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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Help! Dog snapped at kid.

15 replies

Skrowten · 29/09/2017 19:42

Quick summary. I have two DS 7 & 9 and A 1 year old collie lurcher cross who has been with us since a pup. He gets plenty of exercise, and socialization at doggy day care and we do training. Lots of cuddles and attention from my ds. However, in the last couple of weeks he has snapped at kids he knows, my niece who walks him sometimes, my ds, and a neighbour kid who went to pet him today. It wasn't just a warning snap either. He made contact but did not break skin. He gave no warning and was lightening fast. Please please advice the best course of action. Thanks you

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 29/09/2017 19:51

First thing would be to take him to the vets to check he isn’t ill or in pain which could be causing him to lash out. If he gets a clean bill of health I would make sure you supervise all interactions if you can separate from the kids and get a behaviourist in to work with you.

Booboostwo · 29/09/2017 20:33

As above, vet, behaviorist and kept away from children.

And it sounds like he has snapped at two children and bitten a third one without provocation or obvious extenuating circumstances. Don't minimize what he has done, his behavior is extremely worrying.

Dementedswan · 29/09/2017 20:42

I'd be seriously worried about having this dog around children. Vets to make sure he's ok health wise and keep away from children in the meantime. If no physical reason then he needs to be rehone for the children's sake and his.

SparklingRaspberry · 29/09/2017 20:44

What exactly happened?

Surely he didn't just walk over and snap for no reason what so ever?

Were the kids playing with him? Was he sleeping? In his bad or safe place? Was he tired? Did he have food? There's more to 'he just snapped'.

Definitely take him to the vets for a check over. Be 100% honest.

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 29/09/2017 20:50

Hi, I'm a vet.Not a behaviourist. A vet will be able to check for pain etc, but you really need a good behaviorist to spend time (an hour or so) assessing him in your home environment. First thing that comes to mind for me (and bear in mind I am a vet, not a behaviouralist) is that cookies and their crosses have a strong herding instincts and need to work. You need to look at the situations that caused the dog to snap- were there resources to be guarded, or any other insecurities on the part of the dog. Dogs can sometimes seem to snap "for no reason" but there is always a reason, you need to suss out what that is, then you can work towards changing it.

Original poster

Skrowten · 29/09/2017 20:51

1st incident - collecting my son from party, kids all came out to look at him, he didn't like being surrounded and snapped when my son walked towards him. 2nd incident with niece no obvious provocation. 3rd incident, just back from doggy day care and potentially very tired. And yes, I absolutely take this seriously and will take all comments on board. We live near the rescue centre we got him from as a pup and they have a vets practice, training, day care, adoption experts on site etc. They should be very knowledgeable and I could def pop up tomorrow for a chat ref
behaviour

OP posts:

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 29/09/2017 21:19

Did you get him from dogs trust? If so, they have behaviouralists that will be happy to talk to you. It's great that you are acting at this point, so many owners stuck their head in the sand

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 29/09/2017 21:19

Did you get him from dogs trust? If so, they have behaviouralists that will be happy to talk to you. It's great that you are acting at this point, so many owners stuck their head in the sand

RosyPony · 29/09/2017 21:25

Lots of cuddles and attention from my ds
This should stop, dogs aren't toys for children to cuddle. Rule out the physical and then get in a behaviourist, keep the children away from him, he's clearly not happy with them.

Shambolical1 · 30/09/2017 14:49

There is a 'reason' 99.99% of the time but dogs can't speak and unfortunately people aren't very good at reading their body language. A snap is the last thing the dog does to tell you he or she isn't happy, there are lots of signs beforehand.

Also many people will scold a dog for growling, often the penultimate reaction before a snap or bite, meaning the dog will skip from the less obvious (to people) signs to the most obvious. having repressed the growl on the way.

These are useful videos and there are others out there of similar content.

mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork · 30/09/2017 17:31

My rescue dog does this. I have to make sure absolutely no children come near her - even so, they sometimes run up to her from behind when I haven't noticed them (she is on a lead) and she lunges at them. She is obviously very, very frightened of the children (especially when there are lots near her) and if they come near she thinks they are coming to hurt her. She does actually want to keep well away from them but sometimes we are in a situation where we have to be near them. She won't seek them out to snap at them but she won't tolerate them coming near to her. Sounds as though your dog has had a (or some) bad child experiences and isn't taking any chances. It is quite surprising how many parents have not warned their children not to run up to strange dogs and/or assume they can pat them.

NoNamesLeft86 · 30/09/2017 17:40

Id go to see the vet asap. My dog was like this when he had a sore eye and had to be muzzled to see the vet. Friendly and happy the rest of the time. Everybody is unhappy when in pain. I'd rule any thing medical out before you think too much into it. Try and give him plenty of piece and quiet and obviously keep children away.

user1494426473 · 30/09/2017 17:56

Agree with above recommendations to see vet. Also talk to the rescue and ask for advice from their behaviourist.

The first incident is fairly self-explanatory - dogs should not surrounded or crowded particularly by young children who can be noisy and prone to sudden, jerking movements which often unsettle dogs. The other incidents are less clear and would benefit from exploration with the vet and behaviourist.

Does your dog have a safe space where he can go to get away from everyone? Children (and indeed adults) should only interact/cuddle/play with the dog when he seeks out the attention voluntarily. The minute he stops engaging or turns to walk away the kids must leave him be and stay well away. Children can be very scary to dogs, particularly a rescue who might have had some traumatic early experiences, even if he was only a pup when you took him. Until the issue is resolved I would of course suggest the dog is not left unsupervised with your DC.

Your particularly cross is a lurcher/collie, so two quite high energy dogs. Both wonderful types of dog but collies in particular are notorious for sometimes exhibiting unpredictable behaviour if they aren't receiving enough mental and physical stimulation - they need to be kept busy. I know it sounds like you are doing everything right but is there room in your routine for any additional activities for the dog? Mental stimulation is just as good as physical and collies really enjoy trying new games and tricks. Ditto herding games such as triball or agility. It can burn off any excess energy that would otherwise turn into frustration.

Also agree with above comments - NEVER punish or tell the dog off for growling or snapping.

There are some natural "de-stressing" aids you can use for pets in the home if it transpires to be a stress issue.

Gentle warning - if you seek advice from a trainer or behaviourist please make sure they don't subscribe to "dominance" or "pack' theories where dogs are basically dominated into submission by their owners. It's outdated, ineffective and results in a lot of very nervous upset dogs who can't trust their owners.

Wolfiefan · 30/09/2017 17:59

Vet.
I agree the "lots of cuddles" isn't actually a great thing. My kids make a fuss of the dog if she comes to them but they leave her alone a lot. Few dogs would like having arms wrapped round them for a cuddle.
You need to consider how you manage situations.
And I would bet there was a warning. Many owners miss body language signs, lip licking etc.

MonChoufleur123 · 02/10/2017 17:28

Really interested to read this post as we also have a collie x lurcher rescue who has never snapped but tried to 'nip' as a herding dog would at cattle a couple of times. He's now walked in a muzzle and we're working with a behaviourist to help learn how to control his reactivity. On initial assessment she has said our dog thinks it is his 'job' to control movement around him and becomes stressed and frustrated when not able to do so. Little kids running towards him from a birthday party would be totally overwhelming for our dog (he is also terrified of kids on scooters) so I can see why yours may have snapped. Are you able to find a border collie specialist trainer who can help you with reactivity?

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