Why do some dogs bite without provocation? - Page 1

My neighbor just called me this morning to tell me that one of our other neighbor's mix breed dog has been getting loose and bit 2 kids (one of which was hers) this week on their way home from school and had 3 others pinned against a fence.  Now I wasn't there so I don't know the whole details but for a dog that is 1/2 lab and 1/2 golden retriever to bite 2 kids and pin 3 others for no real reason; that just doesn't make sense to me.  I know both the owner of the dog and the one lady whose kids got bit and I know the dog who did the biting and I am just very shocked that this dog bit someone- he's your typical lab/golden, hyper and wants to play and run-chase.

The story I got was that the kids got off the bus, the dog started following them, the dog took chase then bit the one boy but did not break skin.  The bad part is both parties are friends of mine but the biggest problem is both of these ladies involved do not like each other to begin with. lol  I saw the police here this morning outside taking a report and my neighbor said they were gonna go find the dog owner to check the shot records but if the dog was not up to date on the rabies they were gonna go pull her kid out of school to take him to the hospital to get rabies vacs.  Sounds pretty extreme to me for such a minor bite- but I guess a bite is a bite regardless of how minor or severe.  No mention of animal control making a visit to the owners house- I wonder if that's next??? 

I feel bad for the dog owner but I can't say I didn't warn her that if she didn't take proper measures to make certain he's contained the neighbor's were gonna start losing their patience.  The dog has no obedience and after seeing him drag her around on walks I gave her a choke collar and told her to start using it- if that didn't work then to put a pinch collar on him for the extra help (she's very petite/frail).  I suggested that if she can't afford to fence her yard to invest in a dog run.  Of course she didn't do any of that, so now I just feel bad for the kid that got bit.  Will they take the dog for something minor or make the owner get rid of the dog?  That would be sad for the owners kids since that is their pet....just goes to show you that the dogs that are TRAINED to bite are not the ones you necessarily have to worry about- it's the ones that AREN'T trained that seem to be doing the biting these days.

Usually there is a good reason that a dog will bite someone...particularly a kid...Usually the kids aggravate a dog...by pestering a dog while walking past their fence line...or doing something to really get to the dog...And the kids usually do this over and over again until the dog gets very upset to the point that they just want to do something...to get rid of the bothersome kids...Sorry to say this is usually taken out on the dog...the kids always proclaim innocence...

Some will because "they can". There are punk dogs that have a need to control their enviorment and until manners are put into them this is their option. The owner and the dog need to be schooled if this is the reason.

I see ALOT of dogs with my position here at the shelter,  and I can tell you this....    of all the dogs I have NEVER seen a dog bite without some sort of provacation,  Now there may be 30 different reasons for that bite,  BUT there was ALWAYS a reason !!!   That's all I can offer.

I've been here 3 years now,  and over 500 dogs a year gives me a pretty wide range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvDcZ3f_f1I

You stated that this dog likes to "play and run-chase".  To me, that's already a problem, especially if that dog has any prey drives in him/her.  I never let my children run from my dogs or play chase with them as I feel this just initiates a "play bite" that can go further. 

And as far as most laws go, don't they consider any bite that breaks the skin "serious"?  Why set your dog up for the possibility that this could happen?

The owner is at fault all the way around.  Why wasn't this dog better contained?  It sounds as though you have repeatedly offered advice to no avail.

And, why would you ever allow your dog to chase someone (especially kids) as part of it's play anyway?

Not saying the kids could not have provoked the dog but, the dog should never have been allowed to play that way in the first place.  Who knows?  Maybe the dog was excited about seeing the kids and started with what was a friendly game of chase and in his/her exhuberance, nipped the kid.  Perhaps the "bite" was in play but, was a bite nevertheless.

JMO

Also, in answer to your other question about whether animal control will take the dog?  I think it would depend on the jurisdiction and their animal bite laws.  I think most places check to see if there are any prior bites on record or have say the trainer (if there is one), vet, neighbors, etc. ascertain to the temperament of said dog beforehand.  Sort of like a "criminal record" if you will.

Sounds like it coulda been a play bite to me, the kids probably overreacted a just freaked out....i've had a lot of labs and the just love to play so much they get over excited and hurt when they don't mean to....i had one when my daughter was about 4-5, everytime she's run across the yard to maw-maws, i'd have to hold the dog...lol...sometimes id look out the window  and she would be running as fast as she could screaming her head off, cause she thought the dog was gonna bite her...but the dog was still young and it just wanted to play.....heck boss (my GSD) does that to hunter (my 7 yrold son) now, if hunter gets him worked up, and hunter runs with a toy...boss will grab the back of his pants leg, sometimes he does that just to get his attention.." hey im down here..throw that thing in you hand for me!" but he never actually 'bites' down, most adults and some kids, can tell the difference between a play bite or a real bite....but i've seen some kids scream bloody murder when all a dog wanted to do was lick them.....

Oh yeah....the dog should be fenced up, even if it was play, its still wrong for other kids and parents, that do not KNOW the dog, to have to worry.....it would be a shame for the dog to get taken just because it wanted to play, but it would still be the owners fault...

i use to have a female gsd, when i was out of town, MY G> D> family would not shut doors correctly. She would get out and heard every kid in the neighborhood into their own yard and then give them a "kiss" on the but as if to tell them stay there, then on to the next kid, no mattter if they were in a yard, it was not that kids yard. Needless to say the the parents did not find this funny, the "kisses". I was lucky, animal control, understood she was a herding breed and "shepherd's bite" was not ment as an attack. She was just a good babysitter, but she still got a bite record on her. The skin was not broke but they did get a bruise.