how common is it for a dog to suddenly bite out of nowhere?

Question

Our great dane has recently bit our sons 4 year old friend twice. The do is 2 and has been around this boy for over a year. The dog and the child have played together and there has never been any problems before. The dog is laid back, very sweet and never shown any type of agression. Is this common? What should we do?

Answer 1

Were you or another trusted adult closely supervising the child and dog at the time the bite occurred? If not, then I honestly doubt that the bite truly occurred 'out of nowhere'. Young children can and often do things that are either unintentionally or even intentionally cruel to dogs, and such actions often precipitate a natural defensive reaction on the part of the dog.

Please keep your dog in a locked room or at least in a crate where you can see it 100% of the time when any children other than your own are around, to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. Do NOT allow strange kids (or any kids, for that matter) to bother the dog while it is crated. The crate is his 'personal space'.

It's also a good idea to keep the dog separate from your own children unless you or another responsible adult is available to directly supervise the children's interactions with the dog. There are many things a child can do to 'set off' a dog who is sensitive, not all of which are obvious. Just staring intently into a dog's eyes is very threatening to a dog. http://www.canismajor.com/dog/kidsdog1.html

Also, talk to your vet to rule out health problems that may be causing your dog pain and reducing his tolerance. Your vet can recommend a behaviorist to see about this, too, so you can make sure you're doing everything you can to prevent any more problems.

I can't find the story right now, but there's a sad story in a kids & dogs article about a sweet family Labrador that bit the family's small child on the shoulder 'out of nowhere'. The family euthanized the dog out of natural concern for their children's safety. As the technician pulled the dog off the table after it had been euthanized, they discovered a pencil jammed into the dog's eardrum.

Here's a page with several links about children & dog safety, including one about large dogs & children (scroll to the bottom of the page for the links):
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/kids.htm

And another:
http://www.doggonesafe.com

Answer 2

I do not know how common it is. But were you there when the dog bit the boy? Do you know what happened? Sometimes young kids don't know how to play with dogs, and he may have accidentally hurt the dog by pulling his tail, or ears or something. Kids should NEVER be left unsupervised with a dog for any reason. I'm sorry this happened, and i know you have to make a lot of decisions now. But letting it slide, and saying 'oh, it was an accident, the dog didn't mean it' will get you no where. You have to address the problem, and find out what the dogs trigger was. I think you should either take the dog back to obedience training, and make sure the dog didn't really bite for no reason. Or i would consider re-homeing the dog. Because your son is so young, it is scary to take any chances with such a large dog who has bit another child. He might be better suited for a family who either doesn't have any kids, or who has older kids. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Did the boy do anything to the dog now or prior? A great deal of dogs do not take to kids because of their fast movements and at times their loudness. All stats show most victims of dog bites/attacks are children, and of that are unsupervised children, After doing rescue for years I have worked with a number of trainers and behaviorist and have always been told it is not how we perceive it it is how a dog preceives an event or action. The boy may have done something not intentionally but the dog may have seen his actions as a threat. A great deal of dogs bite children out of being startled. Were you present and actually seen the whole thing? If it was an unprovoked bite then I may keep the dog away from small children that are not part of the household. I owuld also say have the dog checked by a vet to make sure there are no medical problems.

Answer 4

Any time there is a change in a dogs behavior the dog should be checked out by a vet. There could be a medical problem. By all means do not leave the dog and the child together unsupervised. Make sure the kid is not hurting the dog somehow.

Answer 5

Its common. My dog has done that before gave the child 5 stitchs on the hand. The Child annoyed your dog or did something to hurt the dog. The dog will bite if the child pulled on its ear or tail. Stepped on its paws. And So on. Children dont go good with older dogs.

Answer 6

This could always be some sort of domination trait. Many dogs could bite to show that have a dominance over the other. But this could also be on the child's behalf. If the child plays roughly with the dog, it could be either play biting or biting out of fear of getting hurt.

Answer 7

Sometimes even the nicest dogs don't get along with small children. Is this child provoking him or scareing him in any way. If it is just the 4 year old that is being bitten he is probably not treating the dog right. The dog also might also need behavior training if he is doing this alot.

Answer 8

Well it does not sound like rabies, it might be her food, or, if you dont take her for a walk every day, do so. My dog started biting and snapping when I was sick for the week and my brother did not take my dog for a walk alot. But just in case, go to the vet or a dog specialist.

Answer 9

Okay, my dog will do the same. I think your dog may have thought that the 4 year old was a sudden threat, even though they have seen them before and been fine. Certain types of dogs are "watch dogs" and are defencive to there family. Though it is normal, I would watch close to your dog to strangers and to people he/she know, let her smell them before you let her go free okay? Hope I helped : )

Answer 10

When a dog all of a sudden shows aggression, it could be a medical problem. Because this child is not one of it's "humans," it took it out on the child.

I would schedule a vet apt. and bring in a fecal sample...your dog may just not be feeling well.