My Dog Bit Another Child

I think the safety of the children is far more important then the dog. The dog needs to be with a family without small children. This is the first incident, the next could be far worse! Why risk it?
Take Care. Heidi

My mom's dalmatian bit my son when he was about 8 months old. My mom agreed that if she bit anyone again then she would have to find another home or be put to sleep. We are just really careful around her now. We put her outside when my son is around and just make sure that he stays away from her. I really can't blame the dog. We adopted her from the Humane Society and she was skin and bones and had been beaten by her previous owner. So she definitely has some baggage. Some dogs just aren't good around kids.

I understand your concern. We first had our dog, then had three children who are all still babies. The dog was a rescue dog and had a lot of baggage. He's small, but he has bitten twice (an adult). With a lot of work training him, he is now rather good with our children. However, we know the propensity to bite is there and he is never alone with children, including ours who he loves. We know his triggers -a child being rowdy and playing in a ball pit would definitely be one of those, so in those cases, he is put outside or in another room. This has worked for us and is possible. If you find it too stressful to maintain this kind of watch, please surrender him to a rescue organization rather than putting him to sleep. He can be worked with and sent to a child-free home. Best of luck, I know how upsetting it is to have your dog bite.

Occording to animal behaviorsts dogs have the mental capabilities of about a two year old. As to leaving your kids alone, even momentarily, with a dog, you have to ask yourself: "Should I leave my children alone with another child of two, whose mouth is potentially a leathal weapon?" Some two year old children would never hurt another child and some dogs would never do so either. Children's movements and voices tend to activate preditory behavior in dogs. Your problem is weather or not you want to put the time and effort into training this dog and supervising him in such a way that makes your children safe. A good dog trainer would probaly be advisable over a general obedience class. Also there are rescue groups that may help you rehome him, which you can probably find on the internet.

Border Collies bite and nip. Chows are guard dogs. Not a good mix. I am sure he is a wonderful dog-give him up to someone with out kids. He will bite again. You really don't want a child to be maimed. Don't give him another chance. Please give the dog up immediately. This behavior cannot be tolerated even once! It's already too late.
I had a Border Collie. He hated my old neighbor with his rake, he got out and bit the 90 year old man in the bum and the old man needed several stitches. He didn't sue, we were lucky. all dogs have the capacity to bite, it's a fact, I don't care what anyone says. Some bite harder than others or hold on longer than others. You have children and your dog bit unprovoked. If you want a dog and you have kids get a golden retriever or a labrador.

If your dog drew blood, you might have to put him to sleep, check your state/local guidelines. In some states if a dog draws blood, regardless of the reason for biting, he has to be put down.
If there was no blood, you might consider that this animal is simply not one that you should have in your home with small children. Dogs generally have a reason for what they do, even if we don't see the reason. Is your dog very protective of your family? Did he see this nephews behavior (shaking the ball pit that your daughter plays in) as a threat to his family or the baby in particular? Whatever his reasoning, some dogs will protect their families or get defensive if they feel threatened themselves. Even if that is the problem, it could be time for you to decide that the dog needs another family.
FYI: Both Border Collies and Chow Chows are known to be work dogs who need and expect a lot of exercise. They are also known for their loyality and protectiveness. Collies are especially protective of children in their families. Both Collies and Chows have been known to be aloof with strangers and while Collies will generally not attack unless provoked, they remain suspicious of strangers and people they do not like. It is always important to understand the temperment and needs of the dogs in our lives. If you intend to keep this dog, be sure to keep him away from strangers and remove him from any situation where you feel that he might defend his family out of sense of dislike or mistrust for another person.

Hi J.!
Sorry you have to deal with this! If it was me I would get rid of the dog! Put an ad in the paper or take it to the animal shelter ASAP! You need to be able to let your dog walk around the house with your kids (or any kids in your home) with out thinking about what the dog is going to do next! Also I would research what dogs are good with kids! I have a boston terrier and she is WONDERFUL with my daughter and any kid that I have had in my house. I also know she is a little more hyper than some dogs so when someone comes over I put her out side or in her kennel till everyone gets in then let her out to say Hi. I also let everyone that is over know she likes to kiss but if you tell her to get down she will listen.

When you get a dog you should train them to behave around people! They don't know any better! I think you can take them to petco (or some place like that) at 10wks for training. I trained my own but I have been around all kinds of animals all my life so I kinda knew what I wanted my dog to do!
I really hope this helps!

Please don't put your dog to sleep. First, you should NEVER leave children alone with a dog, for both the kids' and the animal's safety. I agree this was a terrible accident, but your dog is still just a puppy. I'm not exactly sure why you would get such a young puppy with a baby in the house, but he clearly needs to be trained. If you are still not comfortable having him in your house, please try to find a home for him.

I DEFINITELY would give him away. This dog would not stay in my house PERIOD! I don' care about training, anything. I would NOT risk my children!

I don't think you should put him to sleep though. I agree to give him away. Make sure who ever gets him is aware of this incident.

Sadly this type of story is all too common.

1) Have a professional assess the dog and your family's needs to determine if the dog is workable for your family. If you decide to keep him, hire a professional to help you recondition the dog to be around children and teach your children how to behave around dogs. This process is not fast and it is typically not inexpensive because it takes time to recondition the dog. You have two things working for you: there has only been one bite, the dog is young and therefore the habits should be less ingrained, perhaps shortening the time needed.
2) Be clear that this was a bite, not a "nip". The dog bit and held on, and that constitutes a bite.
3) It is likely the dog was "provoked" by all the stimulation from noise and motion.
-Learn about dog language (body language) and use that to teach yourself and children how to act properly around dogs.
-If the children are too young (<5 YO) to control themselves, or you can't manage the situation, then don't have them together.
-Your dog saw a threat, warned the threat(nephew) by barking, and then your nephew ignored the dog's warning and moved, bringing on the attack. Very simple and natural to the dog, though horrifying to humans! THE ACCESS YOU GAVE THE DOG TO THE CHILD CAUSED THE ATTACK, NOT THE DOG.
-Manage the situation appropriately and do the work suggested.
3) The breed tendencies noted by others are accurate: Chows guard, BC's herd and protect. Due to their strong breed tendencies, these are not breeds I would choose for children, but that said, I do know many that have been fine with them when socialized and conditioned correctly in proper living conditions. The children also knew how to act around them.
4) NEVER leave any dog unsupervised with children.
5) NEVER have any dog near young children without your hand contact ON the dog. You increase probability of keeping children safe with your hands on the dog.
6) NEVER allow young children to treat to any dog with food from their hands (or mouths...kids can do the darndest things!). (Builds association of food to their hands for the dog.)
7) NEVER force the dog into situations that are overstimulating or cause him stress (fear). Stress can have many causes, but the "fight or flight" response is often to lack of escape route, or lack of or diminishing space. Simple direct eye contact can provoke a dog, much less all the noise and commotion you described. Dogs crave structure and boundaries in their pack and den. Chaotic situations cause them stress.
8) Please do not delay in getting help for you family and your dog so you learn safe ways for interaction and form new habits that do not ingrain either the childrens', yours, or your dog's bad behavior.
9) Have your trainer teach you how to have your dog know his toys from the childrens' and never allow him to steal or play with childrens' toys and set up boundaries to help them. Try to choose dog toys that are different from your childrens' toys.

You can check out DogsAndStorks.com for suggestions and to locate some help. I am a licensed advisor for this organization and my clients love it. Also, Doggone Safe is a program to teach kids about dogs and how to act around them. I have worked with kids as young as 4 YO successfully teaching them how to act safely around all dogs.

Good luck! Contact me if you you have difficulty finding resources in your area.

Hi J., since your dog is actually a puppy, are you sure it was a bite and not a nip? do not put he puppy to sleep, that would be horrible. rent the dog wisperer dvd thats how we are trainning my puppy, well now a year old, he had a dvd out for evry problem known to man that has to do with dogs. J.

PS usually if a child is bit or scratched by an animal that normally doesn't do that, it's usually the childs fault. J.

Hi J.,

Biting your nephew probably has nothing to do with aggression or dominance. Comments about submission have little relevance. Most dogs bite out of being reactive or out of fear. They are wound up and possibly scared and the fight or flight kicks in. My guess is that your dog was wound up with all of the activity and possibly not comfortable with your high energy nephew and it built to the point that something happened that triggered him and he bit out of being reactive. Maybe freaked out that the nephew popped out screaming out of the pit?

Whatever the reason, this is a big deal, as you know. What you should do is never allow your dog alone with a child ever again. This is the only way you can be assured your dog will never bite another child. When children come to your house, or even with your children, your dog will need to be put in his kennel, in another room, or tied up when the children are out playing.

Not exactly the picture you had in mind when getting a dog.

If you decide to keep him and make this work, I recommend you contact a trainer or dog behaviorist that specializes in dogs that have bitten humans. Find a trainer that will not use devices and things that make it worse - shock collars, prongs, etc. will make your already reactive dog worse. Find a trainer that uses more human bonding techniques - particularly for your dog due to his breed.

If you decide to surrender him. Please do not surrender him to the humane society or any group that is a "kill" shelter. We have a responsibility to our animals.

A good option is to find a rescue group that will not put your dog to sleep. Contact a chow rescue group or a border collie rescue group. Be prepared to ship your dog to the organization in need be.

Do not consider rehoming him to another family. It is not the right things to do. I've been involved in dog training/rescue since 1996 and the only way a family would take him is if you do not disclose the fact that he bit a child. This is not right. Look for a group that might be willing to take him.

Your dog is in his adolescence stage. This is the most annoying of all stages. He will grow out of it at about 18-24 months or age. During this time, you should be enrolled in at least obedience training. You should be walking or running with him daily because of his breed.

Most dogs that are surrendered are between the ages of 8 - 18 months of age. Because this is the time when the dog is the most annoying.

If you do surrender him to a great rescue group and decide to get another dog, do not get a chow or a border collie. Border collies, in general, make horrible house pets. They truly need to live somewhere they can live out their natural talent of herding - our homes are not the ideal place because we cannot get close to tapping into the endless energy well a border collie has. It leaves them with a huge amount of pent up energy that must be harnessed. I would also not recommend you get a chow. Research the breed. Find a breed that is in general great with children. There aren't many so that will help narrow down your selections.

Once you decide on a breed, find a breeder that is reputable that you can tell of your family situation and she can match the best puppy with your family. Getting a dog from the humane society, in my opinion, with small children, is not a good idea. I wouldn't take that risk, to tell you the truth.

Best of luck to you.

So your nephew is a constant in your lives even if it's just here and there but you don't want him to end up killed. I believe that dogs only attack for safety or when taught to do so unless it envolves small children and once they do, that's it...they can't be around small children. I wouldn't go so far as to have the dog put to sleep but taking the dog to the humane society and telling them he isn't capable of being around all types of children. The dog isn't malicious but the fact that the dog can't be around an ADD child is a problem especially since your own child may bring home an ADD child from school at some point and you don't want that liability.

Hi
Dont put him to sleep. It would be better to give him to a no-kill shelter and tell them that he is not good with little kids. At least that way he will get a second chance.