Yorkie bit my young daughter. what now?

paulrossiter

I live with my partner and my 3.5yr old daughter. We have a small Yorkshire Terrier (about 6 months old). We have had him for about 4 months. The dog is kept indoors most of the time. We are at work until about 3.30 every day. He usually gets one walk a day. He's not fully toilet trained.
So here's the problem. Yesterday the dog bit my daughter on the face. It looks like a long scratch on her face so i don't think there will be a scar but I am terrified that next time might be worse. If she ended up with even a small scar on her face i'd never forgive myself. He has always been a bit snappy- ("mouthing" my partner calls it). I am ready to get rid of the dog but i know this would kill the girls so I'm asking you if there is anything I can do.

toadfly

Have you brought the puppy to training or socialising classes? Do you leave the dog and child unsupervised together?

What do you mean "get rid" of?

Might be able to advise better with more information.

kylith

What was happening when the dog bit her? The terrier I had growing up bit me in exactly the same way as you describe once. I had been holding onto her and wouldn't let her go and a nip on my cheek was my reward for not paying her squirms heed.

Often terriers can be quick to nip, and children need to be taught the correct way to interact with them.

padz

... yorkie its not for girls, sorry i hope ur daughter is ok, i personally would get rid of the dog, children and animals it can be a bad mix

http://www.elvisyorkshireterrier.com/yorkie/FvsM-yorkies.htm have a read of this its all about terriers temperment, some dogs just arent the best with kids, how about a labrador? get a purebred if u can xo

andreac

Are you sure it was a bite as opposed to a puppy nip? Puppies teeth can be very sharp and i doubt a 6 month old pup would "bite" aggressively as puppies arent aggressive.

Can i ask what your daughter was doing with the dog at that time? Children need to be highly supervised around dogs at all times as children can be very rough with dogs and pull them around, pull their tails and hurt them unintentionally, so whats to say your little girl didnt hurt the puppy and it was just lashing out in pain?

Ive seen what kids can do to dogs and i wouldnt blame a pup for lashing out so dont be so quick to "get rid" of the dog.

A one off incident with a puppy like that is not a reason to give away your puppy.
Puppies need a lot of training and socialisation and being around young children isnt always very easy to put all this training in place as young kids dont always know how to handle and treat a puppy so you need to make sure your daughter knows what to do and not to do around the puppy.
All puppies nip, bite, its part of normal puppy behaviour.

I suggest you bring this pup to training classes, and maybe bring your little girl too so she learns how to treat the puppy and get the puppy to behave for her in a controlled environment.

paulrossiter

TillyGirl wrote: »

Have you brought the puppy to training or socialising classes? Do you leave the dog and child unsupervised together?

What do you mean "get rid" of?

No the dog hasn't been to any classes. Unsupervised?- when we are in the house my daughter and the dog are free to wander between the living room and kitchen so we could be in the other room.

"get rid" of - just meant sell or give him away.

elius

Im not so shore a dog at 6 month can be viscous i reckon he was mere playing due to teething etc and he caught her face in a play full(to him) way

andreac

padz wrote: »

... yorkie its not for girls, sorry i hope ur daughter is ok, i personally would get rid of the dog, children and animals it can be a bad mix

Are you serious?:mad:
Do you know anything about animals at all? obv not.
So if i was you i would not be suggesting the OP get rid of the dog as children and animals can live perfectly fine together if they are trained and socialised properly.

kippy

You should be extremely vigilent with Children/kids around dogs/pups.

If this happened at home in "my time" the dog would get the bullet literally.
However most of the dogs would have been collies and looking back frankly on it, ususally the kids were totally at fault for "winding" the dog up - giving it very little option.
With that in mind I blame the parents as the kids really shouldnt be given that kind of a chance.

What would I do in your instance? Keep an eye on your child and dogs interactions a lot more, possibly remove access for a few more years till your daughter understands how to handle the dog.
Its that or get rid of the dog (either sell or a more permanent solution).

I would prefer to go with the first option and hope that the dog doesnt display any further agressive characteristics.

T-Square

Give it away to the cats'n'dogs home, and give them some money towards the maintenance of the animal.
At 6 months old, it may be quite easy to rehome.

andreac

paulrossiter wrote: »

TillyGirl wrote: »

Have you brought the puppy to training or socialising classes? Do you leave the dog and child unsupervised together?

What do you mean "get rid" of?

No the dog hasn't been to any classes. Unsupervised?- when we are in the house my daughter and the dog are free to wander between the living room and kitchen so we could be in the other room.

"get rid" of - just meant sell or give him away.

Well theres your problem for a start. Your daughter should not be left alone for even a second with the dog, this is where problems start as your daughter could have done anything to the dog to get a reaction from him, so whats to say she didnt hit him, pull his tail/ear, stand on him by mistake etc etc.
Dont be so quick to blame the dog here, never leave them unsupervised and get the dog to classes sooner rather than later.

It amazes me how quick people are to "get rid" of a puppy from one little incident that more than likely isnt even the dogs fault. Please be more repsonsible for the sake of your dog and daughter.

toadfly

Dogs and children should not be left alone together ever. Kids (esp at that young age) dont always know how to handle the dog and that they can't drag out of the dog, pull its hair etc.

Bring the dog to classes, teach your daughter how to treat animals and dont leave them alone AT ALL.

A 6 month old Yorkie wouldnt bite a child aggressively, it was more than likely a nip, all pups do it.

AvaKinder

You should never leave a child that young with ANY dog.

My Yorkie was terrible for nipping/mouthing until he was about a year old and for that reason alone I didn't allow my young cousins to play with him at all. Even now that he's 3 years old and has completely stopped play biting, I would never leave the 4 year old alone with him as they don't realise how they should interact with dogs, and they may think they are just 'petting' when in fact they are hitting the dog. Kids can be so rough and dogs can feel very threatened.


If you want to keep the dog then you've been given some very good advice re training and socialising and I would suggest you don't leave the children and the dog together without an adult in the room with them at all times until the child is at least 5 or 6 or until you feel they are aware enough of how to treat it. My 7 year old cousin has only been left alone with the dog the the last 6 months or so, and that is, like yours in the next room or in the garden with the window open and someone watching.


If you feel you have to get rid of the dog, try to sell it, hell I'll even take it in but please do not take a 'more permanent' solution. I've heard dogs being put down for incidents like this and its awful, its too young to have it's life destroyed over a minor incident like this.

toadfly

kippy wrote: »

If this happened at home in "my time" the dog would get the bullet literally.

Its that or get rid of the dog (either sell or a more permanent solution).

I would prefer to go with the first option and hope that the dog doesnt display any further agressive characteristics.

Are you for real? God help any animal that has to live with you.

DBCyc

I think that the circumstances surrounding a bite are very important and people should not rush to consider "getting rid" of a dog. However, obviously the safety of the child is the most important.

When I was very young, I was bitten in the face by my Grandad's border collie. He was a lovely dog. Now the reason that I got bitten was because the dog was asleep and I was annoying it by trying to open its mouth and stick my head in! Needless to say, I was asking for it The dog did not get put down / given away or anything back then, but I wonder would it be different now.

Luckily no real damage was done and as a stupid little child I learnt an important lesson. Not just that you shouldn't try and stick your head in the mouth of a dog, but that you should respect a dogs boundaries and not provoke it.

I think that you should be grateful that no harm was done and at the same time your child has learnt a valuable lesson. Obviously you should pay very careful attention to your dog at all times around your child, just to make sure that nothing like that could happen again. Good luck.

andreac

T-Square wrote: »

Give it away to the cats'n'dogs home, and give them some money towards the maintenance of the animal.
At 6 months old, it may be quite easy to rehome.

Jesus, what is it with people who just "give away" their dogs at the drop of a hat??:mad:
This is a puppy, who is displaying normal puppy behaviour and the paernt of the child is being irresponsible so the poor dog is not to blame, but of course its usually the poor dogs that end up being given away or rehomed because people cant be bothered to put in the time to train and socialise their new puppies, makes me so mad:mad:

paulrossiter

didn't mean to imply it was all the dogs fault. I wasn't there when it happened but i'm sure it probably wasn't an agressive bite- still the damage is the same. We've tried to teach our daughter how to respect the dog but i think she's still too young- she will do the right things most of the time and then do something stupid like pull him by the leg or tail for no reason even when we're right there. It's not something i can guarantee i'll be able to stop- it's the age she's at. And keeping the two of them apart would be difficult but might be worth a try

Tranceypoo

T-Square wrote: »

Give it away to the cats'n'dogs home, and give them some money towards the maintenance of the animal.
At 6 months old, it may be quite easy to rehome.

Seriously, the 'cats'n'dogs home' as you call it, isn't a hotel where you pay for their board, every single one in the country is bursting at the seams, giving them a bit of money 'towards the maintenance of the animal' wouldn't really help them. The owner following the sensible advice on here given by Andrea & Tilly is the right path to take.
As for 'kippy' giving it the bullet, jesus christ I despair.
Luckily the original poster sounds more sensible than to take that sort of advice.

toadfly

paulrossiter wrote: »

didn't mean to imply it was all the dogs fault. I wasn't there when it happened but i'm sure it probably wasn't an agressive bite- still the damage is the same. We've tried to teach our daughter how to respect the dog but i think she's still too young- she will do the right things most of the time and then do something stupid like pull him by the leg or tail for no reason even when we're right there. It's not something i can guarantee i'll be able to stop- it's the age she's at. And keeping the two of them apart would be difficult but might be worth a try

All you can do it keep them seperate or when together supervised. Its not the dog or the childs fault, they dont know any different but you need to teach the child. The dog will improve with classes etc but remember it is still a young pup.

kippy

TillyGirl wrote: »

Are you for real? God help any animal that has to live with you.

Yep, for real, although i never put any animals down, I was too young at the time, however I remember that any dog that bit a child was put down, no questions asked. I didnt say that that was still my attitude - quiet the opposite in fact......
As I said, looking back now it was very unfair on the animal but ultimately the human is more important than the dog and next time it may not be a little bite. My next door neigbour got an awful mauling from a collie when he was ten - lost a lot of blook multiple bites etc, the same dog had nipped his younger brother a few weeks earlier but the younger brother told no one until after the event with his older brother.

Personally, I'm not a fan of dogs in urban environments, but in the right location and with the right treatment they are a great asset to have, however ALL dogs and children interactions need to be closely monitored.

andreac

paulrossiter wrote: »

didn't mean to imply it was all the dogs fault. I wasn't there when it happened but i'm sure it probably wasn't an agressive bite- still the damage is the same. We've tried to teach our daughter how to respect the dog but i think she's still too young- she will do the right things most of the time and then do something stupid like pull him by the leg or tail for no reason even when we're right there. It's not something i can guarantee i'll be able to stop- it's the age she's at. And keeping the two of them apart would be difficult but might be worth a try

Sorry but its your repsonsibility of a parent and dog owner to make sure both your dog and child are kept safe and if you cant do this then you should never have gotten a dog in the first place.

So you have stated you dont actually know how the incident happened so as i said, dont be so quick to blame the dog as you said yourself she pulls his leg etc.
Just be very strict with your daughter and with supervision of both of them together and dont leave them alone for a second. Get a crate that you can put the pup away in safely if you have to do anything or put it somewhere where your daughter cant get to it. Im sure you have a garden or spare room where the pup can have its space on its own.

andreac

kippy wrote: »

Yep, for real, although i never put any animals down, I was too young at the time, however I remember that any dog that bit a child was put down, no questions asked. I didnt say that that was still my attitude - quiet the opposite in fact......
As I said, looking back now it was very unfair on the animal but ultimately the human is more important than the dog and next time it may not be a little bite. My next door neigbour got an awful mauling from a collie when he was ten - lost a lot of blook multiple bites etc, the same dog had nipped his younger brother a few weeks earlier but the younger brother told no one until after the event with his older brother.

Personally, I'm not a fan of dogs in urban environments, but in the right location and with the right treatment they are a great asset to have, however ALL dogs and children interactions need to be closely monitored.

Theres a huge difference between a dog attacking/biting a child and a puppy nipping which more than likely happened here so theres absol no need to suggest getting this "puppy" put to sleep for behaving as normal puppies do.

kippy

andreac wrote: »

Theres a huge difference between a dog attacking/biting a child and a puppy nipping which more than likely happened here so theres absol no need to suggest getting this "puppy" put to sleep for behaving as normal puppies do.

I am aware of the differences.
I didn't suggest that the OP put the puppy to sleep. I put it out there as an option as the OP themselves seemed to hint that they were considering that anyway.
You or I really dont know what happened here - all we have is what the OP told us.

paulrossiter

andreac wrote: »

Sorry but its your repsonsibility of a parent and dog owner to make sure both your dog and child are kept safe and if you cant do this then you should never have gotten a dog in the first place.

So you have stated you dont actually know how the incident happened so as i said, dont be so quick to blame the dog as you said yourself she pulls his leg etc.
Just be very strict with your daughter and with supervision of both of them together and dont leave them alone for a second. Get a crate that you can put the pup away in safely if you have to do anything or put it somewhere where your daughter cant get to it. Im sure you have a garden or spare room where the pup can have its space on its own.

I live in a small house guys. two rooms on the ground floor. if its pissing rain do i have to put the dog out in it? if not then he'll be in a bloody crate the whole time we're downstairs. look. it wasn't my idea to get the dog. in fact i argued strongly against it but i love my girls and they love the dog so here i am trying to save the situation. as far as controlling my daughter- watch Supernanny- i have and its not an exact science believe me.

caseyann

paulrossiter wrote: »

I live with my partner and my 3.5yr old daughter. We have a small Yorkshire Terrier (about 6 months old). We have had him for about 4 months. The dog is kept indoors most of the time. We are at work until about 3.30 every day. He usually gets one walk a day. He's not fully toilet trained.
So here's the problem. Yesterday the dog bit my daughter on the face. It looks like a long scratch on her face so i don't think there will be a scar but I am terrified that next time might be worse. If she ended up with even a small scar on her face i'd never forgive myself. He has always been a bit snappy- ("mouthing" my partner calls it). I am ready to get rid of the dog but i know this would kill the girls so I'm asking you if there is anything I can do.

Ofc there is.
When the dog shows signs of hyper activity stop it in its tracks.And teach your girls also to control the dog.The dog is not at fault here,truth is the family is.Dont encourage the dog when its hyper.
Doesn't sound like the puppy!!!!!!! bit out of viscousness. Teach your girls to ignore the dog until quite and if jumps correct it with a touch and wait till it sits.
You dont have to get rid of the dog just need discipline like kids do.

Hope your little girl is ok

kippy

paulrossiter wrote: »

I live in a small house guys. two rooms on the ground floor. if its pissing rain do i have to put the dog out in it? if not then he'll be in a bloody crate the whole time we're downstairs. look. it wasn't my idea to get the dog. in fact i argued strongly against it but i love my girls and they love the dog so here i am trying to save the situation. as far as controlling my daughter- watch Supernanny- i have and its not an exact science believe me.

To be honest, it looks like you should have tried harder to not get the dog in the first place.
As I said above, I am for animals in adequate environments. It doesnt appear your house is adequate. Perhaps it was before the little ones came along.
You've a lot of work on your hands controlling and "training" kids, the additional tasks requred to do the same with the dog and in a small environment is exceptionally difficuly inho.
Best of luck with it.

Jet Set

I grow up with the belief that dogs see us as part of a pack and there for they need to find there place in the pecking order if you know what I am getting at. You dog may have just been playing or may have been finding his place in the pack, in either case your child needs to slap the dog when this happen or even growls at her. The dog will then know that his place is at the bottom of the pack. I have had this experience myself both when growing up and now with my own kids and dogs. this behavior in my opinion needs to be nipped in the bud!(pardon the pun)

paulrossiter

thanks everyone for your advice and comments. has really helped to get a neutral opinion. I think i'm going to try and keep my little girl separte from the dog for the near future as much as possible and put him in for some training classes.

caseyann

paulrossiter wrote: »

thanks everyone for your advice and comments. has really helped to get a neutral opinion. I think i'm going to try and keep my little girl separte from the dog for the near future as much as possible and put him in for some training classes.

I wouldnt do that,it is best if you correct her when she pulls tail or something.And correct the dog when it jumps or gets hyper on her,just dont leave her alone with the dog.

DataMining

Do you have chorus or sky? theres a show one of the discovery channels called THE DOG WHISPERER. If you havent im sure you can find episodes of it here online, maybe on sidereel.com

Anyway the host of it, Ceser Millan is a dog trainer and nearly every second episode is about puppy obedience that might interest you.

Chances are your dog is hyper from having no human contact during the day and is not getting enough exercise.

Phenix

hi op - lots of advise on here some really good and some down right random.
please dont tell you daughter or anyone else to slap the pup as a means of training.
basicallly as previously said your pup is just that....a pup they need training and guidelines. take her to classes and train yourself and the pup
obviously children should be supervised around any dog but if you know how to train the dog correctly as your children get older they will see this and follow your example

convert

When I was a child, probably about 2, we got a CKC puppy and she was great. Really child friendly and put up with a huge amount of 'affection' from me. However, one day I took it too far and hurt her, and she gave me a tiny nip on the arm. My mum saw it happen (it happened so quickly she couldn't intervene to prevent it), chastised the dog, and then chastised me for hurting the dog, and told me to apologise to her. That was the only incident where she ever nipped anybody, adult or child, and I learned a valuable lesson about being careful and gentle with animals.

At three and a half, your daughter is old enough to learn a lesson like this. She should have learned that there can be consequences if she's rough or inconsiderate with animals (and also people). Unfortunately neither you nor your OH witnessd the incident, so you don't know for sure what happened, nor could you have intervened and told your daughter that the puppy nipped her because she had hurt it (if that was the case).

I would strongly recommend supervising all contact between your daughters and the puppy, and work on getting them to 'grow up' together and working on their behaviour towards each other. By watching the girls interact with the dog and observing its reaction, you should be quickly able to get a feel for whether the dog nipped because your daughter hurt it, or if it actually bit her for no reason. Given your information thus far, I would say it was probably the former.

Jet Set

paulrossiter wrote: »

thanks everyone for your advice and comments. has really helped to get a neutral opinion. I think i'm going to try and keep my little girl separte from the dog for the near future as much as possible and put him in for some training classes.

Keeping them apart will most likely cause more problems they need to learn how to interact and thier limitations! Have a look at the dog wisperer on the telly you can learn a lot about how the doggie mind perceives things!

T-Square

Tranceypoo wrote: »

Seriously, the 'cats'n'dogs home' as you call it, isn't a hotel where you pay for their board, every single one in the country is bursting at the seams, giving them a bit of money 'towards the maintenance of the animal' wouldn't really help them. The owner following the sensible advice on here given by Andrea & Tilly is the right path to take.
As for 'kippy' giving it the bullet, jesus christ I despair.
Luckily the original poster sounds more sensible than to take that sort of advice.

Factually, the cats'n'dogs home are always very appreciative of donations.
Shows what you know!

Redneck Reject

I've a 2.5 year old daughter whose been brought up with some of the bigger breeds(Blue Heeler,Kerry Blue,and Cocker Spaniels)And from day one I would teach her to not be rough with the dogs and explain what would happen in kiddie terms if she did.And she never was anything but respectful and gentle with them and they were to her in turn.
The only time any of them nipped her was to herd her back in the yard,and even then they were as gentle as anything,she didn't cry,actually laughed and no marks.
Point I'm making is,there is more training the kids involved than there is training the dog.sounds like your dog just got excited and accidently nipped her,would imagine if it was being aggressive then there would be more of a mark and wailing from the kid.
Maybe spend more time with both the kid and the dog and explain to your kid how to handle the dog better.The dog is only 6 months old,what have you taught it about living in your household?Bit quick to target the dog and wanting to get rid of it over one incident.Maybe the kid was holding the dog too tight?

Noopti

kippy wrote: »

Personally, I'm not a fan of dogs in urban environments, but in the right location and with the right treatment they are a great asset to have, however ALL dogs and children interactions need to be closely monitored.

Give me a break. :rolleyes:

Obviously you see dogs as purely working animals, or "assets". This thread is about a pet, so with all due respect your opinion on the matter is pretty much irrelevant.

paulrossiter

i have heard of the dog whisperer but we don't have Sky. i'll hunt around on the web and see if i can find episodes.

sionnaic

Jet Set wrote: »

I grow up with the belief that dogs see us as part of a pack and there for they need to find there place in the pecking order if you know what I am getting at. You dog may have just been playing or may have been finding his place in the pack, in either case your child needs to slap the dog when this happen or even growls at her. The dog will then know that his place is at the bottom of the pack. I have had this experience myself both when growing up and now with my own kids and dogs. this behavior in my opinion needs to be nipped in the bud!(pardon the pun)

Slap??!! I don't think so.
That just teaches the child that violence is an acceptable response and it also teaches the puppy that the child and / or people's hands in general are to be feared. Plus a child slapping a pup the size of a yorkie could really hurt him. A loud "no" or "ah ah ah" or clap of the hands (though that might be hard for a 3 year old) would be much better. Really a parent / adult should be there to "nip it in the bud" with a non-violent reaction and it shouldn't be left to the child to discipline a puppy.

Jet Set

When I said "slap" I did not mean inflict injuries. I ment hard enough to let the dog know thats not on, yet not leave it scared for life. also you will only need to do this once or twice and only when this behavoir happens ie "nip it in the bud" As I said it worked when I was growing up and 4 years ago with my own kids, We have always had dogs.

paulrossiter

I think my partner is too soft on the dog but i guess i'll just go to the classes to find out the right way. Can anyone recommend the best classes to go to in the Dublin area. (i'm in Dublin West)

caseyann

paulrossiter wrote: »

i have heard of the dog whisperer but we don't have Sky. i'll hunt around on the web and see if i can find episodes.

Here is a few,

http://www.google.ie/search?q=dog+whisperer+on+puppies&hl=en&prmd=v&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&ei=rTx1TNPdF9K84Aa2n4y4Bg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCwQqwQwAg

gowayuwilya

one word for any dog that bites kids...bang bang!

cocker5

paulrossiter wrote: »

thanks everyone for your advice and comments. has really helped to get a neutral opinion. I think i'm going to try and keep my little girl separte from the dog for the near future as much as possible and put him in for some training classes.

Ok, first off... please dont panic.

Personally its a very bad idea to keep your child and your dog seperate, it wont work and it will lead to serious problems down the line.

can i ask you what was the situation where the dog bite your child??
Was he being pcked up by your child? Did he just randomly go over and bite your child etc??

i find the idea of "getting rid" of your dog quiet upsetting to be honest...

You need to explain the full situation fo how your child came to be bitten by your dog?? then people can give you solid advice. :rolleyes:

paulrossiter

Harsh!

kippy

Noopti wrote: »

Give me a break. :rolleyes:

Obviously you see dogs as purely working animals, or "assets". This thread is about a pet, so with all due respect your opinion on the matter is pretty much irrelevant.

My opinion is as relevant as your own.
I do not only see dogs as working animals (although that is the environment I was brought up in). These "working animals were also pets to the family and very loyal and rewarding ones at that. However I dont agree that certain environments are ideal or even good environments to have a dog in. Urban apartments or small houses with small gardens are NOT ideal for dogs in my opinion. I think many would agree with this - even the OP by the looks of it.
I am also very aware of the issues around dogs biting kids, I simply made the point of what happened in the past in the area where I was brought up while also highlighting that looking back, it was not perhaps the best way to deal with these issues.

paulrossiter

cocker5 wrote: »

Ok, first off... please dont panic.

Personally its a very bad idea to keep your child and your dog seperate, it wont work and it will lead to serious problems down the line.

can i ask you what was the situation where the dog bite your child??
Was he being pcked up by your child? Did he just randomly go over and bite your child etc??

i find the idea of "getting rid" of your dog quiet upsetting to be honest...

You need to explain the full situation fo how your child came to be bitten by your dog?? then people can give you solid advice. :rolleyes:

As i said, i didn't see it myself but i think it was due to the pup being over-excited.

As i also said "get rid" means sell or give away.

sionnaic

DataMining wrote: »

Do you have chorus or sky? theres a show one of the discovery channels called THE DOG WHISPERER. If you havent im sure you can find episodes of it here online, maybe on sidereel.com

Anyway the host of it, Ceser Millan is a dog trainer and nearly every second episode is about puppy obedience that might interest you.

Chances are your dog is hyper from having no human contact during the day and is not getting enough exercise.

I wouldn't bother with the dog whisperer - his methods are held by most decent modern dog trainers to be completely outdated and unnecessarily harsh. He's a fan of the "flooding" technique to make a dog get over his fears - basically forcing the dog into the situation that terrifies them most until the dog is overwhelmed and shuts down so it appears to behave itself. Check out the "quotes from experts" section at the bottom of this page here: http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html
Anyway I digress - but basically it's a short term solution that causes long term problems. Check out Ian Dunbar instead - much much better - one of his books on puppy training is even available for free as a pdf:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AFTER%20You%20Get%20Your%20Puppy.pdf

cocker5

paulrossiter wrote: »

As i said, i didn't see it myself but i think it was due to the pup being over-excited.

As i also said "get rid" means sell or give away.

ok well for whats it worth here's what i think...

your puppy is 6 months old.... which in dog terms is very young... puppies scratch, nip, jump around, wreck things nad in general are over excited until around 18 months.

As you said it looks like a scratch etc... so maybe your child bent down to pet the dog and the dog jumped or scratched etc... the fact is your dog is not a vicious "child killer" he is a puppy. He requires lots of training and direction to learn that this behavhiour isnt acceptable etc...

http://www.tagnrye.com/

on the other hand i totally understand that you are concerned for your child, now i dont mean this is a harsh way or anything but she too is young and needs to learn direction etc... she needs to learn not to pick up your dog, or push your dog too far... they both have to learn mutual respect etc...

getting "rid" of your dog will solve nothing.. when you get another dog unless you learn to train him/her and to show your daughter how to treat a dog etc... you will have the same problem etc..

I got bitten by our dogs when i was younger... now not savaged just nipped when i pulled their tails too hard to hurt them when lifting them up etc.. my mum would go mental at me for annoying / hurting the dog...

at the end of the day, your dog is an animal, he should be played with and loved but not tormented (if even by accident).

Yourkies are small breeds and therefore can be defensive (most small breeds are thats why they yap all the time), maybe by mistake your child hurt the dog or squeezed him or something, he was just doing whats natural. Now please dont get me wrong its not ok for your dog to snap at your little girl but you need to teach everybody respect and boundaries for each other.

does your puppy growl at your child?

sionnaic

paulrossiter wrote: »

I think my partner is too soft on the dog but i guess i'll just go to the classes to find out the right way. Can anyone recommend the best classes to go to in the Dublin area. (i'm in Dublin West)

Haven't been myself but I've heard Dog Training Ireland are supposed to be good - in Dublin 11
http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie

seamus

sionnaic wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with the dog whisperer - his methods are held by most decent modern dog trainers to be completely outdated and unnecessarily harsh.

I don't think he's considered outdated, but certainly extreme. Using Cesar's techniques on a normal dog is like getting supernanny in to get your kids to eat their vegetables - it's overkill. His techniques are for dogs with severe behavioural problems, not normal dogs like the OP's.

OP, the DSPCA run puppy classes which are highly recommended. Ultimately what you have here is two children interacting - figuring out their way in the world. Just as a child will often smack another child, a puppy may occassionally nip or bite when it shouldn't (or when it should). You need to teach the puppy and the child how to behave around eachother and other dogs and people. Moving the dog away will not solve the problem - it's equally likely to happen if you get another dog and your daughter will have learned nothing.

Pups get over excited, it happens, and it'll happen again. Dogs aren't manufactured items which you throw away if they don't act the way you expect them to. If you're going to freak out and consider getting rid of the dog whenever there's any minor incident, then you would be best getting rid of the dog and never getting one again, for the dog's sake.
You said it yourself - there's a scratch on her face, no harm done. Learn from the incident and move on.

sionnaic

gowayuwilya wrote: »

one word for any dog that bites kids...bang bang!

oh for god's sake get over yourself. Attitudes like this are what make Ireland one of the worst places in Europe for animal cruelty and neglect, and the general ignorance that feeds it.
There's a massive difference between a puppy nip and a mauling. It's like comparing a child pulling your hair to getting beaten up by a fully grown man - one should be gently reprimanded and taught how act differently, and one needs to be punished and put in jail. See the difference?