What to do AFTER an attack...

[2crazypuppies4me]

On Monday I brought Lilly and Maggie over to my mom's friends house (my mom was house/dog/yard sitting) for a play date. Molly came out and (thank GOD I was near Lilly) just attacked her. Bit her arm, got her by the back of her neck and shook the *poop* out of her. I was on top of Lilly and got Molly off of Lilly but there was a moment that when she was shaking Lilly that all that I could really do is scream at the TOP of my lungs. My mom was there trying to get Molly off of Lilly but I guess between me screaming and my mom yelling and me pushing Molly off Lilly, Molly let go and mom pushed all the dogs in the house. Meanwhile I think while all of that was going on I think that Maggie fell in the pool. I didn't see her do it (Obviously) but she was all wet the next time I saw her. Thank GOD that she got out, that's all I have to say :shock: . So I finally got home, and I got into my parking space and cried my eyes out, went into my home and checked her out a little. I put them in there bed (creates) for a nap and I went back to the pool. Molly was lovin' up on me like there was no tomorrow. Generally she's a very nice dog; I really don't know what happened. They've been around each other before; I just don't know what ticked. Any way Molly is up on all her shots and I'm watching Lilly very closely. I was sitting watching TV and Lilly was resting/leaning against me and she got up for water and there was blood on my shirt, so I got a wipe from my 'pet emergency kit' and cleaned it out. It wasn't as bad a cut as I expected, didn't need stitches or anything, scabbed right up. She's shaking her head better every day. The swelling is going down as well. My mom told Missy what had happened but I don't know what she said exactly she said, like I hope that she didn't put any blame on me or anything to make Missy angry with me. Ya know? My main question here is how do I treat Lilly now around other dogs? My friend Todd has a Basset and a Boxer (The Boxer part time) and they get along great but what happens now? Lilly isn't the same with Maggie either yet, because she hurts, but is she always going to be different now :cry: :cry: I'm scared, for her and how she'll react to her (Lilly's) friends. She yelped last night when my friend petted her chest, and her chest didn't get wounded. She got scared somehow, and my friend walks her every day when I'm at work. Suggestions?

Oh yeah, and I'm not sleeping well either Flash backs are a bitch :evil:

[finn's mom]

I'm sorry to hear about the attack. Those things are always scary. My RB Bruno was attacked, had to have a lot of stitches (he was small and got attacked by a large dog), but, he never acted differently around other dogs. Except the dog that attacked him. But, he was fine around others. I'm not saying Lilly won't be affected, but, there's a possibility that she'll be fine. I do know one thing, though, and, that's that your dog will feed off your energy. If you act scared or nervous or anxious around other dogs after this, she'll feel that and be nervous, too. Just watch her and really pay attention to what her body language tells you. You can always simply, and, in a relaxed way, walk in the opposite direction of another dog if you feel like she's getting nervous. There was an article someone posted before, let me see if I can find it. It was specifically on how rude people allow their dogs to be, but, it touches on how to read your dog's body language, too. There are more articles to read, though, too....let me find the link....

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html

it's just www.flyingdogpress.com

[beeniesmom]

sorry

[2crazypuppies4me]

Thanks Finn, that was a good list. You should put it up on the board someday.

[lizbud]

Excellent article Finn's mom. Thanks for posting it.

[IRescue452]

Autumn was attacked not long ago. She was shy and timid around other dogs for a while but we just kept going back to the park as usual and in a few weeks she gained back her confidence. Hopefully Lilly will bounce back quickly. Bring her around other dogs she can play with and just keep a close eye on them. Successful play sessions will help her realize that its ok to be play. I don't think you are sure if she's even going to act strange or not yet so we'll keep fingers crossed. Some dogs aren't phased the next play session. As for Molly, I don't know what to say. Something went wrong. Maybe she had a sore spot or was nervous because her owners weren't there. You should bring them out on leashes to play and see how they do. There is a lab at our park who has to be on a leash for a while because they got an invisible fence and he had a sore spot on his neck from the shocks he gets before he learns the boundries (I hate these fences). Sometimes its something like this that makes a dog snap. I hope that if you act the usual way she will not have any long-term effects of getting attacked. Give her a treat for me and some lovin' and hopefully she'll be feeling better in no time.

[cyber-sibes]

Oh, poor dogs - I hope you are all recovering. That is a good article. I'd like to share something I learned on a husky website - and have used successfully.

HOW TO SAFELY BREAK UP A DOGFIGHT

If two people are present - a person goes behind each dog and lifts the dog's hind legs up off the ground - (like when kids play wheelbarrow), then walk slowly backwards, pulling the two dogs away from each other. The dog cannot turn and bite you from this position and usually it only takes a few seconds of them being separated for all the fighting to stop.

If only one person is present - a little tougher to do, but get hold of one dog by the back legs and walk it backwards to where you can tie it, then repeat with the other dog if it's still fighting.

This technique works well - and no humans get hurt, and the dogs are so surprized they stop fighting right away, because now they're trying to figure out what happened and have to keep their balance.

Probably not worded as eloquently as the original version from the trainer, but I hope you get the picture.

[Glacier]

Sorry to hear about the fight. I unfortunately have some experience with dog fights! 22 dogs are bound to have the odd conflict.

Most likely, your dog will rebound just fine and not have any issues with other dogs. I'd keep her away from the one who hurt her at least until she is fully healed. Then, you can try a slow, safe meeting on neutral ground. Keep in mind that females tend to hold a grudge more than males. Female-female fights are a whole different ball game than male on male fights. Males generally fight for dominance and although they hurt each other that's not usually their goal. Females will fight til one of them is dead. I keep my females seperated when I'm not right there to supervise them and some of them never get around the other females.

If your pupper does act frightened when she is around other dogs, it's important not to reinforce that behavior. No coddling, no extra attention, no treats, no coaxing. When she acts scared, you act like everything is fabulous. If she gets rewarded for acting frightened, she will continue to do so and likely do it more often. If you ignore those behaviors, eventually they will extinguish themselves. Reward her like crazy when she acts brave and confident!

You should also learn how to break up a fight in a safe manner. Personally, I think every dog owner should know how do that. By screaming and jumping in the middle, essentially, you became part of the fight. That could be dangerous for you. I've been bit a couple times breaking up fights and always when I did it wrong. I keep a marine air horn by the door and one outside. If the dogs haven't gone into full fight mode, the loud blast usually stops them. If they are already into it, I grab one dog under their back legs--not by the tail!--and pull them up and back. They automatically look back to see what the heck is happening and the other dog can get away. It's easier to do with two people--one for each dog. A soaking with a strong spray of water from a hose can work too--I don't have that option as I don't have enough water pressure outside.

Hope Lilly recovers quickly.

[2crazypuppies4me]

By screaming and jumping in the middle, essentially, you became part of the fight.

I understand that but I paniced (sp). I've never had that happen that bad and quick before *deep breath*.

[Glacier]

Originally posted by 2crazypuppies4me
I understand that but I paniced (sp). I've never had that happen that bad and quick before *deep breath*.

Yup, it's really, really hard not to panic, especially when there's no warning and your baby is getting hurt! Unfortunately, practice helps (I hope you don't get any practice though!) I've broken up enough fights now that I don't panic until it's over. Then I usually turn into a shaking basketcase for a little while!

[anna_66]

Sorry to hear about the fight, fights are never fun
Hope she hops right back to her old self

[IRescue452]

By the way, I love that article. Autumn acts just like that golden but I never once thought she was acting aggressive. You can tell an aggressive dog right away because they act irrationally and don't have confidence around other dogs.