5 month old puppy bit our child

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not crazy to suggest the dog be put down it is just not the norm in this country.

If the dog were in England for instance, because it bit a child's face and injured it, the dog would be put down by law.

Every country is different in terms of laws and what people will tolerate, of course.

In some parts of the world, the dog would be eaten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sort of in-between here. I have owned three cockapoos and they have all been tolerant gentle dogs, who could be picked up when they were asleep, moved over, anything without a response. I think some of this is training and exposure and some of it is the dog's nature. I think this personality is the ideal for as home with children.

I currently have a small poodle who is a more anxious dog and we have been working with a trainer. She has never bitten at all, but she would give a low growl if you disturb her when sleeping. Sure, this is "natural," but in a house with kids you have to expect that kids will make occasional mistakes out of affection and enthusiasm--and ignorance. Ideally, you have a dog that is under-reactive.

I have worked with my kids *A LOT* on reading our poodle's body language and respecting it. The trainer has been VERY helpful. We haven't medicated but I would in a second if the training doesn't continue to show progress.

Last, I wish people would stop with anti-doodle business. You really think they are more inbred than purebreds?

I am not certain that the reason the dog bit is because if it’s breed. It might be part of its breeding, like where did this dog come from? A puppy mill or dog store? Or did the puppy come from a reputable breeder and raised in a home environment before brought to your house at eight weeks old. I have a miniature poodle who is not anxious at all and, like the cockapoo’s in this post, I can pick him up and carry him around and he does not care. He sleeps with my son every night in his bed. We’ve never had an issue where we think the dog might bite somebody if woken up from a deep sleep. Pre-Covid, we would even sometimes have neighbor girls come to our yard and pick him up to play with him and pet him. Very sweet dog. Just want to say that in defense of miniature poodles. But back to the breeding of this five-month-old cockapoo. It is really unusual for a 5 month old puppy to bite angrily enough to draw blood. Puppies are, by nature, supposed to be respectful of everybody in the pack that is older than it. Went about one years old is when you start seeing them tried to reestablish their place in the pack. So I agree with the vet. However if you’re not quite ready to rehome the dog, I would invest in a trainer. As the pack order has to be established. Have your child feed the dog and walk the dog so the dog has to look to your child for its needs. That would establish respect

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not crazy to suggest the dog be put down it is just not the norm in this country.

If the dog were in England for instance, because it bit a child's face and injured it, the dog would be put down by law.

Every country is different in terms of laws and what people will tolerate, of course.

In some parts of the world, the dog would be eaten.

No UK judge would put down a puppy that was provoked into biting by being disturbed while sleeping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question here. How did such a little dog jump up so high that it could bite your 12 year old son on the nose?

The dog was sleeping on the floor and the child was sitting down next to him.

There's a big part of your problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your family is not ready for a dog. Re-home the dog and wait a few more years until your kids are old enough to respect the animal and not sneak up and startle it when it is sleeping.

Agreed. Plus, the dog growled first.

Rehome.

[Anonymous]

OP - we had a similar situation with our dog — a small breed who was extraordinarily sweet and playful, until you went near something she “owned”. The resource guarding hit a tipping point when the dog decided she owned the kitchen and bit my husband when he tried to get something from the fridge. This was our fifth dog and the only one who ever bit us. We ran the same gauntlet of training, vet consults etc. We ended up re-homing to an older person who lived alone and wanted a companion. The dog bit him on the first day. We took her back and ultimately re-homed to a family experienced with problematic dogs.

Every family and dog situation is different. What I learned is that consistency is key when you have a dog with behavior issues and that you don’t want this situation to continue endlessly or the dog’s issues become a habit for it. So, I would suggest thinking hard about what you are willing to do and for how long- eg how much can you spend on training? Are you willing to babygate to separate the kids from the dog? Will everyone in the family participate in obedience classes? Will everyone in the family stick to the plan? Will you try anti-anxiety medication? Thinking thru those questions will help you decide whether to re-home and when. That way you give the dog a fair chance at a happy life

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family is not ready for a dog. Re-home the dog and wait a few more years until your kids are old enough to respect the animal and not sneak up and startle it when it is sleeping.

Agreed. Plus, the dog growled first.

Rehome.

He did NOT growl first. He growled AS he jumped up and bit. Some of you are rabidly focused on blaming owners for inherent aggressiveness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family is not ready for a dog. Re-home the dog and wait a few more years until your kids are old enough to respect the animal and not sneak up and startle it when it is sleeping.

Agreed. Plus, the dog growled first.

Rehome.

He did NOT growl first. He growled AS he jumped up and bit. Some of you are rabidly focused on blaming owners for inherent aggressiveness.

It’s an instinctive response to being touched while sleeping. The family needs training, if they want to keep the puppy.

[Anonymous]

The dog needs a spot that is his where no one bothers it.

Also the dog needs to see your kids as superiors. Is the dog allowed on furniture? Don't let it. Do your kids feed the dog? Do they do commands (sit, lie) with the dog? The dog needs to see they are above him in the pecking order, but also your kids need to limit interactions for now to those type of interactions where they are in charge, not playing.

If you have the slightest inclination to rehome the dog, I would do it now while it will be easily adopted. If not, start crate training (if you haven't) and make sure the dog is crated if anyone is at your house so there isn't a repeat incident while you work through this.

Your dog is still a puppy but they go through a "teenage" phase and then chill out a bit. I personally wouldn't rehome the dog because of this one incident but I would very seriously work on fixing it. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

I didn't read all the replies, but before riddling yourself with guilt, consider that you are doing the dog a favor by rehoming it to a quieter home better suited to its temperaments. People assume that it's their fault if a dog is not a good fit, but it really comes down to genetics. You are going through a lot of trouble to make a square peg fit into a round hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not crazy to suggest the dog be put down it is just not the norm in this country.

If the dog were in England for instance, because it bit a child's face and injured it, the dog would be put down by law.

Every country is different in terms of laws and what people will tolerate, of course.

In some parts of the world, the dog would be eaten.

No UK judge would put down a puppy that was provoked into biting by being disturbed while sleeping.

hello - no uk judge would be required. its law.

[Anonymous]

this forum is not the place to seek advice OP there are people here who would gladly serve their kids up to their dogs for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cocker spaniels are vicious in my opinion. I’ve been bitten by one. I would take a pitbull puppy over anything mixed with cocker. Congratulations on your $2k plus designer dog.

I was also bit by a sleeping cocker spaniel and my son was bit in the face by one - different dogs many years apart. I would NEVER have one as a pet woth children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The dog needs a spot that is his where no one bothers it.

Also the dog needs to see your kids as superiors. Is the dog allowed on furniture? Don't let it. Do your kids feed the dog? Do they do commands (sit, lie) with the dog? The dog needs to see they are above him in the pecking order, but also your kids need to limit interactions for now to those type of interactions where they are in charge, not playing.

If you have the slightest inclination to rehome the dog, I would do it now while it will be easily adopted. If not, start crate training (if you haven't) and make sure the dog is crated if anyone is at your house so there isn't a repeat incident while you work through this.

Your dog is still a puppy but they go through a "teenage" phase and then chill out a bit. I personally wouldn't rehome the dog because of this one incident but I would very seriously work on fixing it. Best of luck.

The different cocker spaniels that bit me and my son were adult dogs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not crazy to suggest the dog be put down it is just not the norm in this country.

If the dog were in England for instance, because it bit a child's face and injured it, the dog would be put down by law.

Every country is different in terms of laws and what people will tolerate, of course.

In some parts of the world, the dog would be eaten.

No UK judge would put down a puppy that was provoked into biting by being disturbed while sleeping.

hello - no uk judge would be required. its law.

You are wrong.