# Dog bit child...what now



## MarnieJane (Jul 29, 2014)

Ps she is on the 5th week of her season if that makes a difference to the info given!! And the bite wasnt serious at all just a little bruise


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

So no skin was broken? You are lucky. That was a warning. My opinion, and I don't have kids, is that you need to 1. reinforce with your children the dog rules. 2. work on trading with the dog so that items can be easily taken by substituting a higher value item. I can't imagine how hard it is to have kids and dogs, but ultimately it is your responsibility to make sure these things don't happen and that can only be done through training and vigilance. I'm glad it wasn't more serious and I'm sure others who have dealt with this will have more insight.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

What this tells me is .............

Indie will bite if she feels something she values will be taken from her. 
That your 5 year old child doesn't truly know that she is not to take items from the dog and that she is to get you. There is no way to really know what Indie will feel is a valuable item that she will protect. 

I would ask myself...
Am I capable of keeping both children and dog safe.
What rules have I taught the children?
Do they all really understand those rules?
What rules does Indie have?
How much does she understand on those rules? 

Knowing that my dog may think something that is on the floor or falls to the floor may be vaulable to her how will I manage her and the children to keep them safe.

_I would suggest separate play areas for the dog and children unless they are being completely supervised. Getting in touch with a good trainer that can come and evaluate your normal home life to help you set up a safe routine for all concerned._

_I believe a good trainer will want to know exactly how Indie bit the child. Where Indie bit the child. How intense and the strength of the bite. Was it multiple bites, did Indie break skin etc. There are different levels of bite and knowing that may help the trainer in the exact training protocol she would want you to follow._


_You didn't really say how your 5 year old is. I hope she is okay. _

_I do believe you really need to seek out a professional._


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Where was the bite? Did she growl or stiffen up first or doesn't your daughter know?

I second finding a good trainer to work with you and your family on "drop it." I would also sit all of the children down and tell them that if your dog has something that they want to take away from her, they need to find you or your husband ASAP because otherwise it could mean that Indie might have to go away. 

The fact that she is now 16 months old and has come into sexual maturity would indicate that this is absolutely the time to get on top of her training. 

I'm sorry you're going through this.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I think you have some work to do with the kids and also with Indie, who should be at least 30 times a day learning things are not hers by being taken from and traded items- you do this or another adult. Make a game of it, but a serious one in which she is absolutely not allowed to do anything but learn to let you have whatever it is you want with no complaints on her part. Take her food from her. Make her sit to get it back. Take it again. Lie down this time or rollover or whatever skill she has that she can trade a behavior for an item you've taken from her. Also teach her skills- it only takes a minute at most to do a quick sitting lesson or lie down lesson or high five lesson and you can do that 20 times a day too- then once she has some talents you can intersperse treats for getting whatever back- put it up where she can see it and teach her to have delayed gratification just like you'd teach a kid the same.
I have a dear friend whose two young boys were well trained themselves and her elder dog Beagle took a huge chunk out of the youngest who was maybe 3- I had to come over to watch the other boy (while she went to ER) living closest of her friends and saw it freshly done as I was there 3 min later- gotta say, I was in favor of euthanasizing Beagle because he was not young and Ian knew the rules and did not break them. All he did was sit on the couch about 18" from Beagle, and apparently Beagle thought that was too close. Meg saw it happen. With children in the house you have to invest time in the kids who also need to be trained. You have a young dog who will take every inch she can which is showing itself in her lack of bite inhibition and that's temperament so you will have to really put in the time now before one of your kids gets hurt- you were lucky it wasn't worse. Don't make the kids scared of her, but respectful of her space and her possessions. 
You did the right thing by putting Indie up- and when you are doing give exercises with her, if she so much as gives you a threatening look, you need to correct that instantly, preferably while she's still doing whatever it is you percieve as a reaction. A loud 'EHHH' sometimes is enough, or you may have to be firmer.


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## Driggsy (Jun 12, 2014)

I am not a professional trainer, and I absolutely second the opinions above that you should get a professional in to help evaluate the situation. I am a mom of three kids and I know the chaos that can ensue, and the challenges to making sure everyone lives peaceably together.

I would like to add, in contrast to some of the above: what I have read (and what makes sense to me) is that one should not try to reprimand or correct a dog who growls, looks threatening, hides their goodie etc. That dog is actually appropriately communicating "this is very special to me, and I don't want to share". Humans (and other properly socialized dogs) should read this and leave the dog alone. I am NOT saying the dog should be able to claim and guard any old thing they want. I am saying that, if we train a dog to never give proper warning cues, we may end up with a dog who doesn't have any coping mechanism left except to bite. So, teach everyone to give the dog some space, and then work on establishing trades and a good "leave it". Make sure dogs have a safe space to retreat from kids where they can keep the toys they are allowed to have, and teach kids to respect it (it can be a crate, or behind a gate if need be).

My sympathies, I'm sure this is very upsetting. If it is any help: the best dog I have ever had (not a golden, but a big mush nonetheless) once sort of bit someone. A very loud obnoxious teenager who stuck his head inside our car and yelled "HEY" (honestly, what a dumb move) while my dog was sitting in the back seat. I say "sort of" because he didn't even uses his teeth, just kind of jumped and rammed the kid with his nose and gave him a black eye. I was equal parts angry at the kid and worried for my dog. Our local police came to my house, and they told me that in our state "the first bite is free" . So I hope you have a similarly easy resolution - best of luck!


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

Driggsy said:


> I am not a professional trainer, and I absolutely second the opinions above that you should get a professional in to help evaluate the situation. I am a mom of three kids and I know the chaos that can ensue, and the challenges to making sure everyone lives peaceably together.
> 
> I would like to add, in contrast to some of the above: what I have read (and what makes sense to me) is that one should not try to reprimand or correct a dog who growls, looks threatening, hides their goodie etc. That dog is actually appropriately communicating "this is very special to me, and I don't want to share". Humans (and other properly socialized dogs) should read this and leave the dog alone. I am NOT saying the dog should be able to claim and guard any old thing they want. I am saying that, if we train a dog to never give proper warning cues, we may end up with a dog who doesn't have any coping mechanism left except to bite. So, teach everyone to give the dog some space, and then work on establishing trades and a good "leave it". Make sure dogs have a safe space to retreat from kids where they can keep the toys they are allowed to have, and teach kids to respect it (it can be a crate, or behind a gate if need be).
> 
> My sympathies, I'm sure this is very upsetting. If it is any help: the best dog I have ever had (not a golden, but a big mush nonetheless) once sort of bit someone. A very loud obnoxious teenager who stuck his head inside our car and yelled "HEY" (honestly, what a dumb move) while my dog was sitting in the back seat. I say "sort of" because he didn't even uses his teeth, just kind of jumped and rammed the kid with his nose and gave him a black eye. I was equal parts angry at the kid and worried for my dog. Our local police came to my house, and they told me that in our state "the first bite is free" . So I hope you have a similarly easy resolution - best of luck!


I have not had a bite issue either and I am not a trainer, but I have read the same. The OP did mention that the bite did not break skin - just a bruise. I think a few training sessions with a trainer who specializes in resource guarding would be good, not only for Indie, but you and your children as well. It sounds like you want to protect both your kids and Indie and that is admirable.


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## MarnieJane (Jul 29, 2014)

Hi thanks so much for every1s feedback

My girl is totally fine, no skin was broken she just got a fright at the time. As i said she is also in season at the moment so i am assuming this also played a factor in her biting as she's never behaved like this before. She does guard bones but the children are well warned not to go near her in that circumstance & because of that i actually rarely give her one as she doesn't guard toys or other treats. I have noticed that she can be possessive with things that she isnt meant to have(like rubbish or something) i will reinforce the drop it & leave it very much so but she mostly (not always) does to what i say & knows basic commands(sit, stay, paw,lie down, off, roll over & leave it- only leaves food havent managed to get that to work with other objects yet) 

I really thought i had the kids well trained too but clearly not, im not even sure what happened but we were all in living room & i just heard her scream i wasnt looking when it happened but she told me she went to pick up the piece of plastic that Indie had previously been chewing but was now lying beside indie n indie bit her. 
I dont leave them alone together theres a baby gate between the kitchen & living room & if i need to shower etc i always put indie in her crate which is in the kitchen(this is also where she still sleeps at night) 

I dont know that if because she's in season at the moment & not getting off the lead walks if that could also be adding to her mood at the moment. Ive say down & had words with kids about the rules & will reinforce them continually & reinforce the rules with indie too. Defo gonna look into finding a trainer too. ThNks


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## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

I wonder if Indie just meant to yank the item back from your girl and wasn't quite aiming to bite her. Either way, you have received a lot of good advice that would be applicable as it does ultimately amount to guarding. Good luck!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## rob1 (Sep 21, 2009)

thorbreafortuna said:


> I wonder if Indie just meant to jank the item back from your girl and wasn't quite aiming to bite her.


I'm wondering the same thing. It sounds like the item was next to the dog, your daughter grabbed it and the dog grabbed it at the same time and got skin. The really good thing is no skin was broken- the dog must have immediately released.

You do say she can get a bit protective of her bones and I do think you need to work on that. But given you didn't see what happened, it might not have been a bite so much as a grab for her 'toy' and an accidental contact.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Coming from a different angle -- I would probably take her to the vet for a complete examination; being in the 5th week of season may mean she should be seen. 3-4 weeks is more usual.



MarnieJane said:


> Ps she is on the 5th week of her season if that makes a difference to the info given!! And the bite wasnt serious at all just a little bruise


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## MarnieJane (Jul 29, 2014)

Sunrise said:


> Coming from a different angle -- I would probably take her to the vet for a complete examination; being in the 5th week of season may mean she should be seen. 3-4 weeks is more usual.


I just mean her season started 5 weeks ago....she only bled for a week but defo. Still attracting males when we are out. 

My husband just took her a walk n she cane in i clapoed her n then my hand went near her mouth n she growled at me...turns out she had a sweet packet in her mouth that she mustve picked up when out. So shes defo resource guarding im at wits end now


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I'm so sorry about this. You are good by teaching your children to respect Indie's space. I also think putting Indie in the crate was the right response. You may want to consider a personal trainer about this manner. There should be no Golden behaving towards a child in this manner. This is not a reflection on you. This is not normal for a Golden, however dog bites from Goldens are becoming more common. Goldens are also resource guarding quite often as well unfortunately, and Indie felt like your child was fighting with her for her chewie, which she loves dearly. I wish you the best of luck dear.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

I've had many dogs in my 60 years. Three of them Goldens! One did not like children, growled at my niece and was never near another child. I would not risk the possibility of a bite. Many here won't like what I have to say BUT why risk it. I recently met a man that said hello to Murphy. He told me his Golden bit a visiting child when the child approached the dog while eating. YES...the owner was at fault but the child ended up with 89 stitches to the face. In my opinion the risk is just not worth it. I was able to put my dog in another room when children came to visit but if I had young children I'd rehome the dog. And I had to do just that with a Rottie puppy who was sweet as pie MOST of the time. I cried for weeks but I knew I made the right decision.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Resource guarding is instinctive, normal natural behavior in any dog, regardless of breed, some dogs will 'guard' others do not display the behavior, also, being in season can affect/increase the tendency to guard. View these incidents as an opportunity to educate yourself and your children, and work with your dog to minimize the chances of it happening again. With all due respect, it is about respect and a bit of understanding from the dog's perspective. A dog that guards is afraid of losing what they have, similar to a child with a new toy, respect that, and teach them to trade for something of higher value. Trading teaches them that you can be trusted not to steal from them, and that when they choose to give up an item of value to them, good things happen to them. Resist the urge to be 'confrontational 'or trying to physically 'remove' (steal, in her eyes) an item from her, the more you 'want' what she has the more she is going to want to keep it - like a child guarding a toy from another child. 
Learn about dog body language and calming signals that dogs use to try to communicate with us, as they do with other dogs ('dog' is the only language they speak) to prevent negative interactions/altercations from occurring, so that you have a better idea how she is feeling in any situation. Understanding even the basics of how they 'speak' can allow us to minimize the chances of them ending up in situations that they are uncomfortable with and give us the opportunity to remove them from the situation if they are already 'in it', and in time work to positively change how they feel about that situation, if need be. 
Suggest acquiring the book 'Mine' by Jean Donaldson. It is a great resource and guide to working with a dog with resource guarding tendencies.


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## MarnieJane (Jul 29, 2014)

Thanks all it seems she just seemed to be having an off day as she isnt normally like that & hasnt been since. 


Ive been working on the drop it thing and shes doing well with it. Ive also been re inforcing the issue with the children to give her space etc. i'll continue her training to minimize any case of RG again. 

I really think the fact she was in season has contributed to this greatly and as i obviously have no plans to breed her i plan on getting her spayed as soon as is possible. 

Thanks for every1s responses to my problem


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Thank you for the update--I always appreciate when posters let us know how thing are going because I learn more that way.

Hope all continues to go well for you and your girl(s)!


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