Chihuahua just bit toddler

[jacrispy]

My chi just bit my toddler on the face and either side of his nose he has a scratch. Ds did nothing to provoke this all he did was run towards me and the dog just bit him. Wwud? Should I rehome the dog as he he quite protective of me anyway. I’m heartbroken as ds is hurt but I know in my heart I have to get rid of the dog. Anybody’s advice would be welcome now.

No not gumtree on no selling site

He was from a local rescue. He’s been perfectly fine since today.

My Gran had a couple of Chi's both of which me and my sister and cousins were very wary of . They would sit on my Gran's lap and bite us when we went near her. She was a lovely lady but totally blind to the dogs behaving like this. She liked to cuddle us kids, but the dogs would always bite. I can clearly remember being about 8 and yet again my Mum insisting I give my Gran and cuddle and kiss goodbye and me arguing 'but the dog always bites me'. Mum did say something eventually but the harm was done - am still wary of dogs, especially small ones.

I think there are some dogs who bond particularly strongly with one person and unless that person is very good about showing the dog where the dog is placed within the pack, the dog sees itself as No 2 to 'their person' and will 'protect them' against all comers.

I would rehome the dog and if / when you get another be very careful about reinforcing your children as being higher in the 'family pack' than the dog.

I I wouldn’t get another dog after this. I have the shih tzu who is completely stupid.

Smaller dogs are usually quicker to snap, in my experience. It's like small man syndrome in dog form. I say that as the owner of a snappy midget dog.

If you think it was a one off because the dog was startled you may be able to change that behaviour and take steps not to scare it in future. If not then give it back to the rescue you got it from, I know there is a waiting list for that breed here so hopefully the right owner will come along soon.

I know it sounds irresponsible but there is a limit to the damage such a small dog can do, don't beat yourself up about it.

Sounds to me like he was protecting you. He saw a 'threat' running towards you and acted.

Best to rehoming. He is clearly not a good fit for your family.

I can’t just sit there now thinking everything that ds does might trigger the dog and hope in the meantime a behaviourist might be able to help.

What checks did they do before they rehomed him to you? What age is the dog? I am astounded any rescue would rehome to such an obviously unsuitable home.

Thank you all for your advice it has been really helpful.

I don’t think they judged him on his breed more his temperament. And they did all the usual checks

Shame really because he could have gone to a more suitable home and he would have to be re homed yet again.

I’ll update tomorrow with what the other couple say.

I doubt he has been fine. Dogs very rarely snap without warning. I bet he has been expressing his anxiety in lots of ways but you didn't know what to look for. Time for some research. All kinds of body language express stress and anxiety. Licking lips etc.
Please don't assume your other dog will be fine because it's "stupid". Any dog can be pushed into a position where eventually it snaps. You need to figure out how to ensure the safety of dog and child.

I have had dogs my whole life the other dog has plenty of places to go and I never leave ds unattended with the dogs. I haven’t just got a dog without thinking. The dog has never showed any aggression before if he did he would have either been rehomed or sent to a behaviourist. It just happens in a blink of an eye with no warning one minute ds was running towards me laughing the next the dog bit him. He’s being rehomed no matter what anyway now I’m not taking the risk it’s not fair on ds or the poor dog.

He needs a family with no children it’s not fair for him.

Dogs rarely bite without warning. They really don't. This dog has probably been anxious for a long time.
And not leaving them alone is NOT the same as providing proper and safe supervision.

If I’m saying the dog hasn’t showed any aggression before he hasn’t! What more can I say. What do you want me to do get a dog and lock the poor thing in another room the whole time ds is awake! And get absolutely no human interaction. The dog didn’t growl or anything. But hey you know what happened more than me. If the dog had showed any hint that he was capable of biting then I would have took steps to prevent this and I wouldn’t need to have posted this.

You tell me how I can provide safe supervision other than me being in the same room the dog not showing any interest in ds then suddenly before I knew it happened the dog snapped. What more could have I have done?

I'm with Wolfiefan, you mention the dog has always been nervous and it sounds like he's very anxious rather than protective. It is a good idea to have a vet check with any apparently sudden change in behaviour but it may well be that this dog has been giving out stress signals which haven't been noticed and it's reached a point where he's felt he's had no option but to escalate his behaviour. There are all sorts of signs a dog is anxious or fearful. It's not just growling you need to watch out for, especially with a rescue dog whose history is unknown and who could potentially have been punished for growling in the past.

It would be a good idea to refresh your knowledge of dog body language so you're not risking missing any stress signals from your other dog. There are some great downloadable visual guides to dog body language here and there's also lots of great information on this site.

I also agree that not leaving your DS alone with a dog is absolutely not the same as appropriate, active management of situations where both are in close proximity. The picture on this post is a great little graphic showing the different levels of what people might consider to be supervising their children with dogs.

He has a crate that he can go in whenever he wants out the way or he can go upstairs.

But in this situation I just could not stop it. Ds just ran towards me and in a second it happened. I never let ds bother him or play with him without me same as the other dog. I do everything I’m supposed to do but this just happened.

But that doesn't mean he isn't scared. My dog would cower against me when scared. If the "threat" kept coming what choice do they have but to snap if their subtler warnings are ignored?
My mum has a lovely terrier. When my youngest was a toddler I would sit between them. Anything to ensure she didn't grab or startle the dog. I had no reason to suspect the dog would snap. But she's a dog.
It's about managing the situation. Not just being in the same room.

He wasn’t cowering against me he was lying on the sofa on the next seat to me

The point is by just sitting in the room you are NOT doing everything you should. Your child shouldn't be able to come barrelling across the room and end up so close to the teeth of the dog that he gets bitten.
Please read carefully what Cornflake has posted.

I could not have stopped it from happening otherwise I would and I would not be here now feeling like the worst mother ever for this happening. I wasn’t distracted watching tv or anything. If I could have stopped it I would have done.