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Original poster

our golden retriever has bitten my daughter.

88 replies

anastasia74 · 29/10/2007 10:55

Got a problem,could anyone whose had a similar situation advise me what to do. Our 6 month old nearly fully grown dog has biten my daughter, we were in casualty 3 hours having it xrayed etc. My first reaction is to get rid of him, but it would break my daughters heart. he was not been tormented,just did not want something took off him which she took away from him, and he whipped around and bit her. He also snapped at my husband the day before but just made indentations not breaking the skin. So, it seems to be escalating. I feel I want to give him another chance. My husband is very attached to him as well. The dog has always been very grumpy and bad tempered from being a little pup. My husband has rang a dog whisperer, who has been recommended by the r.s.p.c.a. any advice please how to go forward. thanks

OP posts:
orangehead · 29/10/2007 13:45

The dod would have to go, sorry.
I could be taking bollocks, But I thought legally you would have to do something. Say the dog badly attacked someone in the street and it come to light you knew the dog was capable, couldnt you be in trouble? (as well as your own feeling of guilt)

haychEebeeJeebees · 29/10/2007 13:45

You may need to consider neuturing him. I beleive it goes a long way to control aggressiveness. And as you have described it has only just really kicked in, i wonder if it is due to hormones as he is becoming a dog rather than a pup.

orangehead · 29/10/2007 13:49

sorry the dog not the dod

jm42 · 29/10/2007 13:53

The dog must go. You cannot risk the safety of your child just because you are attached to the dog. If he had bit someone outside of the family (and there's no guarantee he won't) he would almost certainly have to be put down. The dog is replaceable, your daughter is not.

NBheebieGeebies · 29/10/2007 13:53

Not so sure about what I would do but just to pick spots and not in a bad way, you said in your OP that your "6 month old nearly fully grown dog".

Dogs aren't classed as adults until they are 2.

Like I said not picking spots and not making excuses for the dog but he still a puppy.

Squiffy · 29/10/2007 14:03

We had a 3 YO weinerama who was the most affectionate dog in the world, full of fun and had never snapped/snarled ever. In one weekend he snapped at DH, bit an adult who was doing some low-level teasing and then snapped at a child - all within the course of 24 hours.

we tried every route possible to justify not having him put to sleep but the dog behaviourist and the (very trustworthy) vet both said the same: a dog that has bitten once will forever remember that bite, how it felt, the reaction it provoked, and the switch in terms of hierachy/power (no matter how temporary). They both said that you could never, ever, ever fully trust that dog again because of this. They said it might be ok to keep the dog if the dog is in a house where there are not many visitors, not many people in the hierachy chain etc, but not OK in an average household - especially one with children/lots of visitors. I think they also said that neutering reduced the likelihood of a dog being aggresive in the first place, but wouldn't help in a situation 'after the event'. We had our beautiful healthy happy dog put to sleep and it was a horrible horrible time. But although I still miss him to pieces (as does our other family dog) I don't regret it for a minute.

Original poster
anastasia74 · 29/10/2007 15:14

thanks for your words of advise. Just to let you know we had him neutered about 2 weeks ago. He only just had his stiches out.

OP posts:
Doodledootoo · 29/10/2007 15:26

Message withdrawn

eleusis · 29/10/2007 15:28

My sister has a chow chow. She loves it to bits and has trouble seeing the dog for who she is. It has bitten me twices (more of a nip, but that's atill a bite to me). She is in total denial and tells people that it was really only once when I'm not around. The dog bit her elder son when he was a baby (he's now 6), and it accidentally bit her 12 months old a few weeks ago. Sister says the dog whipped her head round with her jaw hanging open not realising baby was there and just grazed his cheek.. Me, I'm a tad . I think it is very difficult for my sister. But, in short, I don't approve. The dog should never come before the child. What the F**k is she thinking?

So, I'm with LVOC as well.

Flibbertybatsgiblets · 29/10/2007 15:44

Why do you even have to ask us the question? The dog has bitten your daughter so badly that she had to be x-rayed! And has gone for your dp!
Bollocks to re-training, will you in your heart of hearts ever completely trust this dog again no matter how much retraining it gets.
If the dog had done this to any other child in the street etc, the choice of what to do with the dog would have been removed from you and it would have been put to sleep straight away by the authorities.

"If you are all committed to the re-train, it'll work out"

sorry but if you are at all committed to the safety of your family, you will get rid.

systemsaddict · 29/10/2007 16:15

I love dogs, love and grew up with retrievers, am very into positive behavioural training ... and agree with most other posters here that a dog with a history of aggression that has bitten badly like this needs to go, and you should probably, very sadly, talk to your vet and the behaviourist about the possibility of putting it to sleep.

Family of mine had a young spaniel they adored which bit unpredictably, only a few times, each time there were 'reasons', dog was provoked, dog was young and still learning .... eventually he did serious damage to someone and had to be put down, the damage could have been avoided if they had been honest with themselves in the first place. Puppy growing-up nips are different to a full-on aggressive bite, and you know which this was.

Really sorry you are in this situation, it's horrible for you and family, but the dog could have breeding / socialisation problems you know nothing about, and you don't want to risk passing it on to someone else where it could do real harm.

bubblepop · 29/10/2007 16:45

"the dog has always been grumpy and bad tempered from a pup"
FFS. get rid of the bloody thing before it does a child some serious damage..unless you can live with that on your conscience. rehome it to someone who has'nt got vulnerable kids

lucyellensmum · 29/10/2007 17:31

my original reaction was get rid of him but tell me, I still would if you have young children, but if your DD is 16 then you could give him another chance. Importantly, you say that your daughter wants to keep him.

There is a but here, possesiveness is a serious issue. The fact that the dog has issues needs to be addressed and fast, you need to be 100% that you can deal with it. Firstly, take his toys away, we had a dog with possesion issues, he was a rescue and came with them, so much so that we had to leave the room when he was eating! But with time, he was an angel. Dogs dont want to let things go because they feel threatened by it. If you make it clear to the dog that you are not wanting to take things from him permanently then he wont be so bad. We used to play swaps with our dog, oh and add food to his bowl while he was eating. He ended up being a lovely dog (no longer with us).

It could be a dominance issue and the fact you have castrated him may help, it does take a few months for all those male hormones to settle. He may well settle.

Try to resist playing tug with him, things like that. Also, if you need to take something from him grab him firmly by the collar first. Our dog was terrifyingly possesive, he would bow his head over what was "his" and snarl. It took time, but we got there.

I have to ask, seeing as he is your dog, have you done any formal training with him, if not you should! Also, has he been teased (in a kind way) by the "i'll get your bone" game. That often contributes to possesivenesss.

I have worked with lots of dogs, the only one that frightened me was a golden retreiver. On the whole they are adorable, but they can be very dominant.

lucyellensmum · 29/10/2007 17:32

my original reaction was get rid of him but tell me, I still would if you have young children, but if your DD is 16 then you could give him another chance. Importantly, you say that your daughter wants to keep him.

There is a but here, possesiveness is a serious issue. The fact that the dog has issues needs to be addressed and fast, you need to be 100% that you can deal with it. Firstly, take his toys away, we had a dog with possesion issues, he was a rescue and came with them, so much so that we had to leave the room when he was eating! But with time, he was an angel. Dogs dont want to let things go because they feel threatened by it. If you make it clear to the dog that you are not wanting to take things from him permanently then he wont be so bad. We used to play swaps with our dog, oh and add food to his bowl while he was eating. He ended up being a lovely dog (no longer with us).

It could be a dominance issue and the fact you have castrated him may help, it does take a few months for all those male hormones to settle. He may well settle.

Try to resist playing tug with him, things like that. Also, if you need to take something from him grab him firmly by the collar first. Our dog was terrifyingly possesive, he would bow his head over what was "his" and snarl. It took time, but we got there.

I have to ask, seeing as he is your dog, have you done any formal training with him, if not you should! Also, has he been teased (in a kind way) by the "i'll get your bone" game. That often contributes to possesivenesss.

I have worked with lots of dogs, the only one that frightened me was a golden retreiver. On the whole they are adorable, but they can be very dominant.

MALO · 29/10/2007 17:40

Why have a healthy 6mth old retriever put to sleep when it has snapped back because a child took its toy? Dogs can be very possessive and it should not be blamed for protecting its own property - ie a toy.

Seems to me that yes it has bitten a child who had to go to xray, which is obviously serious, but the child took something away from the dog. IE the dog was provoked.

Too many dogs are put to sleep because they bite - most times those that they have bitten have been children and dogs simply do not want to be bothered by children.

I would seriously look at parting with the dog but ensure it is rehomed to a family without children - it is only 6mths old - it is still a puppy - it has loads of time to learn and be trained.

Just because it has bitten does not mean it should be put down.

MALO · 29/10/2007 17:42

OK so dd is 16yrs old, so not exactly a child but perhaps you have a dog on your hands who simply wants to be left alone with their toys etc - have you considered a crate? ie somewhere where the PUPPY can go where its their own space - puppies are easily tired and need a 'bolt hole' where they can escape all the attention a puppy normally gets.

mountaingirl · 29/10/2007 17:48

How sad. Your dog needs to learn he is at the bottom of the pack and not the dominant one. We have the most loving, gentle lab x retriever. At home he is much loved but low down in the pack, our late cat was even his boss. If you can get more info, speak to the breeder, vet etc and see what the dog trainer says then consider keeping him, but I know that if my dog did this to my child 6 or 16 he'd be gone, You cannot keep an eye on him 24/7 and if he is naturally dominant and can't be changed then as sad as it would be rehome/put him down. Whatever happens between now and then make sure he knows who is boss and that it isn't him.

notjustmom · 29/10/2007 18:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Magicmayhem · 29/10/2007 19:14

I'd get your dog checked out by a vet asap.. it could be some unseen illness causing him to bite... did your DD need stiches?

wait and see what the dog whisper says before you make a disision (sp)

Original poster
anastasia74 · 29/10/2007 19:48

thankfully my daughter is away at friends tonight.So my husband is keeping a very close eye on him. So now we can see what the dog trainer says tomorrow , when she had had a look at him with us.

My daughter did not have any stitches in the 2 puncture wounds, apparently dog bites are not stitched because of the chance of sealing in infection. she has anti-biotics to take. she seems to be ok, at least tomorrow we will have some expert advise.

OP posts:
Original poster
anastasia74 · 29/10/2007 19:51

yes, when he went for my husband on saturday he grabbed him by the collar and put him very firmly in the kitchen.

obviously it did'nt help at all after what happened yesterday.

OP posts:
LittleB · 30/10/2007 09:28

Anastasia, this must be a very difficult time for you, I hope it goes well with the trainer today, and wish you well for whatever decision you make. I would just say please muzzle your dog when its in public. I used to be a dog warden and have seen some horrible injuries. Possesiveness of toys could easily become possesiveness of his owners and a child running up to you could become the target of his aggression and at face height that could be horrific. Whatever you do with him I think he needs to be muzzled in public for the rest of his life, I don't think you'll ever be able to truly trust him and will need to be careful with him.I can see why your family might want to give him another chance, but other people and children shouldn't be put at risk. I know kids shouldn't come running up, and my dd wouldn't but there are always some that will even if you tell them no. This is something else you'll need to think about if you keep him; always muzzled in public and vets, never left alone in a public place, even in a car, (I know of a dog that bit someone through a small gap in a car window) you'd have to be very careful about letting him off the lead. Its alot to do for the whole dogs life. Good luck with your decision.

lomondgore · 30/10/2007 09:32

Sorry but I have only read the OP.

Get rid, no question about it. Get it re-homed to somewhere with no children. It is unusual for a golden retreiver. for you but I wouldn't take the risk of it happening again.

Magicmayhem · 30/10/2007 18:33

Hi anastasia74... how did it go with the dog whisperer today...

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 31/10/2007 11:07

My mum's dog will occassionally snap at dd if she tries to take a toy off him (never broken skin). DD is now aware that she is not to take anything off him. The rest of the time they are fine together.

Any dog that snaps like that needs training, etc in order for it to learn its bottom of the pack. It sounds like you're doing that, in the mean time tell your dd not to take stuff off the dog.

If dog does it again then I would get rid.