Dog bit Child

[purpleme12]

When we went to visit family we met one family member's new dog.
They got him in the summer. So he's still a puppy, or teenage dog?
We all arrived together so there were 6 of us along with 3 the dog already knew there.
Dog was barking which is fine. I know dogs bark around new people. But dog also growling.
But they're saying he's fine he won't hurt.

So dog wasn't happy and wouldn't settle. Dog taken a bit away from people because not settling at all and with owner.
So in the next room.
My child (10) went into room, went past dog, across room to get something and the dog went up and bit her on the arm! Clearly because he was in this riled up state
And dog had to be pulled off her.

She wasn't 'hurt' but was upset and shocked as you would be. I've never been bit by a dog in all my dog encounters

They say he's never acted like this before and this is not like him at all

I thought this was dangerous? I am wary now.
How would you expect the owner to react?
Would this happen again?

Have you ever actually had a puppy?

If they got this dog in the summer it's about the same age as my pup. She is still occasionally mouthing us. Because that is what 6 month old puppies do. It is normal. She is my ninth pup so I am not panicking and calling her dangerous.

This was an overwhelmed, teething puppy in a house with strangers, who seemingly know absolutely nothing about dogs, or what constitutes normal puppy behaviour. They couldn't read its body language and the poor overstimulated pup clearly had no quiet space to escape to.

To liken it to an XL bully attack and say it should be put to sleep just for being a teething puppy is totally absurd.

Dogs do bite. I don’t really know why so many people are in denial. According to a survey in 2018 about 25% of people in the UK had been bitten by a dog and this was at a time when less than 25% of households owned a dog.

Well I couldn’t honestly say my dog has never bitten me, but could honestly say he hasn’t since he was an annoying puppy 🤷🏽‍♀️

Best answer here ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Im quite 😳🙄🙄 at the number of posters who seem to think it’s ok because puppies bite.
No it’s not ok. It should never be dismissed as one of those things but worked on so the dog doesn’t bite again. It is a sign that training is required. Both for the dog and the owner tbh.

And if I was at @purpleme12 place, I’d be weary of meeting up with the dog again for a while, until proper training has happened.
Actually as the owner I’d be careful about taking the dog anywhere it could get overwhelmed until I felt it was safe fur everyone.

I would report it to the police. It could have been her face. You were lucky it was 'only' her arm.

Sorry but it’s up the owner to deal with the situation.
The bite certainly was NOT the fault of the OP, her dd or anyone else around ‘who seemingly knew nothing about dogs’. Any dog owner should assume that people around know nothing about dogs! Why should they??
Up to them to control their dog and take away if need it, incl telling the dd not to come in the room.

It’s the owners who clearly know nothing (or at least nowhere near enough) about dogs. Their lack of understanding is what has caused this dog to react (disclaimer…obvious reading between the lines at play here as I can’t be sure why this has happened without seeing the dog) and it is in no way the child or her parents who are at fault.

The owners need to acquaint themselves of the basics of dog behaviour and sharpish! I personally wouldn’t advise having your child around this dog until they have got some proper advice and training unless it is kept on lead and under control at a distance 100% of the time.

I would personally have no issue with being around the dog, but as a trainer, I am equipped with the knowledge to read the pups body language and stop escalation. You OP don’t have this advantage, so I’d steer clear unless strict management can be guaranteed

What do you think the police would do about a puppy being a puppy?

It's like reporting a three year old for trying to take a chocolate bar without paying for it.

I didn't say it was the OP's fault at all. You quote me above, where did I lay blame? Pease do not jump down my throat and make false accusations.

The owner had put the puppy into another room which the child then entered.

I had a job that included visiting households that had working collies.

On the whole these dogs were not at all friendly to anyone but their owner/ the person that worked them. They were suspicious of strangers and did not want to be petted or greeted.

Watch Sean The Sheepman. He shares videos of his 3 working Border Collies. He loves them to bits. They are alert to his every word, twitch or whistle all the time. Incredibly well trained and happy dogs.

But they live outside in kennels, he does not cuddle them, and he has said that his new baby will not be engaging with the sheep dogs.

This would be my take on it too.
Yes puppies mouth and nip but lots of people are ignoring the growling and barking which indicates the puppy wasn't happy.
Professional help is needed.

i hope your child is ok op

Well that's an interesting take on it 😂

I won't go repeat points I've said in the thread.

But have to say I thought my posts were quite measured and not full of hate for dogs.

It was an unfortunate incident and the owner needs to work with his puppy to ensure it is safe around people. Did the dog leave any kind of mark, a bruise or anything?

Thank you.

I'm never sure whether to be more concerned about the dog hate or the completely clueless owners/prospective owners.

I'm not an expert or a professional, but there so many posts lately from people who don't even know what the function of their breed is, and thus haven't a clue about prey drive, energy levels or general temperament around family...

It starts to drive you mad 🙄

Yes, do this OP and then please report back what the Police said about a puppy playing too roughly with your child IN ITS OWN HOUSE.

OP did say several times it wasn't the dog's own house

And the description was of a child walking into a room past a dog (sitting with its owner) to get to a bag, not being in the process of play

Yours were very measured and fair But the post did bring some of the "kill any dog that looks at you wrong" clueless muppets
This does sound like a case of inexperienced or irresponsible owners and visitors but if the owners (who I really hope have chosen this breed carefully) don't train and supervise this dog properly the next incident could be worse and this pup could grow into a real problem. I have been around dogs all my life and the only time I have really been bitten (other than my own as a puppy) was by a collie as I darted past it and then I expect it was more herding instinct gone wrong than real aggression

I hope your DD is Ok and isn't frightened of dogs going forward.

Apologies, you are correct the dog was a visitor as well
In which case it was in an unfamiliar environment with strangers, which is another reason it may have behaved how it did and isn't actually Cujo

It was foolish of the owner to assume that the dog wouldn't bite. Any owner should be prepared that their dog could act out of character in a situation they find uncomfortable, especially where the dog was communicating that (and especially where the dog is only a puppy so doesn't have a long history of behaviour).

I think the owner did the right thing by removing the dog and that space should have been respected. Perhaps they should have just taken the dog home.

If I were you, I wouldn't be around the dog again until you can be assured that the owners have engaged a professional to train them on how to manage this dog.