our golden retriever has bitten my daughter.

[anastasia74]

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

We have a beautiful, gentle and docile 18 month old Golden Retriever and we love her with all our hearts. The thought of her ever having to leave us is heartbreaking so i really really feel for you on this one

I do agree with what other posters have said in that there is no choice between your daughter and your dog - i have three daughters and whilst i love my dog fiercly, my love for her is nothing compared to the love for my children ...as i'm sure you know, your children must come first.

Having said all that, your Golden is nowhere near becoming an adult dog - he is still very much a puppy and should be treated as such. He needs firm handling and showing where his place is in the pack ...right at the very bottom!! Dogs are happiest when they know their place, and they are happy to be at the bottom of the pack - dogs who percieve themselves to be higher up the pack can suffer from stress problems.

We had 'nipping' problems with our Golden when she was a puppy and tbh i can't remember how old she was when she stopped that, but obviously nothing as serious as anyone needing to have treatment.

One of the main things that we did with our Golden when she was a pup was to take things off her (the children did this too) so she knew that WE were in charge, not her. Now you can take anything off her at any time and she doesn't bat an eyelid. Not that the children would ever try without having either me or dh in the room with them - they know the rules.

Anyway, i'm not sure that my ramblings have helped in anyway, but the very best of luck to you all - i hope you manage to work things out x

littleb
i'VE READ YOUR POST CONCERNING THE POLICE AND JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT THE POLICE DO SOMETIMES TAKE DONATED DOGS WHO ARE DOMINANT BUT NOT IF THE DOG IS UNPREDICTABLE AND BITES. .
OBVIOUSLY THE DOG CANT BE AGGRESSIVE WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM DOMINANT. A DOMINANT DOG CAN BE CONTROLLED WITHIN THE POLICE BECAUSE P.C. WILL ESTABLISH THAT HE IS BOSS [the alpha human male] BUT IF A DOG BITES WHEN NOT TOLD TO DO SO BY THE P.C.HE COULD BITE MASTER [p.c.] AND NOT CRIMINAL. BIT LIKE A 'LOSE CANNON'....NOT GOOD

anastasia74 it seems like your dog needs to learn some manners just like most 'teenagers' shes pushing boundaries.
I wonder weather you went to repritable breeder? if so and you saw mum and dad [dog]i think you need to contact them AT ONCE to see where you stand. If you decide to keep her get a large fabric softener bottle, fill with heavy stones and if she so much as growls at anyone shake near her face [not touching] and shout NO. Even by not letting her on sofa you are showing that you are higher in the pack than she is. she is still learning and must be pulled down a peg or two.
My son was bitten by a dog i'de had for 2 years VERY UNPROVOKED it was a rescue dalmation! my two rescue staffys however would never bite a human.

If my dog ever actually bit my daughter i'd have him put to sleep, i love him of couse but i love her a hell of a lot more..

The decision is easy, Your child or your pet ?

Its not fun for anyone having a dog you don't trust and you never will be able to trust this particular dog again. Its normal for pups to play bite, it's not normal for a pup to bit with the force needed to warrent a trip to A&E.

I would never pass on a vicious problem dog to someone else, imagine if you did and it went on to attack or kill someones else child.

Putting a healthy six-month old dog to sleep is not something that I would support, but I do think that this dog is not the right one for your family. Find him a home that is more suitable.

Just wanted to add, in response to a couple of points that the dog was reacting to having its ball taken away that it's perfectly feasible to have a dog who doesn't bite when you take their toys away. My lab even calmly steps aside if dd (18 mths) wants to take a biscuit out of the dog's bowl while she's eating. Not that I encourage dd to harrass the dog while she's eating, of course. I am teaching my child to respect the dog, but because there are times when an 18 month old gets it wrong I have also taught the dog to be submissive in every respect towards dd.

Have not read whole thread, but mil had a dog who turned a little agressive after years of being a softy, after tests at the vet it was discovered he had some kind of brain disease that is renowned for making dogs aggressive, she had to have him put down because he was likely to turn into a killer

How did the dog whisperer go?

My immediate reaction is the dog should go as it was an UNprovoked attack. Every animal should be able to have food or toys taken from them. I remember my mum and dad pretending to eat out of our dogs bowl and if they even growled they were given a smack and the bowl was taken from them. (they only had to take it twice )

HOWEVER, Did the dog know that your DD was there or did she frighten him when she took the toy?
Could the fact that he's just been spayed have done something? IE: Is the wound infected?

If the dog cannot be fixed then I'm afraid it will have to be put to sleep.

ALSO another thing I heard on Dog whisperer (sky one) is that animals that are hunting or gathering animals need that kinda stimulous (sp?) in real life too, so can you get him involved in something that will allow him to get rid of his frustrations that way?

I'd also be interested to hear how the dog whisperer session went.

putting this dog down is not an option in my opinion.

You have to remember this dog is 6 months old, he is just a PUPPY. He needs to be shown his place in the pack. At 16, your daughter should be well able to handle a dog. I suggest getting some good dog training books and get everyone in the family clued in on how to teach him his place in the pack and how to train him. The dog should not have to muzzled when it goes out, this dog is only 6 months old. No dog is born nasty, this puppy is obviously just testing the waters to see how far he can push his luck, when he was with his siblings, if he did anything naughty his mother would discipline him, I don't recommend hitting a dog but talking to him in a firm but calm voice if he does anything wrong. Also, how old was he when he was taken away from his mother?

At 6 months old the dog is behaving like a 13 yr old child - having teenage strops.

A 6mo dog is NOT a puppy.

Get it to regular (weekly) training and nip the issue in the bud.

6mo perfectly healthy dogs do NOT need to be killed - they need to be trained; the dog will take the upper hand if not shown that it is the bottom of the pack.

Get it proper, regular training - the problem will disappear.

Message withdrawn

Have scanned the thread so sorry if I'm repeating. I have a GR too. He's a great big softy, three and a half years old. The behaviour the OP describes is uncharacteristic for the breed. It could be poor breeding, and that does exist I'm sure. I wonder if the OP met both parents of the dog when they bought him? That can tell you a lot about the pup. My Retriever's Father was quite standoffish but not aggressive, and I see a lot of the Dad in my dog. His Mum was a big soppy licky article and I see that in him too.

I was somewhat reassured when I read that the OP's dd is 16. Not that it really makes it much less worrying, but it would be far more worrying if it were a very young dd as Retrievers, particularly males grow big. They're strong heavy dogs. At 6 months he's still got a lot more growing to do. Mine still seems to have growth spurts every now and agiain. At least the OP's dd is old enough to be taught how to handle the dog and behave around him for now, until he is properly trained, which hopefully he will be.

Dogs should accept having things taken off them, they shouldn't react with aggression. It sounds to me as though the dog has dominance issues, my one can be dominant but not in an aggressive way. Good luck with the behaviourist.

Any news on this?

am interested to hear teh outcome of this - what a dilemma. Not sure if anyone has suggested it but the first step would be a full check out at the vet - could be a hormonal problem especially at that age. I wouldn't rush to have the dog put down, but you have to be sensible and keep it away from your children at all times, even supervised. the dog should also have a place to call their own where the children are not allowed to go.

You can always get help from the Dogs Trust and they might do a behavioural assessment to see if the dog is inherently aggressive. I really feel for you I really do, but at the end of the day you can only do your best and the children must come first.

I have a rescue dog and two young children and they are never left alone together. We've had the dog for 8 years but I couldn't 100% trust him especially with food or toys, so I keep them apart most of the time for my own peace of mind. If something happened I could only blame myself if a child was injured, and for the dog to pay with his life seems unfair. Mind you he stole our lunch today so he might be going !