Dog Bites One Family Member: Why It Happens and What to Do

If a dog bites one family member but stays relaxed with someone else in the same home, it does not automatically mean the dog dislikes that person or is trying to dominate them. The difference may come from what happens during interactions with that specific person—touching, grooming, moving the dog, taking objects, scolding, restraint, or approaching while the dog is resting.

Fear, pain, resource guarding, and previous learning can also be involved. Veterinary behavior specialists emphasize that aggression toward people can have several causes, so the surrounding situation matters more than simply identifying who gets bitten.

A striking example appeared on a Korean dog behavior program in August 2026.

Why Jjang-a Bit One Caregiver but Not the Other

Jjang-a, an 18-month-old Sapsali featured on Channel A’s The Hour Between Dog and Wolf 2, lived with a father and his adult daughter.

Her behavior around them was dramatically different. Jjang-a appeared relatively comfortable alone with the father. Around the daughter, however, approaching and touching could lead to tension, growling, and biting.

The daughter reported being bitten about 20 times, with three incidents requiring emergency-room treatment.

During the episode, trainer Kang Hyung-wook focused less on making Jjang-a obey and more on how interactions between the daughter and dog were repeatedly occurring.

The daughter continued physical contact even when Jjang-a tried to avoid it. She put shoes on the dog despite resistance, attempted grooming and tooth brushing, pulled on her leash while filming, used a toy hammer during corrections, and continued creating content while Jjang-a wore a muzzle.

For Jjang-a, the person approaching her had become closely connected with handling she frequently tried to avoid.

A Dog’s Growl Is Information, Not a Challenge

Dogs often communicate discomfort before biting. A dog may turn away, become still, tense the body, move away, growl, snarl, or snap.

If those behaviors repeatedly fail to make an uncomfortable interaction stop, the situation can escalate. VCA notes that bites are more likely when lower-level signs of discomfort have been ignored.

This is especially relevant with grooming and body handling. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior describes owner-directed aggression during nail trimming, brushing, bathing, ear cleaning, dental care, harnessing, and other handling routines. Repeatedly restraining a dog or preventing escape can make the experience more stressful and increase bite risk rather than teach the dog to accept it.

That does not mean necessary care should simply be abandoned. It means the dog may need gradual desensitization, counterconditioning, cooperative handling, and professional guidance rather than being forced through the procedure.

Why Punishing the Growl Can Make the Situation More Dangerous

Yelling, intimidation, leash corrections, or physical punishment may suppress visible behavior without changing the fear or discomfort underneath it.

AVSAB currently recommends reward-based methods for dog training and behavior modification and advises against aversive methods. Its guidance specifically includes aggression among the behavior problems that should be addressed through management and humane behavior modification rather than force.

Punishing a warning such as growling can also make communication less predictable. The goal should not be to make a dog stop warning while leaving the trigger unchanged.

What Kang Hyung-wook’s “Divorce” Prescription Actually Meant

One of the episode’s most memorable instructions was that the daughter should “divorce” Jjang-a.

It was not a recommendation to surrender or rehome the dog. The father remained responsible for Jjang-a, while the daughter stopped touching, managing, and filming her. Their relationship was physically separated.

Two weeks later, that separation was still maintained, without a fixed date for restarting contact.

This resembles a basic safety principle used in veterinary behavior medicine: when a certain interaction reliably produces aggression, stop rehearsing that interaction while the case is being evaluated and treated. The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists advises families to keep dogs out of situations where aggression is likely and, when an owner action triggers aggression, to stop that action until professional help is obtained.

The daughter’s separate assignment to run about 5 km a day was different. In the program, it was intended to redirect her time and emotional energy toward her own routine rather than exercise Jjang-a. It should not be interpreted as a standard treatment for canine aggression.

Repeated Bites Need More Than Home Training

When a dog has already bitten repeatedly—especially when bites have required medical treatment—the safest response is not to experiment with how much handling the dog will tolerate.

A veterinarian should first consider pain or other medical contributors. If aggression remains a concern, a veterinary behaviorist can evaluate the triggers, learning history, household interactions, and safety requirements. Both VCA and the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists recommend professional evaluation for human-directed aggression because the causes can be complex and the consequences serious.

Jjang-a’s case also raises a broader question for people who photograph or film their dogs regularly. A dog participating in our routine is not necessarily a dog enjoying every part of it.

If a dog repeatedly turns away, freezes, leaves, or growls when we try to create a particular interaction, changing the interaction may be more useful than trying harder to get the reaction we wanted.

Source:
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior — Humane Dog Training Position Statement
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior — Negative Reinforcement and Body Handling Routines
American College of Veterinary Behaviorists — Resources for Veterinarians
American College of Veterinary Behaviorists — What Is a Veterinary Behaviorist?
VCA Animal Hospitals — Aggression in Dogs
VCA Animal Hospitals — Dog Aggression Toward Family Members: Treatment