she got bitten (for the 2nd time, same 2 dogs and she should know better, she rescues dogs). She lives in FL, and the same rules/laws apply. She jokes that now her dogs have a police record. :-)
Keep a watch on your bite. I got a tetanus shot, the wound was cleaned very good at the hospital, I was on oral antibiotics and the bite still got infected. It took a while for mine to heal and I have a nasty scar on the finger that was bitten.
Thanks everybody for all of the kind words, concern, and helpful advice. My dog is settling down. The pup is settling in. And I have a very sweet friend at work that wants a pet and saw a pic of the pup and thinks he is so cute. She, her dh and family are going to discuss it. So maybe a good home is upcoming for him.
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