A Pitbull Named Criminal!

Another common question I get asked from people (especially kids) about my profession is how often do I get bit? Early in my career I averaged two maybe three bites a year but as I got older (and hopefully wiser) the bites happened less and less. You remember all the times you get bit, but you really remember the times you get bit AND must seek medical attention.

One of the first steps of doing behavior modification is being fully prepared to get bit and not allowing it to impact your attitude toward the dog if it does happen. That means you can’t show fear toward the dog after they bite you OR you can’t be angry with the dog after it bites you. There should be no emotional extremes toward the dog no matter what happens.

Much easier said than done. Once you get bit by any dog you will find yourself acutely aware of them anytime you interact or get into a setting with them. And your reaction/energy will feed how they react when they see you again after a bite.

Enter Criminal (yes, that was really the dog’s name), a 2-year-old Pitbull that had bitten 3 different people BEFORE my assessment. And the 3 people this dog had bit were all working when they got bit, which means each bite was reported to animal control. USPS, UPS and Fedex were the 3 bite victims…all delivery people, all people who had entered the property and all 3 didn’t see the dog until it was too late.

This dogs name didn’t come AFTER these bites but before. Not sure how the owner predicted such behavior, but that name didn’t help that dog with animal control or the court system.

The dog was now on court ordered home confinement until a certified trainer could evaluate the situation. This was when I got the call. Because of the dog’s history I spent a good amount of time speaking with the owner over the phone before my assessment. I then explained to the owner that during my assessment I would like for her to answer the door with the dog on leash and stay at least 10 feet away from me so I could assess the dog’s reaction to strangers entering its space.

She understood and agreed to everything I asked. I could see she loved this dog and wanted to do everything she could to save it from possibly being put down.

As I pulled into her neighborhood, I took notice of the number of kids playing outside. Many of them just 2 houses away from her property line. It was an active area with a decent amount of car traffic on her road. I parked and headed up to the door.

Before I even rang the doorbell I heard her dog barking and growling to my presence. It was aware of a stranger being close to the front door. The doorbell really set the dog off and I literally heard its body slam into the door from the other side as it barked. I then called the owner on her cellphone.

“Can you get him on leash, back up from the door at least 10 feet and call me once you’re ready…”

Moments later she called me and told me she was ready. I opened the door slowly, stepped inside and shut the door behind me.

The first thing I saw was the dog seated in front of her on a choker chain. The dog was calm but staring at me with bad intent. Almost the same look Mike Tyson gave his opponents when they initially entered the ring with him.

And then without any notice the dog charged with lightning speed and ripped the leash right out of the owners’ hands. I was only 10 feet away and had NO CHANCE to even open the door to walk out before the dog got into my space (or should I say the dog’s space).

I stood my ground and showed no fear. The dog circled me once (and I thought I might possibly be in the clear at this point) and then WHAM, WHAM, CHOMP…3 bites in less than a second, all of them hard bites that drew blood.

The owner was frantic at his point and had been chasing the dog down before this even happened…she knew what was coming.

I was in shock and realized that I had not only been bit but I was going to continue to get bit unless this dog was somehow restrained. I dropped my training bag and immediately tried to get ahold of the dangling leash so I could get some sort of control from the dog. The owner was doing the same.

My movement made the dog want to bite me even more, but the owner had already wrapped herself up onto the dog and the dog was doing its best to get free from the owner…finally I had gotten ahold of the leash and my saving grace was the dog was on a very restrictive collar that allowed me to get full head control.

I then handed the owner the leash carefully while maintaining head control and told her to put the dog up so we could chat. The dog was salivating and nearly doing cartwheels on the leash as she dragged him away. Everyone was a mess including myself at this point.

I looked down and could see I was bleeding from several different parts of my body…the owner came running back after putting the dog up. She was very upset and wanted to make sure I was ok.

As she checked up on me I was embarrassed to see that the dog had ripped a rather large hole in the back of my pants and left me partially exposed. I was bleeding from 3 different areas all of which were on the back side of my body. Back of my hand, lower back, and my butt.

I treated myself to stop the bleeding at the owner’s house and then went to the local urgent care. I told the owner that I would call her back shortly. I could tell she was not only upset I had been bitten but upset that the dog would most likely be put down (thinking I wouldn’t be able to train it).

As I sat in urgent care for 3 hours waiting all I could do was think about all the details that led to this bite. I thought I had played it safe by giving the owner clear instructions but here I am needing stiches sitting in urgent care. I called several family members as well and my older brother had me all cracked up by giving me his Friday, Craig Jones the dog catcher movie quote…

“You ain't gotta worry about catchin' a dog - You gotta worry about a dog catchin' YOUR…!”

Once I was buttoned up, I called the owner back. She was very happy to hear from me and happy to know that my bites were not serious. But what really shocked her was what I said next “I am picking your dog up tomorrow morning. Have him in a travel crate with a normal collar and leash on inside the crate…”

She was shocked. I was still going to train her dog after that???

I had decided that this dog was not only protecting its territory but protecting what it perceived as it’s pack followers. By taking the dog to my board and train, I was taking that dog away from all it was protecting and starting fresh with new rules, new boundaries, and new limitations.

When I picked the dog up the next morning it did growl and snap at me from inside the crate as we loaded the crate into my car. As soon as I got a block away from the owner and her house I looked back at the dog and saw that its entire demeanor had changed. Ears were back and it appeared to be in a calm state. Almost like it had decided THAT’S NOT MY PROBLEM ANYMORE!

As I drove a little further, I decided to stop and put my hand up to the crate without establishing eye contact. Criminal calmly put his head forward and sniffed my hand. It was almost like I had a different dog with me.

Once back to camp I immediately took the dog for a long leadership walk and established myself as the pack leader. I could tell this dog had never had anyone lead it (in the dog’s mind) and it responded VERY WELL to the training immediately. It wanted a pack leader, and it wasn’t getting that from anyone in its life until it met me.

It ended up being one of the best trained dogs I had ever handled. The owner could not believe the changes she saw and vowed to make sure she did everything I showed/told her to maintain the training.

I had to write a lengthy statement to the court about my training and assessment of the dog and the owner was able to get the dog off home confinement. One of the most memorable behavior cases I had the pleasure of working and one with an outcome that would inspire me to this very day.

Are you in a similar situation? Contact your local Always Faithful Dog Trainer today and get a certified trainer that will bring out the best in your dog!

No Treats, No Clickers, No Shock Collars, NO GIMMICKS! Real Training, Real Results!