OMG..My Baby Bit me and drew blood...
 

Wow, I was going out my front door because the 2 german shepherd puppies I have gated off on my deck porch escaped, Gizmo did what he always does whebn I go to the door...follows along barking to go out as well. never let him out when working with the shepherds because he does not get along with them. And this little monster took a bite at the back of my leg in the crease behind the kneecap, it was bleeding so bad it ran down my leg.

It starttled me and hurt very bad and before I knew it I back handed him scooped him up and threw him on my bed, which is too high for him to get down. I then ran outside to catch the puppies and secure them.

I am angry and hurt all at the same time, for one I hit my baby and that is something I just do not do at the same time e needas to know what he did to me is bad bad bad and not allowed.

I know he knows what he did because when I came back in the house, he had that low head looking down which of course makes me melt and I pick him up and we cuddle. Just cannot stay mad at him but do not want this to happen ever again.

Just needed to vent, I know now that when I am dealing with the shepherds and going at the door, Gizmo has to be placed out of reach.

Don't need stiches or anything I just leaned it with poroxide and neosporian and put a couple of bandaids on it.

Thanks for listening


Cynthia:sad:

Ouch. I'm sorry you were hurt by your baby.

I think you need to really take a long hard look at your actions today. I'm sorry but there is never an excuse even with drawing blood to hit your dog~he's what 5 lbs?

If the bit is a puncture wound you need to be careful. Puncture wounds, even if they are not dog bites, can get infected very easily. Don't take the injury to lightly.

I am sorry that your baby hurt you. The whole episode has to hurt as much emotionally as it does physically. I understood form your post you already feel as bad for hitting your baby as you do over the bite. It will be okay. Just as you have forgiven him he has forgiven you. And now you know how to avoid it from happening again. It sounds like a good plan.

I'm not sure what you expected in response to your post? :confused: If he is nipping you and now drawing blood you have an escalating situation on your hands that needs to be addressed properly. Not sure where you read that I called you an "animal abuser" but those two words never crossed my fingertips.

I too have a 10 lb Yorkie that has bitten my in the past while she was a puppy. After it happened the first time my response was to call in a professional trainer. That is my suggestion to you as well.

In the mean time maybe you need to keep a harness and leash to help control her behavior. I would work on command training with her as well. Good luck and I hope you are able to address her issues successfully.

That is what I did with Teddy as well. When he started nipping me my first reaction was that I was doing something wrong and I was scared to not do things properly so I called a trainer. Yup, it wasn't cheap but he's my life long companion and the money was worth it because he never bit me again.

Thank you, Gizmo is in need of some command training for sure, and he has never been on a leash, totally my fault, and I have some cute harnesses and leashes as well. I know I need to address this in the right way so that it does not get out of control. I only posted as a means of venting because I felt so bad about the whole thing. My little guy loves me to peices and I him.

I appreciate it

He is guarding you and that is a huge problem! You don't need to walk him around on a leash. He can drag it behind him.

Get the book Let the Dog Decide. It was a huge help when I was having issues with Pebbles when she was a puppy.

We never play tug of war with our dogs, as it can cause them to "battle" for things they get, and also can damage your authority a bit. I'm sure this isn't true for all dogs, but we've always avoided it.
There is so much else that concerns me about this thread. I just hope you find the right type of assistance, and I feel strongly that it needs to be in person and for both you and the dog. Even a one-time violent act, really IS abusive. I see that you've written of your regret and love for your baby, so please do see what you can do.

i understand where you are coming from. i have been bitten pretty hard by Sadie when she was attacking my other dog and reacted stupid by swatting her butt. i felt stupid, it was an awful feeling to know that i had struck a 6lb dog, it wasn't hard, but it was foolish of me. i called my professional training friend the next day for help.

it's hard sometimes not to strike when something strikes you first, but you have to hold it in and not hit back. hitting him will make him more aggressive because he's getting aggression in return. you'll have to teach him to stay when you go outside so he doesn't chase and bite. and you'll have to get a trainer to help train him that biting is wrong and doesn't get rewarded but sweetness does.

good luck and it took a lot to admit that you made a mistake and smacked him. you aren't the first person to react to something like that in the wrong way. never a good thing so just train him well from now on and don't let yourself loose control and do it again. sorry you were bitten please make sure that you have a dr. check it out because infections can spread in them pretty quick.

(added, i only swatted Sadie lightly on the butt, you said you back handed and threw the dog and if that's what happened was abusive behavior towards him, i know you didn't mean to, but please make sure it doesn't happen again)

Has he ever exhibited this behavior before? Could this behavior be a reaction to the addition of the GSD puppies?

Hitting is never ok! It will make them scared of hands and maybe even bite more. If you cannot control you anger to a small animal then maybe you should look into surrendering him to a yorkie rescue. Sorry if that sounds harsh but hitting is never ever ok!

Cowgirl, sorry this happened to you. Hopefully you can get Gizmo help to realize that he cannot bite in any circumstance. Especially to bite a human. I love dogs but Human > Dog any day of the week IMO.

For those attacking her here, she expressed remorse and we posting for help...not your personal critique. I would wonder if those responses violate the YT terms and agreements. Per the forum rules:

..do not personally attack anyone or their opinions.
YT is not the place for rude, snide, or disrespectful remarks towards your fellow member or YT.
Personal attacks are not acceptable.

Sorry if this is a bit OT but I felt that Cowgirl needed support and not bashing. Support or ignore.

Thank you so very much for this I really appreciate it. Lord knows I would never ever hurt my baby or any other animal for that matter, it was a snap reaction that I feel absolutly horified about and I do not deserve to be attacked here for it. We as human beings ''ALL' make mistakes, its what you do to correct that mistake to ensure that you don't make the same mistake again that matters.

I have gotten some very good advice here on the best way to handle and address the problem moving forward that I am researching as we speak. I really want to get a trainer for me and my Gizmo, but since I am not working at this time its gonna be tough, at the same time anything my Gizzy has ever needed I have always found the money to get it, so I am confident that come heck or high water, the funds will come for me to do this.

There are some things I can do myself right here to work with my baby, one person suggested getting him use to the leash. I have been looking at some videos on training as well so I am gonna make it fun for me and gizzy and work with him.

For the person that suggested that I surrender my baby to a rescue.....hmmmm....that would mean I am not capable of providing a happy safe enviorment for Gizmo full of love and attention.......since that is exactly what I provide here I think I shall pass on that suggestion and refrain from attacking 'YOU' .

Thank you all for the support, gonna keep you guys posted on our progress moving forward!


Cynthia

Here I go psychoanalyzing things again, but, Maximo brought up a very good point !

1) How many Yorkies do you know that like bigger dogs.
2) Cowgirlc was acting strangely (running/rushing) possibly verbalizing.
3) Cowgirlc was moving toward an area of danger possibly (his opinion).
4) Gismo is confused, inexperienced in communicating.
5) Gismo does not know how to stop Cowgirlc.
6) Gismo only knows one way to hold on to something (bite).

I think he was in his "Protection" mode, and just didn't handle it too well.
The bite was only to capture/stop Cowgirlc, just badly executed.

I'm not trying to excuse anything here, just give MHO.

:thumbup::thumbup:
To solve a behavioral problem, the cause must be identified. I believe this is the likely explanation for the dog's behavior.

ETA:
(there are plenty of Yorkies that like bigger dogs, but what is the situation in this home with the GSDs?)

I wasnt attacking you I was stating the obvious in my opinion saying you would never hit a dog is not true because you did. Hitting a dog is never right and coming onto a post board and posting that you back handed your dog and threw him on the bed may not be the best thing to do if you dont want some people not agreeing with what you did. Have you ever seen a dogs face after they have been hit? The confusion in there eyes? Do you think he was happy and safe when you back handed him and threw him on the bed?

:thumbup: Good insight

Again....We as human beings ''ALL' make mistakes, its what you do to correct that mistake to ensure that you don't make the same mistake again that matters.

You are entitled to your opinion, and the post was not meant to get anyones approval, agreement, dissaproval, judgement, and I do not hit animals or people. I posted because I needed to, I was hurt, scared, horrifed, and did not quite know what to do at the time. If you want to continue to make me out of some abuser so be it, instead of acting like 'YOU' have never made a mistake in your entire life and feel the need to make a person that made a mistake feel much worse than they already do. Thanks a lot


Cynthia

Just bought this book on Amazon... Hope it helps my 7 yr old yorkie who thinks he owns my house ;0)

I believe SWHouston is right about Gizmo's motivation. Reminds me of a few instances when Max was younger. He still thinks he is protecting me from danger on our walks (that is what our vet and many other people have told me). When I held him back and tried to quiet him when a big dog passed, a dog we could not meet because it wasn't safe, he went into attack mode and turned and nipped me for trying to hold him back.

Thankfully, Max has great bite inhibition. He can use his teeth without doing harm. Not using teeth at all is ideal, but it is crucial that a dog have bite inhibition: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...nhibition.html

The shepherds are 15 weeks old and for the most part they are outdoors, when it gets to hot outside I bring them inside and they are crated. Mind you Gizmo is always placed in another room out of the way when I am handling the shepherds, by the way the shepherds are my husbands primary dogs and the mom is also here but again outdoors. On this day, you are right, I was rushing to the door when I saw that they had gotten out and yes I was being verbal at the time and just was not thinking as Gizmo followed behind me. A great deal should have been done differently, however I cannot un-do what had been done, and now that you guys mention it Gizmo was probally trying to protect me, I know none of this is his fault, I am the responsible party here.

One thing I would like and have thought about is not having the shepherd here at all, because hubby is not really steeping up to handle their care and I do not want to have something like this happen again so I am looking at that option as well. I am have always just had Gizmo to tend to and would like to keep it that way.

I'm really sorry you had this happen - I know it's horrible to feel like you did something wrong in the heat of the moment -something you would normally not do. It took a lot of courage to tell us about it - I'm sorry you are getting some "heat" for doing it - you already know it's not right & you feel bad about doing it. Most importantly of all now is that it happened, Gizmo will be ok, you will be ok (as long as you take care of the wound) and you are looking for ways to remedy the situation. IMO alot of small dogs don't have the "leadership" they need - this leads to confusion and insecurity in the dog because they think they have to be "pack leader" since you are not doing it. Especially with new dogs in the house - Gizmo may think he has to be the boss - since you were being verbal and upset about the shepard puppies being out Gizmo may have been trying to "take care" of the situation on his own. He may not have done it appropriately but it really isn't his job. You have gotten some really good suggestions here, having him on a leash is a great idea, a trainer is also a good suggestion, making sure he is neutered is a must (I don't know if he is or not). If you are not able to hire a trainer or until a trainer can come I would suggest you implement the NIFIF (Nothing In Life is Free) concept to help Gizmo realize that YOU are qualified and are his pack leader. Here is an article I wrote about NIFIF - Good Luck
Teresa

That's very frustrating isn't it? You are right to be concerned and to look at fixing this before it gets worse. One thing I always ask right away - is your boy neutered? Sometimes hormones can make a dominate dog worse and dogs sometimes think they can challenge the "pack leader" or try to assume the position themselves. If he isn't neutered I would suggest you check in with your vet about getting this done as well as making some changes in your home.

#1 if you are able enroll him in an obedience class and do either # 2 or #3.
#2 work with an animal behaviorist or
#3 Teach him that you are the "pack leader" and do the Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) program.

You can google this program and find sites that tell exactly how to implement the program but basically it means acting like a good "pack leader" so he will respect you. (Growling, biting, food or resource (you) guarding is a show of disrespect or trying to take over leadership). Some things you can do in this program is making your dog work for everything - food, attention, exercise, etc. I.E. he has to sit before you put his supper bowl down. Make sure you eat before feeding him (pack leaders always eat first and lower ranking animals eat after). Always make sure you are the one who allows him outside and you go out before him, he has to follow you. For the time being don't allow him to sleep with you or be higher than you on the couch. Allowing him to precede you out the door, be higher than you on the couch, sleeping in your bed, eating when you eat are all signs that he is equal to you or higher than you in the pack and just enforce his right to be disrespectful or to let him think he can take over.

A dog that knows his place in the pack is much happier and feels more secure. After all, it's your job as pack leader to provide food and keep the pack safe and he won't have to worry about it. :) If you have a spouse or children make sure they participate in the program as well. The dog should always be below them in pack ranking also, otherwise he will try to push the kids/spouse around too.

Good luck with your boy, you can PM me if you have any questions about this program. It works wonders with dogs.

Teresa

I hope it help too. :) I think the biggest improvement with Pebbles when she was a puppy was the bolting out the door. The book helped me to stop it almost immediately :thumbup:

So sorry this happened. But I understand I have a 3 year old and I have my self jerked him up and gave him a swat when he refused to hold hands and almost ran out in front of a car . I felt horrible afterward. But now he does always hold hands.... Just work on it and do what you got to do to solve the problem.

Seriously? :rolleyes: :confused:

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thum bup: Excellent advice. Start over clean slate. I also love How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete another good book a I often recomend is Dog Perfect
by Sarah Hodgson . You may PM me too.