im torn please help?

Question

my dog (lil dog) bit my son he is four this has never happend before, ,my son had some friends over and i guess he got a lil out of control and pulled on my dogs ears and my dog bit him. i dont know what to do he is a really good dog and my family thinks i should put him to sleep!! that would be like killing one of my children i cant do that i love this dog my kids love this dog what should i do please help with any advice you can

Answer 1

You say yourself that this is a one off. The children may have been winding the dog up which caused him to do this. Give the dog a chance. If he does bite again, contact a dog behaviourist. If you have no luck here, then take him to a rescue, with a non-destruction policy, and ask if they could rehome him for you. That way you could ensure that he would be homed to a suitable home.

Honestly though, the children were probably really annoying him, or playing rough, and things got out of hand. Don't kill your dog because of a one off event.

Answer 2

Don't kill the dog for a mistake your child made. And don't blame the child for the mistake either - a four year old doesn't really understand that yanking on a dog's ears would hurt and cause the animal to bite.

This sounds like a chance to teach the child lessons in empathy. Talk to your son about what the dog might feel like when it's ears are pulled. Also, just because a dog bit once doesn't necessarily mean that it will bite again, but also keep an eye on the dog. Aggressive behavior can be trained out of an animal. If you really want to work with the dog, find Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer videos and books. Otherwise, there are "no kill" shelters that will take the dog and place it with someone that can help.

Answer 3

It sounds like your son needs a little bit of a brush up course on how to treat an animal and what constitutes creulty to animals. I am sure it was an instance of "Look what I can do" with his friends around, but there is no excuse for behavior like this (your son not the dog). All the people that are telling you to put the dog down are nuts.

Maybe a good idea would be to have your son volunteer at a local shelter so he can see what becomes of dogs when they are overly teased and are having to resort to biting their tormentors.

Answer 4

If you know your dog then you know it's behavior. I also have a small dog. She absolutely DETESTS my husbands uncle! When he comes to visit she barks until her voice hurts, and hides under our bed....barking. One time, I was out in our porch and Uncle cornered the dog. She bit him. She obviously didn't like him, and he provoked her. I would never think of putting her down because she was acting in self defense.
Same goes for your child. If your dog has never showed signs of aggression before, she sounds like she was provoked and acting in self defense. Small dogs are more skittish than larger breeds. Next time your son has company, put your dog somewhere that he feels safe, away from the children. Make sure that your son knows that the dog can't be treated roughly, and he needs to be gently with him.
Watch your son and your dog interact for the next couple of days. If the dogs is ok with your boy, then it was indeed self defense. If the dogs is aggressive in anyway, maybe take him to a behaviorist and find out what can be done. There is also the option of a shelter, so your dog can be adopted into a loving home without young children. You don't have to have your baby dog euthanized unless the aggression isn't reversible.
I would feel just as torn. My baby dog is just that, my baby! I understand. Good luck :)

Answer 5

I believe animals have the right to protect themselves from danger, even if it means biting children. If your son or his friends threatened the dog or otherwise made it feel insecure, I wouldnt do anything about it. Little dogs are more prone to biting and you are a dog owner. IT IS TO BE EXPECTED. ALL dog owners and coinhabitants are bitten. My German Shepherd has bitten me more times than I can count, however I am the ONLY person she has bitten and she has NEVER drawn blood. Bites happen when you play tug of war with a dog. Accidents happen. Give the dog a chance. Until it shows to be a recurrence, I would not take it seriously. Tell children how to behave properly around animals and see a behaviorist if it turns out to be problem. Also make it known to the dog biting is not allowed, but dont expect it to NEVER bite under any circumstances.

Answer 6

There is no way that a small dog should not be able to defend himself..Don't put the dog away, but teach your son that the dog will bite if he hurts it..just as he would slap away a friend's hand, if the friend was hurting him..Perhaps, ask the child to tug on his own ear..just the way he did to the dog..and see how it feels, so he can know that dogs have feelings, too.
Ignore advice from the rest of the family..It is YOU who are in control of your own family..not anybody else..Your dog..Your child..They can raise their own, and allow them to disrespect others if they wish, but yours is going to grow up with better values..
Putting the dog away, would be teaching your son that pets are disposable...not a good life lesson..when this world has become so disposable that relationships of all kinds are tossed in the garbage, because of the inconvenience of working out problems..

Answer 7

A dog's options are very limited when he is being hurt or frightened. He can't run away if your son (or was it the friend?)has him by the ears. He can't punch, slap or kick like another child would. The only way to make the child let go was to bite him.

Just make sure the dog is not treated in this fashion again.

Answer 8

Small dogs should not be left with rough-housing kids. Biting is the dog's only defense. Sounds like the kid needs to be supervised more closely when around the dog..also taught what's acceptable as far as his treatment of the animal. If the dog has never exhibited this behaviour before I'd give him another chance and watch him carefully. As for the child TEACH HIM!!

Answer 9

keep the dog, teach the kid. my dog bit me once, well twice, and my mom wanted to get rid of her cause she was scared but it was in self-defense (in my dogs eyes). the one time she was sleeping in the walk-in shower and i went to grab her to pull her out so i could take a shower and she must have felt cornered and threatened. we had her for about 5 or 6 years by that time and she had never bitten anyone. it only happened one other time, when stupid me did almost the same thing. but we all learned, and i know my dog knew what she did was wrong and she was really sorry. but teach the kid. he needs to know to not play so rough, the dog might have been really scared if there were lots of people right up in his face pulling on him. ya know? if you're really worried, you can see if you can find some training classes. maybe some will cater to people with young kids

Answer 10

Well, I would not consider this dog viscious since he was acting in self defense. It is not as if this dog hunted the person down to bite them, the kid pulled on his ears. I would say going forward whenever people come over: Hey its a nice dog but if you hurt him he will bite you. Putting a dog down should be the last option and this does not sound very severe.