Heartbroken my dog bit my toddler

[Motherofmonsters]

I'm so upset, I know what I need to do but it's so hard.

Ive had him for 10years and he is the soppiest dog in the world, if you're an adult. He's always been wary of children so I've kept them apart and they were getting on so much better.

But today he bit my DS on the face when he was behind him as we were leaving the house. Nothing serious but he has a couple marks by his mouth.

I'm so absolutely gutted

Would you recommend rehoming or PTS of the dog was a small, cat sized thing? Genuine question as I find myself in a similar situation but DDog is tiny, no bigger than our cat and toddler DS pulled his tail in the 2 seconds I had a wee.

@Somethingorotherorother I grew up with a pooch from being a newborn till he died when I was 8. He never once bit me or my siblings. He was the nicest pooch ever.

My sister now has a lady German shepherd and she’s the nicest dog you could ever meet. She’s like a little human and she’s been around kids since my sister brought her home. She’s very protective of my nephew (will bark if she believes he’s in danger) but is equally great with my nieces too. she’s had babies crying around her, toddlers laying all over her, toddlers cuddling up to her, sitting on her, giving her food from their hands and she’s taken it softly as not to hurt them. She’s a lovely dog and knows her place. My sister is the alpha male (or female) and her dog knows this.

Don’t get me wrong, I know some dogs can’t be around children, but not all.

Could the option of your mum be looked at again? Realistically, how much does she have children round? If it's not that much then maybe she could rehome him on the basis that when kids are around he is kept locked up in a separate room. Heartbroken for you!

Have the dog pts how can you do anything else?
It’s shit but I can’t see any way round it. If you rehome you’re just passing the problem to someone else.
As for wearing a muzzle and behaviour experts not a chance.

If that was a general question @Hileni then I would definitely not recommend putting your dog to sleep if your toddler pulled his tail. He reacted to pain! You may decide that they can’t live together, but unless there’s going to be a drip feed it would be very unreasonable to have him put down for that.

Oh golly so sorry OP. Definitely try and rehome I’d say.

No. Don't muzzle him, especially if he has never had a muzzle before. He is obviously not able to cope with your DCs behaviour. Muzzling him would just lask that, leaving one increasingly unhappy, supposedly safe dog!

Talk to your vet. Do what is right for the dog.

@Somethingorotherorother

Dogs can be brilliant pets. They do not belong in houses with small children.

Totally agree. I keep hearing from dog lovers how their dog "wouldn't hurt a fly". Reality is there is no dog that can be trusted. They are animal and not human and plenty of people get attacked by so called friendly dogs. Unfortunately the Op has just found this out.

My neighbours had a rottweiler, got him as a puppy, practically grew up with their little girl.. When she was 3 he bit her arm, quite nasty. They loved the dog, the little girl really wanted him around too.. 1 year later he bit her again, same arm.. Lots of scars.
Get rid of the dog

Surely he can be rehomed to an adult only home? We could have an adult only dog (if we didnt have a cat)as we never have any children in the house.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

No. Don't muzzle him, especially if he has never had a muzzle before. He is obviously not able to cope with your DCs behaviour. Muzzling him would just lask that, leaving one increasingly unhappy, supposedly safe dog!

Talk to your vet. Do what is right for the dog.

Which obviously isn't to be PTS.

Maybe put a message on a local Facebook page for dog owners. There are people who really love dogs and look after them and someone might step up and want to take him

Nothing serious but he has a couple marks by his mouth.

Nothing serious? I’m sure your toddler would disagree.

I am a dog lover and have dogs who I love like my children but I would never trust them 100%.
It is not because they are 'bad' but simply because they don't have the words to say when they are uncomfortable and children can't understand their body language as easily as an adult.

I don't think it should be put down. Many people will say if a dog has bitten it shouldn't be trusted but then completely trust a dog that has never bitten (of course an aggressive or nervous dog is more likely to bite but any dog can bite). Do you have parents the dog can live with? The dog is obviously uncomfortable being around a small child so it would be the best thing for your dog, DC and your own peace of mind.

I think your sympathies are misplaced OP.

Your dog bites your chid and you are more concerned for your dog???

So sorry op, what a sad situation to be in. I had a collie, always had dogs and kids together, they're not easy dogs. Sadly, you're going to get flamed on here. Everyone will tell you to pts.
I can see why, he's older and he won't be happy locked away. Does your mum have grandchildren round a lot?
I'd try your best to find him an adult only home that knows he doesn't like kids.
But if you can't, there's no shame in considering PTS. Sometimes it's the kindest option.
I'm so sorry, hope you can resolve this.

@bodgedboxdye Don’t get me wrong, I know some dogs can’t be around children, but not all.

Absolutely true. But how do you tell which is which? I bet this morning OP would have told you her dog would never bite a child. This afternoon she knows that isn't the case. PP upthread had a similar story, too.

The fact of the matter is you can never be 100% sure that a dog will never bite a child. Some people are happy to take that risk with their kids, evidently. I personally am not.

I'm really sorry OP. I'm a real dog lover but I also have a toddler and if it were me I would just know the dog had to go.

You must be heartbroken

Please consider taking your dog to the vets for a health check. Assuming the toddler wasn't unsupervised and/or nagging the life out of the dog, it could be a sign there is something going on and the dog is physically unwell.

Only you know the circumstances, if the dog was completely unprovoked and launched then I don't think you have an option but to pts. I doubt that's the case though.

@Hardbackwriter

There is no reason why the dog can't be rehomed to somebody without children. Just because it has bitten once (possible provoked) doesn't mean that it is going to run around biting and trying to kill every human it sight ffs.

OP, putting to sleep is extreme in this scenario. I would try to rehome him with someone who doesn't have young children.

Without knowing exactly what happened in the build up non of us can say PTS is the only option. Consult a good trainer and get the dog to a vet for a check there's always a chance that it's pain related. Dogs very rarely attack without reason or warning that you may not have picked up on

@Littlemeadow123 ‘possible provoked’

Careful your bias is showing.

Even people with no kids might have them visit. Or might take the dog out to a park where children are normal.

I agree with @Somethingorotherorother

My parents' dog bit me on the head when I was about 5. I fell over and partly landed on him and he whipped round and bit me. My parents kept the dog and he never did it again. It's important to understand the circumstances

None of us know that garlic. That's why the sensible advice is to talk to a vet and then decide.