Should my dog be put to sleep?

Question

I have a 6month old lab/ chow mix. He was playing with my 8 year old and bit her under the face and drew blood. Should he be put to sleep? He has never bitten anyone before.

Maybe before everyone jumps to it being my daughters fault I should add, My husband and I were watching her play. My daughter was raised around dogs and knows how to treat them, she is 8 not 2. I am assuming it was just rough play, but wanted others imput. I am not a fan of euthanization either. We rescued the dog from a shelter, she was 5 weeks old and they were going to put the litter down, saying they wouldn't be able to thrive without the mother. We purchased all 4 puppies and found homes for them ourselves. Our dog has proper vet care, just as if he was our child. He has been neutered and is up to date on all of his shots and also been microchipped. He has also been seen for an ear infection, so vet care is the least of my worries. He is a big dog and we are not 100% positive on his breed.

Answer 1

you need to get your dog into obedience classes..this can help w/behavior. if his behavior gets worse then i would see an animal behaviorist. putting your dog to sleep should be your last resort. every dog should be supervised w/children.
i had a 2 yr old lab mix with aggression problems. she was the best dog in the world but hated ppl she didnt know and would bite. we tried everything possible to change her behavior...and in the end did have to put her to sleep after she went after our 15mnth old at the time.
good luck to you.

Answer 2

Everyone is saying, nnnnnoooooo. But, have you figured out what stemmed the biting? Did your child scare the dog? Were they playing? Did the child hurt the dog?

You need to find out what caused the reaction before you start thinking of euthanizing.

You also need to find out the genetics behind the dog. Do you know the owners of your dogs parents? Have they ever had episodes like this with the parents? Dogs have traits genetically bred into them and you can't break that.

Before you think about killing the animal, do some research. While you're researching, take the dog to the vet, get a physical done on him, ensuring no genetic disorders. That might sound costly, or over doing it. But isn't a fifty or hundred dollar trip to the vet worth your childs life?

Keep a very close eye on child and dog, and DO THE RESEARCH RIGHT AWAY.

Answer 3

The dog that I just had to put to sleep a week ago due to medical reasons was a part lab/chow just like yours . He was the best dog I ever had was very nice.
I had got him when he was 4 months and my son at the time was 3. He bit my son to one time but my son was pulling his tail and ears very roughly. I was upset he bit my son but then I look at the dogs point of view when a child wont leave the dog alone the dog will only take so much and in self defense will bite or nip at kids all dogs are like that no matter what kind of breed of dog you have.

You need to teach the child not to get his face that close to the pup especially puppies they nip and bite all the time in playfullness the puppy didnt know what he was doing.
When the puppy starts to nip at the face you swat him on the nose with your hand or newspaper and say bad dog keep doing that.
He is a puppy and you have to train him not to do that just like a child you train your child not to touch certain things or do certain things its the same thing you have a another child in the house.

Sit down with your child and teach him he needs to becareful when he plays with the puppy and watch his face because when the puppy gets into "playful mode" they can get a little out of hand sometimes. And in return you need to teach the pup that is not allowed .

Like I said swat him on the nose and tell him bad dog and he will learn.
You have a great breed of dog they are very people friendly and a good watch dog also if you bring the pup up right !!!

Answer 4

NO!!! There is no reason to put an innocent animal to sleep over something stupid. Dogs play rough. I had a dog almost take my finger off because we were playing rough....and he was a puppy. Maybe you just need to find a different breed of dog to fit the role of FAMILY PET. Chows are not the best family pets. They have been know to turn on their owners. But still no reason to put him down unless he is doing it constantly and tearing limbs. So my option is NO. A puppy is a puppy, the same as a child is a child. They will do stupid things no matter how many times you tell them not to or even try and teach them. They have to learn and let everything run it's course....

Answer 5

Was it and accident as in to rough play? I would send dog to and adult home before I would ever put a strong healthy dog down for what could be and accident, or a defensive gesture. But as you know chow blood is a little aggressive. Excellent protective dogs I don't think its a real kids family dog even mixed with Lab. I would not have a dog around that ever put tooth to one of my children though. EVEN IF THE KID WAS TO BLAME. Dogs are smart animals they do not bite just for fun!!! Have a serious talk with the child while your about this business.

Answer 6

Although its hard to admit and there are a lot of anger when a dog bites a child, it is usually a matter of fact it is the child's fault or the parent's fault for not supervising their playing time. Give the dog a chance. Give him to the SPCA so they can assess his temperament and choose a home that is suitable for him. Its fine if you decide to keep him. You can get a dog behavioural expert to assess his temperament and do not let them play together in future if you can't supervise. When a dog is being hurt, it will snap/bite. This is the reason why dogs wounded in accidents have to be muzzled because it will bite even the owner.

Answer 7

No, but you need to pay close attention to them when they are alone in the room together. When my daughter was young she said one of our dogs was mean to her for no reason, but I found out she was teasing the dog with treats. The dog was a little maltese and my daughter would be sitting on the floor watching TV and the dog would run by grab a mouthful of hair and take off the other way, jerking her back and of course pulling her hair. It was funny to watch, but I watched them one day and as my daughter would eat she would tease the dog and pretend she was going to give it some of her food for a treat. Needless to say it was time to have a serious talk with my daughter. From that day to this she'll tell you I love dogs more than her, but she is now a very responsible pet owner and takes care of her dogs.

Answer 8

back in the 80's a friend of mine got married and they had a baby, all was well she had her dog for years and it was well behaved. She took the garbage out one day and the baby was laying on the floor on a blanket. She thought nothing of it when she came back in the baby had been mauled and was dead. If you do not want to put the dog down I think you should at least remove the dog asap and find a home that does not have children, make sure the new owners are aware of the dogs behavior. To protect all keep the dog away from your child.

Answer 9

No, I do not think you should put him to sleep, he's a baby, I think you should just watch real close & determine if you should give him away or put him in training for discipline & try to communicate with your 8 yr old as far as what type of playing should be done with him being that at this age he is still a baby and can tend to play & get serious because of probably defending itself or just don't know any better.

Answer 10

It sounds like the dog was just playing alittle hard, we all just need to remember that dogs were wild at one point. he's a young dog too, if he reacted by hiding it's a good sign that he knows what he did is wrong and he might not ever do it again. Give him a chance and don't let your 8 year old's face get to close to the dogs face, the dog might see it as a threat. :)