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Please Help Our 1 yr old male English Mastiff bit our daughter

thelady_v2010

Well-Known Member
Honestly, I would try to get him out. This is likely his ONE bite. Anything else from him, they could take him and put him down. He is getting blamed for a bite and I don't think he bit her.
 

DMikeM

Well-Known Member
tell AC that you have determined it to be a scratch and not a bite and want his record expunged and the dog released immediately. Get him out of jail as soon as you can.
 

raechiemay

Well-Known Member
Honestly, I would try to get him out. This is likely his ONE bite. Anything else from him, they could take him and put him down. He is getting blamed for a bite and I don't think he bit her.

Yes & I don't know how it is in your area op, but I'm almost positive that here, it's 3 strikes you're out (or the dog in this case) & trust me you don't want to know what they do to dogs after they are euthanized for biting.
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
In Massachusetts, if it was a bite or a scratch that broke skin it was a quarantine regardless. Would it be awesome if you could bust him out? Yes but I know we had a lot of people try when we had quarantines and we always waited the 10 days regardless.
 

LauraR

Well-Known Member
You sound very similar the vet I told to f**k off after he refused to listen to my reasons for not having my Yorkie spayed. No offence, but neutering is NOT a solution to aggression and it is certainly NOT in the best interest in ANY giant breed dog under 18 months. For every reason you can come up with to neuter a mastiff before 18 months I can come up with 3 reasons not to.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
I can't believe your vet or trainer has not said to neuter him?? I worked for a Vet for many years, and it WILL reduce his aggression, he does need training, I suggest a behaviorist, as well as an obedience trainer, but he also needs neutered! Intact males have one thing on the mind and a lot of testosterone, with that comes aggression. If anyone says otherwise they are probably a man and don't believe in doing it. I have seen it greatly mellow out some dogs. Not to mention you will eliminate the possibility of prostate cancer when he's older. There is absolutely no reason for any dog to not be spayed or neutered unless you are breeding them, and too many people are breeding dogs without the proper tempermant which has brought us all to these many fearful mastiffs. Shyness is genetic. Im just saying, neutering him is a must, it's not a quick fix but there is no reason not too. Do the research for yourself, I believe it will help and you don't have anything to loose.

I'm sorry but I'm going to call this propaganda BS. My male EM is 14 months and still intact. I have NEVER seen him to be aggressive. Studies posted on here and from veterinary papers have proven a correlation between early neutering and serious health disorders that outweigh the potential benefits. And just for your information I'm a woman not a man.
 

raechiemay

Well-Known Member
Cheri, I'm going to have to disagree with your post. I spent 10 years working in the veterinary field as well & everything you just said sounds exactly like what most vets push on ALL dog owners. While I am not against neutering & spaying, I do not believe neutering will NOT fix the op's behavioral issues & if you poke around the forum a bit you'll see all the threads that have been created regarding all the info you just posted. If an owner chooses to spay/neuter it's strongly suggested by knowledgeable people of the giant breeds to wait at least 18 months to spay or neuter a giant breed dog but really closer to 2 years of age is recommended. I think the op needs to focus on working with the trainer & yes maybe a behavioralist as well, but she should look into neutering when he is closer to the appropriate age for his breed.
 

LauraR

Well-Known Member
Yes, for about 6 years. I have also spoken with upwards of 19 vets in the Kansas City area alone and sadly only 1/3 of them are up to date on the latest research that has shown the dire consequences of neutering too young. Research which was performed by numerous people with a background more extensive than I could explain in a simple forum post. I am not alone on this either. You'll find that most people here are against neutering before 18 months. Not against neutering in general, but doing it too early. I am all for the snip and clip, but only after they are fully developed and no longer at risk for health issues caused by an early spay/neuter.

Edit: To clarify of the 2/3 of vets in KC that weren't up to date on the latest studies, more than half of them were open to hearing more about it and taking it into consideration. The remaining vets refused to accept it and said it was safer for puppies to be spayed/neutered at a young age, and after further prodding, about half of those said it was because they needed less sedation. The other half couldn't give me a sound reason as to why it was better.
 
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raechiemay

Well-Known Member
I'm sure you'll also find that most of the members on the forum are also responsible dog owners & do not allow their intact dogs to accidentally breed either. I say this as my EM is 12 months old, not spayed, been through 1 heat & is probably approaching her 2nd & she's not having pups ever.
 

LauraR

Well-Known Member
I would be more than happy to provide you with the phone number of my vet so you can discuss this with her at length. She is up to date on the most recent studies and makes sure to educate her patients about it when they ask to spay at an early age. However, that is not why I consider her a good vet, I consider her a good vet because she listens and doesn't ever try to PUSH her patients/owners into doing something without first giving them both sides of the facts. She respects my decisions and helps guide me to make the ones that are best for my dogs.
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
Both my vet in Mass and here were cool waiting to spay my female til 18 months. Neutering is not a guaranteed way to fix aggression. It MAY help but taking that chance and putting his health at risk later on is a huge decision. Not to mention this whole situation doesn't sound like aggression, it sounds like a pup who was playing too rough.
 

raechiemay

Well-Known Member
The majority of the people posting on this thread said that the marks on her daughter's shoulder look like claw marks not teeth marks.
 

cwayaustx

Banned
I can't believe your vet or trainer has not said to neuter him?? I worked for a Vet for many years, and it WILL reduce his aggression, he does need training, I suggest a behaviorist, as well as an obedience trainer, but he also needs neutered! Intact males have one thing on the mind and a lot of testosterone, with that comes aggression. If anyone says otherwise they are probably a man and don't believe in doing it. I have seen it greatly mellow out some dogs. Not to mention you will eliminate the possibility of prostate cancer when he's older. There is absolutely no reason for any dog to not be spayed or neutered unless you are breeding them, and too many people are breeding dogs without the proper tempermant which has brought us all to these many fearful mastiffs. Shyness is genetic. Im just saying, neutering him is a must, it's not a quick fix but there is no reason not too. Do the research for yourself, I believe it will help and you don't have anything to loose.

And you my friend obviously know nothing about giant breed dogs...gtfoh....
 

thelady_v2010

Well-Known Member
I didn't say all intact males are aggressive nor did I say anything about the age which to neuter them. I said it eliminates testosterone, and if you have an aggressive intact male, you may want to eliminate his testosterone. Im sure you will find that in studies as well. I also don't think health disorders are a very high concern for someone that has an intact male being aggressive. Him biting someone and having to be put him to sleep pretty much eliminates that possibility. Just sayin

I don't think we are dealing with an aggressive dog here. I think he was playing and got her with his paw. That is not a picture of a dog bite. It is 1.5 paws.
 

LauraR

Well-Known Member
You did not mention age, but did mention she get her dog neutered, and from the tone of your post it came off as something she, and everyone else should do asap. The title of the post states that her dog is only a year old, which is 6-12 months too young. And yes, neutering eliminates testosterone, that's just a scientific fact, but testosterone alone is not the cause of most canine aggression. The majority of aggression is behavioral not hormonal. So what happens when you advise someone at your vet's office to neuter their dog to avoid aggression and their dog becomes aggressive anyways? They usually end up in a shelter, and with behavioral aggression they will more than likely be put down.
Also, if you had thoroughly read the thread here you would realize that the conclusion is that her child was not bitten but scratched in a bout of playfulness.
Health concerns should always be a top concern for someone whether they have an intact male being aggressive or a calm and relaxed altered dog. Health should always, and I mean always be number one. Someone that holds their dog's health in high standards is going to notice behavioral issues and handle them correctly, not just blame it on a pair of balls and call it good.