A bad thing happened

[opalescent]

Looking for advice and a hand hold

My 7 month old cocker spaniel nipped my daughter on the cheek this evening 😩

It was a slightly unusual situation, as family had unexpectedly popped round, and it was all a bit chaotic. From what I can gather, dd happened upon ddog, who was enjoying her licki mat in the hall. She tried to either pick the dog up, or the licki mat, either way, ddog turned and bit dd on the cheek. It didn't break the skin, but will bruise, and she cried 😭

I feel dreadful about it.

I feel like it wouldn't have happened in the usual run of things, but I wasn't focused as so much was happening at the time.

Ddog has never shown any sort of aggression, but I think she was possibly startled and/or resource guarding?

How bad it this? And what should I do going forward? (Apart From, obviously, not leave them unattended together!)

Thank you all so much
@dustofneptune @nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut @Newschapter really helpful and measured responses. Thank you for calling my nerves!

*calming

I listened to a fantastic webinar by Jane Arden a couple of days ago about cockers spaniels and managing aggression. They are renowned for resource guarding and need careful management. The good news is that your puppy is young enough that you will be able manage this so it doesn’t become a problem. I strongly advise that you try to find the right help and highly recommend Jane who is a positive trainer and lives with 7 cocker spaniels. She does a lot of on-line stuff and is very well regarded. The wrong advice, however well meaning, can make the situation far worse.

Thank you @Difficultdora that's a really good tip. I'll have a Google of Jane

It could have been a lot worse op. Learn from this and make sure your dd is also fully aware of do’s and dont’s where dog is concerned. In chaotic circumstances like this I’m sure in future you’ll prioritise who is where and doing what. Your dd will have learned a valuable lesson, encourage her to re-bond with dog in a safe way.

Your ddog is just a puppy and puppies nip, it's not aggression it's a normal puppy reaction to the inappropriate way and time that your dc handled the dog. Hopefully she has learned from it and won't repeat. Make sure she's well supervised in future when puppy is eating or playing with a toy.

Also read your on trigger stacking. Your dog is more likely to react when stressed which am an build over time in a busy environment like you describe. Handy for learning the signs and when to put dog away etc.

I don’t think a hall is a good area for feeding. There are liable to be people passing through, noise, interruptions, deliveries, door bells ringing etc. A quiet area would be better , especially for a dog liable to have guarding instincts.