Anonymous wrote:Put the dog down. Once a dog bites a child that should be the end of the line for it.

No way, give the dog a cha6. Try rehoming the dog to a family that doesn't have kids. Or let a shelter know what happened with your child and puppy, they will know what's best.

Put the dog down. Once a dog bites a child that should be the end of the line for it.

OP here. I have put in a call to a behavioral specialist to discuss the issue and how to proceed. If we decide to rehome, does anyone have resources for that or how we approach it? I would want to make sure he goes to a good home.

Cocker Spaniels can be aggressive. My sister had a poodle that was a nasty biter as well. This combination sounds like a recipe for disaster. Meanwhile I have a pit Bull mix that we adopted at a rescue when she was 10 weeks old that wouldn’t hurt a fly. The dog has never even growled at anyone. I’d rehome, kids come first.

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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.

I am British and dogs are put down all the time for biting. or Because it is the law. Sometimes the owners are fined - in the case of a dog biting someone else outside the family, but when it comes to a family dog biting a member of the family who owns it, there is no law case because no one is suing anyone else over it.

NP here. I'm British too, though I haven't lived there for decades. Anyway, I would have to imagine that they would have to be serious bites that have left some damage as I can't imagine the average, level headed person rushing down to the Police Station over a little nip.

completely out of touch then

PP here. Whether I'm out of touch or not, I stand by my point. I can't imagine a level headed person rushing down to the Police Station to report a little nip.

and provocation would be a good defense for the puppy under British law.

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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.

I am British and dogs are put down all the time for biting. or Because it is the law. Sometimes the owners are fined - in the case of a dog biting someone else outside the family, but when it comes to a family dog biting a member of the family who owns it, there is no law case because no one is suing anyone else over it.

NP here. I'm British too, though I haven't lived there for decades. Anyway, I would have to imagine that they would have to be serious bites that have left some damage as I can't imagine the average, level headed person rushing down to the Police Station over a little nip.

completely out of touch then

PP here. Whether I'm out of touch or not, I stand by my point. I can't imagine a level headed person rushing down to the Police Station to report a little nip.

I own an aggressive dog (given to me because others couldn't keep her safely). You will never feel comfortable with children around your dog. If you can't keep dog and kids separate, if you can't train the children to be cautious of the dog, you can't keep this dog. You will spend all your time worrying about it biting again. I don't care about what breed it is or anything, some dogs just react to things by biting. Other dogs are really relaxed and won't react to stress or surprise by biting. This one sounds like it's not going to be that super relaxed dog- and will probably bite again.

I have a lot of baby gates and my dog has a crate she can retreat to. The older child knows to never antagonize the dog and what that means (don't poke it when it's sleeping, let it retreat to crate if it wants to, be gentle with the dog, if you want to move the dog, ask the dog to "come" or "go to bed" instead of pushing the dog). Younger child is kept 100% separate from dog, as are any other children that visit. If new adults come over, dog is crated or fenced in (until we establish that the adult is okay with the dog and I'm comfortable letting the dog out).

I don't know if you can fix this reaction by training. I have tried and my dog is well trained. Training has helped, but when she's "triggered", it can be really fast - so even though she's well trained, I protect people by keeping her on the other side of a gate. She has never bitten anyone so hard it drew blood. She has never been abused or treated poorly. She has always lived in a loving home. She is NORMALLY an incredibly relaxed animal who has hobbies like "sleeping on the couch" and "getting treats". But her personality is just one that reacts to certain stressors by snarling, lunging, and snapping.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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.

I am British and dogs are put down all the time for biting. or Because it is the law. Sometimes the owners are fined - in the case of a dog biting someone else outside the family, but when it comes to a family dog biting a member of the family who owns it, there is no law case because no one is suing anyone else over it.

NP here. I'm British too, though I haven't lived there for decades. Anyway, I would have to imagine that they would have to be serious bites that have left some damage as I can't imagine the average, level headed person rushing down to the Police Station over a little nip.

completely out of touch then

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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.

I agree the dog is aggressive. OP's kids should NOT be approaching the dog while he's sleeping though. That's something they need to learn.

It’s problematic once a dog has a bite history. I would get started with a behavioral dog therapist or trainer straight away.

Crazy dog Resue lady here. I would rehome. He will unexpectedly bite again.

Make sure to tell your child it’s not his fault. Some dogs just lash out in response to anxiety. And dogs lack logic so they can’t discern real anxiety provoking threats from mistaken perceptions.

Ps the meanest dogs I’ve had are the small ones.

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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.

I am British and dogs are put down all the time for biting. or Because it is the law. Sometimes the owners are fined - in the case of a dog biting someone else outside the family, but when it comes to a family dog biting a member of the family who owns it, there is no law case because no one is suing anyone else over it.

NP here. I'm British too, though I haven't lived there for decades. Anyway, I would have to imagine that they would have to be serious bites that have left some damage as I can't imagine the average, level headed person rushing down to the Police Station over a little nip.

I've got a cocker/lab mix and he was bitey while teething. But not like what you describe, being disturbed in his sleep. And no resource guarding. It is difficult to socialize dogs well in this pandemic mess. And maybe that's an issue with yours?

I don't know where you live, but www.yourdogsfriend.org has wonderful resources and expertise. They exist specificallly to help dog owners address behavioral issues so that they are more likely to keep the dog. I'd check with them to see if any of this can be addressed. And I trust them to tell you that there may be a problem that is bigger than training can fix.

You aren't a failure. Some dogs are harder than others.

I’m sorry OP. Rehome the dog and get your child to a plastic surgeon. Get a different breed. Talk to your child about respecting the dogs space.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I am British and dogs are put down all the time for biting. Because it is the law. Sometimes the owners are fined - in the case of a dog biting someone else outside the family, but when it comes to a family dog biting a member of the family who owns it, there is no law case because no one is suing anyone else over it.