My dog attacked another dog, should I put her to sleep?

I feel very bad this was all my fault. I got her out of her kennel without the leash to bring her in the house to eat. She seen another dog and ran across the street and attacked him. She is a lab. she attacked a pug. I got a few bites on my finger from getting in the middle of it, and a broken finger. This was with the neighbor dog. I have told them many times how sorry I am, they said it was ok. I am very lucky for that. I am not sure what dog bit me, but that really doesn't matter now. Their dog has 2 bite marks on his head. I have 2 kids, she very protective of us. I just know how bad it was of her to attack another dog.

B2011-07-18T10:15:52Z

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I would STRONGLY contact a pet behaviorist about your dog's issues. My previous dog did a similar thing to a neighbors dog and like you, we were also lucky the neighbor was understanding. A pet behaviorist can evaluate your dog and see if there are underlying issues and help you to correct them. It's unfortunate that this happened, but you need to take corrective action immediately. Putting the dog to sleep is not fair for the dog & probably won't lessen your guilt. Good luck! Thankfully for us pet owners there are great resources out there to bridge the gap between canine and human behaviors.

Ohwhyme?2011-07-18T10:22:12Z

I don't think you should put the dog down. Work with your vet and make sure everything is OK health wise. And, try some obedience and training classes. And, always keep your dog on a leash for his protection and other dogs, kids, etc. Labs are high energy dogs but very smart and easy to train. Don't give up on him. Try all other options first. Hope this helps you!

jtexas2011-07-18T10:18:11Z

it's pretty bad, but not putting-to-sleep bad. especially if the pug got no worse than a couple bite marks and the other family isn't alarmed.

even the sweetest family pet might or might have a dog agression problem. Could be due to "family of origin" issues.

now you know she's prone to that, you have to decide whether you want to be responsible for keeping her out of contact with other dogs.

it's possible that, with professional help, she can be retrained.

No matter which dog bit you, it doesn't mean they are agressive to humans or to you in particular. Any dog engaged in a fight like those two were, is likely to bite whatever gets in the way. They didn't even know about biting you, so I wouldn't blame the dog for that, or draw any conclusions from it.

?2011-07-18T10:27:10Z

Labs are typically good natured. I wouldn't put her down right away especially if this is a first occurrence. If you notice that she tends to have an aggressive nature then that is something to take into consideration. I would try taking her to training/obedience classes that have other dogs and try socializing her. Depending on how old she is though, this aggressive behavior may not be reversible. You were very lucky that your neighbors are nice because if this happens again, the people could sue

Jesse2011-07-18T10:16:14Z

Human aggression and animal aggression (dogs/cats/wildlife) are rarely in the same category.

You got bit because you got in the middle of a dog fight. It doesn't matter which one bit you. When you try and break up a dog fight the wrong way you will get hurt.

I suggest you be more vigilant. You now know your dog is animal aggressive. Keep it under complete control at all times.

As far as your children? If this dog is good with your kids and has never shown the first sign of aggression? Then don't worry about it. And I certainly would not put the dog down.

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