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.

The low thyroid is not irrelevant. If you control the low thyroid using medication, the problem goes away.

@vroominary The dog is the problem. So if you don’t rehome it or get an aggressive dog PTS, you still have the problem.

My rottie used to manage to eat any food you put tablets in... and then spit the tablet back out.

Which is why I went for the just shove it in method.

It’s amusing that so many people are commenting on how vicious and dangerous Rottweilers are and how much damage they could do to a small child when this one actually didn’t
My dog could probably kill my children, me and even DH would have a hard time fighting him off but he hasn’t ever hurt any of us other than by being clumsy.
This dog showed no aggression and didn’t break the child’s skin.
If this had been a proper bite then I would agree with rehoming or PTS and have advised both on this forum before but in this case there was no bite, it was a grab - dogs don’t have hands, they grab Witt their mouths.

@rottielove

Vet has been on the phone. Dog has a low thyroid. Needs to go on tablets. Next challenge is getting tablets into my 52kg dog... he's a sneaky bugger who will sniff them out if I hide them in food.

Buy packs of cheese slices or mini mars bars, hide them in that, not great for their teeth re the mars bars, but both treats fool the hell out of them. Our old boy will not take pills but lob a squished cheese slice at him and gulp it is gone.

Our spaniels one is nearly 17 blind, deaf, but still has a good nose, we tell grandkids not to go near him, the young sprocker on the other hand adores them. Like an elderly relative you are aware of their foibles when they age. OH said when I showed him this thread, that like him old dogs can be cranky [laugh]

Glad the vet helped you.

The dog is the problem. So if you don’t rehome it or get an aggressive dog PTS, you still have the problem.

Actually, the dog's 'problem' is the problem. The OP has confirmed that the dog has medical issues, and these would have contributed to a pain response. The vet is now treating the medical issues, so therefore no pain and no more problems.

@murbblurb

A story or two for *@LadyWhistledownsQuill* who is the usual MN dealer in absolutes, and has poor reading skills. ( Or may be just a nasty piece of work but let's give the benefit of the doubt)

Apart from my partner who has had two attacks from the same out of control dog, for the crime of passing by... I was in a and e one night waiting to be seen. Next to me was a woman yelling down the phone to someone in New Zealand, so it was impossible not to hear. Her husband was being treated for ripped up hands from the family dog who had just gone for him - for the second time. He was looking at months of treatment and she was kicking herself for not having had the dog destroyed the first time.

Hopefully the ops kid won't pay the same penalty. I wish everyone with out of control dogs what they deserve. And the best to all who keep their dogs under control, don't leave them to bark and take the shit home. It is what you signed up for.

I wonder how many people are in a and e because they have been in a car accident, or cut their hand on broken glass, or have fallen off a ladder.............

The OP didn’t start a thread saying ‘I have a Rottweiler and absolutely nothing happened’ though.

The dog bit the child.

I am not saying PTS or even necessarily rehome but I do find it pretty awful that people blame the kid and claim if didn’t happen. I’m imagining the conversations some of you have. Mum, the dog bit me! No he didn’t. Your skin isn’t broken. How dare you annoy the dog

Not really grade A parenting is it? Even if you have fairly low standards.

Attacking OPs parenting is really shitty, she’s done nothing wrong.
Really nasty and uncalled for.

@emilyfrost

The low thyroid is not irrelevant. If you control the low thyroid using medication, the problem goes away.

@vroominary The dog is the problem. So if you don’t rehome it or get an aggressive dog PTS, you still have the problem.

I have to disagree with you. The dog has a medical diagnosis which will have contributed to its behaviour on this occasion but is now being treated and rectified. My partner had a bad tooth over part of covid and had to wait a few weeks to get it treated. He was vile. I didn’t label him an aggressive person, I just counted down the days until his dentist appointment, after which he reverted to normal. Same concept, different species.

Er where did I attack her parenting?

You said “not really grade A parenting is it”

@Hoppinggreen

Attacking OPs parenting is really shitty, she’s done nothing wrong. Really nasty and uncalled for.

Yeah, let’s just pretend it’s great parenting to keep an aggressive dog that’s bitten your child

Not aimed at the OP though if you take another look.

It was aimed at the idiots insisting the dog hadn’t bitten the child at all. I was saying that telling a child she didn’t get bitten at all and then going on to reprimand her for annoying the dog wasn’t grade a parenting and I really hope no one who commented here would do that.

I absolutely love dogs ( don't have one though) but my dad and step mam had a lovely middle aged dog, when I was around 12 the dog growled at me and went for me. I was just sitting on the floor 🤷‍♀️ so they made the decision to give him to some people who had a farm, turns out he actually did end up bitting a little girl who lived next door :( hope your little girl is okay and it's just a one off 🤞

It would be very bad parenting to keep an aggressive dog that had bitten your child
Keeping an ageing dog with health issues that grabbed your child’s hand without even breaking the skin is a completely different matter.

There’s a good bit of minimising right there.

@Hoppinggreen

It would be very bad parenting to keep an aggressive dog that had bitten your child Keeping an ageing dog with health issues that grabbed your child’s hand without even breaking the skin is a completely different matter.

Pretty sure op said he badly bruised her child though, is that fine?

I'm sorry to hear your dog is unwell, OP.

A low thyroid can cause aggression in dogs so it's really good that your boy will now be on medication! I remember an episode of Victoria Stilwell's programme which showed an aggressive bulldog - a medical check showed a low thyroid problem and medication was really helpful, along with basic environmental management.

This is exactly why people shouldn't jump straight to "PTS!" "Rehome!" "You're a shit parent!" - dogs can lash out when they're unwell or in pain, the same way some humans can act out of character when sick.

I hope the medication helps and that your dog feels better soon! I think you've done everything right and you've been very dignified on here despite all the usual backlash.

Pretty sure op said he badly bruised her child though, is that fine?

The dog is unwell. A low thyroid in dogs can cause aggressive behaviour. The dog is now on medication and I'm sure OP will separate them going forward.

Nobody is saying it's "fine" but most bites happen for a reason. It's not necessary to get rid of a beloved family pet of 10 years just because of this.

Regardless of a thyroid problem- I'd have it put down. If it feels unwell again in the future and your child is bitten or even seriously maimed or killed you are directly responsible. You knew it bites when poorly and still kept it around your child. You will be responsible

A 'beloved pet' is absolutely bottom of the pile on comparison with a child, especially your own. MN has a strange obsession with dogs I find

I imagine if someone posted that their dh was unwell, and their 6 year old dc startled him and he grabbed the child with such force that he badly bruised them, the resounding reply would be 100% LTB.
I am not a dog hater, we have a dog and have always had dogs, but there comes a time when you have to get your priorities right. A child cannot protect itself and make good judgements around safety. Neither can a dog I agree! But a child is not capable of killing a large dog. What if the dog biting the child was nothing to do with being unwell?
The child's safety should come first. At the very least I would have the dog wear a muzzle.

Also, if school see the bruise and your child tells them the dog did it, I think they would be concerned.

Thing is there is no middle ground is there?

In one camp is PTS! SS will get involved!

In another is Nothing Happened.

@TheVolturi

I imagine if someone posted that their dh was unwell, and their 6 year old dc startled him and he grabbed the child with such force that he badly bruised them, the resounding reply would be 100% LTB. I am not a dog hater, we have a dog and have always had dogs, but there comes a time when you have to get your priorities right. A child cannot protect itself and make good judgements around safety. Neither can a dog I agree! But a child is not capable of killing a large dog. What if the dog biting the child was nothing to do with being unwell? The child's safety should come first. At the very least I would have the dog wear a muzzle.

That is a really good point.

@TheVolturi

Also, if school see the bruise and your child tells them the dog did it, I think they would be concerned.

I think they'd probably report to SS, quite rightly too.