Storm bit Son's face!

[Aimee Santa Monica]

Storm, our 8 mo old mini labradoodle, (5 mo w/us) , had aggressive puppy play his first few months with us- like biting our socks when entering the house- but that went away.  The past few month he is very calm and most loved by all of my 3 boys.  My youngest son Aero, (just turned 6) loves to hug Storm, every chance he gets.   And Storm is usually calm & loves it!

Yesterday afternoon, the 2 dogs were laying in the livingroom, just relaxing, when my son Aero  started to hug him-  well, it seemed like he was warning Aero- because Storm started growling, w/c he never does this to Aero.  I took back Aero & told him to keep away , i am thinking that Storm just wanted to rest.  Storm was laying down- staring at Aero .  But Aero came close to his face & Storm bit his lip!  I was so shocked & mad !  I immediately put Storm in his crate in his room.  A good look at it later, after the bleeding stopped, showed a tiny puncture.   Aero is eating & fine.  But i am in dismay- because i feared that the moment that happened- that we have to give him away??   I love Storm so much, he is our first dog in this house- and he's very affectionate, more than Ayla.   But i don't want my children in danger.  I am saddened by this.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Aimee, hugging is a very aggressive action from a dog's point of view. Storm did give two warnings...the growl and the staring...and at that point, Aero needed to get away from him.

In almost every case where a dog is given away because of "aggressive' behavior towards kids, it's the kids who've actually been aggressive...again, from a dog's point of view. Obviously, your son couldn't have known this, but it's up to us to make sure we understand when and how to approach a dog, in all circumstances, and then teach and supervise our kids.  This is especially true with younger, untrained dogs. So many people with young children think that a young puppy is a "safer" choice when getting a dog, when in reality, with a calm, mature adult dog who's been trained, you avoid most of the biting socks, nipping, etc.

You certainly don't need to give Storm away. First, you need to lay down the house rules with the kids: No bending over the dogs, no reaching out over the dogs' heads, no hugging ever, and leave the dog alone when he's resting. In fact, never touch a dog until he touches you is a good rule of thumb. Petting should be done on the dog's body, not on the head or face, and never put your face up close to dog's.

I know this is very upsetting to you and your son, and i hope he will be just fine and bear no scars, either physical or emotional, from this incident. But the best way to keep your kids safe around dogs is to teach them how to behave around dogs. Too many dogs lose their homes just for doing what dogs do.

 

[Aimee Santa Monica]

Thanks for your response! I will have a family meeting today when the kids get home from school & talk about what happened and why- and List out the rules with petting and no hugging.   Thanks for all this info.   

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think Karen's advice is spot on.  I'm so sorry that this happened, and I truly do understand how it would have frightened both you and your son.  All dogs are a little different, and I think some have a lower threshold than others.  I see this all the time with my grand children.  My older Doodle loves all kinds of attention from the kids, and I never have to worry about him.  My younger Doodle is much less tolerant, and I have to carefully watch how the kids are interacting with him.  He is very intimidated when the kids try to touch his head, and he absolutely hates to be hugged.  The kids who are old enough to understand have been taught how they can and can't play with Murphy.  With the younger ones who really aren't capable of understanding, I never take my eyes off them when they're around Murph.  I've learned to read Murphy's "signs" pretty well, and if I can see that he's getting stressed,  I remove him from the situation.  Murphy is not "aggressive" or dominant at all....he is just a little nervous when the kids are "crowding" him.  I respect that....it's just who he is.  We've been able to successfully work around this, even with toddlers in the house regularly.  Please don't give up on Storm....I really believe with a little closer management he can still be a wonderful member of your family.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I am so very, very sorry to hear this. Hoping some expert on training is able to give you helpful advice. You must be so concerned and upset.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Thank you for posting this and to Karen for your reply. We have our 21 month old grandson with us and although Murphy (2+ yrs) just steers clear of him, Bella (9 months), let's him crawl, poke, pull, tug on her and even put his hand down her throat. Yes she is usually very sweet and tolerant, however, has given the warning of a growl when woken up by the baby or stomped on when she is laying down.  We take it for granted that she won't do anything, but you are so right Karen, these are dogs, and we need to teach the children how to be safe around them as well as train the dogs around children.

I will be much more diligent in my attention to dog and baby interaction after reading this.

Thanks

[Jennifer and Jack]

I know it is upsetting but you have to look at it from the dogs perspective, One time I was away for the day and my neighbor who has two small children was watching Jack, Her child, pinched Jack and then pulled his hair, and then when Jack went to defend himself, which was growl without a bite, my neighbor freaked out and called me and told me Jack tried to attack her child.

I totally freaked out and I took Jack to the vet to a trainer etc.. It all came back to the fact that no child under the age of 6 should ever be allowed to touch a dog unsupervised because they can not be trusted to not hurt the dog.

 

Now I have a rule that I have implemented to all children who are young, they may touch Jack with one finger on his body when an adult is watching. Of course if I know the child well and they are very good with dogs, they can pet Jack freely, but I still will never leave a child alone with a dog.

 

I was ready to do what ever I could to train Jack and all I got back was it was my fault for not keeping a better eye on Jack and protecting him better.

 

Certainly you do not need to give the dog away and certainly you do not want this dog to be labeled as aggressive. Putting a dog in the crate as punishment is something you may want to reconsider, especially if you are using that to keep them in when you are away, though I totally get needing to put them away so you can deal with your child.

 

I would implement a rule in the house that the child can not touch the dog unless you are right there with them. As far as the puppy aggressive play, I think hat is normal play for a puppy, I am not positive, but my dog, always went after socks when he was really little. He also would go after dress skirts or night gowns, anything that flowed by his face was fair game.

 

I will never diminish a dog bite ever but I am learning to understand a dogs point of view, and I think sometimes dogs see children as equals (which isn't good) and as far as the dog is concerned he more then gave enough notice to back out of his space.

 

I am sorry, I know how stinky the situation is.... Hopefully you will feel better about things soon

 

[Sandra Griffith]

I am in total agreement with Karen.  Dogs do not love hugging, but some learn to tolerate it as just something that people do.  You also might try getting one of the excellent videos that are made especially for children to teach them about how to behave around dogs and how to read their body language.  One such video is "Dogs, Cats, & Kids Learning how to behave with pets & strays".  You can then have your child practice reading your dog and other dog's body language and role play how to approach or deal with your dog and/or other dogs after watching the video.  Above all, it is important not to correct your dog for growling as this is one of the only ways (that are obvious to people) for your dog to tell people that they are uncomfortable.  If they are corrected for growling, some dogs will just go to the bite first without a warning.  This does not mean that you should just ignore the situation of course.  Training should take place to help your dog become more comfortable with situations that he is currently not comfortable with and of course the children should also be supervised and taught how to respond to your dog (or any other dog's) warning.  This is where a good trainer comes in.  I am so sorry that this happened to your family.  It is always traumatic when we see our children hurt.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

That's a great point about the training...for the dog and kids.  You may want to look for a Trainer/Behaviorist who can come to your home a couple of times and work with everyone.  I think many times Vets can recommend someone who has these skills.

[Carol Brand]

Personally I think dogs should just have to take whatever it is that people dish out.  Should my dog get to bite an elderly person who is unstable and who stumbles against him?  No.  Should my dog bite a child who is getting up in his face. No.  Should my dog get to growl at and bite the vet or groomer who at some point will no doubt pinch and pull his skin and hair?  No.  I think we are on a slippery slope when we allow dogs to boss people around.

 

Now the reality of the situation.  Your dog treated your child like another dog.  I think you have a problem with confused status in your home.  You should implement the Nothing in Life is Free training philosophy.  You can Google it and learn more. 

 

If your dog is allowed up on beds and furniture, I would end that immediately.    When your children are playing with the dog, I would always have them do it from a higher physical position.  They should not get down on the floor to play because that is "dog land".  They should sit on the furniture or stand so that they are always physically above the dog.  I know it sounds silly, but it does make a difference in the dog's mind. 

 

I would have your children hand feed the dog for a week.  The dog eats NOTHING that does not come out of a child's hand.  (Ever heard you don't bite the hand that feeds you?)  After a week, I think the dog has to do some task for the children before it gets its food (sit, down, shake etc).

 

Make the dog physically wait and let people go before it.  In my house, the dogs never walk out the door before me.  At one time when I was having some trouble with my Delilah being pushy, I made her wait at the bottom of the stairs and I went up before her.  It seems silly, but it made a difference in her behavior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Carol, I agree with a lot of what you've said here.  In my situation, we implemented the "nothing is free" philosophy from the day we brought Murphy home.  He is never allowed out the door before us, he waits for everything (food, water), he is not allowed on furniture but can come on the bed when I invite him.  He clearly knows his place in this house.  I do the exact same thing with my older Doodle, and he is extremely tolerant.  Murphy is just a little more reactive to certain things (which we continually work on through training), and I'm not sure I'd ever fully trust him around kids who were hugging or poking at him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I expect my dogs to allow me to do anything to them without protesting it; I've earned that kind of trust and obedience. This extends to the groomer, the vet, and most other well-intentioned people. But I don't expect that from an untrained puppy.

 I  think we have some responsibility to our dogs to prevent them from being poked in the eye or otherwise abused, albeit unknowingly and innocently, by children who see the dog as a living stuffed animal. We also have a responsibility to protect our children from being bitten, because another reality is that dogs are not living stuffed animals, and every dog they come across in life isn't going to be as well-trained and tolerant as ours.

I understand what you're saying Carol, and from a long-term point of view, of course we can't tolerate or justify having a dog who bites for any reason. But there are an awful lot of first-time dog owners who are turning 6-12 month old puppies in to rescue organizations because they expected a dog who would automatically just lie there and "take" anything their kids dished out. I think there needs to be educating on both sides...the dog has to learn what's expected of him, but the family members also have to learn how to behave around the dog, too.

 

 

 

 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I would just like to add for those of you who take your Doodles out in public, I see the majority of this conversation about Hugging being related to children ....... I get people (adults) out in public all the time that want to hug and kiss on my doodles.  When they ask for a kiss and don't get one they grab them around the neck and try holding them and bring their face to the dog ...... I always have to be alert to this and interject because Lucy hates this!  Sophie is a little more tolerant, but not always.  She gets more of it in therapy work by the older folks, but it amazes me the people in public that have no idea about my dogs and just stick their faces right down there and hug them tight!