5 month old puppy bit our child
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Anonymous
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I am so upset and confused. We have a 5 month old cockapoo who is very cute but behaviorally a little bit difficult. 80% of the time he is sweet and loving, but he has some issues that seem to go beyond normal puppy behaviors. To me it seems like the root of the problem is anxiety. He is fearful of other dogs and initially reacts with fear and aggressive-sounding barking to strangers or even just noises out in the backyard. We brought him home at 8 weeks and have been very careful to socialize and train him. We have three kids who are good with him and are old enough to understand the training process. We have had a professional dog trainer work with him as well.
On to the incident. My 12 year old went to tell him goodnight last night when he was sleeping. Yes, now from my reading I see that some dogs do not like to be disturbed when sleeping but this has never been an issue for him. My son approached him calmly and the dog bolted upright and growled as he bit him hard on the nose. He has significant cut on the top and underside of his nose, to the extent that I debated whether he needed stitches. I’m certain he will have a scar. It was horrifying. It all happened in a split second. Obviously we have strictly instructed the children to never touch or approach the dog when he’s sleeping, but the whole thing has made me so on edge that I can barely sleep. The dog is big for a cockapoo and still growing, so his teeth are not tiny and he is strong. I took him to the vet today for routine vaccinations and talked with her about the bite. She was pretty concerned and said we could try a behavioral specialist but that she would honestly recommend trying to rehome him to a home without children.  He also resource guards and will growl at the children if they even walk by him when he has a treat or bone. However, he does not do that with DH and me.
Please help. I feel like a failure and now like I am walking on eggshells. The child who was bitten is more upset at the idea of losing the dog than about the bite. I am terrified he will bite again - either one of my kids or one of their friends. Has anyone successfully dealt with this issue? Please be kind. I am so shaken up. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like he has anxiety, which my dog does as well. I think with training you could overcome this, keep working with the trainer and possibly look into anxiety reduction meds. My dog has bitten my husband but since taking Prozac he’s a totally different dog. Much more relaxed, and predictable behavior. We also have a 1 year old and never had a problem with dog and the baby (my dog only has aggression issues with men, I think because he was abused by one in his past). Training and exercise should help, I’m so sorry you’re going through this! |
Anonymous
| I also recommend that you take your dog to a behavioral vet. Dr. Pike is great. |
Anonymous
| Can the dog have a crate to retreat into when it wishes to be left be? |
Anonymous
| 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. |
Anonymous
No need to show us that you are a jerk. This is an anonymous forum and what will we do with this information anyways? |
Anonymous
| Your vet told you to rehome the dog. Do it. You’re off the hook with your kids’ feelings because your vet told you to. If I knew this happened and then my kid came over to play and got bitten, well... that would be a nightmare scenario for you. |
Anonymous
| Op your puppy considers the kids as competing litter mates and you and DH as alpha. This is not unusual and normally a trainer can work with this and teach your kids how to lead. But given the facial injury to your child as a result of an act of affection, personally that dog would be out of my house immediately- either rehoming in the way your vet suggested or returning to the breeder. |
Anonymous
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My cockapoo pup also bit my kid. It was my kids fault- the dog told him not to approach (the growl) but he did anyway. It took a lot of training and he never bit again but we had to learn how he communicated.
My moms cockapoo also bit me. I think cockapoos (cockers) tend to be biters. |
Anonymous
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You have not failed. It sounds like he has rage. We went through this with a dog (another spaniel breed). Dog owners who haven’t experienced it don’t understand. It can’t be fixed or treated effectively. When this type of aggression happens with puppies there is no amount of behavioral modification/training that will fix him. BTDT. It’s bad breeding and he has a literal screw loose. They go from tail wagging happy to attack in a split second with no warning. If will happen again and next time it may be worse. It often gets worse as they get older. I am a dog lover and have owned many dogs. I do not say this lightly. Please listen to your vet and rehome him through a spaniel rescue or return him to the breeder. He is not safe to have around your children and please do not have any other children in your home until he is rehomed.
https://www.petcarerx.com/article/what-is-rage-syndrome-in-dogs/1611 |
Anonymous
| Time to get rid of the child. |
Anonymous
| It's not the puppy's fault. Let sleeping dogs lie. Lesson learned. |
Anonymous
People who believe this nonsense don't deserve a dog. Get a fish. |
Anonymous
| Not long ago, I had a conversation with an acquaintance who told me about having to return their cockapoo after a year for similar reasons. She told me they couldn’t invite their kids ‘ friends over due to the fear they could be bitten. That might not be an issue for you now but is it something you need to think about for the post- covid world? |
Anonymous
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I had a cocker from a rescue who was nippy.
But the one I raised from puppy hood was fabulous. Were were all devastated when he died at 13 years old. I would try a behaviorist before I got rid of the dog. And like a previous poster said, meds may help. |