My Dog Bit Another Child

I think the safety of the children is far more important then the dog. The dog needs to be with a family without small children. This is the first incident, the next could be far worse! Why risk it?
Take Care. Heidi

Hi
Dont put him to sleep. It would be better to give him to a no-kill shelter and tell them that he is not good with little kids. At least that way he will get a second chance.

Hi J.,

Biting your nephew probably has nothing to do with aggression or dominance. Comments about submission have little relevance. Most dogs bite out of being reactive or out of fear. They are wound up and possibly scared and the fight or flight kicks in. My guess is that your dog was wound up with all of the activity and possibly not comfortable with your high energy nephew and it built to the point that something happened that triggered him and he bit out of being reactive. Maybe freaked out that the nephew popped out screaming out of the pit?

Whatever the reason, this is a big deal, as you know. What you should do is never allow your dog alone with a child ever again. This is the only way you can be assured your dog will never bite another child. When children come to your house, or even with your children, your dog will need to be put in his kennel, in another room, or tied up when the children are out playing.

Not exactly the picture you had in mind when getting a dog.

If you decide to keep him and make this work, I recommend you contact a trainer or dog behaviorist that specializes in dogs that have bitten humans. Find a trainer that will not use devices and things that make it worse - shock collars, prongs, etc. will make your already reactive dog worse. Find a trainer that uses more human bonding techniques - particularly for your dog due to his breed.

If you decide to surrender him. Please do not surrender him to the humane society or any group that is a "kill" shelter. We have a responsibility to our animals.

A good option is to find a rescue group that will not put your dog to sleep. Contact a chow rescue group or a border collie rescue group. Be prepared to ship your dog to the organization in need be.

Do not consider rehoming him to another family. It is not the right things to do. I've been involved in dog training/rescue since 1996 and the only way a family would take him is if you do not disclose the fact that he bit a child. This is not right. Look for a group that might be willing to take him.

Your dog is in his adolescence stage. This is the most annoying of all stages. He will grow out of it at about 18-24 months or age. During this time, you should be enrolled in at least obedience training. You should be walking or running with him daily because of his breed.

Most dogs that are surrendered are between the ages of 8 - 18 months of age. Because this is the time when the dog is the most annoying.

If you do surrender him to a great rescue group and decide to get another dog, do not get a chow or a border collie. Border collies, in general, make horrible house pets. They truly need to live somewhere they can live out their natural talent of herding - our homes are not the ideal place because we cannot get close to tapping into the endless energy well a border collie has. It leaves them with a huge amount of pent up energy that must be harnessed. I would also not recommend you get a chow. Research the breed. Find a breed that is in general great with children. There aren't many so that will help narrow down your selections.

Once you decide on a breed, find a breeder that is reputable that you can tell of your family situation and she can match the best puppy with your family. Getting a dog from the humane society, in my opinion, with small children, is not a good idea. I wouldn't take that risk, to tell you the truth.

Best of luck to you.

Hi J., since your dog is actually a puppy, are you sure it was a bite and not a nip? do not put he puppy to sleep, that would be horrible. rent the dog wisperer dvd thats how we are trainning my puppy, well now a year old, he had a dvd out for evry problem known to man that has to do with dogs. J.

PS usually if a child is bit or scratched by an animal that normally doesn't do that, it's usually the childs fault. J.

I DEFINITELY would give him away. This dog would not stay in my house PERIOD! I don' care about training, anything. I would NOT risk my children!

I don't think you should put him to sleep though. I agree to give him away. Make sure who ever gets him is aware of this incident.

Please don't put your dog to sleep. First, you should NEVER leave children alone with a dog, for both the kids' and the animal's safety. I agree this was a terrible accident, but your dog is still just a puppy. I'm not exactly sure why you would get such a young puppy with a baby in the house, but he clearly needs to be trained. If you are still not comfortable having him in your house, please try to find a home for him.

Hi J.!
Sorry you have to deal with this! If it was me I would get rid of the dog! Put an ad in the paper or take it to the animal shelter ASAP! You need to be able to let your dog walk around the house with your kids (or any kids in your home) with out thinking about what the dog is going to do next! Also I would research what dogs are good with kids! I have a boston terrier and she is WONDERFUL with my daughter and any kid that I have had in my house. I also know she is a little more hyper than some dogs so when someone comes over I put her out side or in her kennel till everyone gets in then let her out to say Hi. I also let everyone that is over know she likes to kiss but if you tell her to get down she will listen.

When you get a dog you should train them to behave around people! They don't know any better! I think you can take them to petco (or some place like that) at 10wks for training. I trained my own but I have been around all kinds of animals all my life so I kinda knew what I wanted my dog to do!
I really hope this helps!

Border Collies bite and nip. Chows are guard dogs. Not a good mix. I am sure he is a wonderful dog-give him up to someone with out kids. He will bite again. You really don't want a child to be maimed. Don't give him another chance. Please give the dog up immediately. This behavior cannot be tolerated even once! It's already too late.
I had a Border Collie. He hated my old neighbor with his rake, he got out and bit the 90 year old man in the bum and the old man needed several stitches. He didn't sue, we were lucky. all dogs have the capacity to bite, it's a fact, I don't care what anyone says. Some bite harder than others or hold on longer than others. You have children and your dog bit unprovoked. If you want a dog and you have kids get a golden retriever or a labrador.

Occording to animal behaviorsts dogs have the mental capabilities of about a two year old. As to leaving your kids alone, even momentarily, with a dog, you have to ask yourself: "Should I leave my children alone with another child of two, whose mouth is potentially a leathal weapon?" Some two year old children would never hurt another child and some dogs would never do so either. Children's movements and voices tend to activate preditory behavior in dogs. Your problem is weather or not you want to put the time and effort into training this dog and supervising him in such a way that makes your children safe. A good dog trainer would probaly be advisable over a general obedience class. Also there are rescue groups that may help you rehome him, which you can probably find on the internet.

My mom's dalmatian bit my son when he was about 8 months old. My mom agreed that if she bit anyone again then she would have to find another home or be put to sleep. We are just really careful around her now. We put her outside when my son is around and just make sure that he stays away from her. I really can't blame the dog. We adopted her from the Humane Society and she was skin and bones and had been beaten by her previous owner. So she definitely has some baggage. Some dogs just aren't good around kids.