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How do I get over being bit by a dog?
My boyfriend's dog bit me two nights ago, not just a nip but it grabbed my whole arm and I have some bite marks on me now and it still hurts especially because I am pretty thin and bony so I think the bone may have bruised or something. It's not especially bad, however, I still can't get over the whole thing. What happened was that my boyfriend had hugged the dog and then agreed that I should do it too and I did and then it started to growl and then I let go but it grabbed me. I feel kind of traumatized over this, thinking about it makes me upset and angry, like I can actually feel my heartbeat accelerate, etc. What makes it worse is that I already hated this dog to begin with because it has bit me before (not as bad) and it is just a nasty animal in general (may have been abused in the past, although, I have helped raise a few dogs in my life and am pretty sure this can be attributed to bad training). I also found out that my boyfriend wants to bring this dog with us when we move away! I am so anxious, angry and stressed out over this situation. I have never had a bad experience like this with a dog before or even disliked an animal before... I need to at least find some peace of mind for myself in the situation, I don't want to be upset over it anymore... So, I need advice because it looks like this dog is going to haunt me for quite a long time. I don't even want to go over to my boyfriend's house and face the animal. I just feel so awful about the whole thing. It would be nice if I could somehow learn to sympathize with the dog, but is that even the appropriate approach? What should I be doing in this situation?
6 Answers
- Anonymous8 years agoFavorite Answer
Stay away from the dog and if this dog has done this before it should be euthanized .
- ?Lv 78 years ago
From your script, you have described every feeling (energy) that is counter productive, upset, angry, dislike, anxiety, and stress.
When I was 7, I went to hug a dog and was bitten on the cheek, not bad, but it broke the skin. I was terrified. I have learned that "how you feel" can keep you in control. The boyfriend is the one that has the influence over the dog, and he should correct any unwanted behavior the second it happens, but nothing will change if he yells or hits, that just makes things worse. The no look, no touch, and no eye contact is exactly right. Stay calm, and pretend the dog is not there. The dog is dominant over the boyfriend, that is why the dog pulls this stuff. Your feelings about the dog must be more neutral. Set yourself to calm, and confident, more relaxed, and let the dog come to you, and make sure the dog's nose is moving, and smelling with curiosity, if that happens, stay calm, it is good news. Dogs do respect calm, and confident energy. No sympathy required. If the dog has a history, let it go. If you think of a bad history, that is energy that the dog picks up on, and now he will have the same state of mind only the dog doesn't know why. Dogs live in the moment, " the right now, today". The only thing that can bring back a memory is scent. period! Humans are the only ones that hold grudges, dogs do not. As soon as a dog complies to a correction, and becomes calm/submissive, that is the time to give affection. No, so-called "cool down" period isn't even in a dogs mind, just the human. For dogs given direction with a touch, a sound, such as "no" or "hey", and stay with it until the dog submits to calmness. You can't calm a dog down unless you stay calm, and that is a very important energy for the boyfriend to remember. If you, and the boyfriend want trust, and respect, then the needs of the dog must be meant, like rules, boundaries, and limitations on what's allowed, plus exercise, discipline, and then affection. Believe me, dogs don't think like humans, they are canines that react to instincts, and those needs must be meant in order to have a balanced dog.
- ?Lv 78 years ago
What you should be doing is having a very serious conversation with your boyfriend about his dog, the dog's fear aggression, your FEAR of the dog with FEAR aggression and how this needs to be corrected before it escalates to the point the dog doesn't stop at biting but goes all out and attacks you.
Your are 100% correct. The dog has not been mistreated but simply not trained and has an aggression problem which is rooted in it's fear and even though there are people who say this cannot be changed completely it CAN be controlled.
Your boyfriend needs to invest in a darn good trainer to train him, you and the dog.
In the meantime, you keep your distance. Don't have any eye contact, touch OR TALK. Once again, NO eye contact, NO touch, NO talk. You remove yourself from the dog's space completely because you are not in a position to train this dog and it is highly dangerous for you to even try.
Your boyfriend should be more than willing to work this out and make every effort to get this problem under control. If he balks? He is putting the dog before your safety which would simply tell me that this will continue to rear it's head in every part of your life going forward. Do you want to play second to a dog? Of course not.
Get serious, dear. This dog could cause you serious harm. And I would run as fast as possible away from this situation if he does not MAN UP.
- 8 years ago
Don't ever EVER be scared that makes any dog nervous. Why do you think dogs are most comfortable around kids... There never scared!!! My best advice for you would be to act like a kid around them, I'm sure he bit you for a reason.. Don't mean to sound rude. But 99% of dog bites are because the dog feels threatened. This is coming from a reputable English Bulldog breeder, I know A LOT about dogs.
- 8 years ago
I've been bit my friends dobermanpincer and i think about it sometimes because it was scary and unprovoked. I was also bit by a another dog once but that's because i stared him down and growled. Rule of thumb is if a dog is known to be an *** then keep it away from you. Stay away from strange dogs and only go near dogs when they are known for being friendly to people. Im not saying be afraid just be more cautious.
- 8 years ago
i'd just stay away from his dog...unless your at his house everyday i doubt he'll ever like you..(sorry) it sounds like he's just being protective over your bf and is getting jealous! you should go to a dog park and pet other dogs! not all dogs are mean