"sionnach" wrote in message
...

"Paul E. Schoen" wrote:

IMHO, training can only go so far to mitigate dangerous behavior such as
this. Most dogs have a human bite inhibition which may be genetically
determined, or taught during the early formative weeks of puppyhood.

First, IMO it's grossly inaccurate to say that most dogs have that sort
of inhibition; many don't. Second, bite inhibition can be taught at any
age, although it's easier to teach human-appropriate inhibition at the
same time as the dog learns dog-appropriate bite inhibition.

Last, but far from least, this dog DOES have bite inhibition. The term
does not mean "not biting", it means "controlling the bite". The fact
that she only left bruises means that she was using quite a bit of
inhibition, since an NON-inhibited bite from a dog that size would have
left - at a minimum- deep puncture wounds.
In fact, personally I'd classify that a hard nip, not a "bite"; it could
even have been a play bite, although it's more likely that it was either
disciplinary or bullying.

Regardless, the behaviour isn't acceptable (unless the child was
threatening or teasing the dog, in which case a pinch that leaves a
bruise is perfectly appropriate IMO, although many would disagree), and
there's always a potential for escalation.

But without seeing the behaviour, and what triggered it (and I will lay
money there WAS a trigger that would have been apparent to someone more
experienced), we're all talking in a vaccuum.

Thanks for clearing that up. I have found some references that say the same
thing, and also offer some advice, which includes the use of a muzzle, as I
had suggested:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIP...Inhibition.php

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bite2.html

This may also be helpful to the OP:

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/kidsdog1.html

Here are some quotes from the following article:

"A dog's temperament is first inherited, then modified by events in his
life and proper training."

"Very few bites happen without provocation -- but the provocation may exist
only in the dog's mind!"

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/kidsdog2.html

Here's another way of looking at it:

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/bi...nfuzzyterm.pdf

I still think a muzzle is a good idea, and better than isolation in a
crate. The muzzle will eliminate the chance of a severe bite, while
allowing safe interaction between the dog and children and adults. If the
dog attempts to bite, then there is something wrong that needs to be
corrected. In a crate, the dog does not have the interactions that might
trigger the behavior, so you cannot observe the situation that leads to the
bite.

Paul and Muttley