# My dog has just bitten someone



## linds2605

Hi i have a 2 year old Patterdale Terrier, he has always been very excitable but is well trained. Had him out tonight for a walk, and the guy who lives down the street walked past, he showed no signs of aggresion as he walked towards us but as he walked past the dog grabbed his leg and as he tried to get him off drew blood on his finger. I am gutted, the dog knows he has done wrong as since we have got back he has laid in is bed and not moved, giving me big sad eyes.

Not sure what to do from here. Help please.


----------



## PennyGC

It's extremely unlikely that your dog 'knows he's done wrong' merely that you are cross, he may not know what for... depending on what happened.

Depending on the person he bit will depend on what my happen - you may be prosecuted under the DDA or or you may be given advise under other acts and you will have to ensure your dog is properly under control, which may well mean wearing a muzzle whilst out and being kept on a lead..... should the courts decide your dog could be pts and you could be sent to prison, although this is unlikely as you didn't set your dog on anyone and it was an 'accident', but you must consider the possibilities. Should the police contact you about this I would advise you to get some decent legal representation.

You need to establish why your dog did this - or you will have to muzzle him even if no prosecution is forthcoming. Training can overcome or at least avoid some problems but it is important to work out why....

Some more details would be needed, but if you can find a decent behaviourist it may be a good idea - particularly as it could avoid future problems and count towards you in any court case.


----------



## smokeybear

linds2605 said:


> Hi i have a 2 year old Patterdale Terrier, he has always been very excitable but is well trained. Had him out tonight for a walk, and the guy who lives down the street walked past, he showed no signs of aggresion as he walked towards us but as he walked past the dog grabbed his leg and as he tried to get him off drew blood on his finger. I am gutted, the dog knows he has done wrong as since we have got back he has laid in is bed and not moved, giving me big sad eyes.
> 
> Not sure what to do from here. Help please.


1 Dogs do not do right and wrong, they are amoral.
2 Ensure that this cannot recur 
3 Invest in a muzzle preferably a basket one such as the Baskerville Ultra
4 Introduce the muzzle correctly so that the dog does not associate it with bad things
5 Go to see vet in to rule out any underlying medical condition
6 Obtain vet referral to reputable behaviourist (they will not see you without one) who will usually, not always, belong to one or more of the relevant professional bodies eg

APBC
CAPBT
UKRCB

7 Do all this whilst waiting to see if the man makes a complaint to the police.

Teaching A Dog To Wear A Muzzle (Muzzle Training) - YouTube

BASKERVILLE ULTRA MUZZLE | Company of Animals

8 Consult Trevor Cooper who specialises in this area of the law

Doglaw - SPECIALIST ADVICE ON DOG LAW


----------



## newfiesmum

linds2605 said:


> Hi i have a 2 year old Patterdale Terrier, he has always been very excitable but is well trained. Had him out tonight for a walk, and the guy who lives down the street walked past, he showed no signs of aggresion as he walked towards us but as he walked past the dog grabbed his leg and as he tried to get him off drew blood on his finger. I am gutted, the dog knows he has done wrong as since we have got back he has laid in is bed and not moved, giving me big sad eyes.
> 
> Not sure what to do from here. Help please.


What to do will be entirely up to the person he bit, I would have thought. I would certainly be going round and apologising profusely, even taking him chocolates if that is what is needed. But will he make a complaint to the police? That is something you need to find out as soon as possible.

I agree that your dog does not know what he has done, only that the atmosphere is not as it should be.


----------



## goodvic2

You've been given good advice. But just to add pls don't punish your dog he has forgotten about it


----------



## Owned By A Yellow Lab

I just want to echo what has been said already. I would urge you to get your dog checked out by your vet, just in case there is an underlying physiological problem. You also need a referral to an experienced behaviourist.

Meanwhile, you absolutely must muzzle your dog.

As has been suggested, I would definitely be contacting the man who was bitten and apologising profusely, also telling him the measures you are taking to ensure this never happens again to anyone else.

Your dog is no doubt picking up on your tension and distress. If he's never shown aggression before then there may be a 'reason' why he nipped/bit this specific man. Hopefully a good behaviourist/dog trainer can help you get to the bottom of this.

Best of luck with it


----------



## Malmum

Well it can't be hard to stop a Patterdale from approaching anyone in the future and now you know it may bite out of the blue you must always ensure he doesn't get close to anyone. It's a small enough dog to gain complete control of so I don't think a muzzle is necessary unless the guy takes it further and you are advised he must wear one. 
It does very much depend on the guy as to what will happen, one of my children had her ear caught by an EBT as we walked past it some years ago. It was being playful and the owner was extremely apologetic, brought a teddy bear and chocolates round and called a week later to see if she was alright. I didn't take it further as I had dogs and knew this was an accident but other people are not always so understanding. You should pop round to him and ask if his finger is okay, healing well etc. because by doing nothing you may look like you don't care. If he's going to take it further this may make him change his mind if he see's you as genuinely upset and concerned abut his welfare. You could even throw the ball in his court and ask if he wants you to muzzle your dog, chances are if he thinks you care he'll say no which will put you in the clear but if you don't want to muzzle your boy you really must always have him under control - always!


----------



## smokeybear

Be very careful about speaking to the person if you are insured, as in any insurance issue you must never admit liability. Thus I would strongly counsel you NOT to get into conversations with him about whether or not he wants you to put a muzzle on your dog etc!

This is not HIS call to make!

You MUST inform the insurance company about this incident if you are insured as failure to do so may invalidate your policy. Most insurance companies now have a caveat to this effect in their terms and conditions.


----------



## Tees

Hi like you we have a Patterdale X who at the age of 1 was attacked and from that time on cannot tolerate other dogs...he generally wants to attack every dog! we have a 3yr old retriever too, who is soooo socialable but have to walk them seperately! it has got worse and he has jumped fences and gates to get at passing dogs...(one fight ended up with other dogs owner being bit and myself, seperating them) he went to puppy training, we are on our second lot of behaviouists....and to be honest I don't see a massive improvement...He's been checked by the vets too. I know time and patience is essential but it can be very warying.....He is the most affectionate, loveable, playful dog you could meet, we absolutely adore him, he has no problems with people, he would be the perfect pet if he could just tolerate other dogs! We like you, need as much help and guidance as possible to get us all through these trying times....I often think we are depriving him of the life he should have and sometimes feel at my wits end as to what to do.....just know your not alone...


----------



## goodvic2

Tees said:


> Hi like you we have a Patterdale X who at the age of 1 was attacked and from that time on cannot tolerate other dogs...he generally wants to attack every dog! we have a 3yr old retriever too, who is soooo socialable but have to walk them seperately! it has got worse and he has jumped fences and gates to get at passing dogs...(one fight ended up with other dogs owner being bit and myself, seperating them) he went to puppy training, we are on our second lot of behaviouists....and to be honest I don't see a massive improvement...He's been checked by the vets too. I know time and patience is essential but it can be very warying.....He is the most affectionate, loveable, playful dog you could meet, we absolutely adore him, he has no problems with people, he would be the perfect pet if he could just tolerate other dogs! We like you, need as much help and guidance as possible to get us all through these trying times....I often think we are depriving him of the life he should have and sometimes feel at my wits end as to what to do.....just know your not alone...


Hi. Have a look at my website

Dogs In Need Of Space

There's a lot of information on there regarding DINOS. You might find some of it useful


----------



## smokeybear

If you are going to rehabilitate a dog it is essential that you employ the services of a trainer with the appropriate skills, knowledge, ability, training and experience to help you with a variety of techniques at their disposal.

One of the most effective is BAT (Behaviour Adjustment Training) and you can buy the book by Grisha Stewart to understand how, when and why to implement this.

Alongside systematic desensitisation, classical counter conditioning, this can be extremely useful.

The same applies re behaviourists, unfortunately this is not a protected term and any TOm, Dick or Harry can call themselves one with neither the theoretical or empirical knowledge required.

A reputable behaviourist will not see you without a vet referral and will usually, not always, belong to one or more of the three main professional bodies for behaviorists

APBC
CAPBT
UKRCB

You will not change a dog to one that is friendly with all dogs, but you can alter their outlook to one of tolerance.


----------



## Tees

Hi hows it going with your Patterdale..? I would be very interested if you have any tips..


----------

