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Old 05-15-2012, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,347,054 times
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We have two english mastiffs. One is 9 one is almost 2. The younger one is always sweet to people and dogs. We normally take him to events, parks dog park, etc. However he recently freaked out on two occiasions and we do not know why or what to do. We clearly cannot take him anywhere in public again. Maybe some dog people have ideas.

The first time we were out at a market. A lady was petting him and he was loving it. She was standing and then knelt down to his level and he suddenly snapped at her and tried to bite her face. She jumped back and he bit her sleeve instead. He was on a leash and lunged at her so hard, he broke his collar.

Yesterday, a friend of our daughters came over. She has been over many times and played with/petted the dog frequently. As soon as she walked into the kitchen where he was, he jumped on her and bit her arm badly. He was snarling and growling and continued to snap at her as the other kids drug him away. She was not hurt much because she was wearing a sweat shirt with the sleeves folded over double, but he bit through her sweat shirt and ruined it, scratched her arm and left her with a big bruise on her arm and a scratch on her leg. It seemed to come from nowhere.

Normally he is sweet and very loving with everyone. This all occurred in the past month or two. Any idea what it could be? Other than the weather turning nice, we cannot think of anything that has changed in his life during this time.

We will call the vet and maybe have him checked for a brain tumor.
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:09 PM
 
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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It may be time for him to turn in his man card.
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Old 05-15-2012, 03:21 PM
 
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I don't have any BTDT experience but you should definitely talk to your vet. Is he neutered? That could help.

In the meantime, do not take him out in public---you're putting yourself at risk for a lawsuit.

Here's some food for thought. Not that your story will turn out this way but perhaps worth a read:
anapoeland
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Old 05-15-2012, 04:15 PM
 
4,918 posts, read 22,603,686 times
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The dog is behaving like a canine and as with all canines, some will de-domesticate and decide they will do natural canine things such as snap at people if they want to. You need a trainer to get in there right now and see if things can be reversed so it doesn;t become normal behavior. But just like you can have a dog that watches the birds and do nothing, you can have one that one day decides birds are to be killed and thats what they start doing. Int hat case, most people wouldn;t be so upset because its just another animnal, but to the dog, animal or people, its an act they decided is perfectly alright in their minds. The caution will be if it increases or if you become the target next time around. There is always the possibility that its some latent threat its acting on; something brought up in its memeory, OR, it could be as simple as its going through doggy mid-life crises and fancies itself the alpha.

Unfortunetely, we can't talk to them and get a straight answer so, your going to have to play detective and start watching everything and see what is changing and what can be causing the change. You need to see if there is some common trigger.
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Old 05-15-2012, 04:29 PM
 
Location: North Western NJ
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1: is he neutered
if not. its time...

2: have the vet do a FULL work up, blood pannels and everything, generally SUDDEN shifts in behaviour have a medical reason though it could just be that hes a "man" now (mastif arnt adults untill about 2 yrs old) and he is afterall a mastif, a breed bred to protect thier home, their land, thier people and to kill LARGE game. make sure the vet checks everything

if hes neutered and all medical causes have been ruled out its behavioural, could be something that can be managed with time but it could also be the result of bad breeding and may get worse, with a dog of his size its dificult your going to have to be ontop of your game. might be worth getting a behaviourist (not a trainer) into your home to evaluate him and see if they can see somehting that you as the owner might be too "close" to see.

given his breed and assumed size and given the trigger in the first case i would say Eye contact probably has alot to do with this situation, the first time things were fine untill she bent down to his level..and kids...well mastif are huge and kids naturally come chest/almost eye level.

rul out medical NOW, if hes not neutered get it done and then bring in a behaviourist.
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Old 05-15-2012, 04:41 PM
 
9,229 posts, read 8,492,547 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens View Post
She was standing and then knelt down to his level and he suddenly snapped at her and tried to bite her face.
I don't think anyone but perhaps an animal behaviorist would be able to give you any meaningful answers or advice. It's possible that the dog felt threatened. It's not a good practice to put one's face into an animals face, ever. Even with my own (sweet, lovable) dog, I respect his space.

I am wondering if the two females might've been wearing a scent that caused the behavior?

Until he proves himself sociable. I think it would be best to walk him muzzled, and ask others to please keep their distance.
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Old 05-15-2012, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Durm
7,104 posts, read 11,539,418 times
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Glad you're calling the vet - my dog has been kind of impatient with other dogs (off leash) and it turns out she has a bad joint problem - after a while she can't be bothered - hoping in your case it's something medical that can be cured.

Earlier this year a TV reporter bent down toward a dog as with happened with yours and the dog bit her in the face - she shouldn't have done it but didn't realize.

I too think a behaviorist is part of the solution - ugh that must be very stressful.
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Old 05-15-2012, 08:55 PM
 
70 posts, read 208,885 times
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Is it the time for him to bite? You can buy him some toys to bite instead.
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Old 05-16-2012, 11:00 AM
 
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
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I would definitely take him in to the vet first for a full check up. If they find nothing, then I would call a behaviourist. Good luck!
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Old 05-16-2012, 01:05 PM
 
Location: In the middle...
1,253 posts, read 3,622,369 times
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I'm in agreement, neuter him if he's not already. Get him to the vet for a full work up and if all medical is ruled out, contact a behaviorist (not a trainer.)

I also agree the first person should not have invaded his space (putting her face) so close to his. You need to be aware of what people are doing. That kind of eye contact is a challenge in the canine world and that is how he responded. He was being a dog.

When people approach your dog it is okay to tell them, he's going through training: no touch, to talk, NO EYE CONTACT. It is that way for a reason.

We see a beautiful dog and immediately want to pet it but at first we need it give it space, let it smell (scent) us. If it wants to be petted, it will approach us to be petted. At this point we still should not have direct eye contact, that is still a challenge and can bring on a bite.

Forcing ourselves on a dog is like meeting someone for the first time and instead of just smiling and saying hello with a hand shake, we instead demand a hug and a kiss.

Hope that helps

Keep us in the loop and let us know how he's doing. Oh and we like pictures!!!
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