i`ve just come back from walk with my 6 month lurcher Brynn,,who i have had problems with biting at home( see earlier thread)
and  out of the blue he decided to leap up and bite a passing jogger, he did not seriously hurt him, but he was obviously not very happy about it and gave me a lot of verbal abuse about controlling my dog and he should be put down etc.

I just feel upset and embarrassed as although we have had a problem biting us, he has never before bit anyone else so i am now wondering if this is the start of something, although i think he thought the man was playing as he was running and moving his arms, which probably looked like a game to brynn!

I am now thinking that it could have been a child and then it would have been a lot more serious.

I am no expert but he is only 6 months old, so he probably just saw the jogger as a threat. I do not agree that he should be put down as the jogger says - rather he needs to mature and possibly see a behaviourist.

I'm no expert in the breed either, but I thought seeing the jogger, it would've been more instinct to chase 'the moving object' rather than seeing him as a threat. It doesn't sound like being aggressive, usually dog's wont just attack 'out of the blue' but give a few warning signals first - staring/growling etc

I think maybe you should keep your lurcher muzzled when he's on his walks until the problem is sorted. Although I'm sure the dog didn't mean any harm, biting is still a serious issue and can result in the dog being euthanized.

Where did he bite the jogger??

I can understand you feel upset and ashamed- my Giant has never bitten, but can sometimes bark at strangers, and I don't blame people getting a bit nervous about that... I was just wondering if he just got  bit excited about "the moving target" and wanted to play? ? Some dogs ask for attention by grabbing the arm or the hand- unacceptable, but not everyone thinks so... I don;t think that a dog that sees a jogger as a fun target for a chase necessarily needs to see a behaviourist- I bet most dogs get excited about people running around, especially puppies, and as he doesn;t know what the appropriate response is, of course he will see it as a prey.
If it is of any comfort for you, I was chased down the road by a local BC (yet another mad one...) who is known to everyone as vicious, and he bit me in the arm- I went to the police ( I was determined to come down on the owners like a ton of bricks- they are very mousy and wimpy people, spend their time worrying more  about the church cleaning rota than that dangerous animal. That's why I have promised myself that the moment he lays a tooth on me I am going to start a war.) but as I was foolish enough to be wearing winter clothing (silly me, should have been naked in December!) I was only left with bruising on the arm. The police said that as I can't prove the dog bit me, they are not going to get off their fat a*ses. Just thought I would let you know, in case your dog was only being excitable and the jogger still kicks up a fuss. (or you are worried about it)  To be honest, it would be hard for the jogger to prove anything unless there was a witness and the person had clear marks left by a dog bite. That's what I was told anyway.

In the meantime, I would keep the dog on the lead at all times and teach him to "leave". My dog used to chase joggers, but is now more or less under control, but I still won't trust her, and get hold of her as soon as I spot one. Some people don't think that the game of "chase the jogger" is quite that funny... and don't even waste a thought on those "he should be put down" comments- it was probably said in the heat of the moment, and even if it wasn't, you don't really need to concern yourself with something that is simply not going to happen. Some people need to rant and rage, and as this was hardly  a case of a savage attack resulting in  a limb being torn off, I doubt you need to waste your energy getting upset over that. :)
Perhaps a trip to the training class for some tips would be in order? :) (or perhaps you already go to one, haven't read any earlier threads...)

My dally used to get excited with joggers, wanting to play. The way I solved it was to get my kids to run about so it was no longer a game, good advice given to me from jeangenie. She didn't used to bite as such just got really excited and would jump up and sometimes nip the kids clothes but I suppose it's a similar thing.
As soon as she got excited and went to jump up a stern NO soon got the message.

Until you have help and more control, keep an eagle eye out for anything your dog may chase and if necessary keep it on a long lead (not a flexi). I prefer using  a harness with a long line so that the dog can't get it's neck jerked.
If you can get the dog hooked on a toy that can help with training; very highly chase orientated dogs can get so mad keen ontheir toy that after training, the very presence of a jogger doesn't mean "chase the jogger"; it means "return to mum for toy" or "sit for toy" :)

This may  work very well if he has collie blood in him ;)

I see he was bred by someone who used his dogs to chase rabbits, in which case he may have strong instincts (but that doesnot mean they can't be channelled).

Try www.apdt.co.uk for a trainer near you. You need hands on help here :)

Lindsay
X

Was he being aggressive when he bit the jogger or do you think he was just excited?  My pup is 7 months and he is the biggest softy ever, wouldnt hurt anyone, however if I run he thinks its a big game and starts jumping up at me and biting... all in play..... 
best keep yours on his lead until he is more reliable...... 

It matters not what the "reason" for this was, the cause was the dog not being under proper control.

Therefore make sure your dog IS under proper control if you value it enough not to risk its life.

If you cannot control it, do not own it.

I suggest you a) keep your dog on a shorter lead b) equip him with a muzzle.

Bear in mind your dog does not actually have to BITE someone for you to be convicted under the DDA.

This may sound harsh but if the boot was on the other foot and you had been bitten by someone else's dog how would you feel.

Everyone has the right to remain unmolested by other people and/or their dogs.

Are you the jogger by any chance?
It`s easy to say "if you cannot control the dog, do not own it" but as i keep being reminded his is still a puppy and he is a large dog, so he needs his exercise,which was why he was off his lead at the time ,where i took him yesterday was a very quite area with hardly a soul in site,the jogger appeared from nowhere, if i had some time i would have been prepared and got hold of him in time(the dog not the jogger!)

Hopefully it was a one off,it was definitly was not aggression, he was running along with the jogger at first. I am not making excuses for my dog, i know what he did was wrong, and i am not happy about it, but hopefully when the training gets underway and he "grows up" i won`t have to worry about it happening again....and obviously for the time being i will take the necessary steps to ensure it DOES NOT happen again.

I think you can never be 100% certain a dog will never bite, however well he is trained, and i think some people should bear that in mind.

I suppose i could always not take him out, and keep him in the garden!!!!

"I think you can never be 100% certain a dog will never bite, however well he is trained"

I could not agree with you more, hence why I believe that all dogs should be under control.

Many thousands of us manage to exercise our large dogs without endangering the health and safety of others.

Every time an incident like this happens it just gives those who do NOT like dogs and wish to bar them from certain areas more ammunition.

Age, size, breed etc is no excuse.

>Age, size, breed etc is no excuse.

That suggests that puppy-mouthing is also inexcusable, and anyone whose pup does this shouldn't own a dog as it's not 'under control'. Age (or more accurately lack of it! ;) ) is a very valid excuse for somewhat unreliable behaviour. An excited pup, like an excited child, expresses emotion in physical ways - literally jumping for joy.
:)

You may have inferred that from my post I did not imply it.

I have posted many times on here about puppy bite inhibition, however the two are NOT comparable because one is not jeopardising the physical or indeed emotional welfare of a complete outsider.

I agree with you that a pup expresses itself in these ways, we know this and should take steps to prevent others being annoyed, irritated by our pets.  It is after all just common courtesy...........

Isn't that exactly what the OP is concerned about?

To be fair to the OP they know it is a problem and are asking for help.  No dog is perfect at that age. The more troublesome dogs that we all have trouble with are the dogs whose owners don't care.
I had a problem with joggers when meg was yonger, she didn't bite but she chased, barked and nipped at their heels. I was very careful to avoid the situation again, scanning the horizon, training a chase recall e.t.c. and eventually she is fairly reliable. THat said i should still call her to me if i see a jogger. However unfortunatle accidents do happen, no its not an excuse, but at least the op now knows what to work on.

It must have been a shock to you that your dog did this, but now that you know he has this tendency you can take action.
Firstly, you will now have to start keeping your dog on a lead at all times in public, and not allow your dog to approach strangers- it doesnt cure the behaviour, but will make you less at risk of being reported, and avoid your dog injuring someone. Use a flexi lead if you prefer, but dont allow your dog to run free just yet.
Secondly, if you really are concerned, consider a muzzle, particularly if you feel you cannot effectively control your dog on the lead.
Thirdly, get hold of a good APDT trainer, and start to socialise your dog effectively with their advice. It may well be instinct for your dog to chase things( I own 2 afghan hounds so I know all about chase instinct), but there is a time and a place. Once your dog has learned some acceptable behaviour then you can start some off lead work.
Hope this is of some help.

The only thing that concerns me is that you say you had earlier problems with him biting you??? Did you mean as a puppy " nipping" or biting you for other reasons??? Deep down you know, he is your dog was it being over playful or do you think it was a warning. One thing is to be honest with yourself. Dont think it will go away if there is a problem, you must deal with it now! The best advice i can give is socialize him often on the lead, under control, and where there are people of all descriptions..ie kids playing, people running, football matches etc, the most valuable part of training would be the stop or down command. If you can get him to obey it, command him down or stop if you see a jogger, give you enough time to put him safely on a lead if he has a tendancy to chase.
I have 2 Rhodesian Ridgebacks and my eldest had a dominant, aggressive streak, he often sees things as a threat. The stop command will work wonders, best to spot it before he does but if you dont the stop will hold him still until he can be leashed.
Hope this helps, good luck
Jodi