The attack.

 

The sun was out this morning and we had a lovely play with a classmate on the field before training class started. Then we entered the training pen and Cooper worked hard with his heel walking, sits, stays and leaves. He was progressing so well! It was a lovely relaxed class, before it all went horribly wrong...

The dogs, all of whom knew each other, were invited by the instructor to play off lead with balls in the grassed enclosure. A large lurcher, who had been attending classes muzzled and clearly giving his owner a tough time, given his barking and aggressive lunging towards other dogs at each session, saw me throw a ball for Cooper, then without hesitation, attacked him. He was off lead and unmuzzled on the say so of the instructor; an aggressive, reactive dog, with a ball obsession. When he saw me throw a ball for Cooper, he ran at speed from behind me and took my boy to the ground by pinning him with his jaw at Cooper's throat. Cooper is a friendly, gentle lad and had not seen him coming, there was no challenge, no warning. The other dog was much larger and far more powerful and he meant harm. Cooper didn't have a chance to fight back. To hear my boy screaming in pain and see his eyes bulging in terror was a living nightmare I can barely describe and will never forget. I truly thought he was about to be killed by the lurcher and felt utterly helpless. Thankfully, a male owner with fast presence of mind, managed to force his hand between the lurcher's jaw and Cooper's throat... but the lurcher still didn't release, clamping hard on the man's hand, so I grabbed his tail and yanked as hard as I could several times from behind. Somehow the attacking dog's grip loosened for a split second, just enough for Cooper to scrape free. I will be forever grateful to the other owner, a man who saved Cooper's life by redirecting the bite onto his own hand. How he managed it I will never know but he did and had he not, I really don't think Cooper would be alive today. It was a full dog attack, with Cooper competely unable to defend himself. It was not a bite-inhibited fight between two dogs.

Neither of the class instructors, a husband and wife 'team', helped free Cooper. I don't know what they were doing at the time. I left the class and the owner who helped me, saw us to the car park, then kindly checked Cooper over thoroughly for injury. We couldn't see any damage at the time but at home I found a puncture mark on his neck. The other owner excused himself to wash his hands, at which point the class instructor came to check on me and Cooper. We spoke briefly, then I noticed the owner who had so selflessly helped us, leaving the carpark with his hand wrapped because it was bleeding... he didn't want to worry me and returned to check on his wife and their dog. I excused myself and took Cooper home, then contacted them the next day and was told his hand injury was very sore and he had intervened because he wasn't going to see Cooper hurt.

Cooper and I were both in shock after the attack and I just wanted to take him home to safety. I decided to contact the instructor the following day to give me time to process what had happened. The next day I wrote and politely asked for risk assessments and class reviews to be put in place, as it occurred to me that the lurcher's owner had been told to take off the muzzle and lead by the instructor, which had placed every handler and their dog, at risk that day. It also occurred to me that had it been a smaller dog who was attacked, the outcome would have been very different. It also occurred to me that I have witnessed children attending that class in the enclosure too, although not on that particular day. It also occurred to me that to empty a bag of balls into a small enclosure full of dogs is utter stupidity for any dog obedience instructor and I wish I had never trusted her judgment.... but that's what we do in class isn't it? Even when adult, as pupils, we trust our teachers to make safe decisions for his, or her, class.  Sadly, our dog training instructor made a poor judgment based on her own ego that day, rather than on factual dog behaviour... and that judgment cost one of her clients a badly bitten hand and almost cost me my sweet-natured, loving, funny, friendly boy, Cooper. 

Needless to say, I will not be returning to this class. I am not sure what will be next for Cooper's training in terms of classes and may decide to continue training him independently instead. Despite many years of training, I am nervous to attend another class. I don't ever want to be put in a situation like this again and don't ever want to be responsible for putting my dogs into a class where their safety isn't placed above the class instructor's ego. 

To summarise:I subsequently received no reassurrance from our class instructor that her classes would be reviewed for the purpose of safety. A fudged post describing the lurcher attack as 'a scuffle over a ball' and 'no one was hurt', was posted on her social media for all members of her classes to read. When I politely commented on the facts of what had happened, ie., it was not a bite-inhibited fight, it was a serious attack causing a bite injury to another owner, I was promptly blocked both from the group and from being able to message the instructor further. I am writing this post, both to process the trauma of what happened but also as a warning to other dog owners to think carefully about which dog training class they book and to research dog training instructors carefully, keeping in mind they are unregulated as a body of 'professionals'. There are excellent, well educated trainers available, seek them out and wait for a space in their class if there is a waiting list. Please don't fall into the trap I fell into, of just booking something local because it was handy.

I have always advocated dog training classes but I am going to caveat here by saying please, please, please, check the credentials of your trainer. Dog training classes are unregulated, so research thoroughly, watch how classes are run if possible, then take recommendations where possible from established handlers, those owners who understand what dog training in class entails, rather than from first time puppy owners. A well run training class is a joy to participate in but there are always risks... and risks must be managed expertly to keep owners, dogs and trainers as safe as possible in class. For new owners still finding your way into training classes, I know it can be difficult to choose the safest, most beneficial training scenario, so please ask for advice and recommendations from other owners, before making a decision. All classes have ups and downs and some dogs can of course be unpredictable, but a well managed class should be a safe space and any responsible trainer will do all they can to ensure problems are dealt with safely and honestly. As owners we have to place great trust in our dog training instructors, so we need to know that our trust is valued and respected for the safety of our dogs. Safety in class should always be any instructor's first priority.

Since Cooper's attack, I have received this advice from an unrelated dog trainer, so am passing it on case it helps anyone who might be looking for a dog trainer:

 I would always recommend choosing someone on the ABTC register https://abtc.org.uk/practitioners/.

To be on the register, trainers have to complete both a theory and practical assessment, complete regular CPD and have risk assessments and insurance in place. Members also have to comply with their code of conduct, which include standards of professional conduct and you can raise any concerns through their membership organisation.