No. Normal well-adjusted dogs will not do this. Normal well-adjusted dogs know their place in the pecking order.
Normal, well-adjusted dogs will not bite owners or humans. This is not normal behaviour and it will only escalate.
Get rid of the dog or get rid of the daughter. Or be prepared to live with the consequences.
Perhaps we should focus on having a learning moment rather than a blaming moment? So far, only understandable mistakes have been made. If the OP asked this question, I think s/he had a hunch that there was no need to get rid of the pet and that this could be resolved. If the daughter will not learn, then perhaps another home should be found for the pet and something should definitely be done about the daughter because the next dog she pesters could be a lot more dangerous than a 9-month old terrier/lab puppy.
Being well-adjusted = Knowing your place in the pecking order = Letting others pester you? You must have had some really bad early life experiences.
Of course, the daughter is more important than the dog. Recognizing that the daughter is more important than the dog doesn’t require siding with the daughter when she’s wrong.
It doesn’t matter who’s wrong. The dog bites people who bother him. Get rid of the dog or get rid of the daughter. Well-adjusted pets don’t do this.
Neither do well-adjusted kids.
Eh, when I was about 7, my dog used to continuously harass and mildly bite me when I went outside to play in the yard, he kept jumping on me and pushing me down and giving me non penetrating bites which only left some bruises and didn’t penetrate the skin, and I was totally fine with that, and when I got older, he used to settle down and just make growling noises wherever I went over to him and would occasionally administer non penetrating bites, though some would penetrate if I tried to grab his food or his bone or even put my hand near it. But it was fun tracing my hand around the bone and watching him growl and bite at the hands.
Anyway, he never caused abut serious injuries or problems and he died left year, so that’s that.
This is bad advice and reflects little knowledge about dogs interactions with the family. It’s like saying well adjusted siblings don’t ever fight.
Handled correctly it is just a valuable lesson learned for them both. A 30 lb. dog could cause severe injury or death to a four year old child if it had an aggressive temperament or the child triggered a malfunctioning prey instinct. It sounds like he was just respectfully establishing some limits in a situation he felt threatened by the child.
ANY dog that shows ANY signs of aggression (biting or otherwise) should not be in a house with a child.
I agree with Leaffan. There should be no ifs or buts, no ‘but the child shouldn’t have annoyed the dog’ bullshit. If the dog has gotten away with biting the child on ONE occasion, there’s a guarantee the dog WILL do it again, perhaps with less provocation next time.
The dog goes.
When I was 3 or 4, I was the youngest of 4 kids and we had either a large miniature or small standard poodle. Perhaps about 30 Lbs (I am not sure, it was a while back and the dog is long time dead). It was a bit smaller than I was, at the time. Anyway, I remember once when it bit me on the arm. Not really any blood, but teeth marks and definitely red marks. I remember going to my father, crying. He asked me what I had done to the dog to make her bite me. I had pulled her ear. My father told me to stop pestering the dog and she wouldn’t bite me. I stopped pulling ears and respected the dog’s growls after that and wasn’t bitten again. The dog died of natural causes several years later.
If your dog had wanted to hurt the child, the damage would have been severe. If I was in your shoes, I think I’d have used the incident to teach why you don’t go around bothering the dog, or anyone else.
I’m not going to say keep or get rid of the dog; that is up to you. If the dog attacked unprovoked, or showed no restraint, I’d get rid of it without question. A 9 month-old puppy is roughly equivalent to a young adult, so the dog is still learning boundaries and acceptable behavior. If you are going to keep the dog, work (play) with it, particularly how to walk on a leash, come when called, and drop what it has in its mouth. Socialize it with other dogs at a dog park, doggie day-care, or similar. These things will help the dog understand and accept its place in the hierarchy of relationships. Whether you keep the dog or not, you should make sure your daughter understands there are consequences to her bad behavior that you cannot control for her.
Right, if a child is pulling on the ears of a Yorkshire terrier and the dog growls, you should get rid of the dog. Remember, “ANY”* dog that shows “ANY” signs of aggression, biting or otherwise, no ifs or buts. It’s that simple.
There seems to be this idea that most dogs won’t lash out no matter what you do to them. What kind of living organism would do that? The word “normal” can be imprecise but since that’s what seems to matter to Leaffan, let’s use it. Dogs normally don’t show aggression because dogs are normally not pestered. What is abnormal here is not the dog but the behavior towards the dog, hence why the dog behaved abnormally. Normal dogs or cats will show aggression if you keep pushing them. Most dogs will lash out if you pester them so you’re stuck arguing that most dogs aren’t normal which is a very strange position.
*I’m quoting your all caps as that seems appropriate
I’m coming down on this side of the answers and maybe seconding consulting a professional trainer. I can name a couple dogs among the extended family who did the same thing as puppies/juveniles (although more limbs than face) and all of them (both kids and dogs) turned out fine.
Do Not Put The Dog Down. Give the dog to the best friend you have who doesn’t have kids, as its been through enough.
The OP needs to understand that their child is not yet able to be trusted around a pet… anyone’s pet. She may grow out of it, but it will take some hard work and some real parenting.
I’m surprised anyone is giving the right answer. Keep the dog, and let the kid learn. You did not failnas a parent, as there are always those types of kids who have to learn first hand. It’s the kid who burns himself on the stove when you’ve told him its bad many times. It happens.
And, yes the dog is normal. One of my dogs does the same thing to my other dog. The bite is not anywhere near full power. This is how dogs teach when other signs don’t work.
Getting rid of the dog will make the kid unhappy and will send the message that the dog is the bad guy. It is not. Don’t antagonize dogs. And listen when your parents tell you you may get hurt.
And, yes, I have personal experience with this. I did babysit when younger, and I mentioned my dog experience. I also talked with other sitters.
Yes. This is a learning experience for the child.
Startled dogs do.
Consult a good dog trainer, child in tow. One nip, even one that could have been as serious as this one might have been, is not an indication of an irresolvable problem with either the dog or the household.
How much socialization has the dog had? Does it get to meet a lot of different people, outside of the house and as visitors? That’s crucial.
I’ve been through this with giants - and the situation is [little fluffy dog growls] “Oh, how cute!” [Great Dane growls] “Oh, my god, he’s going to kill everyone!”
Go buy a copy of How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend. The monks know their stuff like no other “dog expert” does.
When I was 4, my dad brought home a box of puppies that had been dumped on the highway while he was coming home from work. It was the best day of my life. There are pictures of me in my pajamas covered in puppies. It was glorious - until eventually one of the pup bit my ear. I went crying to my Mom and said, “Mom! The Puppy bit my ear!” and she said - “Yeah. Puppies do that.”
I still remember her exact tone of voice. It was a teachable moment and one I’m grateful for all the time. Sometimes puppies bite. That’s what puppies do.
I went back to playing with the puppies and never got bit again. The onus is always on the human to respect the wildlife and work with its limitations.
OP - You have a puppy in a dark room and a kid who won’t respect it. In this case - the onus is on the OP to teach the kid to respect the dog and understand its limits and also to understand the limits of a puppy. The teachable moment here is for the grownup, who needs to do a better job of socializing your kid and you puppy, both.
In this case, the puppy’s limits include not being able to see in the dark to judge his distances. Put the puppy in puppy class (he’s plenty old enough). Leave the lights on.
In the kid’s case - she just got a solid lesson of the “don’t touch the hot stove” variety. Capitalize on it. Sit on your daughter when she acts annoying. Enjoy the movie when they’re both asleep.
You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Get rid of the dog. If possible to another happy home, but in any case.
The people telling you it’s a learning experience or about getting professional training help will not be there if your dog permanently injures your child, which it easily could have (if in fact there are no traces of permanent scars from the incident, which I hope is the case).
It’s not a question of blame. Just get rid of the dog.
By way of background I’m a super dog lover, we call ourselves ‘mommy and daddy’ of our dog and the whole bit. And our ‘baby’ looks like the Grim Reaper of dogs. But a) despite her appearance she’d be about the last dog to lash out at a person even when tormented (though of course it’s possible with any dog) and b) are kids are long grown.
Leaffan, have you ever actually had a dog, or been around them much? This is actually typical dog behavior, especially for a puppy. If I started getting right up in your face, and started pulling your ears, you’d tell me to stop. (Growling). If didn’t, most likely you’d hit me or shove me. (Biting) Same as a dog. “Knowing their place” doesn’t mean a dog won’t try to defend itself when it feels like its in danger, or being challenged. Back in high school, my best friend had a schnauzer that was the most mellow, easy going animal you’d ever come across. (Seriously, that dog would let you drag him around, lift him up, whatever). But if, if people started running around screaming – he’d get upset.
That’s not to say you don’t teach the dog that biting is wrong, but the kid provoked it. Having grown up with around animals my entire life, this is absolutely normal. Like I said, my sister learned that when she pulled the cat’s tail – should we have gotten rid of the cat, or told my sister, “Don’t pull Fluffy’s tail”?
Bootis, do you actually show your daughter how to interact with the dog, or just tell her, “don’t tease the dog?” If she doesn’t know HOW to pet a dog properly, then the behavior isn’t going to get any better.
How does the dog act any other time? Are you making an attempt to train it? Is the dog fixed? (That’s an important thing too – dogs that have been spayed or neutered are much more mellow) Puppies don’t know instinctively how to act – it takes time and patience. If you don’t want to do that, you might be better off getting the dog a new home. NOT because it bit your daughter, but because it’s not fair to the dog.
It’s normal puppy behavior, and it’s unacceptable, and it’s a lesson for your daughter. If I were you, I’d rehome the dog. It doesn’t sound like your child is ready to live with a dog, especially one about to go through its rebellious teen stage.
WTF ! You didn’t bring your child to ER after this happen ! I had to get a
tetanus shot after a cat bit me on my ankle and broke my skin. Since you’re not educated about owning a dog around a your child you need to get rid of the puppy fast . The next time is could be a lot worse if your child put her face into the puppy face while it sleeping . Go buy a goldfish .
You can’t get your daughter a new face if happen again ,you can get another dog later on !
The ER, seriously? Good lord. The OP said “a little blood”. It probably amounts to no more than a scratch. I have been volunteering at my local animal shelter for more than 5 years, if I went to the ER every time a dog drew a little blood they’d know me by name.
If you had kept your tetanus vaccines up to date, you would not have needed to go for a cat bite.