# 10 month old bit my son



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I don't blame you for being worried. A bite that breaks the skin in deep punctures is serious, no matter how understandable the circumstance from the dog's viewpoint. Ideally, your son and the dog wouldn't both have their faces near a bone at the same time, but now it has happened. From now on though, the pup should not have high value treats around the kids, ever. Susan Garrett has a book called "Ruff Love" that might be helpful, and Nothing In Life Is Free programs are online and on this forum. You definitely need the help/advice of a professional- I would look for an APDT certified trainer with a CPDT-KA credential. If this were me, I'd be heartbroken as well bc you have such young kids but raised this loved pup from 8 weeks old. You will either need to do extensive reorganizing with your whole family to manage this pup or you will need to rehome him for everyone's safety. The dog is definitely at a learning age, so hopefully, with the right help, you can help him be a safe companion.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Your son was scared Im sure....Im glad he is ok.

Dollars to donuts the dog was offering warnings that he was feeling threatened by your son waaaay before he actually snapped at son. His body language may have been subtle and gone unnoticed in a busy household.

IMHO a 10 year old child just doesnt have the impulse control necessary to be left alone with a dog...and a 10 month old dog doesent either as they are right in the middle of what can be their most trying developmental stages. Then add in an object that had a high-value to the mix and you have a perfect storm...

You are really gonna have to lay down some firm rules with both kids and the dog.

Which means the dog goes EVERYWHERE you go and is NEVER left alone with the kids.

No bones or food unless the dog is crated and left to chew in peace - no kids walking/running by, no kids touching the crate...no kids staring at him while he chews or eats. There should be significant discipline for any child (yours or the neighbors) that breaks the rules....

All people food/drinks are eaten at the table - PERIOD.
Trust me, as the mom of two sons that are now in their 20's, there are some MAJOR benefits to this rule that have nothing to do with dogs! No dirty dishes left all over the house, no ants in bedrooms, you know if you are in the kitchen you will see everyone in the house at least every 90 minutes! Family time sitting around a table is the one constant you will have when your kids hit the teenage years. Plus you always know where you can leave a note where everyone in the house will see it... 

Then some serious obedience work with the adults in the home. Im sure that money and time are hard to come by, but time spent with a good trainer will have huge payoffs.
Just like kids...a dog that knows 'someone' is in charge is a happier dog.

If you decide you just cant take the chance...please know it will take patience and some effort to place a dog with a bite history in a rescue or to try and place privately.....and you owe it to the next family to fully disclose his history.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Has the dog been to obedience training? and has he been evaluated by a good trainer or behaviorist?


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

I agree with Liberty, take steps to manage the situation and you should be fine.

My dogs get bones all the time, almost daily, and I have a dayhome with kids all over. The dogs usually get bones in their crates separated from everything, or sometimes in the dog run, but either way the kids are not pestering them. Unless it's a cleaned off bone that gets snuck into the house by Bender, but she's very good about it and it's past the really good stage. Even still her bed in the playroom his off limits and the kids are not to be on it or bug her on it.

Lana


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

This book might be helpful for you to think about other scenarios where increased management is a good idea:
Welcome to Dogwise.com

If you specifically want to address the resource guarding (which I would recommend):
Welcome to Dogwise.com
HOWEVER I would still employ 100% management (bones and feeding in crate).

A basic training class with an appropriately qualified professional would help you better communicate with your dog. 

Doggone Safe - Home might have additional info that is helpful (It's hard to navigate but has some good content).


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## Alie (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks for all of your helpful replies! 
I've called the vet and have an appointment with her this afternoon to talk about what has happened. 
As we will be going to our obedience class tomorrow I will talk to the trainer as well. We've been taking our puppy to obedience classes twice a week for the past six months, he's doing great. 
My husband and I have talked to the boys and explained that from now on the puppy will be fed in his crate and he can chew on his bones there as well. 
My nine year old son has been crying all day because he loves his dog and doesn't want us to give him away....
So I think that we'll give our dog another chance and hopefully this kind of thing will NEVER happen again. If we do decide to rehome him though I will be 100% honest about why this dog isn't right for our family, I wouldn't want something to happen to another child either. 
Thanks for the book references, I'm going to order the one about kids and dogs today! The site you recommended even ships to Belgium, where we live, so that's great!


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## Alfie's Girl (May 6, 2010)

Hmm, twice I have noticed behaviour like that with my boy - once it was a bone and once a dead toad in his mouth! (Yuck I know!) It really frightened me at the time and I was worrying I had an aggressive and dominant dog. But, I'm happy to report that nothing like it has happened since. I made an extra effort to be the 'Alpha' in the pack and practised taking his bone away from him periodically so he learnt not to be posessive about it. 

My personal opinion is (and I know not everone will agree!) - don't panic! Your boy is a teenager and testing his boundaries. If this behaviour begins to happen regularly then I agree that you may need to seek a proffesional opinion. 
Practise removing the bone from your dog regularly, holding it in your hand for a moment and then handing it back. If he growls whilst you do this then be sure to make sure he knows that that is unnaceptable behaviour. Also, try to explain to your children not to go too close to your dog when he is chewing his bone. 

When my boy was aggressive those 2 times I felt like I could not go near him anymore. I thought I could never trust him again. I know it's scary but don't let it get to you. Assert yourself as leader of the pack and make sure your dog knows that you are the boss! I like Jan Fennel's books on this subject - she uses subtle methods to be the 'Alpha Dog' - no Aplha pinning or anything like that! If I remember correctly, at the beginning of her book she describes an incidence very similar to what you described. She then goes onto explain her methods. The book is Jan Fennel - the Dog Listener. Amazon.com: The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation (9780060089467): Jan Fennell: Books#_ I think this is a re-print but I'm sure it's probably much the same inside!


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## msubball2010 (Oct 29, 2010)

any dog is naturally possessive over food, toys, etc. and it is up to us to train them not to be. when you feed your puppy you are suppose to stick your hand in their food dish and even take the dish away from them. this teaches them that the food is NOT only theirs. it is the same way with toys and bones. when you first give you dog a new toy you should then take it back. 

i remember i was doing this with my first golden and he never growled. then one day i gave him a "new" kind of bone. i went to take it away and the puppy did this awful growl and it caught me so off guard! i said a firm "NO" and took the bone away.

a few hours later i gave him the bone a 2nd time and when i went to take it away he growled again. repeat the process. the third time he did not growl when i took it away and that was the only "growling" experience i ever encountered.

i think this was one of the most "useful" and important training tips out there.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Because you have young kids in your house...I would especially recommend NOT just taking bone or food away. Resource guarding protocols involve approaching your dog and tossing great treats towards him.

We want your puppy to think people approaching item = great things. If we take away the item, there is a good possibility he may learn that "approaching people = my things get taken away"... And you can get either resource guarding (like you have now) or the dog running with the item for a game of chase.


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## Alfie's Girl (May 6, 2010)

msubball2010 said:


> any dog is naturally possessive over food, toys, etc. and it is up to us to train them not to be. when you feed your puppy you are suppose to stick your hand in their food dish and even take the dish away from them. this teaches them that the food is NOT only theirs. it is the same way with toys and bones. when you first give you dog a new toy you should then take it back.
> 
> i remember i was doing this with my first golden and he never growled. then one day i gave him a "new" kind of bone. i went to take it away and the puppy did this awful growl and it caught me so off guard! i said a firm "NO" and took the bone away.
> 
> ...


This is EXACTLY what happened with my boy as well. It took me about 3 go's too! But - it's never happened since! No possesion of any kind infact!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Be very careful about giving and taking away things, it's a good way to get bitten if you have a dog who is guarding. Trading the item for something of higher value is safer and lets the dog know that good things happen when you take something away.

To be honest, many dogs treat kids like other dogs. They don't always get that the kids are humans and so they may correct a child the way they would another dog. That's no excuse for the behavior, but it is one explanation.


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## Golden123 (Dec 6, 2009)

I remember when Sadie was a puppy, she was about 9 weeks old when I gave her her first bully stick. Man, she turned into a little monster. Snarling, growling, trying to go after my hand when I tried to touch the bone. I kept working with her, I would give her the bully stick, take a yummy treat in my hand and give her the treat and take the bully stick. I would touch her while she had the bully stick and keep giving her treats, and now she is used to it. You can walk up to her, mess with her, touch her feet/mouth/face take the bone away and she doesn't growl or act aggressive at all. She got used to it.

Good Luck with your pup.


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## amy86 (May 26, 2015)

*Heart Broken*

We had our 8 & a half year old golden retriever Odin since he was 8 weeks old, he was well trained & behaved, properly cared for, he was raised with children, we followed the book on proper dog/child safety & training to a tee we did everything with Odin that you are told to, Odin had never bitten or been aggressive what so ever but one night he was laying awake on our living room floor when my 3 year old son walked by him & accidentally stumbled over his feet & without even standing up the Odin bent back around & took on bite of my sons face just one bite almost took my sons entire cheek off from eye to chin & nose all the way through the muscle nerves & tendons into his mouth! the police Mandated Odin to be put on a 10 day quarantine & euthanize on day 10. The vet couldn't find anything physically or mentally wrong with the dog he just got hurt & snapped. heart broken to lose our best friend of almost 9 years & have our child left with permanent physical scaring & possible emotional. my husband & I both were there to see this happen.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Golden123 said:


> I remember when Sadie was a puppy, she was about 9 weeks old when I gave her her first bully stick. Man, she turned into a little monster. Snarling, growling, trying to go after my hand when I tried to touch the bone. I kept working with her, I would give her the bully stick, take a yummy treat in my hand and give her the treat and take the bully stick. I would touch her while she had the bully stick and keep giving her treats, and now she is used to it. You can walk up to her, mess with her, touch her feet/mouth/face take the bone away and she doesn't growl or act aggressive at all. She got used to it.
> 
> Good Luck with your pup.


At about 3 months, Casper gave me the stink eye when I looked at him with his first bully stick. It was so subtle, many might have missed it. I hadn't seen that look before and I have not seen it since. I traded for it, and he never saw another bully stick for, what, years? Now he gets them while in his crate at dog school and is perfectly happy to hand them over for a cheese puff. I still think there is something slightly evil about them.

Amy86 - Your story is so sad. So much heartbreak for you, your son, and your dog.


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

That's terrible for something like that to happen after having your golden for over eight years. I remember reading a story about a couple who had a pit ill for several years. Here's the link...8-year-old family dog kills Georgia toddler


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

I agree with much of what is posted here and won't repeat it.

I'll just say that I take a very hard line with that kind of behavior between kids and Goldens. I absolutely disagree with you when you say, "The thing is I can't really blame the dog for this reaction," and, "I realise that he was just guarding his bone." I definitely blame the dog. One of the hallmarks of a Golden Retriever is its temperament. The breed standard is quite adamant:



> Temperament -- friendly, reliable and trustworthy. Quarrelsomeness or hostility towards other dogs or people in normal situations, or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with Golden Retriever character.


A 10-month old Golden that has resource guarding to the extent that it would bite a child in the home over a bone is not, imho, in keeping with the temperament of a Golden Retriever. One of the main reasons people get Goldens as pets is because of their temperaments. And I'm very adamant about that. For me, we need to be able to take anything from our Goldens at any time. It's a safety issue, both for the dog and the people. If a dog has something that is dangerous, we need to be able to take it away immediately and without complaint. And the dog needs to be able to tolerate the occasional "ugly bald puppy" poking its eyes, pulling its ears and tail, trying to ride it and all manner of other personal unpleasantness typical of puppies, both canine and human.

Left untreated, biting never gets better, it only gets worse. I'd take this very seriously. There is no resource guarding allowed in my house, and its something we establish from Day 1, and keep on until the dog is grown. Please get a certified trainer right away, and don't just hope it will not happen again.

And no, unfortunately, neutering him won't help. That would certainly be an easy solution, but it would not solve your problem. It's going to take training.

I'm sorry this happened. If you can't nip it in the bud -- and I'm a big believer that you can, with correct training and _the correct behavior on your and your family's part_ -- then you _must_ rehome the puppy. Child safety comes before everything else.

I guess I have a pretty strong opinion, huh?


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## Rumple’s Mom (Apr 1, 2015)

Some dogs just can't be around children. Our old neighbor had a mixed breed dog that attacked our then 18 month old toddler. The dog was about 70 pounds and on leash when it happened, sitting there minding his own business. My daughter wasn't even near him, she was standing on my other side playing (I was chatting with the person holding the least about the new baby in their family). I'm not sure what triggered it, but he suddenly lunged at her, knocking her onto her back while he was on top of her with her face in his mouth. 

Thankfully, it was "only" a tooth puncture, but it was very close to her eye and she still needed stitches. And now at 4, she still has the scar. The whole ordeal was pretty traumatic for all involved, especially her. She became very clingy with me, had nightmares for a while, it was pretty bad for a while.

The dog was rehomed to someone that lived in the country with no kids. But it was a whole situation as the cops came, animal control, etc. Some guy called me and kept on trying to get me to press charges against them but I wouldn't. For one, we were good neighbors and I liked them a lot. She had just had a baby that was only 5 days old. A large part of me felt bad for them going through that with a newborn.

To the OP, without knowing more details it's hard to know what led to the bite. I'd hate to see you lose faith in the dog and not trust it though. If in your heart you know that you never will and will always fear him, then rehoming him to a household without kids is probably the best bet. It'd be no life for a dog (who is still only a puppy) to live in a situation where it's not trusted.

ETA that I agree with everything that DanaRuns says.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

This is an old thread. The new post is this one from Amy86:

" Heart Broken
We had our 8 & a half year old golden retriever Odin since he was 8 weeks old, he was well trained & behaved, properly cared for, he was raised with children, we followed the book on proper dog/child safety & training to a tee we did everything with Odin that you are told to, Odin had never bitten or been aggressive what so ever but one night he was laying awake on our living room floor when my 3 year old son walked by him & accidentally stumbled over his feet & without even standing up the Odin bent back around & took on bite of my sons face just one bite almost took my sons entire cheek off from eye to chin & nose all the way through the muscle nerves & tendons into his mouth! the police Mandated Odin to be put on a 10 day quarantine & euthanize on day 10. The vet couldn't find anything physically or mentally wrong with the dog he just got hurt & snapped. heart broken to lose our best friend of almost 9 years & have our child left with permanent physical scaring & possible emotional. my husband & I both were there to see this happen."

I am so so sorry that your family and your son had to go through the trauma of the attack and then the loss of your best friend


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

Oh. I'm sorry Amy. 

I never think to look at the dates...


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## Rumple’s Mom (Apr 1, 2015)

Oh jeez, I thought I did look at the date. 

I'm sorry Amy. No one should have to go through that.


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## Anele (Dec 12, 2014)

Amy86, I just want to tell you how sorry I am. I have a 3 y.o. too, so this hits especially close to home. I will be thinking about your son, you, and the rest of your family. 

I will be crossing every finger that the damage is not permanent. 

Sending you thoughts of comfort and healing.


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