My dog bit a child yesterday, what can i do about this?

Question

I was playing with my normally very friendly golden retriever in the park yesterday.He loves his ball and a little girl was throwing it for him, he did seem a bit possesive of it.Anyway, she was just stroking him gently, he had the ball in his mouth and he suddenly bit her.It was really horrible, luckily her mother wasnt angry.He didnt draw blood but i cant let this happen again.I have decided to ban him playing with his ball, keep him away from children and possibly get him castrated.Can anyone shed any light on this?I am so shocked by this, I have two children of my own so know how the mother must have felt.
So disappointed in my dog, who is normally so friendly.

Answer 1

#1-Unless you are going to breed your dog, you should get him neutered. An un-neutered male can get agressive, even if normally a gentle dog. Getting a male dog neutered does nothing to their personality and doesn't make him less of a "dog". It can even make them more sweet and gentle.

#2-Even though he was playing with the little girl in a gentle manner up to the point where he bit her, he must have felt a need to "discipline" the little girl in a pack leader type of way. Dogs are pack animals and if they feel that one of the pack needs to be put into its place, they will do it. That is why the little girl got bit, but no blood was drawn. He was showing her who the boss was.

#3-He is obviously obsessive about his ball. If you are going to take him to the park, maybe leave the ball at home. Or at the very least make sure that only you or one of your family members are the ones that touch the ball.

Don't not take him to the park. Take him and let him enjoy, just make sure that if kids are around, that they treat him with respect and don't let the kids touch his toys. Also, don't be disappointed in your dog. There was some reason that he bit the little girl. It may have been something subtle that the little girl did that you did not see. I would just keep other people away from him.

Answer 2

Keep your dog restrained around children, get him neutered and take him to obedience school. You're very lucky the girl wasn't seriously hurt and that her mother wasn't angry.
I was attacked (unprovoked) by a boxer three months ago and was bitten on my calf. I still have numbness, a bruise, scarring, and a hard lump where the bite was and the doctor said it could take a year to heal. In my case, I called animal control since the animal was unrestrained and the dog attacked the animal control person too. The dog had to be quarantined because it didn't have rabies shots and the owner faced huge fines. He ended up abandoning the dog instead of paying the fines and the dog was viewed as too vicious to be adopted so it was put down. I know this has nothing to do with your dog but I wanted to give you a worst case scenario so you realize just how serious it can be when a dog attacks someone.

Answer 3

I'm not trying to offend you, but this was a result of handler error. There is common sense answer to this. Don't let children or anyone else that your dog isn't familiar with handle him, or his toys. especially if he displays that kind of behavior.
It sounds to me that he is "guarding" his ball at the time she was bitten (based on your description). Also people can't help but approach dogs, we love them. But don't allow anyone to stand over the dog while petting, or get close to the dogs face while "scrubbing" (for lack of a better term) around his eyes/ mouth. The last thing you want is another biting incident.
You don't need to see a behavior specialist for this, and it has nothing to do with smells. Just common sense will do.

Answer 4

Don't be disappointed in your dog, be disappointed in yourself.. These things don't happen out of the blue, there are always signs that something like this is going to happen. He should have already been neutered.. You should never allow a dog to be so possessive about their toys that they don't allow people to just take them away at anytime at all.. You should talk to a behaviorist ... have them to the house and let him see the dynamics of the family and how things work on a day to day basis. He'll be able to tell you what you need to do and how to proceed.. Keeping your dog away from kids will make matters worse.. You need to work on the problem and keep him socialized around people and kids..

Answer 5

Let me get this straight...your dog was playing with a strange child, started getting possessive over its ball, and you continued to allow the child to throw the ball??? I hope you at least offered to pay any Drs bills that may arise from the bite. (dog bites can cause severe damage even if the skin is not broken) For future reference, do not let your dog play with strange children (and do not let your children play with strange dogs), if you see your dog getting possessive over any of its toys...game ends immediately. Since your dog has shown it can be a resource guarder, do not let your children (or any other children) pet it or mess around near it while it is eating it's food or a bone/chewie. Remember it is up to you to keep your dog away from situations where he may bite.

Answer 6

Getting him neutered would be the first thing, as you mentioned. Those male hormones can make dogs possessive and overly aggressive. Second, I think a serious course of dog obedience would be next on your list. This dog needs to learn who is in charge! A dog that has bitten once isn't guaranteed to bite again, IF you take proper action asap! This personally happened to a close friend of mine, and that dog has never bitten again, but they handled it as I mentioned. A dog must be shown who is dominant, them or you.

Answer 7

your dog would bite a person:

Confine your dog immediately.

Check on the victim's condition. If necessary, seek medical help.

Provide the victim with important information. This should include your name and address, name of the dog, the date of your dog's last rabies vaccination, and the name and phone number of your veterinarian.

Cooperate with the animal control official responsible for acquiring information about your dog. If your dog must be quarantined for any length of time, ask whether he may be confined within your home or at your veterinarian's hospital (this is usually determined by the dog's rabies vaccination status). Strictly follow quarantine requirements for your dog.

Seek professional help to prevent your dog from biting again. Consult with your veterinarian, who may refer you to an animal behaviorist or a dog trainer.

Do not just give your dog to someone else if your dog's dangerous behavior cannot be controlled. Because you know your dog is dangerous, you may be held liable for any damage he does even when he is given to someone else. Do not give your dog to someone who wants a dangerous dog. If you must give up your dog due to dangerous behavior, consult with your veterinarian and with your local animal care and control agency or humane society about your options. New owners may be possible if they have a good knowledge of dog behavior and training, and are fully aware of the dog's behavior problems.

To avoid being bitten:

Be cautious around strange dogs. To avoid being bitten, never approach an unfamiliar dog, especially one who is tied or confined behind a fence or in a car. Do not pet an unfamiliar dog without the owner's permission, and make sure to let the dog see and sniff you first. Always assume that a dog who does not know you may see you as an intruder or as a threat.

Never turn your back to a dog and run away. A dog's natural instinct will be to chase and catch you. Instead, remain motionless, with your hands at your sides. Avoid direct eye contact. When the dog loses interest, slowly back away.

Do not disturb a dog while she's sleeping, eating, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies. Be sure the dog is aware of your presence before you touch the dog - even your own. A startled dog may bite as a reflex action.

This may help some.

Answer 8

He may have been a little "Toy Possessive". You may try taking away his favorite toy while he is playing with it. See how he responds.

Also, you should be able to take anything from him. He should give up any toy,treat,food...etc. We train our dogs to "drop" anything we ask. This comes in handy if they pick up something that is harmful to them. If I say "Drop it" they drop whatever they have. I praise them and give them a treat. Even if it's something they can have. It's just too risky.

Goldens are GREAT dogs. Very smart, and great with kids.

By the way I have Basset's....Getting a Basset to drop food is like asking the Sun not to rise! But they do it!

Just work with him. Make him give up something and if he tries to keep it, just give him a stern NO and take it from him. Establish yourself as the "Pack Leader"

Hope this helps

Answer 9

all you can do now is just learn from that and go on.. but it's not the dog you should be disappointed in... ( dont take me wrong, my westhighland has bit before also) but just take precautions in the future and dont set your dog up to fail.. since you know now he is capable of biting like he did)
I have a pit bull also, just be thankful yours isnt a pit bull... you'd have reporters, police, crowds of people pointing a finger saying pit bulls should be banned....

Answer 10

Golden retrievers are usually really passive - maybe he just wasn't comfortable around the child - maybe the child had unfamiliar smells about them and maybe the dog was protecting you....