When Your Dog Bites, What Do You Do?

Cody, my aggressive pitbull, shook his head back and forth as Dixie the goat, neck clasped in his teeth, bleated for mercy. I grasped Cody's collar, lifted him, and waited. This wreck was a consequence of a bad decision.

When Cody arrived at my farm last March, I was told he "might" bite. He did bite—other dogs, moving tires, horses, and cattle, but never people. Later, his rescuer told me she had found him in the Virgin Islands at a St. Croix dump. The St. Croix dog rescue organizations don't have space for all the homeless dogs, so she feeds them "in place," hoping shelter space will open up. One day, she found a pack of dump dogs clustered around one pitbull who was growling and snapping at them.

This fearless woman crouched down, and Cody galloped over to her, climbed into her lap, and nuzzled her. The dog was intact and covered with wounds and scars. She took him home and fed him. She also had him neutered, doing her bit to stem the tide of surplus dogs.

A year later, Cody was a foster dog on Miles Smith Farm. The first day out, he lunged at my horses and cattle, snapped at my dogs, and attacked every moving vehicle.

The first thing I did was put a muzzle on him for walks around the farm. When in the house, he lived in my dining room in a crate, a space he loved.

A crate is a blessing for dogs and their owners. Dogs don't see the crate as a cage, and they feel safe and comfortable after being trained to stay in one. Cody's crate is his "man cave," a carefree sanctuary where he doesn't have to make decisions.

That's the thing about dogs. Dogs want to avoid making decisions; they want their owner to take control and be their leader.

When Cody chomped on Dixie, he was reacting to my frustration. Cody was sitting in front of me when Dixie butted in for food. I yelled at Dixie, and Cody read my frustration as his chance to help me.

Most dogs in the same situation would growl and snap. Cody's nine years of fighting to survive had taught him to bite and not let go. He made a bad decision based on his previous learning.

The safest way to get a dog to release its bite is by cutting off its air. I held Cody so tightly by his collar that he couldn't breathe, and he let go. Dixie was OK, except for a small wound on her neck. Cody now wears a muzzle when he's with the goats and cattle.

If this had happened some time ago, I would have had him put down. But now I know my leadership skills need adjusting, and Cody must wear a muzzle around vulnerable livestock. Wearing a muzzle doesn't mean he's a bad dog. A muzzle means I'll have more time to train him to ignore the goats.

Not all unruly dogs are goat-biters like Cody, but all dogs crave calm, assertive leadership. Need to know how to reach your dog? Contact me; I can help.

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Carole Soule is the owner of Soule Coaching. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is a certified Life Coach who helps humans and canines achieve the impossible a little at a time. On Dec. 28, 2024, she's retiring from full-time farming at Miles Smith Farm in Loudon. Check out her Dog Coaching Website: www.soulecoaching.com