What would you do if your dog?

Bit someone trying to protect his home? Let's say for instance, my dog Shakespeare (formerly called Bear--My daughter renamed him!) is a 93 pound male Black Lab. Very large. Very sweet dog. Loves my kids. Lets just say someone was in my yard. I was letting Shakespeare run loose playing with the kids. If Shakespeare bites the guy, what happens next? I am talking about a stranger, someone that had absolutely no business being in my yard. I work in law enforcement, and I know my laws. I am just wondering what you would do if your dog bit in a similar situation. Just so everybody knows, NONE of my dogs have ever bit. I know someone that was in this situation and decided to put the dog down. I just dont understand how someone could put their dog down if it was not mandated by the law. The dog bit only because it was provoked. What would you do?What would you do if your dog?
It's a tough call since having trespassers be encouraged to stay out of your yard due to biting dog is a good thing, but I don't know if I'd be okay praising aggressive behavior, no matter how warranted. I wouldn't go to the extreme of putting the dog down, unless it was an extremely brutal attack.



EDIT: i agree with a lower poster, the problem with a dog defending its yard is it could be defending the yard against the mailman, canvassers, or even your great aunt Edna who hasn't visited in a long time. To a dog a stranger is a stranger, I wouldn't want to take the risk of my dog ';knowing the difference'; between one stranger and the next.What would you do if your dog?
My sheepdog attacked a stupid stoned kid who walked into my house the other day. I called him a good boy and gave him a cookie. My dog is CGC certified and does therapy work with me. He knows the difference.
If my dog bit a stranger in my yard, more power to him. Now friends and family that is different. My dogs are too noce anyways. I have a scary looking husky and a huge husky/lab and a complete stranger can walk into the yard and pet them.
I would shrug it off.



If Max, my (now) 83 pound Aussie/Great Pyr mix decided he didn't like the way a guy was walking in MY yard and went up and gave him a reminder bite, I'd tell him he deserved it.



Anyone who is dumb enough to trespass deserves a bite in their haunches.




Putting a dog down should be the last option.

I had a GS that bit a man that broke out and window and was comming into my house. She bit down and didn't let go until I pulled her off for the cops. He went to jail for a year and tried to sue me from jail for the dog bite. Needless to say he didn't get a penny.
dont worry about it cos he was only protecting you.



and that man was tresspassing!



give your dog a big hug a biscuit :)
If your dog was never agressive before, do not put him down. This is just territorial behavior. It's natural. Be sure that your dog was disciplined for this. However, if that stranger decides to report this, there is a law in most states that will clasify your dog as agressive and will put him down.
I would just let it pass. All the dog was doing was being protective!

Cause what if someone broke in your home, God forbid and tried and hurt someone in your family, you wouldn't want your dog to get scared and just go and hide, right? You'd want him to scare em off. My aunt knew someone's home that got broken into and they had a dog and the dog let the person into the house but wouldn't like him out lol.

Yes, that's really sad they put their dog down, and really pathetic to hear about. I would NEVER do that. What shitty owners..But just be careful who your dog is aggresive towards, you dont want to have a family member come over that he's never met and have him attack or anything.
Biting in this case would be acceptable behavior to me, especially if children were around and he felt this person might be a threat. If someone is going to put the dog down for this, they don't deserve him, talk them into giving him to a rescue organization. I'm sure that there are many wonderful people that would love to have such a protective pet.
Dogs are instinctual protectors of their ';herd'; or ';family';. There is no reason not to trust your dog with your friends and family if he has always behaved in those situations. He was doing his job. And if it was just a bite and not a mauling, then that was him defending his property and people. However, if you have a fenced front yard and someone must open the gate and walk through that yard to get to the front door, most municipalities require that you have a BEWARE OF DOG sign on the gate. That covers your ';tale';.


If they came into my house, and were trying to take something, or had a gun, and my Beagle (who I KNOW for a fact she would bite) bit the guy, I'd be proud...My Basset would not be able to hurt someone, she's too much of a goody goody. The Beagle, on the other hand, is mean....haha.



We call her ';Mean Bean';.
It's the same thing as if you had an intruder in your house, what would you do to the person? Dogs instinctively do these things and it's not their fault someone was intruding, he was protecting the kids the same as any human being would.
Maybe putting the dog down was a bit extreme. However, I think a dog should not bite any stranger in your yard. That's because the stranger can be anyone, even a policeman coming to the house to ask a few questions. Sometimes strangers do have to walk into your yard to ring the doorbell. It could be pizza delivery, reading the meter, UPS, etc. A dog can be protective and bark, but should not bite unless the stranger is attacking him or his people. The point is, a dog cannot assess whether the stranger had any business being in your yard. I can't even assess that until I talk to the guy. Where I live, we'd let strangers come in to use the phone or bathroom. That's why dogs should not bite just because he sees a stranger.
Your dog as protecting his family!! GOOD DOG!!! Do nothing but be thankful he is protecting your family, and buy him a big bone as a reward!