We rescued our dog from the council strays about 2 months ago. She's about 15 months and we think she's a collie/staffy cross. She's been fine most of the time, just the odd bit of bad behaviour - barking at people/dogs/cats/cars on walks, chewing bits of the wall etc when we're out - but nothing we didn't really expect from a rescue dog.
But this evening, out of nowhere, she bit my wife's hand - not quite hard enough to break the skin but enough to leave bruises, and it's still really sore.
My wife was only cleaning 'eye goo' off the dog's face the same as she's done loads of times before, and the dog's never minded her face being touched in the past, infact I was stroking her face only 10 minutes before she bit!
We really dont know what to do now...
We dont feel like we can trust her anymore, especially if she can be as unpredictable as that without being provoked.
Is there anything we can do?
We'd feel so guilty giving her away again as it's already happened to her once - and I'm sure nowhere would even take her knowing that she'd bitten someone anyway!

If anyone has an advice for us we'd appreciate it...

Thanks

What sort of bite was it? Did she growl, give any sort of warning first? Or was it just a grab bite, could have been playing? I know you say she left bruises, but at 15 months she's probably a big dog.

I am sure someone with alot more experience will be along to help soon.

Hope you can get it sorted x

Was it an aggressive bite? It may just be she wanted to play fight, but has poor bite inhibition. Were there any signs before she bit your wife that she wasn't happy ie growling or something?

She just seemed to snap really suddenly. She didn't give any warning but she was growling during and after.
It certainly didnt seem playful - we've played with her loads and she's never bitten or even just mouthed like puppies do. And she only growls when we're chasing her ball round the garden...

She's been very quiet and well behaved since and is constantly licking our hands...

It may have just been a one off, I think it would be best to begin discouraging anything that leads to her growling, so if she starts growling when your playing, you stop until she calms down a bit.
Generally dogs give warning signs before they bite its not unknown, buts its unusual for them to just suddenly bite. Was your wife making eye contact with the dog beforehand? I know this can be intimidating for some dogs and can lead to what is percieved as a a sudden snap.
I'd keep a close eye on her for any signs of unusual behaviour, hopefully this was just a one off. If not, try and take note of what triggers the biting and consider contacting a behaviorist

Cjm
Was it possible that your wife could have caught her and caused pain? Wouldn't tar the dog over one incident, give her a chance please....
regards
Sue

I would also recommend a vet check to make sure there isn't an underlying medical issue.....

I personally think it would be wrong to try and advise any way to try and deal with this problem via a forum, and without having seen the dog, there are so many potential reasons and causes. One thing is for sure, dogs VERY rarely bite without reason or warning, it is simply that what is a reason to a dog, might not seem like a reason to us humans. Also, the signs of discomfort a dog gives other than growling are often too subtle for most humans to read.

I would suggest a phone call to the rescue centre, a vet visit and a GOOD behaviourist who uses REWARD BASED methods.

For once I have to agree with Jackson. With any type of aggression problems you MUST seek profession help.

It is also possible that your dog has a medical problem which caused her to lash out. I would ask that you give her another chance, and PLEASE seek veterinary help, who will then refer you to their chosen behaviourist. She may not get a second chance

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