I got bit today.

I've only been bitten by a dog 4 times in my LIFE. I'm a dog trainer. If I was afraid of being bitten, this would be the wrong career for me. That being said, only one time was the dog so viscious that I couldn't do anything to help the owner help the dog.

In my class tonight, I had 8 dogs, and we were discussing leash walking. Most of the dogs in class were just adolescent dogs around 6 months of age. Then there was Munch. Munch is a year old Border Collie mix who the mother and son adopted from the Humane Society. When I first met him, he was a little timid. That's when I signed him up for class. The first week was mostly lecture, so I didn't get any sense that there was more than just a shyness issue from him.

Tonight we were discussing leash walking. I demonstrated a Gentle Leader on one of the dogs who was very hyper. The family was amazed at the difference in just a few minutes. He did the usual little tantrum, but was over it and relaxed fairly quickly. Munch's mom asked if she could try a leader on Munch because he was very "headstrong" and thought it might help her.

From the second I touched his collar, he showed his teeth at me. That didn't stop me from touching his collar, but the mom got very nervous, so I made her drop the leash and I took the dog to the center of the room, and explained to her that if she was afraid the dog was going to bite me, he would bite me. After a short staring contest, (which I won) I put the leader on. He threw a big tantrum, even doing what I like to call the crocodile death roll.

All of that was normal, except that I didn't get the leader on as tight as I wanted it, and he was able to slip the nose loop. So I had to go back at him again. This time he showed teeth, let out a low growl, and then managed to nip me on the hand. No puncture, no bleeding, and it wasn't prolonged. It was just a quick snap and release, and it happened so fast I barely noticed it. He did get me though, there were small indentations in my hand where his teeth landed, but the marks went away by the time class was over. No harm done, I still won. This is the important part. I didn't back down. The lady was so upset she actually cried. I tried to relax her, but it just wasn't going to happen. I ended up doing the walking demonstration with her dog because she was so upset there was no way she could control the dog, and he absolutely needed someone who was both calm and assertive to walk him at that point.

It was after class that she explained to me that she had actually been turned down by not one but two animal behaviorists whom she tried to see regarding his issues. Apparently he's a food guarder, as well as having issues with having his collar touched. She's only had the dog a couple weeks, and sadly from the sound of it, she probably won't keep him. I tried to tell her that I would do everything in my power to help her and to please not give the dog back to the shelter, because he would probably be put down if she mentioned the fact that he bit me.

I also explained to her that he actually has really great bite inhabition, as he gave several warnings before he actually bit me, and even when he did, he didn't puncture the skin. This means that he's not too far gone and is able to be rehabilitated. However I don't think she could see past the fact that she has a young son and that he is capable of biting. We'll see if she comes back next week. I certainly hope so. If she isn't strong enough to stand up to him, he would be better off in another home, but finding the right home for a dog with issues like his is going to be hard. If I could, I'd take him and help him myself, but I just don't have the time and probably don't have all the necessary knowledge.

Too bad Cesar Millan lives in California. This would be a case for him!