New Dog Attacked Us

Phew, where do I begin? I have an 8-month-old male pitbull and collie mix. I just got him a month ago and he was very good at adjusting to my home. After three days, the dog jumped up and bit me across my hand hard enough to draw a significant amount of blood when I told him to sit. I figured it was a phase, told him "no," and gave him a chew toy instead. Since then, he only nips me a little when he's playing which is normal for a young dog.

Two days ago, I took him on a puppy play date with a friend's dog. They were great together, no aggression, etc. When I brought the dog home, he went under the dining room table and was watching me cook. My husband went to go and take the dog upstairs an hour later when we were going to bed. The dog bit through part of his hand and fingernail and my husband eventually ended up having to hit the dog to get him to let go. Trying to push the dog away only resulted in deepening the injury. While people keep telling me that it's normal for a dog, it is not normal to have a dog that will jump, bite down as hard as he can, and then swing his head back and forth while pulling and growling.

I spoke with a few professionals and they are saying that perhaps the home I took the dog from was not as nice as I thought it was and he might be afraid of our hands. I've taken their advice and it's been working, but several times in the past two days my husband or I have had to grab the dog by the back of his neck or even just hold him down on the floor to get him to stop trying to bite us when he's not happy with what we want him to do.

Sorry about the long post, but I had a relative's Akita almost take out my jawbone by biting through my face. I am not looking for a matching set of bite marks on the other cheek. Is there any advice any of you have for me? I will NOT give the dog away as was recommended to me on another forum which is why I came here instead. I also don't need an abuse lecture or to be called a monster about my husband hitting the dog to get him off of his hand. Thank you!

I think you should actually hire a dog behaviorist instead of merely getting advice from one. If the dog is biting and hurting people, I think it's about that time. They will evaluate the dog and try and help you solve the problems.

I don't think your husband abused him... he was getting bitten and you react how nature tells you to. I hope a user named "Mattie" shows up to this thread, she always offers really good and practical advice.

I don't think that you should hold him down by the nape of his neck. Dogs really can't stand that and it'll only make him more irritated. Also, sometimes teaching a dog "NO" isn't the best way to go. You want to redirect bad behavior, not punish it.

I do tell my dogs "no" and "stop" but only for petty things such as jumping up and I never shout the command really loudly. If I had a biter, I'd only be using completely positive reinforcement, the last thing you want to do is tell an upset dog a sharp "NO".

Again, I'm not an expert and someone else will come and offer better advice than me. You just have to wait for it a bit!! This site is full of UK members and they are not always up and about this early

Sounds like he may of been hit in the past. It sounds like hands are the trigger. I agree with MJ grabbing his nape and holding him is possibly making him react.
I would invest in a clicker and treats while searching for a positive rewards based trainer Google clicker training. Also feed him his meals if possible by hand for a while so he learns only good things come from you.
When working with the clicker and treats and his meals reward for gentle behaviour using the word gentle or gently. If he goes to
snatch or use his teeth use the words ah ah I find this a useful command.
Any snatching or teeth on skin gets no reward so start the process again.

if i was you a would NEVER grab his scuff or hold him down again, it seems he has an issue with hands (possible abuse )
by doing these things you are confirming that your hands to bad things that he doesnt like,
if you are likly to need to gain control of him i would have him wear a short lead at all times so that instead of grabbing him you can lead him and hold him away from you if necessary,
if he is reacting to somthing you do to him, then avoid doing it or change how you do it, for example encorage him to move with calling or food, dont just move him,

When you say your husband 'went to get him' is that when the dog was under the table? Because he probably reacted not only to the hands but the threat of being taken out of somewhere he felt secure. These are the sort of things a behaviorist would be able to tell, and also teach you what to look out for re warning signs of a bite.

I think from what you are saying the problem you have needs hands on help... its to serious for anyone to give advice over the internet.

I would seek professional help with this to help you understand and manage this boy.

In the mean time a couple of things jump out, I take it the dog was under the table and your hubby tried to pull him out.........that is why he got bit, he backed the dog into a corner, and the dog reacted the only way he could, a dog will either fight or flight, if they cant flee they will defend themselves.

It sounds like a nasty attack, till you get help please don't ever put the dog in this situation again, to be honest the first part of your post sounded like a normal adolescent pup that has no bite inhibition... that can be worked on, but added to that this dog may have a history of abuse and as has been stated may have a thing about hands.......

Find other ways to get the dog to do what you want........i.e.. if he is under the table and you want him out, instead of forcing him try some food to tempt him out .. same with anything else you want, rather than force the issue, use tasty treats/toys to get results without any pressure on the dog.

good luck, but the sooner you get help the better all round.

Wow, thanks for all of the feedback! As for grabbing the dog by the neck, it really is the only thing we can do at this point that he understands. Just an hour ago he was trying to snap at me and I put my hand on the back of his collar very lightly and he sat right down and stopped what he was doing. So maybe that's just something particular to this dog that seems to be working out through trial-and-error. The only time I ever "pin" the dog is if he is actively snapping at me and I need to get his leash on so I can move him somewhere to calm down for a little bit.

As for being under the table, I realize in retrospect that's probably why the dog freaked out and bit my husband. I did buy a dog house yesterday to put the dog's bed in so that he has his own space inside the house if he needs to feel safe. Now he's been going there instead of hanging out under the table.

Any other animals I've ever had were raised by me since birth so this is definitely all new to me. Right now I'm going to follow the advice of the people I've consulted as well as you guys who were extremely helpful. I want to see how that works out. And I'm not only taking advice, I do have a friend who is a professional who comes by to help us work with the dog. It started out to help me teach him not to eat my shoes and has progressed into teaching him not to bite me for no apparent reason.

Good for you for wanting to do all you can to help your dog Its a difficult situation and like some members have said needs professional help.I don't think anyone could possible fault your husband for defending himself.
Sounds like this dog has a great chance,with the right guidance I'm sure you can work to build his trust and sort out the issues.
I wish you all the best with him,hope you let us know how you're getting on xx

As a matter of interest,how did your friend teach your dog not to eat your shoes

I put all of my shoes in the same place now every time and just taught him that the area is "my space" and if he goes there I'm not happy. I also leave a chew toy next to the pair of work boots I leave by the door and if he's in a chewing mood he grabs that instead. Has worked great so far. She said it's about removing temptation for the dog by putting them in a single location he normally doesn't go to.