dog JUST bit a child

willow tree

my dog is a terrier cross. she is 7/8years old. she has become more and more aggressive as shes gotten older. shes normally really sweet and passive but always had this thing if you touch her paws or if she thinks you are going to touch her paws, she snaps. ive done everything, after she snaps i give her a slap on the bum and put her outsisde. ive tried to make sure she is not dominant (she walks out after me, i lead her on walks etc)... she normally does what shes told. today a child was playing with her (i dont normally let her play with children but i was out) and she snapped at him, just left a little mark and he said he was fine (no blood). i felt sooooo bad, i dont know would classes help. does she need to be put down?im really upset and confused... please help:(

ppink

Well shes not really old for a terrier cross I would think. I would be worried as to why she is getting cross, i dont think thye just "get" cross like that without there being a reason.

did you take her to the vet to rule out any medical thing bothering her? I would be heading there first of all.

After that then if she gets a clean bill of health find yourself a good behaviourist to check her and see if they can help you.
i am sure some of the guys on here could recommend a good one depending on where you are based.

Cherry Blossom

1. She needs to be kept away from children, this isn't unique Terriers in general and specifically Jack Russels have a pretty low tolerance of kids messing with them.

2. She needs desensitising to having her paws touched.

3. She needs an MOT from a vet to make sure there is no underlying medical cause.

4. I'd get a reputable canine behaviourist (not a dog trainer) to assess you and her to try to figure out where you are going wrong.

5. Food - what the dog is being fed is often a big cause of many problems from aggression to allergies to hyperactivity, what are you feeding her? What are the ingredients and the percentage of protein in the food? A lot of dog food is full of chemicals and additives that can affect different dogs in different ways.

TBH the longer something goes on the worse it gets and the harder it is to solve the problem. It should have been nipped in the bud at the first signs not allowed to go on and escalate for years until a child is put in danger. I'll never understand why people can be so irresponsible and let things like this get so out of control.

What you need to do now is try to 'undo' this learned behaviour, good luck!

Teyla Emmagan

She doesn't need to be put down Willow. Just get her some training and in the meantime keep her away from kids.

Good luck.

eilo1

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

1. She needs to be kept away from children, this isn't unique Terriers in general and specifically Jack Russels have a pretty low tolerance of kids messing with them.

2. She needs desensitising to having her paws touched.

3. She needs an MOT from a vet to make sure there is no underlying medical cause.

4. I'd get a reputable canine behaviourist (not a dog trainer) to assess you and her to try to figure out where you are going wrong.

5. Food - what the dog is being fed is often a big cause of many problems from aggression to allergies to hyperactivity, what are you feeding her? What are the ingredients and the percentage of protein in the food? A lot of dog food is full of chemicals and additives that can affect different dogs in different ways.

TBH the longer something goes on the worse it gets and the harder it is to solve the problem. It should have been nipped in the bud at the first signs not allowed to go on and escalate for years until a child is put in danger. I'll never understand why people can be so irresponsible and let things like this get so out of control.

What you need to do now is try to 'undo' this learned behaviour, good luck!

I believe the OP asked for advice not judgement.

Op as others have pointed out you should have the dog checked over by a vet, there may be some underlying infection or complaint causing the dog pain when its paws are touched.

I hope this helps and good luck!

Cherry Blossom

eilo1 wrote: »

I believe the OP asked for advice not judgement.

I offered advice and gave my opinion, they come as a set. Would you rather I not give either?

<ETA> Of course I don't have the option of now withdrawing the post as you have unnecessarily quoted the whole thing

eilo1

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I offered advice and gave my opinion, they come as a set. Would you rather I not give either?

Id rather you left out your judgements.

angelfire9

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

1. She needs to be kept away from children, this isn't unique Terriers in general and specifically Jack Russels have a pretty low tolerance of kids messing with them.

Can I just say as someone who has spent her entire life with JRT's that not all of them are snappy or vicious or have a "low tolerance" with kids

Growing up we had JRT's at home, the first one came from a litter that my grandmother's JRT had and we adopted one and had him from a pup to 15 yrs after he passed away we had a succession of rescues and my parents have another rescue as the resident rat catcher at present

I have never seen any of our JRT's snap or bite at anyone
Its not specifically the breed its the dog & the way it is reared IMHO

As kids we pretty much did everything with our dogs, from pushing them around in the pram and pulling & dragging & hide and seek all over the garden (including dragging them up trees) and never once did any of us come to grief over it

I hate it when people generalise about breeds

eilo1

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I offered advice and gave my opinion, they come as a set. Would you rather I not give either?

<ETA> Of course I don't have the option of now withdrawing the post as you have unnecessarily quoted the whole thing

Ah yes its all my fault.............

Justask

willow tree wrote: »

my dog is a terrier cross. she is 7/8years old. she has become more and more aggressive as shes gotten older. shes normally really sweet and passive but always had this thing if you touch her paws or if she thinks you are going to touch her paws, she snaps. ive done everything, after she snaps i give her a slap on the bum and put her outsisde. ive tried to make sure she is not dominant (she walks out after me, i lead her on walks etc)... she normally does what shes told. today a child was playing with her (i dont normally let her play with children but i was out) and she snapped at him, just left a little mark and he said he was fine (no blood). i felt sooooo bad, i dont know would classes help. does she need to be put down?im really upset and confused... please help:(

Do you know the child that she bit? What did his mum say?

I would if I was you go to the vet for starters to make sure all was well with the dog that somthing is not sore on her paw etc.. and then i'd never ever have the dog around a child again. its just not worth the risk

willow tree

thanks for all your replies. i will bring her to someone(behviourist) and see what they can do. shes been like this with her paws since she was a pup and i rescued her. a few vets have said that some dogs are funny about their paws being touched so we kept touching them (first by offering food) and now she lets us touch her paws no problem. i am a responsible owner, i love my dogs and i dont ignore issues. when im in the house and children come round i put her away tbh. when i got her for the first few years it was just me and her in the house and on walks but ive had a baby recently and lots of other stuffs going on and i think she was just used too and liked just the two of us. anyway, thanks for comments and i'll take it on board, i do try my best.

lambox

Zero tolerance Willow.Dog had its chance and proved it cant be trusted.Why wait for the next bite?The next one could be a lot worse.

Mo60

lambox wrote: »

Zero tolerance Willow.Dog had its chance and proved it cant be trusted.Why wait for the next bite?The next one could be a lot worse.

So what are you suggesting should be done?

Cherry Blossom

angelfire9 wrote: »

Can I just say as someone who has spent her entire life with JRT's that not all of them are snappy or vicious or have a "low tolerance" with kids
<snip>
Its not specifically the breed its the dog & the way it is reared IMHO

<snip>

I hate it when people generalise about breeds

I agree completely I have a terrier in a house with 4 kids the oldest being 6. Have not had a single problem and don't forsee having one either. However all of the jack russells I know, (which granted isn't a huge number) are owned by people who are either completely incapable of dealing with their personality or too lazy to.

No I'm not generalising about the breed, I'm generalising about the people (that I personally know) who own them. That part in bold there, that's basically it in a nut-shell.

eilo1 wrote: »

Ah yes its all my fault.............

Ah sarcasm . . . Of course it clearly wouldn't be the fault of the person who has taken responsibility for the dog, it's training, general care, socialisation . . . . It's obviously the child to blame, the dog itself, it's previous owner or the shelter it came from, anyone but the person who is actually responsible for it. It always is.

planetX

Some dogs do get grumpier as they get older though. The dog didn't attack the child, it gave a warning nip. Letting a child play with her without you there is something you'll just have to make sure won't happen again. And get advice from a trainer on the paws thing - what happens when a vet needs to check her legs?

willow tree

thanks all, yeah theres a pen out the back and she will be in that when im not around from now on. ive always had to put a muzzle on her when vets touch her paws, she gets so distressed about it that one time she was put to sleep for an examination. other people who know her dont believe me when i tell them this as she is sooo passive and gentle other than this major problem. ( child was nephew, his dad said not to worry but of course i am and taking this v seriously)

kildare.17hmr

lambox wrote: »

Zero tolerance Willow.Dog had its chance and proved it cant be trusted.Why wait for the next bite?The next one could be a lot worse.

<br />
+1 if it was my dog they would only do it once and if it was my kid the owner had better do the same

roosterman71

You need to show that dog the pointy end of your boot everytime it steps out of line. Your the master, and the dog should behave as you want it to.

Discodog

lambox wrote: »

Zero tolerance Willow.Dog had its chance and proved it cant be trusted.Why wait for the next bite?The next one could be a lot worse.

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

<br />
+1 if it was my dog they would only do it once and if it was my kid the owner had better do the same

roosterman71 wrote: »

You need to show that dog the pointy end of your boot everytime it steps out of line. Your the master, and the dog should behave as you want it to.

I commented recently that I thought that this forum was getting better but clearly I was wrong.

Unfortunately some people here still believe that a dog has the mind of a human & clearly some should never be allowed near a dog if they think that kicking it is a good idea.

OP for some reason your dog has a thing about it's paws & it's nothing unusual. Children should never be left alone with dogs - no matter how reliable the dog is. This often has nothing to do with trusting the dog but it's more about not being able to guarantee the behaviour of the child.

A good behaviourist (not always easy to find) may be able to minimise the effect & possible remove it. But there maybe a risk of the "memory" coming back especially if the dog feels stressed. At the end of the day the dog didn't bite - as in meaning to bite. I don't think that you can blame a dog for asking not to have it's paws touched. I would avoid doing anything different from routine except not leaving the dog alone with a child.

If you give us your approximate location then someone here may be able to recommend a behaviourist who could meet the dog & give you some advice. In reality non of us can do this without knowing the dog.

Yes it might of been easier to treat before it became too established as a behaviour but the saying that "you can't teach old dogs new tricks" is rubbish.

And please ignore the kind of advice quoted above. You don't own a killer.

Hellrazer

roosterman71 wrote: »

You need to show that dog the pointy end of your boot everytime it steps out of line. Your the master, and the dog should behave as you want it to.

Infracted.

willow tree

thanks discodog, thats sound advice. i could really go to anyone in dublin/clare area as im in both regularly. would be willing to travel for someone good, thanks in advance for any dog professional recommendations. (honestly i can understand how some of you are feeling. the parents have said when i rang today that im overreacting, it was more of a snap and hes fine. i would be fairly mad if it was my child so i do understand and i am taking it seriously). i would NEVER kick an animal, i do see this as my fault not the dogs.

Discodog

I have never had to personally use a behaviourist but I have heard good reports about these people:

http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/home.php

click on the behaviour clinic tab

kildare.17hmr

my opinion is just as valid as yours discodog and if my dog snapped and bit a child weather it drew blood r not it would be end of days for him.


out of interest how much do these behaviorists normally charge?

andreac

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

my opinion is just as valid as yours discodog and if my dog snapped and bit a child weather it drew blood r not it would be end of days for him.


out of interest how much do these behaviorists normally charge?

You cant just put a dog dog not knowing the full circumstances of why it snapped/bit.

What if a child was teasing the dog or hurt the dog and it just reacted as it was in pain etc, why should the dog be pts?? You cant blame an animal for lashing out in a situation where its being hurt or abused so why should a dog suffer when it wouldnt even be his fault, so you should always weigh up the situation and find out exactly why a dog lashes out. Ther eis usually a reason for it...

Discodog

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

my opinion is just as valid as yours discodog and if my dog snapped and bit a child weather it drew blood r not it would be end of days for him.
out of interest how much do these behaviorists normally charge?

Ok so your dog bites a child, you put the dog down & then discover that the child was yanking at it's ears. Or you find out that it had a curable illness. Dogs don't bite without a reason & they rarely bite without a warning. It's not their fault that we don't see the signs. The dog in question gave plenty of indications & it still didn't bite.

My opinion is backed up by just about every reputable expert.

Take a look on the link - I think that have prices on there.

Edit Andreac beat me by 2 seconds !

kildare.17hmr

andreac wrote: »

You cant just put a dog dog not knowing the full circumstances of why it snapped/bit.

What if a child was teasing the dog or hurt the dog and it just reacted as it was in pain etc, why should the dog be pts?? You cant blame an animal for lashing out in a situation where its being hurt or abused so why should a dog suffer when it wouldnt even be his fault, so you should always weigh up the situation and find out exactly why a dog lashes out. Ther eis usually a reason for it...

of course thats different if the dog is being abused. I ment if they were playing and the dog snapped

a nip is not a bite?!?!

andreac

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

of course thats different if the dog is being abused. I ment if they were playing and the dog snapped

There very few dogs that just snap or bite while playing, so unless the adult actually saw what happened, then who knows what the child actually did to the dog to warrant it lashing out.

Elmidena

I'd say that there's nothing to worry about, the child wasn't hurt and now he knows not to play with the dog without supervision or at least has some idea why he came to get a warning nip. As others have said before, take her to the vet and get a professional opinion. It being there from puppyhood doesn't mean it's not something medical; could have something under the skin and it hurts, or the bitch nipped the paws if it was feeding too roughly from her, so it could be psychological. When I was a kid, we had a huge cat who would snap if you touched her tummy and scratch out. Her scratches were a lot more damaging than a nip that didn't do anything, and we sure as hell didn't get her put down. It was something she didn't like so we respected it. Nowadays have two cats that snap if you don't give them tummy tickles!

If a small child not at talking age pulled your hair when you picked it up when it didn't want to, you surely wouldn't put them down! Dogs aren't the same as children obviously, but still a creature a lot smaller than you frightened of something and unable to voice its fears or pain.

Tbh, I'm not sure it needs a behaviourist; the dog isn't often around children and you plan to segregate it when you're not able to monitor it, and it's fine with you touching the paws as it trusts you.

As for being mad if the dog bit your child, kindly take some perspective. The child was apparently fine and blood wasn't drawn (by the OP). Did you never get a nip from an animal as a child? This isn't a blood thirsty animal by all accounts, it's not like it did any damage or nicked an artery or child needed stitches or anything! If your child played in a meadow and got stung with a nettle or cut with a briar, would you forbid the child from playing in there again, or only let them play on "safe" short grass? Your nephew won't need years of therapy to recover from this and I'm amazed your instincts were if the dog you've had for 7/8 years should be put down for nothing other than a surface mark. If it was a vicious attack I could understand, but from what I've read it was far from it and I'm bewildered that in spite of all the accounts around you saying all is fine you thought about doggie heaven

planetX

wow, some pretty strange pet owners on here today.
OP, I had a dog that bit my niece once. No injury, the dog nipped because she tried to pull it away from a doorway where it was waiting for me to come out. We all learned from it - my niece was taught to never try to pull the dog, I learned to never leave my dog in a situation where I couldn't supervise. It never happened again for the rest of the dogs life, and we all got a lot of pleasure from that pet.
One strike you're out? When you've loved a dog for 7 years - can't be serious.

givee

ya couldn't put the dog down for giving a warning,i got bitten by a dog last summer and even tho he took the leg off my trousers and a chunk off my leg i asked his owner ta treat him properly and maybe he wouldnt be so agressive.she has him and 3 other dogs locked up now behind a house she doesnt even live in,calls once a day to feed them.your dog is well cared for and maybe just doesnt like his paws being touched,the kid will be cautious in future and thats not a bad thing really because not all dogs will are tolerant of children.