My 18 month old great dane bit my son's hand when he was trying to get back a toy that the dog had taken.?

Question

He bit hard enough to bruise the top and cut open the palm pretty good.The dog does have some aggressive tendencies toward strangers and some people that come over the house but he has never tried to bite my son before this. I can tell that the dog does feel dominant over my son who is 6 yrs old. Should I get rid of the dog? Any other suggestions? I'm afraid that next time it will be more serious.

Answer 1

You have a large breed dog and a small child. Never a good combination.
Your dog has no respect for the child and feels that he is in charge and not the child. Common problem. Many large breed or assertive dogs do not take direction well from children especially if the dog is larger than the child.
Either work one on one with a behavioral trainer or place the dog with someone who does not have children and is willing to spend serious time training with this dog.
I would place the dog as your kids have to come first.

Answer 2

Your Great Dane clearly did not mean to bite, your sons hand simply was on the item the dog was grabbing.

Teach your Dane patience with toys, you really need to start being the leader of the pack with your Dane.

To teach patience, hold the toy/treat in front of the dog, if the dog jumps or snaps at it, raise the toy/treat higher so the dog does not get it, keep doing this and the dog will understand that he can not grab, when you give the toy/treat to the dog say "Gentle", if the dog goes to grap it in a snappy way pull the item away and try again until the dog understands.

I reccomend books from Jan Fennell that show you how to be the leader of the pack, you need to go out and get her books NOW!

Should you get rid of the dog? No way, not unless you plan to get rid of every other dog you have in the future. This is your fault not the dogs as you didn't train it manners.

You are not being the leader of the pack so the dog has taken that role and that is why he is acting the way he is when people come to your home.

You will have this problem with every other dog you get.

Seriously, this is your fault not the dogs.

Answer 3

Is your dane neutered? If you are afraid of the dog this will only make it worse. If you really cant part with the dog, he needs to be neutered and trained. If it were only a small dog it wouldnt be so much of a problem but hes not and can inflict some serious damage. You need a time out area for your dog, any time he gets aggressive in any way, use a key word in a loud agressive tone such as 'stop', take the dog to the time out area (chain him there if need be) then have everyone ignore him for 1/2 an hour. Take him to obedience classes or get a good training book and most importantly be strong or he will walk all over you (coz he probably can). Male danes do need a bit of work because anyone smaller than them is automatically below them in pack heirarchy. Training him to lie down on command will be a struggle because he will want to 'stand' over you. But if you can get him to do it, it will be helpful in any situation he starts getting mean in. Hard training and strict rules will do it.

Answer 4

I have owned several Danes and I have only had problems with one and aggression. It is a very big chance to take if the dog is showing aggression to your son or anyone. It is a huge chance to take with the dog attacking your son..great danes are massive and an issue like this one can really have bad results. You should contact a dog trainer immediately for some help with this and keep a close eye on your son with the dog at all times. Have the dog neutered if he isnt already..mine was neutered around this age and I wish I would have done it sooner. The dog is young enough to correct this problem so contact a trainer ASAP the longer you wait on it the more it will take to fix.

Answer 5

You should get rid of the dog because obviously you do not know how to handle a dog with aggression problems.It may not have happened before but it COULD happen again. I think it is unrealistic to think you can keep the child completely away from the dog, so you can not be 100% sure it will not happen again. How would you feel if it did especially knowing you could have prevented it? I know you will get lots of suggestions about training the dog and that might work. The only problem I see is that you have a young child and training takes time, there is no over night solution. Would you be able to give the dog all the time and training that is really needed when you have such a young child. Also mistakes often happen during training I would think (as a parent myself) you would not want your child to get bit as a result of a mistake. It would not be bad thing to to get rid of the dog(no matter what anyone says) because the safety of your child should always come first.

Answer 6

You're right next time it will be more serious.

You are responsible for this "accident" happening. The child should not have been close enough to get injured in the first place. And one might argue that the dog was provoked.. what if you son was bit in the face..would that make the decision easier.

You have an 18 months old and a 6 year old, they are too young to be around a dog this size that you admit is "aggressive" and apparently you need to supervise you children better in the first place. GET RID OF THE DOG!! or next time you may be looking at plastic surgery or worse.

Answer 7

Your dog needs training. One really good book is "The Dog Listener" by Jan Fennell.

Please remember that it is you who has to teach your dog first and also your son. At 18 months, a great dane is now considered adult, and should have had proper training already. However, at 6 years, your son is also old enough to know what he can and cannot do around the dog. So, once you decide on training, ensure that your son participates and that way, your dog is at the bottom of the dominance chain, and not at the top!

Jan Fennell's book is the best I ever read about dog behaviour and training and I can only recommend it. I have worked with my two new dogs according to her method and it works like a treat!

Answer 8

I have 2 dogs they are my children. However if ever they bite a child I would take them and have them put down. They have had extensive training. I am not going to tell you what to do but this is my input...If the dog has been trained please do not risk the well being of a human. If the dog has not been trained get him into some classes. If you do not trust your dog try to find him a new home but be sure that when he is placed they know that he has bitten just so they are coshes. Good luck in your decisions.

Answer 9

All the people blaming you and your son are F-ing Idiots. Try to get the dog some corrective training. Some local dog trainers or the SPCA should be able to provide you with a temperment test for you dog. But also try and teach your son to respect the dog. I have an 83lb German Shepherd and a 3yr old daughter. So I understand your concearn.

Answer 10

well, first things first, the bacteria in a dog's mouth can cause major problems in the wound your son received... get him to a doctor to have it checked.

Next thing, the dog. Dogs often end up warring with rough and tumble little boys who break the cardinal rules of dog life.... mainly, never grab at anything in their mouth, never grab them by the neck, and never grab them while they're eating. I don't think you need to get rid of the dog, but, perhaps you should consider taking your son in to dog training with the pooch. My vet clinic had handouts for educating kids about being pet smart, I'm sure they're not the only pet oriented venue willing to teach kids how to not upset the dog.

Best of luck!