As a follow up to that, dogs have unique personalities and flaws just like humans. Whatever caused your dog to act out may have been a stress trigger that you were unaware of and couldn't control. A guy I know has a dog that's really well trained but for some reason a specific type of person stresses her out and she always barks at them until he tells her not to. While a severe bite is really not a good sign, I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt that it may not be the fault of your training.

I have lots of handling of cats every day with my job, and this is not true. Cats have 5 weapons when they're stressed or angry, dogs have one. I'm a cat person myself and can definitely say, some cats are plain assholes and will bite or scratch in the blink of an eye.

Oh there's no doubt that cats can cause serious damage! Yet, the fact remains: if OP had a cat (instead of a dog) this FML would never have happened. Have you ever heard of anyone offering cat obedience classes? I didn't think so! Check and mate, friend.

There are cat obedience classes going on all the time! However, the cats insist on training their humans to be obedient in their habitat. This is why you don't see them.

You there, Mr. Pencil. I like your style.

Cat obedience is a thing! You'd be surprised! I have a cat that can basically do all of the things your average dog can. (Walk on leash, sit, down, stay, shake, come, and a few other things in command)

Yes genius, there are classes for cats. Nice joke attempt..

#14 - I am surprised! That's awesome!

Well if OP had a cat then OP wouldn't have been in a dog obedience class (I hope), and would not have been bitten by their dog. So therefore the FML would not have happened.

Cats always have a reason for why they lash out. They don't just do it on purpose. Trust me sometimes the signs are not so obvious. I've been around cats my whole life and I know them pretty well. Now this one time just recently, I came across a young black and white cat. He was meowing at me while walking away with his tail up. That's not a bad sign. A bad sign would be a tail puffed up or twitching with the ears flattened and the pupils dilated. So I followed him, dropped down and called him over. He meowed and came over to me and started purring while rubbing up against me. I then pet him once when suddenly he hissed at me. I did not see it coming. I am lucky he didn't attack me, but he wanted lovings without pets. If you don't respect their wishes you will get hurt. They speak with their bodies and vocals. But remember you could always pet them in a soft area that has been injured before that makes them touchy. This is enough to make them lash out seemingly out of nowhere. You could also have a weird smell on your hand. The key is to not force anything and let the cat have it's way.

If your animal behaves in a way that doesn't have an explanation you need to take them to the vet. If they're sick or in pain they could act strange but there's also mental problems they could be causing it.

I get that. But OP used the word "severly" my dog is very lyrics poorly trained and knows to stop the moment his teeth hit skin. he's never drawn blood. Due to this being my experience, if I went to obedience classes with him ( rewinding to back in time when he'd be an appropriate age for that), and the trainers dog bit him or her severely during the training. I'd withdraw from the class because that's a red flag. I wouldn't know the trainer personally. So all I could go by is what I saw and know. And not every dog trainer is a good one, just like there are bad school teachers... So yeah... But on that note, I wouldn't go on the Internet and name drop / shame the trainer/ obedience school and I'd hope others would not. Besides definitely looking into what triggered their dog biting them, I'd just count the class in which the bite happened as a loss. And be thankful for the people who stayed as well as just making sure history doesn't repeat itself. mistakes happen. it shouldn't define OP'S career, however, this doesn't mean the 4 people who left were unreasonable either. I agree with them that they should have the right to withdraw and get a refund if such an event were to happen. Some people bring their children, sometimes young, to dog training classes mind you. A child witnessing the trainer getting attacked by their own dog *may* have negative psychological results. My mom's friend saw a guy get knocked of his bicycle by a dog that was chasing the guys bike and it bit the dude and my mom's friend has been terrified of dogs since. The incident could have been worse but nonetheless is permanentlyrics scarred my mom's friend. thems the breaks. anywho in life, no matter the scenario, you win some, you lose some. I'm sure there are far more people who have positive things to say about OP'S dog training skills than negative things. And OP should not let this blip in their career get them too down. focus on the future, don't dwell on the past though yeah I know.. easier said than done...

"Dog trainer" is no protected job title--- so yes, " every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it". I could call myself dog trainer and work in this field without any qualification. So calling yourself dog trainer doesn't imply any skills. Best regards, Dog Trainer DanaeZee (hey, maybe I even get a dog sometimes!)