My Kali did bite Mrs S rather badly, because she wouldn't let him out to say hello to the postman (who is a personal friend as well). She needed 6 stitches in her leg

However, neither of us wanted him PTS, although it was considered. He got a good smacking, a rigorous telling-off and spent the rest of his day tied up outside. He has never tried anything like that again. However, if he had repeated the offence, or bitten a visitor, it might well have been a different matter.

In this case, I think he was having trouble discerning where Mrs S came in the household "ranking" (because she is the only female in the house). He is in no doubt now that she ranks well above him, and he is happy about this - he knows HIS place now and that trying to compete will only bring him grief!

I suspect that dogs have no concept of sexual equality and that all male dogs consider themselves superior to females of any species. With me having been the principal trainer, groomer, walker and feeder, Kali accepted me as "boss", but had no idea what Mrs S was supposed to be, so he treated her as a female dog! Mistake rectified!

Snorri
:smt027

you serious???
if your dog doesnt see humans especially in your family as higher archy he has a serious problem imo....i would get him evaluated by a dog behaviourist...i have no doubt in my mind he will bite again, maybe next time it will be a kid, get him evaluated straight away please

snorri where in the orkneys are you???

Perhaps I should have added that the incident described took place over 4 years ago and he is well aware of his place now. He knew he'd madr a very serious mistake immediately. No more problems

In response to "Where in the Orkneys?" - South Ronaldsay, a bit out of St. Margaret's Hope, coveniently situated to catch all the bad weather that's going

Snorri

P.S. - I have a degree in Animal Behaviour, although it is not specific to any particular species of animal. Things more like the chemical basis of memory, etc. Boring stuff for a message board!

Wow Snorri, I didn't know Border Collies were like that. It's horrible to say, but better to bite someone in the house than a stranger who could sue.

Normally, they're not - and neither is Kali, which is why we're confident about him now. Basically, he made one huge mistake and, by his standards, paid for it heavily (he doesn't know that he could have paid FAR more heavily still). His attitude to visitors and other dogs is always "Well, hello there, pal! Fancy a game of something? Or would you prefer to give me some biscuits?"

One of the things that has made him realize his place in the order of things is that Mrs S takes a much more stern and commanding attitude towards him now, whereas, beforehand, she tended to let him do what he liked - never a good idea!

You do get the occasional mad BC, just as you get the occasional mad "any other breed". I've only seen one really dangerous BC in my life, and it got PTS for attacking postmen.

Snorri

Answering only the actual question asked, about what to do if your dog visiously attacked a person for no reason then there is only one answer. Of course I would have the dog thoroughly checked by a vet to ensure there was no medical cause, but in the scenario of a healthy dog savaging a total stranger out of the blue, then there surely is nothing to debate?

Attitudes differ on working boards with dominant dogs. I agree, there's nothing to debate, but some don't see that as very wrong. Just wanted to see attitudes here

Do you think that should be no 'known' reason..I feel sure there is always a reason why a dog bites someone, either the dog is ill or has not had the advantage of a good owner or correct training. Sadly for many dogs the outcome is nearly always being PTS, their actions although not their fault usually prompt this measure to be taken. I think there is a case for reviewing each case separately

Hear hear! (as they say in Parliament!)

I think there is always a reason - it's just that, in a lot of cases, nobody knows what it is. After all, if you could understand everything a dog does, you'd be one!

Just like UFOs - of course they exist! It's an object, it's flying, and you don't know what it is, so it's an unidentified flying object. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's full of aliens!

If you know the reason for a dog attack, you can take steps to correct it in future, or at least guard against the possibility of a repeat. And if that doesn't work.........

Snorri