Author Topic: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!  (Read 6220 times)

Offline amberdoggoneit

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Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« on: August 18, 2008, 08:10:59 pm »
I dont know what to do!!!   :'( :'(  We had let the dogs out for thier evening playtime and it started to rain. 

Hubby went to let them in from the covered porch.  He always picks them up and carries them to our laundry room where we dry them off.  He went to go pick up Baxter and he turned around and bit him on his hand.  He drew blood!!! 

Hubby said that we will give him one more chance but if he ever does that again we are putting him down.  He said that we cant have an unpredictable dog around a newborn and I do completely agree with that but I dont know what to do. 

Does anyone have any suggestions?  We do not have any dog behaviorists around us for 3 hours.  We had to call about a friends dog and found that out. 
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Bell 3 1/2 yr old Weimeraner
Baxter 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel
Buble 10 month old English Springer Spaniel

Offline VdogLover

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2008, 08:47:59 pm »
First, breathe.

Did you ask you husband to retell you the story? Did he go to grab Baxter from behind? was it completely dark out? Is Baxter injured? Sore? Did Baxter snap and immediately let go? Did he growl? Hold on?

You've had Baxter for 2 years, is that correct? Has he EVER bit before? If not, I would not say that he is an unpredictable dog at all. Try and get your husband to tell you exactly what happened.

I am sorry that your husband got bit. Accidents do happen. I'm not saying that what Baxter did was right or wrong or anything. Just think before you guys decide anything.

Modified to add that I wanted to remind you, dogs don't have hands to smack someone's hand away. They use their mouths for almost everything and for most communication.

On top of this maybe the dog is also feeling some stress over having a newborn in the home. Change of normal activities, schedule, crying, adults stressed and running on no sleep, etc......can all stress a dog out just as it does a human. When stressed many dogs are more likely to bite.

Offline sc.trojans

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2008, 10:31:56 pm »


I agree with advice given so far....more than one more chance is warranted here.  Dogs do not suddenly bite without a history of such for no reason - so I would encourage you to find out the reason:  medical? Stress?  Husband's unpredictable approach?  Depending on how your husband went at him and what the circumstances were surrounding it, you may be able to deduce the cause fairly readily on your own.

Good luck

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Offline vmimom2006

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2008, 07:04:08 am »
I agree with everything that has been said so far. Also remember your husband when he handles Baxter from now on also can't go at him like he is "expecting to get bit" this might bring on another one. Like Cesar says "calm". He really doesn't sound like an unpredicatable dog. He is probably feeling stressed and maybe wondering what his place is with the family now that there is a baby. Good luck to you guys and I hope things go better for you.
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Offline Scootergirl

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2008, 07:41:18 am »
I'm gonna back up everything everyone has said and I have one more question.

Why does your husband carry big dogs to the laundry room? Why don't you dry them off in the porch. Dogs, inherently, aren't used to being carried in the wild (unless they are puppies). Maybe treating them like dogs would make them more comfortable in an ambiguous situation as well (and I realize that sentence could be interpreted with a "holier-than-thou" tone, but it was not written that way so please don't take offense).
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between dog and man." -- Mark Twain

Icerotti

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2008, 08:23:10 am »
Perhaps Baxter was taken off guard and thought your husband was one of the other dogs "going" after him. I have had that happen with ours when they were all in close proximity to one another-especially after they have been play fighting. I have gone to reach for one of them, only to have them turn quickly to defend themselves before they realized it was me and not one of the other dogs.

One of ours bite once when they were surprised and eating out of a food bag. They have never ever did it again. That was my first reaction was PTS or new home. After everything calmed down. We accesed the situation in a new light and realized it was human error and a natural reaction from the dog. 

jesday

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2008, 09:46:54 am »
In addition to what everyone else said, could your husband's comments have been reactionary? On top of the surprise to him, it had to be painful. Did he calm down at all later? Perhaps when pups are settled somewhere and baby is asleep you could bring him his favorite beverage, sit on his lap and inquire about his hand. Acknowledge his concerns and lead into a discussion about Baxter. "I wonder what's going on with Baxter? He's never done that before. Perhaps he .....(all of the suggestions). Don't even bring up what he said about "one more chance", just move on to solving the mystery.

Hubbys need a little behavioring as well. ;)







Offline amberdoggoneit

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2008, 10:17:58 am »
Thank you everyone for advice.  I very much appreciate it. 

After posting last night hubby and I had a long talk.  We came to the conclusion that probably Baxter thought my husband was Buble who loves to jump up on Baxter's back.
Baxter will sometimes growl at Buble when he does this.

Not that it was okay for Baxter to have bitten hubby.  We also took him into the vet this morning to make sure that he isnt sick or hurt.  We are waiting to pick him up after they evaluate him. 
Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0
Bell 3 1/2 yr old Weimeraner
Baxter 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel
Buble 10 month old English Springer Spaniel

Icerotti

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2008, 10:45:15 am »
Hope Baxter checks out fine. Keep us updated. It can get very chaotic in a multi dog house and accidents do happen. Rosie has grabbed my hand before thinking it was Farley jumping on her or something  ::)
« Last Edit: August 19, 2008, 10:47:26 am by Icerotti »

Offline amberdoggoneit

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2008, 10:58:05 am »
Well the vet just called.  Baxter is fine.  They gave him  a very good exam and made sure he wasnt hurt.  They also took blood to make sure he wasnt sick without showing any symptoms.  He is fine. 

So that just makes me think that it was an accident. 
Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0
Bell 3 1/2 yr old Weimeraner
Baxter 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel
Buble 10 month old English Springer Spaniel

Offline amberdoggoneit

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2008, 02:31:38 pm »
Just wanted to let everyone know that Baxter is back home from th vet. 

I am wondering how my Husband is going to be with him when he returns home from work?!?
Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0
Bell 3 1/2 yr old Weimeraner
Baxter 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel
Buble 10 month old English Springer Spaniel

Offline aggghgmom

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2008, 04:22:16 pm »
We had a very similar situation with our Springer "Stoli".

She nipped at my son who was about 2 - My son had crawled under the crib where Stoli was sleeping and tried to pull him out (I'm assuming) by his ear.  Well stoli gave a warning shot which scared my son to death but did no damage. 

About two months later we had to go out and stoli wouldn't go in her crate to hubby put his hand under the bed and Stoli bit him.  He was LIVID he was ready to get rid of her have her put down it was a very bad time in our lives as I feel that when I sign on to be a pet mom I need to do everything possible to keep that pet. 

I think from my husbands reaction Stoli knew she had done something wrong and she never did it again - BUT my husband had a hard time getting back to loving and caring for her the way he did before the incident it took a while - like maybe a year.

I am so sorry for what you are going thru I have been there and I know how awful it is to have the everyday stresses and then the added stress of thinking your hubby is going to make you get rid of a beloved pet.

I can't add any advise above what the very bright people on the board have already told you.  But make sure you don't allow yourself to be talked into anything or you will resent the person who made you make a decision that your felt was questionable.

FYI Stoli never did bite anyone again but we were definately more attuned to her moods and body language, she lived with us until she passed at 12 1/2.  My husband must have forgiven her because after she passed we bought a brick at our local SPCA that said "Stoli" 12 Unforgetable years.

Randy

Offline maxsmom

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #12 on: August 19, 2008, 06:38:32 pm »
I agree with all the advice you have gotten.  We had 2 springers, that we raised from puppies.  ChiChi was 14.5 when I put her down, due to degenerative spine and Hamlet was 13.5 when he died suddently from pancreatic cancer.  Over the course of their lives, I was never bitten by Hamlet, but was by ChiChi 3 different times.  Once was when I had gotten up to let them out in the middle of the night and walking back to bed, in the dark, after giving them each a biscuit, she bit me in the knee.  I screamed, she dropped to the floor.  She had apparently mistaken me brushing against her, for Hamlet.  I had puncture wounds in my knee, front and back.  It hurt like the devil.  She bit me once when I was brushing her and apparently hit a bad matt, that I couldn't see and didn't know was there.  She bit me once at the vets, when they gave her a shot.  Her canine went through my thumbnail and the end of my thumb.  Luckily, other than losing the nail, it healed fine. Both of my dogs were wonderful dogs and fantastic with both my children growing up and my grandchildren.  They would lay on a blanket on the floor, with my grandson between them.  They were very patient, with little fingers poking, pulling ears and tongues, etc.  After ChiChi got older, I never let the babies crawl around near her, due to her orthopedic issues and the pain she was sometimes in, but other than that, I trusted her with them completely. They are wonderful, protective dogs, that I think are great family dogs.  I sincerely hope you and your husband are able to come to terms with what has happened and see that this was an isolated incident.  Accidents happen and dogs make mistakes, just like we do.  A few incidents of this nature, do not make a bad or unpredictable dog. Unfortunately, most of us tend to forget, from time to time, that as much as we love and pamper our dogs, they are still animals and do not react like human beings do.  They do not think as we do, nor do they react in the same way.  We have a hard time getting into their heads and understanding what they are thinking and why they sometimes react in the ways they do.  The one thing I have learned from my dogs is that they do not hold grudges against each other or me and I have to work at not holding things against them.  Mine can be growling and snarling at me one minute and licking my hand the next.  Everything has to be taken into context and studied from their point of view.  Good luck.
Kathy
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Jake  2 Great Pyrenees
Cody   3 Tibetan Mastiff
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Offline BostonsDad

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2008, 09:51:53 pm »
When I was a kid, my Golden Retriever bit everyone in my family but me. We eventually gave him back to the breeder (who subsequently put him down) after he attacked my mom when she tried to take a stick from him. Nearly 100 stitches in her hand.

He had a tumor causing extreme aggression.

Boston bit me once. On the hand. I said ow, like 10 times. I even got a tear. That was mostly because he then stepped on my groin. I was playing tug and as he adjusted his grip, he caught my thumb/forefinger web.

He also bit me another time. I surprised him from behind while he was panting. He turned around with his mouth open (from panting) and his tooth scratched me. Then he stepped on my groin.

Point is, dogs don't work like us, and they've got big freakin' teeth that they don't always realize hurt us more than it does their canine counterparts. As someone else already posted, think back carefully to all the things going on when the biting happened. And if your husband didn't get his groin stepped on, tell him to stop his whining.

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Offline amberdoggoneit

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Re: Baxter bit my husband!!!!!!!
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2008, 09:58:49 am »
hahah I will make sure to tell him to stop whining!!!
Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker" border="0
Bell 3 1/2 yr old Weimeraner
Baxter 3 yr old English Springer Spaniel
Buble 10 month old English Springer Spaniel