What to do next- dog has been attacked

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NinjaPony

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Just looking for some advice on how to proceed.... my 18 month old papillon was attacked by a large dog at the yard yesterday. It was unprovoked- she was with me and entered a room where the dog was, and the dog lunged at her, grabbed her and started shaking her very hard- I had to yank her out of the dogs mouth. She went to the vet today and she is physically ok just very sore- but he said if she hadn't been wearing a very thick coat she would have been dead.... This is a first for me, so I'm not really sure how to proceed. I'm concerned that she will now be very fearful of other dogs (previously she has been very confident with dogs of all sizes) but equally I'm not sure I'm happy to have her do much more than sniff/say hello to a big dog, having seen what could happen.... She's been very clingy ever since, not wanting to leave my side- how long will this last? I'm trying not to fuss her too much but of course I'm very shaken by what has happened. I'm planning on keeping her in the car at the yard, and making sure the other dog is shut away when I take her out- does that sound sensible?
 
Yes it does sound sensible to keep her in the car at the yard and just let her out when the other dog is not loose .
I am glad she's going to be ok.
 
Trouble is, its YO's dog- YO has been really good since I've been on the yard and don't want to fall out but want to keep my dog safe too. Have never previously had a problem with this dog so it was a real shock when it happened.
 
NinjaPony said:
Trouble is, its YO's dog- YO has been really good since I've been on the yard and don't want to fall out but want to keep my dog safe too. Have never previously had a problem with this dog so it was a real shock when it happened.
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Bit of an awkward situation then. Has the YO said anything to you was she apologetic? Has she offered to pay towards your vet's bill? I would keep her in the car away from said dog and keep her on a lead at all times when going out for walks . Bless her. Hope she recovers soon.
 
What an awful thing to have happened, and I'm glad she's ok. Daisy got attacked by a lab a couple of months ago, and more recently by a collie at training class - it hasn't affected her thankfully and she was busy running around the beach today with a Newfoundland very happily.

Personally I wouldn't take her to the yard.
 
Most of the time I don't need to take her to the yard but at the weekend I spend quite a long time there and live pretty far away so she would be left home alone about 5 hours which she isn't used to and would upset her I think. What I might do is walk her before, then leave her on the front seat of the car on her blanket whilst I get on with the horses- and keep going to check on her/give her a cuddle/take her for a little wander but only when the dog is not around. Hoping to move nearer at some point if the market ever picks up and the house sellx and at that point I will leave her at home. Glad to hear your dog hasn't suffered any adverse effects- she is going to training again next week, so I will explain what has happened and see what they suggest. It has made me a bit paranoid though- I keep having flashbacks to the event and thinking about how lucky she was....
 
Des the yard owner know? I can't think of many people that would watch their dog shake another dog without being mortified and speaking to you. I know one of mine is grumpy with other dogs so she is not off the lead roaming around.. If they do know and aren't bothered I would question how good to you they are..
 
YO was there when it happened- tried to pull the dog off my dog but it was me who managed to grab her. YO made sure she was ok and told the dog off, but haven't really spoken properly since I took her home. I am up next week (haven't been up since the incident - mine are on full livery) so it will be interesting to see what YO says to me re the incident. It's difficult because its such an emotive incident- I don't want to blame anyone but obviously I am pretty shaken by what happened and I can't trust the dog now.
 
this exact thing happened to my dog, however she wasn't so lucky, she was in the vets for 5 days and had a number of ops. She is fit and healthy now however 2 years later is still emotionally traumatized. If any big dog goes near her it is a massive issue and she will bark and growl to try to protect herself. I just try to ignore her, I find putting her on the lead makes her worse.

I would personally get her over the park as much as poss to get her back socializing with other dogs so she can see there is no issue and they are no threat. however best to leave her in the car when at the stables.
 
The difficulty is that the YO's dog was only exhibiting "normal" dog behaviour, i.e. protecting their own territory, and obviously saw your poor little pooch as a threat.

If you take yours to the yard again, you are risking a re-currance.

My dogs are just the same unfortunately, i.e. go into "attack" mode if another dog ventures onto the place.

You can't change it.

If YO has insurance for hers, you could try broaching that subject with her as it might help with some of your costs.

There is an organisation called "Yellow Dog" - you can get tabards/neck kerchiefs etc which say "My Dog Needs Space". I've got one, and kerchiefs for my two. It might just help to let other dog owners realise that yours is going to feel a bit vulnerable from now on and it will help if other dog owners can keep their distance.

They have a Facebook page plus web, http://www.yellowdoguk.co.uk/

Hope your little one recovers soon. The problem is that when a dog is attacked like this, it can tend to make them, in turn, more aggressive to other dogs.
 
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Not an easy situation, glad your little dog is ok.

One thing I would recommend is joining a good dog training class for a little while - not because your dog needs training, but because it's a really good way for her to interact with other dogs in a safe, controlled environment and therefore rebuild her confidence. Speak to the trainer before you go and explain the situation - a decent trainer will be able to help you. You might go along and join an advanced class, for instance, so the other dogs will be under good control.
 
NinjaPony said:
Trouble is, its YO's dog- YO has been really good since I've been on the yard and don't want to fall out but want to keep my dog safe too. Have never previously had a problem with this dog so it was a real shock when it happened.
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OP this exact same situation happened to me with my mum's dog. He got attacked by the large guard dog at the yard and YO was beating him off with a brush. We didn't kick off with the YO as we also didn't want to fall out but YO actually came to us and said he would make sure the dog was away when my mum brought her dog up which was nice. Our dog that got attacked is slightly nervous with big dogs, he squeals if they charge up to him but if you continue to socialise your dog in safe situations they should be okay and get over the incident. :)
 
Thanks for the messages. She already goes to a training class every week so I will explain what has happened to her and hopefully she can meet some bigger dogs so she doesn't fear all big dogs. Definitely won't be letting her anywhere near the dog in question. Hopefully YO will understand and we can reach an accommodation. To be honest, I don't think grabbing a small dog like that and shaking it is "normal" dog behaviour- mine certainly doesn't do that if another dog comes into her space and I don't really think its acceptable- especially on a livery yard where people bring dogs... I would be mortified if my dog did that to another dog who happened to walk into a room where they were... Yellow dog scheme is a good idea- if she starts being funny around other dogs out walking then I will definitely give it a go. Interesting to hear that someone else has had this NellRosk, thanks for sharing- hopefully things will work out at the yard for us too.
 
NinjaPony said:
To be honest, I don't think grabbing a small dog like that and shaking it is "normal" dog behaviour- mine certainly doesn't do that if another dog comes into her space and I don't really think its acceptable- especially on a livery yard where people bring dogs... I would be mortified if my dog did that to another dog who happened to walk into a room where they were...
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It's not normal dog behaviour to do that so there would have been some reason for it if the dogs have always been fine together previously. I have 3 enormous dogs, and they're working farm dogs who keep our farm clear of coyotes, wolves and bears; so not your average pet dogs, but none of mine would ever do something like that to another dog, in fact they are all really friendly with visiting dogs. I do ask my liveries however to not bring their dogs as I also have 3 other dogs (GSDs and collie) however sometimes if they are en route to somewhere else they do bring their dogs and there have never been any altercations. One of my liveries has chihuahuas and my huge dogs adore them!

The best way to help your dog get over this is continue going to training classes and meet all sorts of dogs, big and small. Also if you can ignore any clingy behaviour it's best for the dog long term. Feeding insecurity only makes the dog even more insecure. I'm sorry this happened to your little dog and I hope she is back to being a happy contented little dog very soon.
 
We had a couple of papillons up at our yard apples ago and I never risked it. I have staffords and was concerned at how fragile the papillions appeared to be. The owner would just make sure there was an all clear (we had a lot of dogs on the yard) and then let them out.

My Stafford boy was attacked by a lab as a 4 month puppy. He nearly lost an eye and has a permanantly damaged tear duct. He is not good with large black dogs so I have to be very careful when introducing him. He is, by nature, incredibly good natured with dogs (including currently having a BT boy pup spend most of its time trying to mount him)
 
Well, saw yo today- who sad absolutely nothing about the incident. Dog running around as usual and not any enquires about mine.It's not that great news because her back leg now has a slipping patella and it looks like she might need an operation... Sigh. When mine saw the dog again (in my arms- she had been in the car and had only gone out for a wee) she started growling, whining and trying to hid- poor thing.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
The difficulty is that the YO's dog was only exhibiting "normal" dog behaviour, i.e. protecting their own territory, and obviously saw your poor little pooch as a threat.


It is not normal dog behaviour, I have 2 Dobermanns who are a guarding breed but I would be mortified if they attacked another dog that came onto our farm, they might bark until told to be quiet but they wouldnt attack, to me its just an excuse for allowing dogs to be out of control.

OP I think your yard owner is a s***, not enquiring after your dog is despicable and If it was me I would confront her about her dog, it doesnt bode well for your horse either and I would be looking to change yards asap. I hope your little dog recovers with no lasting affects either in her behaviour or her health.
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I would be really annoyed in your position. I've worked on/run/owned livery yards and I can't imagine someone not asking after your dog. They are perhaps embarrassed? Something like that would make me consider moving (would she care if your horse got injured..?) and I'm not someone who would move unless it was serious.
 
Have had a chat and yo has recognised the severity of the situation and has taken steps to keep the dog away from mine on the yard by shutting it away- so things are a bit better. I'm going to book her in for the op ASAP as she's really not happy on that leg- but we've met other dogs out and there hasn't been a problem- only with that specific dog which is to be expected. It has made me more nervous about her interactions with other dogs but I suppose I can't protect her from everything...
 
*starfish* said:
this exact thing happened to my dog, however she wasn't so lucky, she was in the vets for 5 days and had a number of ops. She is fit and healthy now however 2 years later is still emotionally traumatized. If any big dog goes near her it is a massive issue and she will bark and growl to try to protect herself. I just try to ignore her, I find putting her on the lead makes her worse.

I would personally get her over the park as much as poss to get her back socializing with other dogs so she can see there is no issue and they are no threat. however best to leave her in the car when at the stables.
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Mine too was attacked (by the neighbour's grown up son's bearded collie) as a baby and became very aggressive with other dogs because-I think-we didn't ensure tons of socialisation immediately afterwards, so do lots. To be fair, it's the YO's dog's territory and he/she is entitled to have the dog around. I just don't take my lot to the yard I'm at now, there is a DA yard dog and it's just not safe.

Hope your dog recovers well, physically and psychologically.
 
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