I have a 5 yr. old neutered male who was involved in his first bite incident yesterday. The dog is typically fitted with a TriTronics remote collar which was on at the time. Here are the details:
The dog was with a group of about ten people at a social gathering in the home of a friend. We were all sitting on the floor. The dog was socializing well, lots of licks and butt-wags and eventually settled into the lap of one of the female guests.
The room was small and the dog was in the center of the group. The owner of the house walked into the room carrying something heavy and the dog went to investigate. Since space was limited and I didn't want the dog getting in the way, I issued a single command 'come' along with a collar correction (the collar was on a "3", typically the dog doesn't respond unless it's on a "5".) The second I hit that button, the dog took a jab at the nearest person and bit him in the side (the "love handles" area).
The bite was through a light jacket and shirt but nevertheless broke the skin and left bruises on the subject, though the lighting was bad and I didn't get a good look at the wound. I immediately removed the dog from the area and brought him home (I live down the street from where we were) and returned to assess the situation and speak to the subject. He was with a young woman (both were intoxicated, by the way) and they both confined themselves to the bathroom. I was not given the opportunity to inspect the damage and they only emerged after it was completely taped up.
Of course at this point, the woman starts egging the subject on with the typical "my father is a lawyer" line and I'm trying my best to choke back the fear-induced vomit that is coming my way. I'm in California where we do not have the "one bite" rule, and the population here is excessively litigious. I sat the subject down and attempted to negotiate with him. After some time we came to a verbal "gentleman's agreement" that the issue would be forgotten provided I helped with any medical bills (the subject has insurance so I believe my costs will be minimal) and provide proof of recent vaccines as well as bring the dog into a vet within the next few days to get a letter indicating the dog is in good health. I will also be taking the dog to a behavoirist for an evaluation and recommendation on a course of action.
The subject and I have been in contact today. He has been treated professionally for the bite and received a tetanus shot, and I am paying his co-pay and for the cost of replacement clothing. Since he is good friends with the owner of the home I was in, I believe I have been spared any major drama on that end.
Now, about the dog:
I took ownership of this dog when he was 18 months old. The previous owner was suffering from major health issues and could no longer care for the dog. She classified him as "sweet and loving" but "protective and driven" which was proven during the first few months of ownership. The dog is a butt-wagging wuss but has a high prey drive, loves to chase, is a "wandering sniffer" and persistent leash-tugger on walks and has expressed dominance issues. He also exibits signs of dog aggression towards other large breeds. He has never aggressed towards a human except for barks and growls at strangers who approach my front door, which I believe is acceptable for a Rottweiler.
The dog was introduced to remote collar training using the
No Limitations method about a year and a half ago, and has done remarkably well (better than any other method of training I've used to date). However, in the recent past the dog has exibited obvious signs of disdain for the collar and will snarl and occasionally nip when corrected in certain situations (for instance, if he's 'beamed' on another dog or enamored with a scent and doesn't want to leave it, or other situations where the dog desires to be dominant). The trainer has been persistent in "keeping on the dog" and not letting up on the collar. I am not typically one to question the authority of a trainer especially when I have witnessed firsthand the collar transforming awful, even vicious dogs into manageable companions, but the approach of pushing the dog to the point of aggression towards ME seems asinine. Am I wrong for questioning this?
The trainer was made aware of the incident today and was remarkably quick to dismiss the collar as the reason for the bite. The response was along the lines of "because he is such a dominant dog, he would have aggressed regardless of the correction, whether it had been verbal, a prong collar, or what-have-you". I am inclined to disagree and feel that the trainer is mostly attempting to protect their interests and method of training. The last thing I'm sure they want is for me going around telling everyone how much the remote collar sucks and that I believe it provoked a bite.
So I now have a dog who has now proven himself to be unreliable and aggressive in situations where he is in unfamiliar territory or feels his dominance is challenged while being corrected with the remote collar. Due to the dog's obvious aggresive reaction towards the collar in the past, I FIRMLY BELIEVE that the collar was the sole reason for this incident and the attitude of the trainer is irritating, to say the least.
Folks seem pretty polarized on the remote collars. Some call it God's gift to trainers, while others believe in a more 'gentle' approach. I have seen remarkable results with these collars and certain dogs, so in many cases I would side with the collar. However, I am firmly convinced that the collar is not the "cure all" that the trainers purport them to be, and that it is probably NOT the best method for a highly driven, dominant animal.
To all you professionals out there, or those who may have used the remote collar on a difficult dog and had issues -- have you encountered a situation like this before where the dog reacts to the collar in such a negative way? Do you beleive it's right for the trainer to insist that I push the dog to the point where he's snarling and nipping at me and demand that I "keep on the button"? And finally, since this method has clearly failed and opened me up to massive liability, what should my next steps be?
I'm sorry this is such a novel but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible. I welcome any suggestions or comments.