Foster dog bit my child

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We’ve got a dog we are fostering to adopt - had her 3 months, she’s not long turned a year old. She had a medical issue, was left at rescue by the breeder at 8 weeks old. She’s on long term medication. We’ve had issues from day one with her jumping up and being very mouthy, but otherwise a good dog at home. Bit too overeager meeting other dogs, but not aggressive just overly playful. She’s been pretty good with kids on the whole but gets overexcited and will jump up/snatch toys etc. She mouths a lot at hands, especially if you try to stroke her on the head, but she’s been responding well to training “gentle” and making uh-uh noises for no.

I went away for a couple days (left her with DH), she’s been nutty since I got back. She’s been really hard to deal with on walks - constantly laying down and refusing to walk, but full of energy at home. This evening my son was playing fetch in the garden and she bit him on the chest when he was about to throw the ball. I had my back turned so didn’t see what happened but I’m pretty shaken - left a red mark but no skin broken.

What on Earth do I do? It’s been such a hard situation to manage as I don’t feel like we’ve ever had much information from the rescue, we aren’t legally responsible for her and we can’t even go to the vets without the rescues permission and they can take several days to respond.

My son's lab is nearly 2 and whilst she never jumps up at me she still still jumps at my other adult children. She's told no and gets down straight away but gets overexcited. There's no malice or aggression at all but she has caught my son a couple of times ball tugging- absolutely not her fault. Younger children maybe shouldn't be ball throwing with an over excited large dog like that.

Does she have a sensible adult dog who she could play with?

I had labs in the past and letting the younger ones play with a well socialised, well trained adult dog really helped because the adult dog tells them off when then get too mad! You do need the right dog though!

If it hasn’t broken the skin then it’s not really a bite for me . Seems to me that a decision needs to be made about whether you are keeping her so that you can invest more in training etc . FWIW a friend has a golden retriever that was frankly an utter nightmare until he was about 2 , grabbing anything he could ie hands and jumping up . My 5’5” adult daughter came away once feeling like she had been mugged . He’s absolutely lovely now , like a big cuddly bear and he’s only 3/4 .

The dog bit your child. Didn't break the skin but what about next time? I'd send the dog back, it's not worth the risk

The dog was playing ball with the child and caught the chest instead of the ball - that's not biting, that's an accident.

If a 13 month Labrador meant to bite, there would be blood. They are big, strong dogs.

Makes me so angry this comment. Piss off with your ill informed posts.

Disgusts me when people say put to sleep; our dog we rescued we were told he was to be taken to the rescue and they would pts. when we picked up the dog we kept him instead. I ended up being bitten a few times but gradually he trusted us we know his boundaries now and he knows ours as a result he is the loveliest dog you can imagine soppy is not the word and he no longer bites. love and patience win through perhaps taking your dog to a training class good for socializing too. labs are bouncy dogs anyway make sure they have plenty of mental stimulation too kongs etc good luck

Sounds like a normal adolescent. Mine (terrier) can be horrible and bitey and horrible (did I mention horrible?) at times and she gets plenty of mental stimulation and exercise. It’s just a teenage dog thing. They come through it.

Mine will go for hands instead of toys. She sometimes misses and has caught my face if I’ve been at her level. Then the game stops, she is given something to chew to calm down and she’s much nicer then (mostly).

I met her mum, and several relatives. All very nice, stable, calm and friendly dogs. So there is hope. Eventually.

Id stop all fetch as that is the worst thing to wind dogs up. Calm sniffy games. Finding things. Self control games like ‘it’s your choice’ and even traditional sits, waits and stays are good too. If I feel my adolescent idiot is approaching stupidity I’d get her to lay down and we do some waits and stays before carrying on. It can really help.

My family lab when I was a teenager was a bit like that when young, responded really well to agility course training, needed something to engage his brain. Also a lot more exercise. He used to run alongside my dad's bike through the woods for miles.

Agree it sounds like a normal adolescent nutty Labrador who misjudged themselves.

If they adore toys, maybe try a find-it game rather than throwing a ball around which can just get them over excited. Try and ask them to sit and wait (that bit will take practice and may require them sitting indoors and watching at first), hide the ball or a favourite toy, and then get them to seek it out. You can gradually increase the difficulty. The kids can definitely get involved doing the hiding. It will engage their brain a little more than just running after and grabbing a thrown ball, an engaged brain will tire more than just running and running.

Labs are obsessed with balls! She probably jumped to get the ball and got your DS by mistake. I’ve copped dozens of bites from my own silly dog (not a lab) in the same way.

Do you do any brain games with her to tire her out mentally? Or would her health issue make her unsuitable for dog sport when she’s a little older, agility etc. so she has a ‘job’ to focus on?

Ball play would be much better as a ‘find it’ game, the scent work will have a calming effect and ball throwing is horrible for ramping a lab up- not to mention the terrible effects it can have on joints etc

sounds like your dog needs some impulse control work - totally normal for the age! Check out Susan Garrett’s ‘it’s your choice’ game available free on you tube as a starting point

I would give the dog back and tell them it’s not suitable around children.
(I hope I understood that correctly, you are just looking after the dog until a permanent home can be found, is this correct? If so then give it straight back as it’s not working out)

apologies I just read your update properly there and realise you want to keep the dog.

I wouldn’t keep it, but I just wanted to say I’m sorry I posted in error.

Why isn't it suitable for being children? For behaving like a puppy?

I think people assume the mouthy stuff stops at the adult teeth - it doesn't. It will always be the way dogs are able to communicate and it takes quite a while for them to learn how to do it nicely and what they can bite and what they can't.

Really normal. Some are more mouthy than others. Gun dogs who are bred to have something in their mouths and terriers can be grabby (mine is) and do take a bit of teaching and maturing before they get it. Not to mention Mals etc.

Bit of Disney Dog syndrome going on here. They are animals. They scratch and bite. It's the context that matters most.

Yes she’s obsessed with balls, goes nuts for them, I’ve stopped ball games and she’s definitely calmer, but still so much more energy than any dog I’ve had prior, destroyed anything plastic she gets hold of - but my parents last lab was like that till 2. She really needs to chew A LOT but seems to want things that will break up - nyla bones she’s not interested in, cuddly toys she loves to fetch and carry.

I definitely need more brain games for her - she’s clearly a lot more intelligent than my previous two dogs, who were lovely but really dumb, but very calm tempered from the word go. I wonder if she would enjoy agility training, I also think she’d not a purebred so wonder if there’s another breed in there.

She’s not good a scent games - if I drop a small treat a meter in front of her in grass she can’t even find it. I’ve debated the slow feeders but I think she would destroy them. She loves the kong and I’ve sent DH to get another and some big chews.

I’ve had mouthy dogs before - I think it’s that combined with jumping up is new to me.

Tell me you know nothing about dogs without telling me you know nothing about dogs.

Quite.

She really needs to chew A LOT but seems to want things that will break up - nyla bones she’s not interested in, cuddly toys she loves to fetch and carry.

Have you tried her with natural, edible chews? My beagle is a really strong chewer and LOVES an Ostrich bone. They're not cheap but they're huge and really long lasting - the honeycomb texture means they're light and safe for teeth too. He also likes things like cows feet, buffalo braids, beef skins and duck necks.

Thanks, I’ll try one of those. She loves the pig/cow ears skins etc but they don’t last long, and natural wood chews have been good too.

Who me?

I got dragged along the floor once on the end of a lead when I was about 5 by my aunts lab. Trained within an inch of its life, that dog, just so very strong. I am usually a PTS person but this doesn’t sound like a bite bite.

Labs respond well to training, however they can be excitable for a long time. I’d not be playing fetch in the garden unless it’s a very big garden.

I also think for foster to adopt you should be putting in the training anyway, in case it didn’t work out. You kind of owe it to whoever takes the dog after you.

Yep, mine can demolish a pigs ear in minutes

Sounds like over excitement, our rescue was very mouthy when we got him. He was three and missed out on training when he was younger. Sounds like fetch probably isn't the best game.
Training with a professional made all the difference. We did four 1 to 1 sessions with the whole family then I took him to group training afterwards. It was worth every penny. Just do a bit of research on the trainer.
I kept a material lead on him in the house all the time, until he calmed down. Just had it attached and dragging on the floor but as soon as he started getting over excited it was easier to nip it in bud. I kept the lead on in the house for about 4 months I think and put it back on if my son had friends over probably for at least a year. He's good as gold now.