Our rescue dog bit my daughter and I today.

[CaraVann]

3 months ago we rescued our dog, Bear.
He was born November 2020. Original owner got him at 7 weeks (I’ve worked out he was a Christmas dog!), it was also during lockdown, when the owner returned to work she crated him for 12 hours every day, she lived in a flat with no garden and never took Bear out, ever.
I believe the owner surrendered him to the rescue when he was about 12 months old.
The rescue worked hard on him as he was scared of the outside world and even putting a harness on him was hard work. They have done such great work with him but he will always be a very anxious dog, bless him.
He was adopted earlier this year, the couple had him for 3 months then gave him back. I was told by the rescue this was because they gave him a lickimat, he bit some of it off and swallowed a piece, he had to go to the vet to induce vomiting and apparently reverted back to his early days as the vets is one of his anxiety triggers and the couple couldn’t handle it, apparently.
So he was returned to the rescue, spent a few more months there and we adopted him early September.
He has been with us for 3 months.
We have had a few settling in issues with him but none of them major. The main things have been him weeding and pooing in the house, being scared of cars, scared of the vacuum cleaner, ripping things up (cushions/throws etc) and barking a lot for food/attention etc.
All these things have been ok to deal with as he has always been a happy and friendly dog, never shown aggression towards us, other people or other dogs.
He is so happy and bouncy that I often say he is like Tigger on speed!
I walk him at least twice a day, on the same field opposite my house.
As per the advice from the rescue and the behaviourist they use, we have kept his world small, just the local walks, just us family. We are a quiet family ( dc are 14 and 17), so no loud noises or lots of people coming and going.
All has been fine and he has been slowly settling into a good routine.
He was barking quite a bit in the evenings but for the last few weeks he has started to settle well and sits and snoozes on the sofa, in between dh and I, very cuddly and happy.
He has always been bouncy and happy and adores DH the most, he is definitely his favourite but seems to like us all.

However, today for some reason something changed.

Today he bit my dd and myself and I am not sure why.

The day started off well. Dh and I took him for a lovely walk over the field. We came home and he pottered around the house as usual then I popped out for a few hours. When I got home he was fine and greeted me happily as usual.
Dd came home from school and he sat next to her snoozing on the sofa, again, as usual.
Then dd touched his head, nothing abnormal there and he suddenly snapped and bit her on the hand. She was obviously shocked. I came in the room and sat with them both and stroked him. He seemed ok but looked a bit guilty. He then went for her again! Dd went upstairs to her room and we left him to settle.
A bit later (around half and hour) he came into the kitchen where I had been and I put my hand out gently to him (again, I’ve done this endless times and he has never shown any aggression towards me before this), he snarled/snapped suddenly and bit my thumb, drawing blood.
He now seems very wary of me for some reason, I don’t know why. He has always been so friendly and happy with us. I am quite shocked tbh as I can’t see what may have provoked this.
I don’t understand why he would do this after 3 months.
He had seemed fine all day, seems ok health wise.

Nothing today was out of routine other than DH was here this morning and didn’t go to work at 6.30am as usual, he is on sifts this winter and went to work at 1pm instead. But that is no different from the weekends when we all separately come and go.

Does anyone have any idea why he would turn on dd and I today?

Not an expert but he was asleep and you /dd touched him. Sometimes it is as simple as that.
Make sure he naps alone.

And he is left alone.

Does anyone have any idea why he would turn on dd and I today?

Honestly, the why doesn't matter. You cannot keep this dog in your home.

Could he be in pain? Before anything else, I would take him to the vet asap for a thorough checkup. He could have lashed out on impulse if she touched him and it hurt.

Pain?

The fact that he’s flinching away says to me vet check first thing to rule out any pain. You can’t do anything until you’ve ruled that out. I wouldn’t let anyone near him until then. Come back to us and let us know how you get on

Speaking from experience I’d get a thorough vet check done for pain if it’s a sudden change in behaviour.

Also make sure the dog is left alone when asleep/resting as most don’t enjoy being disturbed (many will tolerate it so we don’t realise).

There's something going on with him for sure.

You need a rapid vet consult and then discussions depending on the outcome of the visit IMO.

I've had dogs all my life but if the dog is biting for no reason he needs to be removed away from children, preferably to an experienced Owner. Dogs biting/snapping at children is never acceptable.

I will definitely get him to the vet and get him checked out. I will call them tomorrow.
I really hope it’s a one off and for a reason as I would hate to have to return him after this time, he has been so happy and friendly up until now.
Has anyone had a dog bit the once and never do it again.
I am now concerned that he may do it again. I will chat with the vet.
The only concern is that he hates cars and vets so it will be a huge task to get him there.

been and done it I am an experienced dog owner, I’ve had dogs all of my life, just never had one bite before. I am very concerned that he snapped at my dd though.

you need to get rid of that dog.
and any bite that breaks the skin, you need to seek medical advice.

Owning rescues myself I've experienced this more than once, i would definitely go to the vet to rule out any pain but dogs also tend to show warning signs before they bite, often either whale eye or ears flat/back. One of mine doesn't like to be touched when sleeping/just woken up - she was fine as a 5 month old puppy but after she turned 1 became very sensitive when being touched whilst snoozing.
I wouldn't rush to give her up yet. You're going to receive a lot of comments regarding the fact you have a dangerous dog but many dogs get grumpy and snap sometimes. If you're really struggling seek advice from a profesional behaviourist - preferably someone with breed experience / rescue experience who can relate to your dogs traumas etc.

Firstly, you need a vet check to rule out pain or any issues with his sight and hearing. Sudden changes in behaviour are normally health/pain related.

Secondly, even if the vet check is clear, you all need to leave him alone while he's sleeping. No stroking him, no fussing him. Some dogs will tolerate it, others really don't like it and it's important to respect that. You wouldn't want someone fussing at you while you were asleep, I'm sure.

If he's asleep/resting and you want his attention, you need to wake him up by calling his name, then wait until he wakes up and comes to you - don't approach him or disturb him while he's asleep.

Has anyone had a dog bit the once and never do it again.

Yes, I've had this. The dog we had when I was a child was the sweetest, soppiest dog in the world, we had him from a puppy so no trauma or neglect in his past. One day his back legs stopped working and he couldn't stand up. He bit my (adult) brother when he tried to pick him up to carry him to the car to take him to the vet. Didn't break the skin but was the one and only sign of aggression in his 14 year life. Vet said it was most likely a combination of pain and fear at not understanding why he suddenly couldn't walk. Walking issue was resolved by vet and he never showed a hint of aggression again

So I would definitely get your dog checked by the vet before making any decisions. I appreciate taking him to the vet is stressful and difficult, but it's definitely the first thing you need to do. Good luck, hope Bear is ok and this is easily resolved

Maybe ear infection, good luck at the vets, hope it is something easily sorted.

Your dog is potentially going through a fear phase and maybe be reacting to hightened anxiety. The “guilty look “ that dogs do is not what you think, it’s a self guarding behaviour that dogs exhibit when they expect pain for example getting a smack or being shouted at. Firstly dog needs to be removed from people spaces (sofas, beds etc) give them their own space and ensure the dog is never touched in that space, usually I would suggest a crate but considering this dogs history this is likely to be difficult. A simple bed in the corner or blanket will do. That is their space and when they are in it they are left 100% alone.

By doing this you are giving you dog a choice to interact and a choice to be alone.
for an animal with high anxiety and confidence you may find that this can ease a tension but I would highly recommend getting a trainer in to speak you your whole family about the best way to read signs. Dogs that have been abused or neglected can often skip the warning and react without thinking.

you must also take into account the breeding of this dog. Depending on the breeding there could be a neurological fault coming out during the progress to this dogs sexual maturity. You see it a lot in badly bread dogs like German shepherds. Staffies, collies and poodle mix breeds.

I hope you and your dd are ok and not too traumatised but instead really considering if having a dog who is willing to bite is a such a good idea. Sadly there is a reason why dogs who bit used to get pts after the first strike.

I would add that this dog has proven a willingness to bite and I can almost guarantee it won’t be the last time. Some dogs if pushed to bite and you learn their boundary of how far to push. If your dogs boundary is being gently pet then personally I would consider the kindest option rather than rehoming again. - obviously only after pain and discomfort has been investigated

So many idiotic replies on this thread...

Adopting a rescue dog is not like getting a handbag. You don't just get rid of the dog because things get a bit difficult. It is your responsibility to work out what has gone wrong and make sure there isn't a medical issue or that you are not doing something wrong such as startling the animal or failing to respect their space.

Any decent animal shelter should really do thorough rehoming checks and not give animals who had had tricky start to inexperienced owners.

I am really starting to get annoyed reading all these threads about people who don't have a clue of how to handle cats and dogs who might be a bit tricky to start with and the animal having to pay the price for this.

Don't adopt animals if you can't grasp that it might be a difficult journey.

As others have said, he's probably in pain. Ear infections are rampant at this time of year.

What happened isn't good obviously, but folks telling you to get rid of him are being unfair. If he's poorly and needs help from a vet, he's going to be grumpy.

Let us know how it goes at the vet.

Op what breed is he, sorry if I missed it,

If he's asleep/resting and you want his attention, you need to wake him up by calling his name, then wait until he wakes up and comes to you - don't approach him or disturb him while he's asleep.

This. Look up sleep startle. It can be a big thing with some breeds (eg greyhounds). Being touched on the head while he was asleep would trigger it. If he was used to having his own space to sleep (cage) before, then he won’t have any experience of people moving around him/touching him while he’s asleep.

Tell your kids not to bother him when he’s asleep, and always call his name first to wake him. I know it makes sofa cuddles really hard to begin with. But as he gets used to living in a home and sharing his space it may lessen.

dogs typically don't like being patted on the head - obviously lots are fine with it especially if family they are very comfortable with, but could have been a bit of a shock if he was also asleep.

what breed it he?

I fear this is a cocker spaniel? cocker rage? out of nowhere?

vet job either way

Yes definable warrants a vet check!

I did wonder about that too.

I did have a dog that bit when startled awake once and never again.

But what you described is 3 separate incidents, 2 when the dog was awake

My dog (border collie) has bit my hand once before when I accidentally moved his shoulder which turned out to be arthritic he bit the vet too who did the same thing. . No warning before hand. And he didn't appear injured but it's how I realised he was. He hasn't done it again but now we know he will bite if in pain. He is a soft arse 100% of the time. The vet always muzzles him now (at our request/insistence) because we would hate for him to injure the vet even though the vet always plays it down and denies it was as bad as it was the first time.

Thank you all for your advice. I will get an appointment with the vet tomorrow to get a thorough check over.
We will not encourage him to come onto the sofa. He does have a bed in the living room but has always chosen to hop on the sofa with us and that was our wrongdoing as we wanted him to experience comfort with us as he had been neglected so much in his early years, we will encourage him to go back on the rug or his bed when in the lounge in the evening.
He will also not be sitting with dd on the sofa anymore.
I am hoping it is something the vet can help with as I really do not want to return him or at worse have a 2 year old dog pts.
As I have stated previously Greenfairydust I have had dogs all of my life, just never had one bite me or a family member before.
I should also state that although we have had him on the sofa with us, we have never touched him or fussed with him whilst he sleeps.