Dog has just bitten me and I'm devastated

[OnTheBayou]

He was just lying half under the sofa with his head out which is where he chills out in the evening, he was awake and I went to stroke him and he bit my hand. Not really hard, he didn't draw blood. But he didn't even growl as a warning. His behaviour has been getting worse and worse since I had a baby, he's snapped at me twice in the last week before actually biting me today. Had him since a puppy and he's always resource guarded but recently he's tried to nip me when putting his lead on etc.

I always despised people who got rid of their dogs after having a baby and now I feel like that's going to be me. I'm so upset. I know there's behaviourists and training etc and I'm going to take him to the vets so make sure it's nothing physical but I feel like I can't trust him to ever be in the same room with the baby even when I'm there. Baby is crawling and cruising and moves fast and loves the dog- wants to cuddle him- but have to keep them both separate always. Obviously I'd never leave them alone together but I feel like even supervised it's not ok. He loves attention and wants to be with me all day so I hate the idea of shutting him out of rooms. I always thought he was good with kids but I feel like he's so unhappy now we have one.

We have a cocker spaniel that we are having to get rid of now we have children. It’s so hard because he’s a lovely dog and we’ve never had problems with him before we had children but he just can’t cope with a house full of small children running around. He’s snapped at them a few times and he’s just not bomb proof with them. It’s not fair on him so he’s going. I guess what I’m saying is that in my experience the time when they’re a baby is the easiest bit, once they’re on the move it’ll be a nightmare and you’ll feel on edge all the time. Toddlers are unpredictable, they grab dogs tails/toys etc. Yes you can teach them to be gentle but it takes a long time before a child can be trusted around a dog. I know it’s hard but you have to do what’s best for your family and your dog

"Too many people give up their dog without making any effort".

I think it's this sort of judgy pants and misplaced sense of loyalty that actually stops people seeing warning signs for what they are. Our first duty of care is to our offsprings, our families. We have put these babies into the world. We owe them a safe home where they can grow healthily and without fear. I was sorry to see our cat go but was even sorrier seeing my DD unable to breathe. I know where my priorities lie.

This with bells on !

I could have written this exact post a couple of months ago :-( Unfortunately we did decide to rehome our dog which broke my heart but we have since found out that he had a brain tumour and had to be PTS. Please take him to the vets just to check out all possibilities first. It really is a crap situation but just keep reminding yourself that your baby must come first and ultimately as long as your dog is fit and healthy they might be happier in a different home xx

@nrpmum no she/he isn't being sarcastic. He/she is a troll of some description, based on their other comments on threads. Just pops up to have a poke - doesn't have kids but likes to express opinions on them. Weirdo

My dog snapped at my eldest when he started crawling. We managed the situation by keeping them apart and making sure dog always had an exit.

Resource guarding was something I trained against when he was tiny so he will back away from his food bowl if you ask/if you go to it. I assume it could be trained with an adult dog too.

Originally we divided the down stairs in two with a room divider baby gate but as they both got older we put the dog's bed under a table. This meant that to get to it you had to move a chair and that there were three different exits, giving the dog notice if a child was coming.

Dog is now a sensible family dog who tolerates children, he probably looks like the perfect family safe child friendly dog but that's because he's never in a situation that's more than he can cope with. I admit I cried when he snapped as eldest child as despite there being a waiting list of people who'd have him, I could never rehome him.

So many speshul doggywoggy lovers on this thread

It's another species ffs. It is a predator which includes humans in its prey.

But yeah, lets all put the doggies first, shall we, ahead of human infants?

It is a predator which includes humans in its prey.

No it's not?

It's a scavenger. Even if it were still a predator (i.e. we undid 10,000 years of evolution), humans would not be part of it's prey.

There is a theory that spaniels can suffer from a condition called Sudden onset Aggression

It’s not anything to do with that thing that golden cockers we’re supposed to suffer from? Or has that been dispelled now? I’m not very up to date.

Is dog still getting enough exercise & attention? We have springer/collie cross and he needs 3 walks a day.

I also asked this same question away at the beginning...she still hasn't commented on that.

Perhaps another lawn ornament. These working breeds NEED exercise and routines.
I wonder how many people when they have kids never bother to walk the dog anymore.

If you are walking the dog enough and giving enough stimulation then you definitely need to get the vet check done. Brain tumour is common in sudden change of behaviour.

It is a predator which includes humans in its prey.
Okay, you win the internet today!!

I rehome my spaniel. Had her from 8 weeks but she was just a nervous wreck of a dog with so many issues. I was told her breed was super highly strung and sensitive. Our busy household was too much for her.

It esculated to her ending up being hit by a car when she bolted away from a dog.

She just wasn't right for our family.

She now lives with a semi retired couple on a farm, cliche but true, and is a different dog.

I have a dog who is the complete opposite to her and is a joy to own and he fit in our family like a missing puzzle piece.

It is a predator which includes humans in its prey.

I think you’re getting cocker spaniels muddled up with crocodiles? Easily done.

But yeah, lets all put the doggies first, shall we, ahead of human infants?

The OP chose to get the dog, and to bring it in to her home. She has a responsibility to make sure it is safe and happy (even if that does mean rehoming it), just like she has a responsibility to make sure her baby is safe and happy. If she is thinking of rehoming the dog she is clearly putting the baby first, and nobody has suggested otherwise, so why the spite?

It sounds like you’re doing everything you can OP, trip to the vets to check there’s nothing physical happening, and then a chat with a behaviourist. It would be lovely if he could stay with you, but being rehomed might be the best thing for him. Not only would it be absolutely terrible if he hurt your baby, but it would also probably result in him being put to sleep too, which is not an outcome anybody wants. Good luck

Thanks for the good advice but I've stepped away from the thread due to the insane people (person) suggesting the dog is more important than the safety of my baby.

He is booked in to see the vet and behaviourist.

He gets a good walk every single day, different routes so he doesn't get bored, he has feeder puzzles, toys, and long lasting chews.

Oh and if I do end up having to rehome, it will be for the sake of the dog as well as the humans in the family. If we do everything we can do try and make it a safe environment for him and he's still not happy then obviously it's not right for him to be here. I wouldn't want to stay in a house where I was scared and unhappy so he shouldn't have to either.

Perhaps another lawn ornament. These working breeds NEED exercise and routines.
I wonder how many people when they have kids never bother to walk the dog anymore

Ugh.
Why won't this myth die?!

Firstly, more often than not what they need is teaching how to be calm and settled and bored as they can be very quick to get overstimulated.

Giving a working breed excessive amounts of exercise will just make them super fit and condition them so you'll need to constantly up the exercise to tire them out.

Working gundogs and sheepdogs both have huge portions of the year where they aren't working and are expected to just mooch around and entertain themselves.

Secondly, spaniels are absolutely legendary for aggression!
It's probably less the fact it's a working breed and more the fact it's a spaniel..
It is common knowledge that spaniels are extremely prone to resource guarding and the red variant of cockers prone to 'Cocker rage syndrome'.

I suspected before the OP mentioned that the dog would be a spaniel or a spaniel mix.

I still think it should be PTS.
Very irresponsible to rehome aggressive dogs imo

@Fucksandflowers disagree it should be put to sleep. The dog is clearly stressed out and needs a child free home.

Also, one walk a day isn't good enough for any dog. Mine gets 4-5 good walks per day, she's also a spaniel. She's asleep when she gets home, tired out. Not overstimulated.
Research needs to be done before getting a dog to know it's right for you. I also would hold off on owning a dog if you want children.

standing stock still, staring then suddenly rushing at them" thing. She's not being aggressive, just a rude arsehole (in dog terms) and it's embarassing when she does

Oops.
Sorry about that, I've accidentally pasted from a differently thread

I agree that one walk a day is shockingly poor. Mine get 3 walks a day, every day.

Obviously op will put herself and her new baby first but I hope she does get the poor thing vet checked before rehoming it.

I agree one walk isn't enough. Before rehoming try upping the exercise. Get a dog walker in once a day if you need to. When DC were born we had an old collie & his walks were still same even on day I had DC - we made it a priority. Can't you take baby and dog out together for long walks?

What an awful situation for you, OP.

I'd be thinking objectively as best I could - number one, are you safe and happy with the dog around?
Sadly, no. The dog has bitten and you're understandably stressed and anxious about your baby potentially getting hurt.

Next, is the dog happy?
If medically he's fine (after vet check), then obviously he's not happy. Life situations do change, and sadly your household may not suit him or fulfil his needs anymore.

I've had to re-home a dog myself so I understand how heartbreaking it is, but looking back I wish I'd beaten myself up a lot less about doing it and I wish I'd done it sooner.

If you re-home him, you'll happier and so will your dog. Best of luck.

I’d rather have the baby rehomed than my dog!

Do you actually have children? Are you genuinely suggesting the op should have her child adopted because the dog was there first?

I absolutely adore animals though I prefer cats to dogs, but there are some utter loons on this thread.

I'd rehome op, for the sake of the dog as well as your little one.

One walk a day is not enough for a dog. Even small dogs need two walks a day, to break up their day and give them something to look forward too. Your dog also needs some 1-1 tiime with you when you give dog undivided attention when baby is napping. It sounds like your dog is trying to grab your attention as it feels neglected since baby takes much of your time.

If you can't give your dog 2 walks a day and some good quality time when dog is given your full attention I can only think it would be better off with a home where it can have its needs met. Dogs are like children in some ways all the toys in the world won't be as good as cuddling and playing with them.

I walk my dog once a day. She’s as fit as a fiddle and very happy.