Badly Bitten on Face by Previously Trustwory Cairn Approx. 16 months Old

[Catalyzt]

It is great to find this forum-- Spike is a mix, but reading the posts here, and seeing the pictures, I'm thinking he might even be pure Cairn. 

First the short version, then I'll include a much longer history if anyone can stand it.  Basically, we rescued Spike at estimated 1 year at the end of June, but I think he was a bit younger based on his behavior. 

His training was coming along well, and he seems a bit more responsive to verbal commands than some of the dogs with behavioral issues described here EXCEPT when he has leash aggression episodes or during playtime, when I'm a bit more relaxed with rules.  He'd been growling and snapping sometimes on the bed when I came back from taking a leak, and I'd been addressing this by shunning-- for a full 15 minutes, he OBEYED when I verbally ordered him out of the room-- I didn't need oven mitts or whatever!-- but also positive reinforcement: First I coaxed him with a treat, then when he'd learned that, I used only a verbal command, and rewarded him if he complied.  Seemed to be working.

When he bit me, I'd been approaching him slowly on the bed and petting him, it seemed like everything was cool.  None of the growling or warning I'd observed previously.  He abruptly bit me hard on my face and it may leave scars, and it came out of nowhere.  Vet say we should to start assessment with an MRI, which I'm open to doing, but it's a huge amount of money and not without risk due to the anesthesia, and I just want to know if any of you have ever dealt with a dog who had an episode like this and what the outcome was.

He's been much more serious since this happened-- not joyless, but he knows things are different.  He and Bartleby now sleep in my office-- I'll lie on the couch with a book for 15 minutes to get them settled, with them in their doggie beds, and then slip off to bed.  I showed no fear when I returned from the ER, and walked him immediately.  He no longer sleeps in the bed, but is fine sitting on the couch next to me.  Since this happened-- three nights ago-- he's quicker to comply with commands than he was previously, and he wasn't that bad before, just a bit slow.  Now, he looks at me for permission before getting on the couch with me, will lie down cuddled next to me, and has this look like, "I know what happens next, it's off to animal control.  Please let me stay.  I love you guys and my brother, Bartleby (an older Bichon, who adores him as well.)"

Longer narrative below.  Thanks so much for your help.  The vet is sending us off to the neurologist for an MRI, I'll do it if I have to, and I'll give him up if that's the only thing possible.  But I don't want to.  I feel like he's trying really, really hard, and genuinely seems horrified by what he did.  And I don't want me, or anyone else, to get hurt.  Thanks in advance for any reactions you have, either to this brief description or the more detailed one we gave to the vet:

REQUEST FOR EXAM: We are requesting that Spike receive a full checkup due to a single episode of extreme and unprovoked (or nearly unprovoked) aggressive behavior. You guys are the experts, but we wonder about a possible neurological disorder or musculoskeletal problem. He has always stretched frequently, more often than one would expect for such a young dog, and had one episode when he could not move his rear legs properly, another episode when he slipped on the stairs onto his belly, and another episode when he lost his footing on the stairs more briefly. These episodes occurred several months ago, and we dismissed them b/c they did not continue.

AGGRESSIVE EVENT: Spike is a Cairn Terrier mix, approx. 16 months old, adopted at approx. 10-12 months late June, was examined by SCAH for first checkup late July or August. Spike bit me in the face Friday night 1/29/21-- no stitches needed, but multiple lacerations to the upper lip, profuse bleeding of short duration. I cried in pain and yelled when this happened, but after returning from the ER, I walked him and fed him, doing my best to be assertive and avoid any display of fear.

CONTEXT OF AGGRESSION: Spike and Bartleby had been lying near the foot of the bed, at ankle level, when I woke from nap and very slowly moved towards foot of the bed, petting Bartleby first. Spike rolled over to be petted, so guardian petted, Spike appeared to enjoy, gave no sign of discomfort or aggression. I moved closer very, very slowly, speaking softly. When my face was approx. 10-16 inches away, Spike lunged and bit me w/ no warning. The speed of the attack was stunning; I have very fast reflexes, but I didn't see him move until his teeth hit my face. He and Bartleby have been sleeping in my office since then (two nights so far), he is no longer permitted on the bed, though we still allow him to sit by us on the couch.

BEHAVIORAL HISTORY: Spike came to us w/ moderate to severe leash aggression (dogs & pedestrians, mostly male) and did nip me twice previously in the first few months he was with us, but only under duress-- once when he had to be picked up during a leash aggression episode, another time as he became ill while eating a cat or coyote turd in the back yard. (He vomited immediately afterward.) Both times, he was corrected (“No!” in a loud, firm voice) and both times cowered, dropped his tail, looked ashamed, fled briefly, but then complied with commands.

Guardians addressed leash aggression w/ “cookie dog” AKC technique; leash aggression decreased by 50-60% by November and plateaued at that level-- now only barks at humans when they exit cars abruptly, still occasionally barks at other dogs, but usually only briefly.

Spike did sometimes grumble when jostled by humans on the bed, as many of our dogs have w/o incident. Spike's grumbling escalated slowly and insidiously to growling and snapping in mid October. After second or third incident, guardian intervened by ordering Spike to leave bedroom and giving him a 15-minute time out. This intervention was repeated every time he growled or snapped, though soft grumbling was tolerated. Spike always complied with only a brief delay. Guardian also began using positive reinforcement when Spike was in the way on the bed, first coaxing Spike to move w/ cookie, and for later incidents instructing Spike to move verbally and rewarding w/ cookie. Spike's compliance was near 100%. Earlier on the day Spike attacked me, I had used this technique successfully to pick him up off the bed. No problem.

Before and after this incident, Spike shows most signs of accepting me as pack leader with a few exceptions: When playing fetch, he's very slow to respond to 'drop it,' and when he jumps excitedly to greet guardians, he's very slow to respond to “off.” He is also sometimes very slow to get off my lap when ordered to do so, though he has never-- so far-- been aggressive in that situation.

When not playing, and when inside the house, and he picks up kleenex or even food, he obeys “drop it” almost immediately, or with a short delay. He has complied with “drop it” even after the attack. If he picks up an unfamiliar object-- say, a guitar tuner-- he will often come to guardian and display the item, e.g., “Is this a toy?” When guardian instructs him to drop it, Spike's compliance is 100%, and guardian substitutes a dog toy. This has been the pattern: When he's instructed to do something, he almost always complies, usually quickly or with a delay, with the few exceptions noted above.

As we looked back on the last two months, we realized that some other odd bx had been increasing insidiously-- Spike has been licking the floor obsessively this week. When asked to stop, he complies, but looks at me with a puzzled expression, like, “I don't know why I'm doing this either” and drops his tail. He then resumes shortly thereafter. We also noticed that when he's sleeping next to Bartleby in the same dog bed, completely stationary, he will sometimes “grumble” or growl softly, get up, and turn around. In the past week or two, we've noticed that he's started doing this when he was alone, too-- a little growl, and then he will stand up and shift positions.

Another odd behavior: He snaps at flying insects as they pass by, but also-- possibly-- at thin air. The first few times I saw this, there were some tiny gnats flying around that I hadn't noticed. Recently, however, he may have been snapping at nothing, or at motes of dust. Never growls for this.

Since the attack, I tried letting him curl up on my lap twice. The second time, I heard him grumble-- again, when he's completely still, almost like he's having a bad dream or in pain. I waited a minute or two, and gently instructed him to leave; he was VERY slow to comply, but when I start to stand up, he jumped off with no further grumbling, never growled or snapped.

His rough play with Bartleby may have become more agitated as well; my wife is not sure she sees this, but Bartleby now repels him more forcefully if he does not want to play, so I think Spike may be pushing Barty a little harder, though it's hard to tell.

I am aware that the fact that Spike attacked with no warning is generally a very poor prognostic indicator. At the same time, the snarling and snapping (so far) has only occurred in one situation-- when he is lying on the bed-- which can indicate a more favorable outcome.

 He has been a rowdy, but very agreeable pet who has been extremely devoted, particularly when I was sick or in pain from dental work. He appears to adore and respect us, again with the few exceptions noted.

I moonlighted at a dog kennel during grad school, I'm no trainer or canine expert, but I've handled some very difficult animals-- far larger than Spike. I'm very observant, and this attack shocked the hell out of me. If the behavior is caused solely, or partly, by a physical condition, we want to treat it.

 

[bradl]

Hello and welcome.

As you know all we can do on an online forum is maybe add some facets to the picture that you are already doing a great job of putting together. So with disclaimers aplenty, a few quick thoughts from someone who has lived with a dog with inexplicable (and never solved) biting episodes.

You are on the right path to fully characterize the dog's physical condition. Dogs bite for a thousand reasons and often the "reason" we ascribe to them is merely a thing that pushed them over an edge that they were already at for a different reason. For a sense of this dynamic I can recommend the book Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson (there's a link in the book section — I don't like her authorial 'tone' very much, but the book was invaluable to me and well worth any discomfort her style may have caused me  )

Another thing which you are probably already doing: manage the environment to minimize the impact of possible failures should they happen despite our best efforts. Much the same as the defensive driving approach of "what would I do if my brakes went out on this curve? what would I do if that truck swerved into my lane on this mountain pass?" etc. In dog world that might just mean keeping your face and hands out of reach, not waking a sleeping a dog without some distance or a stick (literally the recommendation of my vet when discussing an old mostly deaf, mostly blind dog we had who tended to wake suddenly in Full Defensive Mode — understandably, considering how vulnerable an old dog is). This may indeed mean he doesn't meet visitors, etc. 

Another thought is that as time goes by and you continue to observe Spike, you may become even more finely calibrated to his body language and begin to discern impending episodes earlier, from more subtle clues. You may develop lighting reflexes. 

While we never solved the problem with our biter, with awareness we able to live with him until he suddenly and unexpectedly died at about ten years, even earning a Companion Dog obedience title  and some coursing titles — that boy *loved*  to chase the baggie — along the way. He loved to work and I think keeping him active helped both him and us. Being a challenging dog in so many ways he was also an utter sweetheart in others; we had so much emotion tied up in him it somehow hurt even worse to lose him. We had imagined that someday he might have to be put down, but instead he was gone for reasons that seemed so random and unfair (a bowel puncture, presumably from something inappropriate he ate — he was a bit of a trash-hound). Apologies for this side-track. 

You're on a journey. Good luck!

 

[pkcrossley]

I am very impressed with your wisdom and compassion in dealing with Spike. It is rare for dogs to get the understanding they need to be there best. He is still a very young dog (cairns stay immature for kind of a long time), so every reason to believe this can be worked out.

The medical exam is, as you note, essential. It does sound like there is a possible issue. It could be developmental since Spike is so young, or something that is easily controlled by medication. Or if he's in pain, it would explain a lot. Correcting any issues is obviously the first step.

Cairns and many other terriers do have reflexive reactions, and sometimes temper tantrums, that, as Brad points out, demand lifelong management. Everybody can still have fun and be secure, it is just a matter of the human knowing the dog and keeping him out of situations that will end in trouble. 

I am also impressed with Spike. He seems to have showed understanding and regret for his outburst (even though he might not have had any control over it).  Compares awfully well to the unphased, no-contrition attitude of some terriers. He shows every potential to help you get this all under control. 

My impression is that you have an outstanding approach and I hope some medical information will clarify some things soon. 

[Catalyzt]

What a kind and thoughtful reply!  And these are great ideas-- great suggestions, but also helping me refine the questions better.  For example, your point about sleeping: Even if the bed is forever off limits, there still may be a critical window of 5 minutes after he's woken up when there is a 1% chance of a superviolent episode.  Good way to think about it, but raises the question: He seems to be 100% okay on my lap, but what happens if he falls asleep on my lap?

Thanks so much.

[Hillscreek]

What a wonderful dog Spike sounds to be. He seems to feel safe in your house hold. He wants to be one of the group. Your training sounds to be thoughtful and working well.
I have not lived with a biter but a couple of things regarding Spike's behavior struck me. The licking, the 'fly biting' and the distance between your face and his. We had a dog who licked excessively now and then. It seemed an anxiety thing to us. She was quite "high strung' as we used to say. and I knew another who bit the the air now and then, not obsessively, but often enough to make you wonder why. Many a dog who is anxious or has some underlying condition will as I'm sure you know will bite at or actually bite a face near to them. Who know what his life was like before he came to live with you.

Our dogs never slept with us so cannot comment on that. In general we kept our faces away from theirs. And I don't really know why but even the small dogs lay beside us on chair or sofa. My cairn Angus used to push up very close but not actually on me. Perhaps because sometimes I might be occupied with something.

Don't really have much to offer beyond the good suggestions above. Think I would want to rule out any physical problems. I think I would do as you are doing - treating him calmly, rewarding and praising. Be near but give him space. Remembering that a cairn is a giant in a small body and know (or thinks he does) that he can rule the world. 

Spike is young yet. You have plenty of time to forge a great relationship.

Wishing you and Spike the very best of luck.

 

 

[Sam I Am]

Thank goodness it was you who rescued this little guy. You have shown amazing patience and kindness....you have to wonder what his first year was like and how he was treated to show so much fear. I would definitely have some diagnostics done on him and if all is clear would seek out an experienced trainer that is familiar with Terriers to perhaps give you some help, although you have and continue to to do an amazing job by the sound of it. 

I had a bit of a chuckle as your Cairn drops things when told..Sam merrily runs away devouring what ever he has dug up in the yard. Our previous Cairn Jock If woken up would be in instant attack mode, which I think is fairly common among Cairns, so we did it with extreme caution. 

[Catalyzt]

This is just so helpful.  I had no idea that Cairns were so late to mature-- maybe he really was 1 year old when we got him (no papers, of course) but I just figured, "No way this is a one-year-old, he's more immature than our Bichon was at 10 months."

Yes, Hillscreek, good thought about the anxiety and thanks for doing such a close read of the narrative.  Spike is high strung-- sort of.  He sleeps a lot, too.  It's like he's missing third and fourth gear entirely.  He's either parked, in first or second, or in 5th, moving at felonious speed.

PK, great point about his age and medication.  My therapist made the same point, he's had labs which had terrible anxiety issues, and benefited from Lexapro.  

This forum also helps me let go of the shame I feel about not being able to stop or anticipate the attack.  I'd been beating myself up about it without even knowing it, and it helps to know that other people here have had similar experiences, or similar enough.

 

[Catalyzt]

Quick update: The vet said that snapping at nonexistent flies suggests a very high probability of psychomotor seizure disorder.  We'll do a few quick blood tests at his regular vet, and likely go straight to the neurologist-- though fortunately, an MRI may not be diagnostically important.

This makes a lot of sense to me.  He remains more obedient with the new routine of sleeping in the office with Bartleby.  Waits for permission before jumping into my lap.  We also played ball with a mini-tennis ball instead of his little rubber football, and he's responding to "Drop It" much faster.

[pkcrossley]

good going. I kind of thought that. confirmation is valuable info. as he is still young could be developmental, likely can be controlled short term or long term with meds. with lower (self-induced) stress, might abate anyway. hope the neurologist casts some light! 

[Catalyzt]

And another update: Blood work came back normal -- no surprise -- but Spike had a pretty bad seizure last night-- and this time, there was no ambiguity that it was a neurological issue.  He was on my lap and I thought he was sniffing really intently, but I looked down and he was shaking violently, right eye was blinking.  Worst part of the ictal phase was about three minutes, but the post-ictal was long-- he'd look sort of okay, but then kind of jump awkwardly on to the floor, go to the door and not remember why he was there.  He did run up the stairs-- which terrified me, they're tile-- and there were occasional shudders during the post ictal, which was about 15 minutes.

I KNEW this wasn't a behavioral issue, knew it was neuro, particularly after talking to you guys.  I am SO glad I didn't do anything hasty and stupid, like take him back to the rescue.  Today he's fine, just played some ball in the  back yard, agility, attention span were all normal.  Some fly-snapping, which is the neuro indicator, but a little less.  (We took off his Seresto flea collar just in case that was causing a reaction-- rare, but it happens.)

We have a neurology appointment for him in 8 days, but if he has another seizure, or there are any other weird neuro symptoms, we're taking him to the ER STAT. 

Someone here posted about having a Cairn with a seizure disorder, I can't remember who.  Anyway, thanks again for your help and ideas... like Brad said, it's a journey!  

[pkcrossley]

so glad you are on top of this and giving Spike understanding. seizures can be frustrating to deal with at this stage. they can mean literally anything, diagnosis can be lucky the first time, or a slow and methodical process. i hope you find conscientious doctors who will find the right answer, not th easiest one. you and Spike deserve the best. 

[Catalyzt]

Okay, more news from the neurologist, moving forward with the diagnostic process.  Starting a new thread b/c it's a different topic, but basically, no more seizures since Feb. 16th, no aggression whatsoever.  I had to correct Spike (and Bartleby) several times this morning for eating grass, and he didn't understand what he was doing wrong, but was totally submissive-- just rolled on his back with all four legs in the air, like, "I don't know what game we're playing, but you win!"

The grass must be mighty tasty here in March.  All our dogs always love to eat it-- our late Bichon Zippy would teach other dogs to eat grass in the park--  "Whoa, you can eat that stuff?!"  "Sure!  Go for it!" -- much to their guardian's dismay.  A little is no problem, but too much = grass puke.

[pkcrossley]

this sounds like progress on two fronts --or, are they only one front? congratulations to you and Spike.