hi all we're back! (and oz has an issue)

[Ozzy'sMommy 5]

hello everyone! sorry we've been gone so long! new job isn't new any more but it's crazy busy. recently went back to school as well which is great but tiring all at the same time. i know i've missed a lot.

i have an issue i'm hoping folks can help me with...well oz has the issue. he's 4 1/2 years old now and has never really liked his face being touched. he allows me to do it w/o issues, my 15 year old nephew is also one of the chosen few, his awesome groomer also gets the green light and my mother who lives with us. he actually seems to enjoy us petting his face. my 4 1/2 & 2 1/2 year old nephews he will tolerate as well as my 1 1/2 year old niece...he'll even let them grab a ball out of his mouth without too much of a fuss (other than trying to get the ball back of course). everyone is free to politely pet his chest, shoulder, back, butt...whatever and he can care less.

have a stranger touch, grab or pet his face area and he'll growl...keep doing it and he'll show teeth...if you still don't get the hint he'll snap. i go out of my way to tell people not to touch his face. oz is adorable and everyone seems to want to grab his face double handed and then squeal about how adorable he is. even if it's not double handed he still doesn't go for it.

there is a very kind girl...i say girl because she's probaby still in her early 20s...with an adorable hyperactive fluffy female poodle mix. she always trys to touch oz's face and i always tell her he doesn't like it. we'e crossed paths more than a dozen times. he's growled at her before...snapped at her another time...and today he got skin...and one tooth drew blood, mind you we're talking 13 pound shih tzu teeth here so no blood actually ran or leaked from the wound but still. eeek...i'm so glad all she did was ask if his shots were up to date which of course they are and then said she still thought he was adorable and wasn't mad at him. at least that's what she said...i could tell she was at least a little upset by the look on her face though...which is totally understandle to a point.

have any of you run into this problem? is there anything i can do to make oz more tolerable of strangers trying to touch his face? and why doesn't anyone take me seriously when i tell them he doesn't like his face touched? i liken it to myself...i'm not a big hugger unless i have a close friendship/relationship to you. of course i'm not going to bite you if you try to hug me but you get what i'm saying? it's just so frustrating because this poor girl isn't the only person who hasn't listened to me in the past. and of course i don't want oz biting people who reach for his face even if he doesn't like it.

please help

[Seastar 44]

Has the vet examined him thoroughly for any dental issues or other medical conditions that might make it painful to be touched there? If not, that would be step one. Will he take treats from a stranger's hand without problems?

[Ozzy'sMommy 5]

yes he'll take treats from anyone. he just had a vet check up a couple of months ago and they didn't notice anything. since he lets certain people touch him i'm leaning towards it not being a dental issue. he was groomed saturday and this teeth were brushed and the groomer said he was a "perfect angel". it's odd...maybe he just doesn't like it in general and since he LOVES certain people he lets them do it but no one else can get away with it. mind you if you stand a little back and show him the top of your hand or even the palm but come from under his chin he's okay. if you go slow especially. but bend over him or reach over him to touch his face it's all over.

[Seastar 44]

Hmm. Okay, then get him one of those SERVICE DOG vest thingies and tell people he's "working" and may not be touched without specific permission.

[luvmybabies 165]

My Pap, Brady, is something like this. He hates people coming right up to him and leaning over to pet him. He gives a growl and jumps back which of course scares the people. I now just stop the people when they come close and make gaga over him that if they would like to pet him they have to get down to his level and hold out their hand for him to sniff. He is alright with them when they do this. Little dogs generally don't like people hovering over them. It's how you may feel if a giant towered over you and wanted to poke you. Just look at his side of it. If people are so rude as to not listen to your instructions I'd just tell them you will be bitten if you don't do it that way because he doesn't like it!! Make it their problem if they don't listen.

[suzzz123 5]

If you told her he doesn't like being touched on his face she should respect that, and not touch him, everyone had boundries and she pushed those boundries and got bit. Some dogs are just a little insecure when it comes to people looming over them its scary for a little dog. He is telling you and other people I dont like this it makes me uncomfortable, and even though biting is an unwanted behavior its obviously the only way he feels he can communicate after all he did warn her with a growl. Most dogs will bite as last resort and give a warning growl first if you pay attention to his body language hes probably letting her know already I dont like this situation. I think maybe you might have to accept the fact this is his little quirk unfortunatly. The only other thing to do is desensitize him to people touching his face. Carry small treats with you next time and have strangers give him treats while stroking his face and make the experience postive instead of scary and negative. Maybe if his mouth is full of food he cant bite them LOL Good luck

[Ozzy'sMommy 5]

thanks everyone! we haven't come across the girl and her dog since then. we did attend a HUGE dog event this past saturday. folks we came across did the hold your hand out for oz to smell thing and he was fine...i did warn anyone who reached for him that he's not comfortable having his face touched and people respected that and pet him on his back instead. he was totally fine...didn't growl at a single person or dog and we were there for almost 2 hours. we stopped by the dog store on the way home to pick up some cookies and one of the workers there that he always sees actually pet him on the face as i was reminding her about his face touching issue (i guess she forgot) and oz did nothing except lick her. but she is very soft and doesn't lean over him when she does it. perhaps it's more the manner in which he's touched on the face?

[Ozzy'sMommy 5]

**update**

so i had friday off work and oz and i were out for a walk. suddenly a car pulled over and i saw the girl he bit jump out. she was polite as she told me that she was in such excruciating pain from oz's bite that she had to go to the emergency room for vicodin. they also gave her anti-biotics and they had to file a dog bite report. i feel really bad that she was in that much pain. i gave her all of my information and oz's, including his vet's name etc. she made me laugh by saying "don't worry i'm not going to sue you or anything" and i asked to see her hand. there was one small tooth marks at the top of her palm. i was talking to oz's vet the other day about maybe getting him to see a behaviorist. but am i wrong to feel like you shouldn't be just putting your hand on a dogs face ESPECIALLY after said dog has growled at you for doing that previously? i've been bitten by two friend's dogs over the years...both chihuahua mixes and both nervious dogs i was trying to help them with. even though one broke the skin i never thought to report the bites. i figured my actions played a role in me getting bit. when i explained to the vet what happened she said that that's the #1 mistake people make with dogs...touching their faces or putting their faces in the dog's face insistently. i'm even thinking of taking oz to walk elsewhere to avoid this girl permanently since obviously her presense bothers oz so much.

does anyone know what happens next as far as a dog bite investigation is concerned?

[Seastar 44]

This happened a month ago! I wouldn't get too worked up about it. Not that it's easy to ignore this kind of thing, but your dog only has bitten for one specific reason and you know what it is and how to avoid it.

[Luna 8,676]

If the animal control people haven't visited you yet, I doubt they will. However, if they DO show up you should be aware that it doesn't matter legally WHY the dog bit...only that the dog DID bite. If the investigators determine that a dog is "dangerous" you will have to do all kinds of weird stuff like put a muzzle on it to go for walks, and etc. But again...if they haven't shown up yet it's unlikely they are going to.

However, be ready for the girl to come after you for money no matter what she said. She was probably hoping you would just offer to pay her medical expenses and next she'll be demanding it. I've never had a dog bite anyone, but I know a lot of people who's dogs HAVE bitten and this is usually what happens.

[Ozzy'sMommy 5]

If the animal control people haven't visited you yet, I doubt they will. However, if they DO show up you should be aware that it doesn't matter legally WHY the dog bit...only that the dog DID bite. If the investigators determine that a dog is "dangerous" you will have to do all kinds of weird stuff like put a muzzle on it to go for walks, and etc. But again...if they haven't shown up yet it's unlikely they are going to.

However, be ready for the girl to come after you for money no matter what she said. She was probably hoping you would just offer to pay her medical expenses and next she'll be demanding it. I've never had a dog bite anyone, but I know a lot of people who's dogs HAVE bitten and this is usually what happens.

thanks, i figured there's a big chance she's going to ask for money. if it's reasonable and since oz DID actually bite her i would try to pay. though of course i moved back in with my mother a few years ago when i lost my last job, then lost my apartment and didn't find another job for almost 2 years. i'm not exactly rolling in the dough....which is pretty evident by banged up 2001 corolla i drive around. i can make payments to her if she can show actual bills. i don't exactly have money to hire an attorney to fight something like that in civil court.

i'm trying not to stress about it too much. however i do have a habit of over-analyzing. i suppose in this instance i should save my worrying until something actually happens....

[Sunlite 9,106]

I would be careful and protective... Don't under any circumstance let this girl come and try to touch Oz again. I'd be the one to make a public scene and get witnesses if she did... just protecting oneself...

[Ozzy'sMommy 5]

thanks susan...when i saw her getting out of the car and walking towards us i put oz behind me. she handed me paper and a pen to write down my information and oz took a couple of steps towards her all happy with his tail wagging and i told him "leave it" and i squatted down and had him sit next to me to my left and kept my body between him and her in the event she made a move to grab his face yet again. it wasn't too obvious and she didn't reach for him thankfully.

in the back of my mind i keep hearing her making comments like she was going to make him like her and how much she "loved" him and thought he was adorable and how she just wants to squeeze him....then going for his face...

[luvmybabies 165]

I think that in future when people approach you and are obviously wanting to touch Oz do what you did with the girl, crouch down and put yourself between them and Oz or what I do a lot is pick up Brady so he is at least at their level. I instruct the would be "petters" that they must approach slowly and hold their hand out under his face so he can sniff them. If they are alright Brady will usually lick them. If he still looks uncomfortable I just inform them that Brady is grumpy today so it would be best for them not to pet him. It is too bad that your dog could be considered potentially dangerous when the people were warned not to touch him! That is not even fair to the dog. So I would risk sounding rude to people to protect my dog!