Our dog bit ds in the face and drew blood

[Differentusernametoday]

please be kind, I am really shaken and need some support.

We have an 11 month old springer. We have a few issues with him, mostly anxiety related, and are waiting to see a behaviourist. I don’t trust him because he has growled at us before, and has bitten my hand and snapped at me, although to be fair both times I feel we’re partly my fault. This afternoon, he was on the sofa bed put down for guests - ds2saw him and told him to get off, apparently dog growled at him, ds tried to move him and dog bit his face and has drawn blood. Currently waiting in a&e now. Ds2 is devastated and knows he should not have tried to move him when he had already growled, and blames himself. I feel like I have reached the end of the road and I can’t live with a dog I don’t trust, but it will break ds3’s heart if we rehome him, but in some ways it will be a huge weight lifted. What would you do?

Please rehome the dog. You can't handle him obviously and it could happen again.

Hope your son is okay

Defence from what? The child didn’t attack the dog.
Light warning bites don’t draw blood and are not to the face.
It was only a single bite because the child defended himself, could have been much worse.

Get rid of the dog, there is no other option here. You need to prioritise your children’s safety and realistically are you prepared to tiptoe around this dog for the rest of its life just to avoid someone getting bitten again? It just won’t work.

Don't care what kind of bite your're calling it, doesn't change the fact. Not the first time and it wont be the last.

OP you know what to do, get rid of that dog now.

We rehomed our dog in a similar situation. He bit my DS10 on the face (did not need hospital). Through a rehoming charity, he went to an adult only home who had experience of the breed of dog, and were fully aware that he had bitten. It was heartbreaking at the time and tbh it has put me off ever getting another dog but the new owners keep in touch with us and once a year send us photos etc. They have had no further issues with him so it worked out okay in the end.

www.englishspringerrescue.co.uk/

Maybe give them a call and see about rehousing.

A sustained dog attack would cause far worse injuries than those described. It was a defensive bite because it felt it was being physically restrained/moved from its position that it felt safe in. A springer spaniel, while not a large breed, is strong and muscular with a reasonably large jaw. If it was attacking it would do more damage and it wouldn't stop at one bite. It's nervous/scared and felt it was in danger of being harmed. Again, this still isn't acceptable but there are different types of aggressive behaviours. Some can be fixed quite easily and others can't. It comes down to whether the owner has the time and patience to invest in it and whether the household can read the dogs behaviour and know when it back off while it's still in the process of being dealt with by a behaviourist.

Dog has to go. Sorry OP.
Then again I've never felt comfortable about any type of dog around toddlers, never mind a young and nervous one. Too risky IMO.

Irrespective of whose fault anyone thinks it is, the previous behaviour should have alerted you all and now this.... honestly, no offence but surely you don't need advice from anyone? Older child will be upset but will have to live with it, safety is more important. Hope your child is okay and feel for you being shocked. I am a dog person and have had them all my life and have pretty much adored everyone of them but never ever left them alone with my young children (I know you didn't do this but just saying) but if any one of them had growled or shown any signs of aggression they would have been rehomed or PTS depending on the circumstances in a heartbeat.

Judging by the language you’ve left your two year old with a dog you know has behavioural issues, the only person to blame here is you!

you never ever leave a dog and baby/toddler/child alone. Ever!

the dog needs re-homed, call the breeder, a reputable breeder will take their pups back in a flash!

Your poor ds, I hope he is OK.

I would not keep that dog and would explain to upset dc that there are very clear boundaries for pet owners, and an animal harming family members under innocent circumstances crosses that boundary.

I'd not want my dc to visit a house containing a dog that does this x

The dogs not good for you and you're not good for the dog. Rehome to a professional. Dogs don't just bite. There are a lot of warning signs before they do that you and your family missed or didn't act on and it's left an injured DS and dog with an unsure future.

I'm so sorry you're going through this but the dog is not at fault.

Alternatively spend a lot of money training the dog and yourselves.

If a dog bit my child on the face, there would be no discussion, it would be out. I could never keep a dog that has attacked or behaved aggressively to my child, a child's safety is more important than a dog.

I think a biting dog such as yours should be PTS. Please do not inflict a nervous anxious dog that reacts by biting on anyone else.

With respect, and I have my own dogs, for whatever reason the dog has bitten the OP, growled at the OP and snapped at the OP - who is an adult. Simply pushing of the problem to another adult is not really an answer. It may make the OP feel better that they have "done something", but it won't make the dog less of a problem. If the dog cannot be trusted then it needs to go to a shelter which is able to provide the retraining and behavioural support it needs, to a home where the adult(s) are capable of taking on this kind of dog and supporting changed behaviour - and if those things are not available then it must be euthanised. Much as I hate to see an otherwise healthy young dog pts, simply passing on the problem is unfair and unwarranted. I agree that not all biting incidents require rehoming - but this particular dog ahs bitten more than once, is showing aggressive tendencies to both adults and children, and if it is to have a chance at a life it needs much more than just a new home.

Springers are either placid, can do anything with them or they tend to become possessive over things ( mine was food)
Have the dog assessed as a working dog, either police ( great drugs/money/cadaver dogs) or for shooting/farm work.

in the interim get a crate and separate from children. Hope your ds is ok.

I can’t live with a dog I don’t trust, but it will break ds3’s heart if we rehome him, but in some ways it will be a huge weight lifted. What would you do?

You don't trust the dog & that's it.

We can all make a mistake but it's no good if you are all constantly on edge.

JenGin this is nonsense.

The dog should leave.

Spaniels have form for this. they are a working dog and should be …working.

This

Spaniels don't "have form for this" and you can own a spaniel without it "working".

How old are your children? Presuming the '2' and '3' refer to birth order rather than age...
This sounds like possible resource guarding, a behaviour that can be worked with especially on younger dogs...
Are your family willing and able to put work in to train the dog and keep themselves and the dog safe and secure in the meantime, like crate training, separation, handling, boundaries etc?

I hope your DS is ok.

I am in the minority saying have dog put down. Obviously you will put children first. Part of that will be explaining and reassuring that it wasn't his fault. Explaining why dog had to go will be a tough lesson for any child. But he will be stronger for it eventually.
Sorry OP but we really do not need any more bad tempered dogs in this world. Don't stick someone else with the problem.

Why there are so many badly trained dogs around is a much larger question. Dogs (or cats) should not be treated as accessories to fit modern life because mostly they don't fit. They are not dolls.

Actually Spaniels DO have form for this.

And yes - you can have any dog you like in any situation you like but is it a smart decision?

Christ there is some shite on this thread. Your dog has bitten twice. You are sitting in A&E with a child who has been bitten in the face and blames himself.

You cannot rehome a dog like this and push the problem onto someone else!

The dog is dangerous and needs to be PTS.