My dog has bitten DD. Help

[rottielove]

He's never been aggressive to people before, let alone DD. I left them alone for two minute when I went to answer the door, I come back and DD is hysterical as she has been bitten on her arm. I don't think the dog meant it as no skin has been broken and he's a Rottweiler so if he really wanted to hurt her he could have. But like I say he is normally so good with him, I didn't think twice about leaving them for afew seconds. DD is 6, dog is 10., could it be dementia? Not sure where to go from here.

If the dog wanted to bite he would have. My dog has gone for me when i lent over him asleep but he didnt actually get me- he was clearly startled. With how good a dogs reaction is if they wanted to harm they would have. That being said, the dog and child shouldnt be left together unattended as accidents do happen especially with kids falling or prodding and poking dogs

We forget that dogs were and are wild animals kept as pets by us; you wouldn’t leave your kids in a cage with a tiger at the zoo, why? Because it’s a wild tiger that although has never hurt anyone.. could easily attack?

Never, ever leave children alone with a dog, not even for a second. They can snap much faster than you can react.

@24GinDrinkingOnceTheKidsInBed

We forget that dogs were and are wild animals kept as pets by us; you wouldn’t leave your kids in a cage with a tiger at the zoo, why? Because it’s a wild tiger that although has never hurt anyone.. could easily attack?

Never, ever leave children alone with a dog, not even for a second. They can snap much faster than you can react.

hmm, I know what you mean, but it actually is not wuite right.

Dogs are domesticated and as such rely on their relationship with humans, so it is more complex.

This case is actually a good illustration of that, he didn't follow through on the bite, he stopped himself.
Just as my dog will not allow anyone to play with his tail, unless they happen to be a child, and if a child goes to his tail he hangs his head and looks at me to say Get Them Away!.

Dogs and children should not be left unattended together, but at the same time, dogs and children have happily shared houses for hundreds of years

We forget that dogs were and are wild animals kept as pets by us

No, the dogs we have as pets are domesticated - bred over thousands of years to live with man, as working and/or companion animals.

You can't liken a tiger to a domestic dog. The only appropriate comparison would be a wild dog such as a wolf or dingo, and those aren't kept as pets for a good reason.

The feline equivalent of a domestic dog is a domestic cat.

The feline equivalent of a domestic dog is a domestic cat.

Yes, and some cars are lovely, some are not. My point is, dogs are animals. They can’t tell you with words how they are feeling, whether they’re hurting, angry or just fed up and don’t want to be fussed - therefore we should never think that because a dog has never before done harm, that it never can.

I would not like to annoy a rottweiler. We have a tiny shihtzu pup and my goodness his bite is already strong and hurts. I would not leave any dog, especially not a very large heavy dog alone with a child. The fact that he's bitten shows you can't fully trust him. It would be heartbreaking to pts or rehome, but more heartbreaking to have your child mauled to death or badly scarred for life.

I agree with PP, this sounds out of character for your dog so would warrant a vet check just to rule out pain. Assuming that this is clear it's more than possible that your DD either startled, or accidentally hurt the dog. You just have to put this down to experience and keep a close eye on them going forwards.

To the (thankfully few) people that are suggesting that the OP should have her dog destroyed for this shame on you. As animal owners we have a duty to get help for our pets first of all, and take responsibilities for our own actions before blaming the dog. Killing an animal should always be the absolutely last resort.

My DD was bitten in the face by her aunts dog, very close to her eye when she was 5 she went to hospital it was cleaned up etc. She had stood on the dogs tail trying to hug him. That dog is now our dog and has been for the past 8 years with no further issues. ANY dog can bite even if it's the most placid dog ever

Sorry I couldn't risk it with my child re home or PTS . A baby gate will not stop a Rottweiler .

The nicest dog in the world can bite from time to time. A Rottweiler could have done serious harm if he REALLY wanted to bite her

The dog did do harm. It bit a child. People saying "it could have done serious harm but chose not to" are really deluded.

No, not deluded, just know what we are talking about
What do you think a big dog could do to a child if it wanted to? It clearly didn’t want to hurt the child

Having been very close to a situation where a family dog (GSD) attacked a young child in the family leaving them with life-changing injuries, I'd probably re-home at this point. The family I know had warning signs too (a few random growls and one 'snap' that didn't break the skin, more than 6 months before the incident) but he was their family pet and they thought they could manage the situation, but the truth is you simply CANNOT watch where your child is at all times in a house with a dog. Anyone who thinks they can prevent their child being alone with the dog at any point from now until their child grows up is deluded. That's why you have to have a very very low tolerance for these things, especially with a breed that can do tremendous damage from even a few seconds loss of control.

Yeah I know what I'm talking about too; I was bitten by a beloved family pet when I was around OPs DD age. 4 months later another child was bitten - much worse than me. The following year the dog bit an unknown child - badly - and had to be destroyed.

I was also bitten by a friends dog, the most docile friendly dog ever, as I trod accidentally and briefly on its tail. I had 8 stitches in my hand and it took 2 men and a woman to prise the dog off of me.

I know what I'm talking about. Hth.

Would be interested to know if the people saying the dog would have hurt the child seriously if it wanted to, have children of their own?
If a serious incident happens to the child following this I think you will be held accountable op, after not taking the necessary action to protect your child.

@TheVolturi

Would be interested to know if the people saying the dog would have hurt the child seriously if it wanted to, have children of their own? If a serious incident happens to the child following this I think you will be held accountable op, after not taking the necessary action to protect your child.

I have taken the necessary action. Thanks

I don't think making sure the dog sleeps in his own bed is enough tbh!

@TheVolturi agreed.

There’s a reason for the saying “let sleeping dogs lie”. A LOT of dogs have a sleep startle. I would stop him from sleeping where she is

@TheVolturi

I don't think making sure the dog sleeps in his own bed is enough tbh!

His bed is in the kitchen behind a stair-gate. He's a ten year old dog, there's no chance of him jumping it. Doubt he'd want to anyway. He's a good dog, it was my fault, not his.

Mumsnet is not the place to ask dog questions. It sounds like the dog either got landed on or was startled awake. If he'd wanted to bite harder he would have. The first call would be the vet to check for pain anywhere. Second step would be a behaviourist to have a look if he gets a clean bill of health. It's very rare for a dog of that age who has grown up with a child to bite without pain etc. I'd work on finding out why. You're not daft and now you know you need to keep him off the sofa and watch closer. Everyone with kids and dogs answers the sodding door without crating the dog. It's just absurd. Yes there's a risk but that risk is tiny especially with a beloved family dog that has been around for year and years.

I totally agreed with everything said by @LadyWhistledownsQuill ,
If your dog meant to bite, he certainly would have broken the skin.
This was more a "startle response" than a bite incident.
Regardless, you need to watch your child more carefully, as children are loud and jumpy and tend to make dogs nervous.

@murbblurb

You know what you have to do. And I'd say that if it was a Jack Russel, although that would probably be too small to kill a six year old.

What the....?! You don't just kill a loved living creature without even finding out what happened. Most likely it's an elderly dog with some arthritis who was startled, causing sudden discomfort as the muscles contracted, and it was an instinctive response to the pain. As a previous poster has pointed out, what fantastic bite inhibition this dog must have had. Unlikely to be a candidate for euthanasia for aggression. Unbelievable.

Have you been able to get him to vets yet? Worth checking he's not developed arthritis or anything rather than him just have being startled.

Glad DD is ok.

Hope the shock and upset is subsiding

Yes, have a child and a dog (albeit a little toy breed). I also grew up with a dog and my younger brother was born when we already had a dog, so when he was a toddler he regularly leaned on/kissed/patted/put his hands in the mouth of the dog. It wasn't a calm dog either, a crazy high-energy poodle, but he was extremely gentle with my baby brother.