What to do if my dog bites my 4 y/o?

Answer 1

Keep them separated or get rid of the dog.

Answer 2

Get rid of the dog, once the dog bites your child it will do it again. I had a dog that tried to bite my child a few years ago, it (the dog) the same day in the evening tried to nip my hubby when he went to pick him up. The dog did not successfully bite my child, because I got to it first and put my fingers in the back of it's mouth to stop the bite. The pressure was strong. We got rid of that dog the same evening. I suggest that you get rid of that dog if you already haven't. No dog or any animal is more important then your child or the safety of your child. You can always get another dog. Next time you go to get a dog though, bring your child and let the dog and child pick each other. Children are going to hug animals tight and pull on them and lay on them and try to feed them things that they should not have.... lol There are alot of dogs that are well tempered and can deal with and some even like the children's attention.

Answer 3

I saw this episode on People's Court once where this lady's family member called CPS on her after her dog bit her child for the second time. There's no such thing as a 4 year old "provoking" a dog. They don't even know the definition of the word. And when was the last time you saw someone "provoke" an animal so they could get bit? Come on now! Get rid of the dog. They can be tricky animals who can bite at any time. Do you really want to explain to your child why he has to go through reconstructive surgery the next time your dog decides to bite? Or even worse, do you want to explain to CPS why your dog was more valuable to you then the well being of your child?

Answer 4

Get rid of it, give it to someone. Dogs will bite children when picked on or they feel threatened, but a 4 yr old is eye-level with a lot of breeds of dogs and a bite to the face can be very severe or even fatal. It doesnt matter why the dog did it, it will do it again, maybe worse next time.

Answer 5

You need to take control of the situation before it escalates BUT if this was a "first offence" and nothing like it has happened before, please don't off the dog. Dogs are living creatures and they make mistakes. You can either help him learn from his mistake so it never ever happens again, or you can be lazy and take this dog's life. Please consult a professional dog behaviorist in your area. Your vet or trainer can help you find one.

In the mean time, CLOSELY supervise your dog and your child when they are together. If you can't closely supervise, then keep them seperated until you can determine what caused the bite and can begin work on making sure it doesn't happen again.

My dog has growled at me once or twice. He did not bite me, but then again I am an adult and knew what to do when the dog growled. If I had just kept on doing what I was doing without altering my own behaivor AND correcting my dog, I could very well have gotten a bite. And it would have been my fault, not his.

Answer 6

Since you say "if" I guess that means this hasn't happened yet. In that case, you need to think about how to prevent a bite. Do you need to get rid of the dog? Keep the dog away from the child unless you're around? I think it's true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Answer 7

I had a dog that bit my son when he was five, but he kicked the dog with cowboy boots on. I had to have a serious talk with the boy, but first I said bad dog and put him outside. The boy never hurt the dog again and the dog never bit him again. It is better to get a dog when kids are over six, because they do not understand how to treat the dog. If your child did nothing and the dog went up and bit, then get rid of the dog.

Answer 8

One, if you think your dog might bite your four year old, you should consider some serious changes in the way you are allowing your child and dog to interact with each other.

You MUST supervise the child when she/he is interacting with the dog. This does not mean being in the other room; this means being down on the floor with your child and the family pet, with your full attention on their interactions.

Second, it is your JOB as a good parent (and pet owner) to teach your child how to appropriately interact with fido. Show him/her ways to gently pet the animal, and tell her that doggie doesn't like to be swatted, rumpled, pulled on, or pinched. Guide her hand to show her how to gently pet the doggie's head and back, in smooth, slow petting motions. Tell your child to never, never tease the dog, pull things out of its mouth, or bother it while its eating. Give her the information about watching the dog to see signs that puppy doesn't want to be played with right then (growl, no tail wag, showing teeth, when puppy is eating, etc.)

(However cute your baby is, he/she was NOT born with the knowledge of how to properly treat your pet! You NEED to TEACH him/her!)

Third, you must, again, always, always supervise the dog and the child when they are in contact. This is sooo important.

If you really feel that your dog will bite your child, you need to get rid of either your dog or your child; you choose. You can't not put that baby at risk by allowing a mean dog to be near him/her.

PREVENTION is the KEY! If baby is bite, he/she will probably harbor negative feelings toward dogs and be scared of them for the rest of her/his life!! Do NOT let your precious baby be bit!

Proper training for the dog is necessary too. Or maybe a breed that is better suited for children.

If your dog does bite your baby, clean the wound as best as you can with mild soap and warm water, and head STRAIGHT to the emergency room. A dog bite is serious stuff. I would suggest that if you follow all precautions as mentioned above and puppy still bites junior, then it's time to get rid of puppy. No doubts about it.

Answer 9

The dog has to go. It doesn't matter if the child was torturing the dog, the dog now knows it can bite the child. It doesn't matter what you do to the dog for a punishment NOW, he knows he can bite and get away with it. If you value your child's safety, the dog has to go.

Answer 10

Get rid of the dog or the 4 year old.

Answer 11

If my cat ever harmed my child without my daughter irritating him first, he would be gone in a second.... outside - good bye!

And - even if my daughter did something to him first - it would also depend upon the degree of the injury.... if it was a warning snip - then okay - if it tore a chunk then it would still be a good bye kitty!

My daughter was in the habit of pulling our cats tail - and he would never break skin but would turn around and nip her hard enough to leave teeth marks - she learned real fast to not pull his tail.... and now they are the best of friends and he acts like her watchdog nore than a cat!

What caused your dog to bite your child? did you child do anything to the dog first? and to what degree was the bite? Was it severe or a simple nip....like a warning?