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My dog has bitten my DS

114 replies

georgie262 · 30/09/2019 18:38

My dog who is usually wonderful with my children has just bitten my 8 year old DS hard on the stomach. The situation was my son was stood up giving me a high five because he'd just got his spellings right and the dog bit him as he went in to high five me. He's not broken the skin but it's hard enough to leave a mark. I also have two younger children. I don't know what to do because I'm in shock. My DS is in tears because he thinks we'll have to get rid of the dog. But the bite floored him. I don't really know where else to go for advice except to call my vet in the morning???

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Bunnybigears · 30/09/2019 18:42

Was the dog joining in with the excitement and caught your DS with his teeth? Or was he thinking the high 5 was aggression from your DH and trying to protect you? How he behaved during and after is important really in a situation like this. I'm trying to visualise how a dog can bite and 8 year old on the stomach, presumably he just caught him with top teeth rather than actually clamped his jaws together?

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Veterinari · 30/09/2019 18:43

If the skin wasn’t broken then there was no aggressive intention to the bite

Could the dog have been startled? Was he asleep or eating?

Could he be ill or in pain?

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georgie262 · 30/09/2019 18:50

My son struggles with spellings so we were being a bit over excited that he'd got them right. We did a high five but missed and DS said let's do that again and went in again. The dog was standing by our side stood up boy lying down or eating. I do think he thought we were being aggressive but obviously can't be sure. Dog jumped and barked at the same time at first I though DS was over reacting to being startled by the bark but then realised he was genuinely crying. The bite/nip has brought blood to the surface of the skin but not broken the skin if that makes sense.

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Steamfan · 30/09/2019 18:52

The dog may have been thinking your son was going to hit you. Is it usually protective of you? Or it may just have been startled

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georgie262 · 30/09/2019 18:53

Actually just looked again and the skin is broken

My dog has bitten my DS
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georgie262 · 30/09/2019 18:55

@Steamfan well I think that is what happened and yes dog is a little protective of me. Sits at my feet, follows me round, barks if I talk to strangers in the woods but regardless of his reasons I don't know how to handle it because it's just not happened before.

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LadyMonicaBaddingham · 30/09/2019 18:57

Then your DS needs medical attention immediately, dog bites can cause nasty infection problems.

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Bunnybigears · 30/09/2019 19:09

Obviously I wasnt there but to me I would say it was a warning snap that got closer than intended otherwise the injuries would be worse and the biting would have continued. What kind of dog is it? I would say some training is necessary as the dog shouldn't be allowed to be over protective of you otherwise it could end up mistaking a lot of things for aggression and you will all be too scared to touch each other.

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Aridane · 30/09/2019 19:10

Shit

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Aridane · 30/09/2019 19:11

Vet & training & cuddles for DS

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Pinkyyy · 30/09/2019 19:11

You need to get rid of the dog.

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Silentlysinking101 · 30/09/2019 19:14

Looking at the picture and reading your comments, I don't think it was an aggression bite. It looks much more like the dog has been startled, gone to alert and caught DS by accident.

If it is the first time the dog abs displayed such behaviour then I wouldn't rush to get rid or pts.

That said, I would ensure dog and kids are never alone together, enroll dog in training and keep a VERY watchful eye for signs of alternative behaviour

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georgie262 · 30/09/2019 19:28

Thanks I've calmed down a bit now and feel I've had some good advice, so thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply it really is appreciated I've already messaged the woman who boards our dog when we are away as she does training too but worried she now won't take him for boarding but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

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Hoppinggreen · 30/09/2019 19:40

Our ddog “bit” DD once. She ran past him while he was asleep and startled him, he snapped and grazed her foot. The bite looked pretty similar to your sons OP.
I was very worried but it was a one off that hadn’t happened before or since so we didn’t do anything about it, despite my immediate reaction being we needed to get rid of him.
I hope your DS is ok, you need to make sure the wound is clean but as an isolated incident I wouldn’t worry too much

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minesapinkgin · 30/09/2019 19:55

I'm afraid I would look at rehoming

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Pinkyyy · 30/09/2019 19:56

Is it worth living in fear of another incident OP? How can you enjoy a pet when you're constantly on guard that it could harm your children.

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Aridane · 30/09/2019 19:56

Can a bite-y document be rehomed?

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Veterinari · 30/09/2019 20:00

@georgie262

It’s quite possible that your dog is ‘resource-guarding’ you
I’d strongly suggest qualified behavioural therapy with an APBC accredited behaviourist

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missbattenburg · 30/09/2019 20:02

As pp have said, I think I would:

  1. see a vet asap just to get a clean bill of health. There are a few medical problems that can cause anxiety, reduced tolerance, increased liklihood of aggression etc.
  2. Keep dog and children apart for a bit
  3. Honestly reassess whether or not the dog really is brilliant with children. Sometimes when people say that, they mean the dog has (so far) put up with all sorts but this isn't fair on the dog and the risk is that one day the dog will not just tolerate things it doesn't like. I'm not saying that is true here, but worth a brutal review to make sure it's not.
  4. Slowly build back up the time the dog and children are together
  5. If there are any further signs of the dog struggling then find a good behaviourist to help asses and (hopefully) change the siuation for the better.
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lovelifenow · 30/09/2019 20:07

Stop worrying about your stupid mutt and get your child medical attention. People can DIE from infected bite wounds!

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LadyTabasco · 30/09/2019 20:15

lovelifenow you are a lovely person quite obviously. Thank goodness you are here or else us mere mortals wouldn't know how to behave Hmm

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Booboostwo · 30/09/2019 20:22

This is a serious bite and, from what you describe, it’s quite possible the dog is resource guarding you. Resource guarding is a tough problem and resource guarding family members is even tougher. Keep the dog and DCs separate until you can get the dog assessed by an experienced behaviourist.

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Gobbolinothewitchscat · 30/09/2019 20:26

Please get your DS medical attention and worry about the dog and getting opinions later. If the dog can go to the person who dies the boarding that would be best for the time being - personally I would not have a dog who had bitten a child back in the house but obviously that is up to you

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Booboostwo · 30/09/2019 20:27

Just to add please do not listen to people on this thread telling you it’s a one off and to forget about it. The bite looks like a level 3 bite which makes it very likely that the dog will bite again and bite more severely next time. If he is resource guarding you a lot of things other people do very often will be perceived as provocative by the dog.

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LL83 · 30/09/2019 20:32

What a shame OP. For me if it was a small dog I would consider training etc. But if it is a medium-big dog I couldn't take the risk as the potential harm is greater.

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