Dog bit my daughter.

[BristolZoo]

I have a one year old bichon who we've had since a puppy. He's great little dog and we love him a lot, he's very much part of the family.

However, yesterday he bit my 6 year old daughter on the face. He didn't break the skin, it was only a very slight scratch mark on her chin.
It was entirely my fault, my daughter was sitting very close to the dog and cuddled him by sort of grabbing him around the neck as he slept. Obviously, I've talked to her a lot about how to act around dogs, but she's six and kids do stupid things.

He also he also has a problem with guarding, which he does a lot. We can handle this and are working on it.
The problem is that I've seen how aggressive he can be and I'm worried that he will hurt somebody again in the future.

I am desperate not to re-home him, the kids would be distraught but I'm also concerned that we are doing something wrong or that a busy family is the wrong home for him.

Any advice??

Animals are unpredictable and can hurt people.
I love you more than the dog which has become unreliable.

The dog was neither unpredictable or unreliable. It behaved exactly how you’d expect a dog who has been startled awake to behave. And exactly how the OP would have expected, one imagines, given that she’d told her DD not to disturb the dog when sleeping.

Resource guarding is not exactly uncommon behaviour in dogs either, it just needs to be addressed.

The only justification for getting rid of a dog because you can’t respect its space or bother to understand its behaviour is that it would be better off without you.

Thanks all. I don't think it would be fair to the dog to re home him at this stage and I don't think my son would ever forgive me if we didn't at least try to help him.
I won't have other kids over while the dog is here though.
I've been swapping treats for items he guards, I hope that helps. Sometimes it takes a while for him to give things up though. Will need to consult a behaviourist though too.
I have noticed that the guarding seems to be worse after he has been left alone in the house. He's great today, for example as he's been with us all day. No guarding all day.

Could the guarding be a sign of anxiety because he is left alone? I don't leave him for long, only 2/3 hours at a time but maybe that's too much for him?

I've also noticed that he is much more confident when we're out. His recall has gotten worse, he strays much further from me and doesn't look for me as much as he used to.
I just feel maybe he's more of a teenager and just needs a bit more training and help to deal with the testosterone?

Your particular situation sounds like he got frightened when he was woken up like that. He didnt do anything wrong.
I wouldnt rehome him because of this and just explain it to your children.
When the kids have friends over you could first tell them things the dog doesnt like and things he does like and show them how to approach him, tell them to leave him alone when sleeping etc.

Could the guarding be a sign of anxiety because he is left alone?

Yes, most definitely.

Guarding and anxiety are very closely related behaviours. 2-3 hours alone is still quite a lot for such a young dog - my own dog is four and he would really struggle being left for such a long period of time

I think you need to speak to an APDT accredited behaviourist about this - it's not something you should be trying to tackle on your own as you could so easily make it worse.

I am a novice dog owner so please bear that in mind, but we have had good instruction on resource guarding from our trainer.

He said that you shouldn't swap items for treats, as that is still removing their prize. Instead you should happily ask them to show you what they have, give them treats to distract and drop the item, then give the item back.

That way they learn that they get treats AND to keep their prize and makes it much easier on those rare occasions that you do actually need to remove something from them. But try to only do that when it's a real emergency.

We have been doing this since our 4 month old was 10 weeks with anything he has in his mouth (leaves/toys/blankets/sticks) and - fingers crossed - he's very comfortable with dropping his possessions as 9/10 times he gets given them back.

Just a suggestion for you, but good luck!

Give the dog the benefit of the doubt of course! Do something after he mauls a child, then it will be enough proof of aggression.

Wow just read that you worry about having children's friends over

All dog owners should worry when friends come over, especially if the dog is young.

get the dog off the sofa for starters. Give him a crate or safe space and make sure the kids do not set foot near this.
Get him neutered

the dog was very polite, that could have been a nasty bite, your child was in the wrong on this occasion

Thanks everyone. I do appreciate your comments and advice.
To those suggesting I re home him, I can understand why you would suggest that but it's a difficult situation. We love the dog, he's part of our family. And it seems so unfair given that my daughter (well me really) was in the wrong and he was just doing what dogs do.
My other children are older and I'm less worried about them, mainly because they are bigger and because they are much more aware of how to behave around the dog. I feel I need to work with my daughter, rather than just giving up on the dog. Believe me, I'm a total worrier and take this very seriously.

Thanks for the guarding tips. When I go to the vets I'll ask them about it and will also ask if they can refer me to a behaviourist.

I'm not sure how I'll get him to stay in a bed but I'll give it a go. Used to have a crate and then a pen but he just wants to be with us so will cry until we get him out. It's worth another go though I think.
I will also get him neutered as soon as I can.

Please don't get an anxious dog neutered - you could make him much, much worse.

@AndAsIfByMagic

What message does that send to the children - if something is hard or inconvenient, then you just give up on it? If someone else's needs don't align with your own then you get rid? That's a recipe for ending up in a care home sooner than necessary.

The message it sends is -
I love you and want you to be safe.
Animals are unpredictable and can hurt people.
I love you more than the dog which has become unreliable.
Humans always matter more than animals.

The care home comment is just bonkers.

WOW.

A small sleeping dog was grabbed, was probably frightened, and snapped at the grabber. That's not aggression, that's a nervous dog who needs attention and training

That's also a terrible terrible message to send to a little child.

I wouldn't give treats to distract from guarding as I would be worried it just rewards the guarding? Would ignoring completely or leaving the room so it never gets any attention be better?

We tried the swapping guarded items for a treat with our now-deceased dog. It just taught him to pick up anything and everything to exchange for a treat!

@babysleephelp

I wouldn't give treats to distract from guarding as I would be worried it just rewards the guarding? Would ignoring completely or leaving the room so it never gets any attention be better?

Dogs live in the moment. If you use a clicker and mark the drop they connect the drop to the treat, rather than the guarding. They very rarely have the joined up thinking to relate it to the guarding.

That's not aggression. Your dog was disturbed, roughly, from sleep. Give him somewhere to sleep undisturbed and keep him off the furniture until the guarding is resolved.

Agree absolutely don’t get him neutered before you speak to a behavioural as it’s likely to make the behaviour a lot worse!

Behaviourist *