Dog that bites

Question
QUESTION: We adopted a husky/doberman 7 months ago at the age of 1yr.  He was very rough (playing) on the grandchildren and our other dog.  About a month ago he was laying next to me and I called his name and reached to pet him and he bit me.  I told him no and he was placed in his kennel for a time out.  Last night he took a run on the 142 acres and my husband managed to get him to come home.  He retired next to the bed where he always sleeps.  I notice an small and mention to my husband that perhaps he had visited a cow pie.  My husband was about 5 feet away and made a sniffing noise - Bowie started to growl and then bit my husband.  My husband became very angry and took him to the kennel all the while Bowie kept growing.  He took his blanket to the kennel and again Bowie bit him.  Now my husband want to return him to the shelter.  We are at a loss as to what happened.  He seemed to be getting better with us providing lots of exercise.  He has always been a handful during training and would act like he wanted to bit when on leash.  Any suggestions?

Thank you so much.

Cheryl

ANSWER: This is a dangerous dog with serious aggression problems, probably fear related (as is most active aggression in the domestic dog).  He is not warning, he is simply biting.  This is probably the reason he was in the shelter: when people surrender dogs to municipal kill shelters, they LIE if there's an aggression issue because such surrendered dogs are usually mandated by law for immediate euthanasia.  Since the dog has absolutely no bite inhibition, he will require immediate evaluation by a certified applied animal behaviorist, should you decide to give him a chance.  This dog will have to live on a behavior modification program for many months (at least) and you will have to work with him using positive reinforcement training.  To find a behaviorist, check the following sites:
http://certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/page6.html
http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory

See this site which can assist you (temporarily) in determining the dog's level of aggression:
http://www.k9aggression.com/Aggression/safety.html

Dr. Ian Dunbar has a video on the assessment of aggression:
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB1067

Brenda Aloff has a book on this topic, "Aggression in Dogs: Practical Management, Prevention and Behavior Modification" but I DO NOT RECOMMEND that you attempt to manage this problem yourselves.  I don't know the level of bite this dog is demonstrating: from your report, it appears to not yet be severe or you would not be asking me questions.  Dog bite becomes more severe as the dog learns more about how to use aggression.  No growl = no warning; the dog will escalate and you will be hurt and require medical assistance.  Do NOT put this dog into any situation that causes him to feel he needs to defend himself (which is most likely what he's doing).  This is not the dog's fault, it's the fault of his former owner; perhaps the dog was beaten, abused, or "trained" by some nitwit to demonstrate "defense" behaviors.  Have him evaluated.  For future reference, always temperament test a dog before adopting it, even if you obtain the dog from a reliable rescue or no-kill shelter. Tips on how to do this can be found at these sites:
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Temperament.php
http://www.nrta.com/breedforfoundation/temptest.html

NEVER just bring a dog home to the dog you presently have; dogs must meet on neutral territory and be observed while they introduce themselves and interact, in order to avoid problems once they are both in your home.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: As it turns out Bowie did not actually bite but bared his teeth.  My husband was so upset I guess I misunderstood.  Bowie was a stray and was okay at first but played rough.  We gave basic training which he did well but seems to have become more aggressive as he is given more freedom on the property.  At this point we feel we are just not equipped to deal with his aggression.  Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question.  This is a hard time for us as we have grown to love Bowie.

Cheryl

Answer
"Baring" teeth does not automatically mean the dog intends to bite.  This can be a fear grimace.  I suggest you go to Turid Rugaas' web site to learn about dog body language communication.  It appears that SOMETHING being done during interaction (in an attempt to "capture" the dog on your property) is developing a fear aggression problem.  This dog will BE PUT TO DEATH if you take him back to the shelter.  Think twice.  This sort of problem can be managed, no dog can be left to run a huge expanse of property without a well conditioned recall and ONLY positive reinforcement training.  Website is:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/index.php

This problem can be addressed with the use of clicker training.  Go to Karen Pryor's website: clickertraining.com.  There you will find multiple articles and free videos on how to use the clicker, teach the dog cues (commands) and use the clicker to change the dog's response to whatever is prompting his behavior.