Dog bites son.... Now what?

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mega1 said:
And I was there to get the dog off of him.
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If my 7 yr old boy complained about his 6lb maltese puppy I’d tell him to man up and stop botherin the dog.

Obviously there are others with far more protective/exciteable outlooks in the world.
 
I’m sorry, but are you SERIOUS? My son should “man up”? The dog was biting him when he was nicely petting him. I am definitely at a crossroads regarding how to deal with the situation, but I find that comment completely offensive.
 
pentecostbaby said:
The dog needs to be destroyed. It’s a danger to your family and others. Frankly, if I was bitten by a dog known to bite - and you now have witnesses and an Internet post to verify it - I’d sue for punitive damages above and beyond medical costs.
There are too many dogs in this world to keep one that bites.
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yes exactly correct!
 
bitznbitez said:
There seems to be a lot of hysterical responses to a 6lb dog.

Calling the police about a menacing 6lb dog ? I’m pretty sure there are laws against making needless calls to the police. And medical and punititve costs from an overgrown mosquito ? You’d have to have a magnifying glass to find anything resembling a wound.

Good grief.
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it doesn’t matter if the dog is 6 lbs or 60 lbs. he had become dangerous and should be gotten rid off. The 6 year old boy is more important that this dog, no matter what kind it is. When I was 7, I was attacked by a german shepard at my cousins house. It isn’t funny and being bitten by a dog is more than some mosquito bite and yes this family can be sued for not keeping the dog on a lease even in a fenced back yard and under control let alone having it in the house with a young child he has already bitten and attacked.
 
I agree with Contra Mundum, I think you should seek professional help from a dog behavioural specialist of some sort, this may be an issue that can be easily resolved. And in the meantime just monitor him closely as you already do, never leave him unsupervised with your son. You also need to secure your fence so the dog can’t get out again. Fitting a wire mesh to the existing fence bars maybe an adequate temporary solution. I hope your dog learns to become a dream family member and you’ll enjoy many happy years together with him!
 
bitznbitez said:
There seems to be a lot of hysterical responses to a 6lb dog.

Calling the police about a menacing 6lb dog ? I’m pretty sure there are laws against making needless calls to the police. And medical and punititve costs from an overgrown mosquito ? You’d have to have a magnifying glass to find anything resembling a wound.

Good grief.
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When I was a teen, our family dog bit someone. The dog weighed 10 pounds. The kid needed stitches. Hardly an overgrown mosquito bite.

Of course, I figure your comment was meant to incite.
mega1 said:
I’m sorry, but are you SERIOUS? My son should “man up”? The dog was biting him when he was nicely petting him. I am definitely at a crossroads regarding how to deal with the situation, but I find that comment completely offensive.
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Like I said above, I am sure his comment was meant to incite. I would ignore it.

That said, I can’t believe you are at a crossroads, and you don’t seem to know what to do.

How many times is it okay for the dog to bite your son? How bad does the damage have to be?
 
mega1 said:
I’m sorry, but are you SERIOUS? My son should “man up”? The dog was biting him when he was nicely petting him. I am definitely at a crossroads regarding how to deal with the situation, but I find that comment completely offensive.
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You are on a razor’s edge here. You have now posted on the internet forever for the world to see that you know you have a biting dog and an insecure yard you know that your dog can get out of. If you have not reported these incidents to your insurance company, they may deny coverage and drop you if there’s a third incident that results in a lawsuit because of your failure to disclose prior incidents. Additionally, homeowner’s insurance does not cover criminal liability/defense/fines and does not cover punitive damages either, and if a personal injury plaintiff’s attorney finds out about this thread, you are going to be smacked with a punitive damages claim.

My experience is that people are very flippant about these sorts of things until they themselves or someone they know loses all their assets or is criminally sanctioned because of an animal attack.

As a start, I would not allow the dog off leash at any time unless it’s in a crate. Personally, I would not keep such a dog.
 
Rather than putting the dog down, at least consider returning the dog to the breeder with this information. Has the dog been neutered? Neutering calms down those hormones.
 
Never forget that a dog is one step removed from a wolf. They also have personalities just like people do, and the more independent ones aren’t going to make good pets. You want something dumb and submissive. If it has biting issues I would personally get rid of it. I, and a lot of other people, have a low tolerance towards dogs and if I got bit by somebody’s dog just from walking down the street I would report it to the authorities. You got lucky this time around.
 
bitznbitez said:
If my 7 yr old boy complained about his 6lb maltese puppy I’d tell him to man up and stop botherin the dog.

Obviously there are others with far more protective/exciteable outlooks in the world.
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Little dogs are sometimes the most aggressive. They can be intractable with their viciousness.

Personally, I’d have the dog put down, and get a sweet, loving dog that loves kids.
 
I don’t think that the dog should be put down for acting like an animal. I think what should happen is that one should figure out the cause of his biting; dogs (especially one who you said was usually a great member of the family) do not usually bite for no reason. He could have a medical issue that you all are unaware of; perhaps your son pet his stomach or something and maybe the dog has stomach issues. First, I would consult with a vet and/or a dog behaviorist. My dog has separation anxiety issues and has basically chewed up the entire house. We are looking into putting him into a crate when we are gone (though he’s been chewing that up as well), and also, I called the vet who redirected me to a behavioralist. We are currently getting in touch with her. I really think that at this point, it would be prudent to figure out why your dog is biting, and if it can be remedied. If not, I would consider putting him in a shelter. But I don’t think that putting down a dog who is considered a member of the family is a good idea; I feel like it should be the last resort.
 
Consult a trainer or behavioral specialist who can determine if it is training or a temperament issue. If you can’t afford it, then look for a new home – but be sure to disclose what issues you are having. No matter the choice, be careful with him around others and you children until the issue is addressed.

Maltese are typically non-aggressive so this very well could be an issue with socialization or dominance that can be fixed fairly easily depending on age.
 
AlTheCollegeGal said:
I don’t think that the dog should be put down for acting like an animal. I think what should happen is that one should figure out the cause of his biting; dogs (especially one who you said was usually a great member of the family) do not usually bite for no reason. He could have a medical issue that you all are unaware of; perhaps your son pet his stomach or something and maybe the dog has stomach issues. First, I would consult with a vet and/or a dog behaviorist. My dog has separation anxiety issues and has basically chewed up the entire house. We are looking into putting him into a crate when we are gone (though he’s been chewing that up as well), and also, I called the vet who redirected me to a behavioralist. We are currently getting in touch with her. I really think that at this point, it would be prudent to figure out why your dog is biting, and if it can be remedied. If not, I would consider putting him in a shelter. But I don’t think that putting down a dog who is considered a member of the family is a good idea; I feel like it should be the last resort.
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Let me know if you solve the chewing. I started a thread on this about my otherwise adorable, loving Border Collie. His weakness is upholstered items and can’t be left too long alone with them.
 
mega1 said:
Truly this was not my son’s fault. I have watched him. He has not hurt the dog and loves him very much. When he was bit, my son asked permission to go Pet him. He even put his arm out to allow him to sniff him. There’s not a reasonable answer for this… In my opinion.

And yes he’s only 6lbs but my son’s arm was scratched and bleeding. And I was there to get the dog off of him.
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The dog is obviously not part of your household if your son needed permission to go pet him. Go where? Very small dogs should not be separated from the household. Perhaps this dog would be better off being placed in a home where their needs are better understood.

I always had large dogs. Now that I am old I have two small dogs, their needs are much different.

Isolation will make animals wary of their people. God bless you as you work this out.
 
Country_Gal said:
Let me know if you solve the chewing. I started a thread on this about my otherwise adorable, loving Border Collie. His weakness is upholstered items and can’t be left too long alone with them.
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If they are past the puppy stage, chewing for border collies is typically due to pent up energy or anxiety. There are a lot of training techniques to combat this…
 
mega1 said:
He was in our fenced yard and he squeezed himself through the bars and got to her. I was running after him, but I was too late.
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That’s a VERY bad sign. And I speak as someone who loves dogs. I don’t see how you can keep him. I’m so sorry.
 
mtbender said:
If they are past the puppy stage, chewing for border collies is typically due to pent up energy or anxiety. There are a lot of training techniques to combat this…
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Yes, he becomes anxious in our absence, even with our older dog present. He is 1 yr old and improving. Solution has been to leave outside when we’re gone.
 
Country_Gal said:
Yes, he becomes anxious in our absence, even with our older dog present. He is 1 yr old and improving. Solution has been to leave outside when we’re gone.
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As a trainer, I see a lot of these issues - I could go into long explinations, but I dont want to derail the thread… We have a 1 yr old boarder collie too (and a rough collie) so I can relate. 🙂
 
The dog has to go. I will guarantee you, the first time a dog bit one of my kids, it would be the last chance it would ever have to bite my kid.

Peace

Tim
 
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