Said It Here

What to do after your adopted dog tries to bite you

Fear and uncertainty after a dog attempts a bite make it difficult to handle the animal with confidence, which triggers more defensive behavior. This creates a vicious cycle where owners become trapped between anxiety over safety, fear of rehoming an aggressive dog, and pressure to keep the pet.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Using a muzzle for interactions with strangers
  2. 2
    Working with the dog on training, tricks, and non-verbal commands
  3. 3
    Providing daily mental stimulation and exercise
  4. 4
    trying to send him outside every 4 hours or so
  5. 5
    Buying a dog from an ethical and reputable breeder
  6. 6
    Fostering a dog before adopting to better understand their behavior
  7. 7
    Looking for a young dog or rehoming a dog directly from a previous owner
  8. 8
    Finding an ethical breeder with older dogs retiring out of their breeding program

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“I am no longer able to confidently handle my partners dog.”source ↗

“When I go to touch him (he doesn’t want to go outside) because of my lack of confidence he yelps at me and puts his teeth on my skin and it takes many attempts to pick him up.”source ↗

“It’s a vicious cycle that I don’t know how to break because now I am scared of him.”source ↗

biggobcantstop · r/dogs · 22 upvotes

“I still really really want a dog but idk if i can bring myself to get another shelter dog. I'm also not sure if I'm cut out to get a puppy.”source ↗

“Is this type of thing abnormal?? How do people make sure their dog is safe to be around? I'm scared my dog days might be over if I can't handle a puppy but I'm also scared of accidentally getting another dangerous dog :(”source ↗

lilacandladybugs · r/dogs · 17 upvotes

“Then last night he tried to bite me. On my face.”source ↗

“I don't know what to do now... my fiancé (36m) doesn't want to get rid of him, but I'm honestly pretty anxious about being around him now.”source ↗

“I'm also not sure we even COULD rehome him, he's tried biting twice now? Would he just need put down?”source ↗

“I'm so worried I may have an aggressive animal in my home...”source ↗

murphieebones · r/puppy101

Where this came up

r/dogsr/puppy101aggressiondog adoptiondog behaviordog trainingpet carepet ownershippet rescue

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