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Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
How old is the dog and what are the circumstances? I've been bitten accidently by dogs while I was trying to pry stuff out of their mouths (labs are stubborn motherfuckers). I've been bitten by a dog while I was pulling it out of a fight with another dog (and truth be told, I don't know which of the two actually bit me, I was stupid, I should have just let go of the leash and looked for a hose). I was bitten by a dog that I accidently stepped on while he was in a deep slumber. (All of the above are break the skin bites.) My dogs are sheepdogs and will occassionally nip at heels. It's what they're bred to do. All of those bites, I thought, were due to my stupidity and inattention, not any flaw on the dog's part.

All dogs will bite if suitably provoked. It's just a question of how much provocation it will take. If there wasn't much provocation, then you should get on the phone and talk to a trainer ASAP.

The Displaced Dog was thrown in jail in Berkeley in 2000 for biting a garbage man who came into his (fenced) yard uninvited by anyone. The Berkeley animal control ruled it a provoked bite, and the guy that was behind the desk when I turned him in was very sympathetic to the Displaced Dog's plight. The Displaced Dog was carrying out his self-appointed (and welcome, since I was and am a single woman living alone,) duty as director of security. Animal control recognized that, and I am (and was at the time of the incident) very aware as a responsible dog owner that my dog is not as friendly to strangers as, say, a cocker spaniel might be.

Cockers aren't that friendly either. We had a Newfie when I was a kid that bit the Culligan man when he came into our backyard under similar circumstances. And those are about the nicest dogs you'll ever find. I think she was saying "Hey, Culligan man!" when she chomped.