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.

I missed where the OPs dd did that.

When I said 'laughing' 'clapping' or 'waking the dog up' - I didn't mean deliberately or even near the dog. I meant just going about doing normal things any person should be able to do in their home.

If a dog is not comfortable with normal family life, it shouldn't be in a normal family home.

It sounds like the dog was startled awake and then realised and stopped in time. How is the dog, is s/he showing any signs of remorse.
One of my daughters got bitten by our dog when she was younger, it sounds quite similar, the dog was asleep and she startled it. I can't remember exactly how. Our dog was so upset, she adored the children and would never have bitten deliberately. The DC learnt as a consequence to leave her alone if she was asleep in her bed. It never happened again. Another dog though, he would attack and draw blood without warning and sadly he had to go.
You know your dog, if it's a one off and the dog is sorry, then I'd consider it a lesson learnt for your daughter. Obviously if it happens again then you ought to do some serious thinking, but hopefully it won't come to that.

I have never understood the appeal of dogs as pets. A quarter of a million people attend A and E each year with dog bites in the UK, and goodness knows how many more are untreated at home. And that’s not including the tragic cases where a dog mauls a baby or toddler to death.

@bunniesanddaisies

I missed where the OPs dd did that.

Don;t think she did. I was just saying that these are normal things any child might do in their home - I did not mean they would do them to a dog - that might then be deemed to have 'provoked' the dog in this weird world we now live in where children must never act like children in the same room as a dog.

I grew up with dogs - they were nice dogs and happy in a family home.

This thread is awful though.

The only info we had is that the dog bit the child.

People have decided the child did something to the dog to cause this and hope she has “learned her lesson.”

I wouldn’t have a dog that bit round my child, especially not a Rottweiler. Ffs!

@rottielove

I'll never understand why dog haters people who aren't terribly keen on dogs cone to a dog forum..

Because even if you don't like or have a dog, they are part of the world around us.

I have a child who was bitten by a dog, sustaining facial injuries. Apparently my child moved "unpredictably", you know, like children do...so it was "understandable" that the dog reacted as it did.

My child now is understandably terrified. That's what happens when you are 4.5 years old and find your face clamped in the jaw of an animal that won't let go. A lovely pet that never bit anyone else of course...

And while he is terrified, he has to accept that there are dogs everywhere. In the park he wants to play in, at the beach, even with families at the school gates. Many of which will run up to him with owners casually telling him "oh he's only being friendly!" as their uncontrolled animal just about knocks him over.

So kindly bugger off with your "I'll never understand why....". Dogs are a fact of life because other people choose to have them, even to keep them after they've harmed someone. Threads about dogs, particularly dogs that attack are of interest whether you love dogs or not.

@bunniesanddaisies
Given the nonsense you and others are coming out with Id hope no dog would need to live with you!
The lack of knowledge on dog behaviours and expectations is shocking on MN, no dog should be expected to tolerate kids doing whatever the fuck they like to them, they are not a toy.
Does any human have never ending patience for any type of behaviour? no they don’t, then why expect it if a pet?

@bunniesanddaisies

This thread is awful though.

The only info we had is that the dog bit the child.

People have decided the child did something to the dog to cause this and hope she has “learned her lesson.”

I wouldn’t have a dog that bit round my child, especially not a Rottweiler. Ffs!

Agree this thread is awful, there is no info the child did anything even remotely unusual - it just says she was playing on the sofa next to where the dog was sleeping.

no dog should be expected to tolerate kids doing whatever the fuck they like to them

No one thinks they should. But a dog in a family home should be happy in a family home and a family home means it will have people doing all the regular things that families do, like existing in the same space as the dog.

What is the point of having a dog so grumpy that everyone has to stay out of its way?

A one off incident does not mean the dog is grumpy or unable to live in a family home. The dog gave a warning, no broken skin this actually shows the dog has great control and actually a good temperament, from personal experience of years of working with dogs, this is not the behaviour of an aggressive dog, highly likely dog was startled.
Too often ‘bite’ is misused, if a rottie ‘bit’ you’d have more than a wee mark, the dog showed control.

@HerMammy "Does any human have never ending patience for any type of behaviour? no they don’t, then why expect it if a pet?"

What a nonsense comparison. You can't compare apples with oranges. Even if that faulty premise is accepted, the expectation is on the pet owner, not the pet.

Human beings have the longest childhood of any species. Born as the most helpless infants and heavily dependent on adults for at least an eighth of their existence on this planet. The onus is on us to protect our children while they behave like children. That means protecting them from the animals that we bring into our homes, particularly if those animals demonstrate that they can't tolerate the entirely normal behaviour of children.

If you have a situation where a child and a dog have to be kept apart through use of gates etc - that dog is clearly not able to live in a family home.

I honestly think the world has gone a bit mad.

We always had dogs - no way would we have got into a situation where they had to be kept gated off from us. If they need that - they are not family dogs.

When I was a kid we had a small hairy dog with a docked tail. One day the dog was dozing, i was stroking him, when I decided to see exactly how long his tail was...

Dog snapped, caught me but nothing more than a nose bump fortunately.

I never told my parents as I knew it wasn’t the dogs fault. Dog never snapped again- and i left his tail alone...

You don’t know what happened unfortunately, unless you can get the 6 year old to tell you- she probably got a fright and is worried she or the dog will be in trouble.

Tbh I think you’re asking for trouble leaving a 6 year old unattended with a dog

Not really v knowledgeable about dogs but just don’t understand why anyone would take on the stress of having to keep dog and child apart once dog has shown some aggression. Isn’t that just unfeasible and stressful especially for the child?

@picturesandpickles

If you have a situation where a child and a dog have to be kept apart through use of gates etc - that dog is clearly not able to live in a family home.

I honestly think the world has gone a bit mad.

We always had dogs - no way would we have got into a situation where they had to be kept gated off from us. If they need that - they are not family dogs.

They don't need to be kept apart. The gate is to provide a safe place for the dog whilst I leave them unsupervised. The dog has always been good with children. I was at vets today and they have ran bloods but they aren't back yet. Waiting the them to phone me tomorrow.

Emotionally, imagine how your daughter would feel when she's been bitten by an animal and you still keep it in the house. A Rottweiler? He must be huge to her. Could you imagine living with a bear that's bitten you?

@N0tfinished

Emotionally, imagine how your daughter would feel when she's been bitten by an animal and you still keep it in the house. A Rottweiler? He must be huge to her. Could you imagine living with a bear that's bitten you?

My daughter loves our ddog. I have spoken to her about the incident and tried to explain things. She isn't afraid.

I know dogs. Have had them as pets both before and after having children. I also love animals, including dogs, so not a dog hater.

In this case, the family dog, a rottweiler...so a known aggressive breed, has as soon as the mother left the room, bit her 6yr old child. The OP said it was barely a minute because she went to get a package from front door.

Sorry, but it’s a bite because it left a bruise. That’s an injury. Don’t minimise it. And I don’t agree that because it could have been a worse bite than it was, that this is evidence that the dog didn’t mean to bite.

It’s no coincidence that aggressive dogs assert themselves on weaker beings when an alpha has left the room. The dog probably woke when the door bell/knocker went, and was not startled by the child but took the opportunity to assert dominance over the child. The dog is literally telling the child that it ranks higher in the pack than the child does. This is not good. Especially since it appears there will be no consequence, the dog will think it is acceptable to be aggressive towards the child. There will be another bite. It’s just a question of when. The OP is risking that next bite being much worse or a full blown attack.

It’s not a risk I would take. And I’m not advising PTS, but rehoming the dog with a family with no children. I had to do this with a dog of ours when she snapped at one of my young DC. My DC wasn’t even bitten...but I had witnessed the event and saw it for the warming sign it was. I think because OP didn’t see the dog bite her DD, it is out of sight, and out of mind. Less of a problem. The steps taken are not going to be sustainable. Dog and child will be in close proximity again and even if you are there supervising, you cannot move fast enough to prevent another bite.

The breed makes a difference, when looking at statistics, Rottweilers are 10x more likely to maul or kill a child than the average. They are the second deadliest dog breed. I know whether a dog attacks and mauls or kills a child is influenced by environment and type of owners/home but with statistics like that, the observed deadliness of Rottweilers cannot all be pets of bad owners/abusive homes.

As a prior poster said, who talked about the cases she sees of children needing corrective plastic surgery, most commonly the attacking dogs are historically well behaved dogs from loving homes with good owners. Don’t have the “it can’t happen to my child” mentality. It can and this was a clear warning.

A dog (black poodle) bit me on the face when I was a toddler. To this day, being near a dog makes me anxious.

@PlanDeRaccordement
Sorry but I stopped reading your post at the second paragraph. Rotties are not an aggressive breed. Aggression is not breed specific behaviour or trait.

Hi OP, I was 7 when we got our family dog. At around 11 I cuddled her while she was sleeping and startled her, she went to bite but I reacted quickly enough to pull away. She was very clearly upset after she realised I was me and not a predator. This dog was the light of my life until the age of 22 when she passed away. She used to sit with me on the stairs when I got sick at 17 and couldn’t walk up them at once ( I was sick for a couple of years too) she was my best friend. She was still a dog, and I learnt a lesson that day. Never trust a sleeping dog. They are animals with instincts, and they cannot help it. You’ve made the right decision moving her if you leave the room. As long as the dog is normally good I see no reason to rehome at all.

"My daughter loves our ddog. I have spoken to her about the incident and tried to explain things. She isn't afraid."

If that's the case, why are you concerned OP? I haven't RTFT so sorry if I missed something.

@PlanDeRaccordement
Stop talking utter uneducated crap.
No breed is aggressive, typical MN ignorance.
@rottielove I’d have this deleted, MN love a good froth over any dog that isn’t a cockapoodleydoo; who of course are perfect 🙄