Cajun03110331

Please help today I was upstairs and my dog (14 weeks) bit my son on the lip. he said she tried to jump up to play with him and niped him on the lip. she tends to play rough with him. (hes 7) but is sweet with my little girl (4). I need some advice. I got in he face and told her no and that its not ok. My wife is pissed.

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Semper FI

PatchworkRobot

Puppies play bite, it's what they do. Look up threads on "bite inhibition," there's plenty, and you'll find the information that you need.

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tater28115

Don't leave your children around the dog by themselves.

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Rest in Peace TRAVIS 04/18/1999 - 09/05/2008



Rest in Peace LOGAN 04/18/1999 - 06/20/2011

PatchworkRobot

^^^^^ This too

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odiakkoh

Not sure why your wife is pissed. Your dog is still a puppy, is she going to get pissed every time your son rough-houses with a friend and scrapes a knee?


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Matt Vandart

Is this your first dog?

Jenn

You should never leave children with dogs unsupervised.
It's unfair to the puppy.
Seeing someone jump up and want to play initiates a excited response with the puppy,
That is why you supervise to make sure your children learn as we'll as the puppy about how to play properly and touch a puppy properly.
Your wife shouldn't be pissed,
After she's had two children she should realise accidents happen..

Again as said bite inhibition is a must!
Obviously your puppy should not bite your child anywhere but your have to know puppies use their mouths to explore everything like a child puts things in their mouths etc etc.

My pup bit my SO in the face completely by playing and getting way too excited.
But that wasn't his fault that was my SO playing on the bed waving a toy over his chest by his face. He soon learnt not to do that again
Both of them..

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Anton-Caesar

so important.

Too many newpaper stories of dogs "attacking" or "mauling" children in UK, then the naive owner says "i left my 40kg+ dog alone with my child" but none of them can say the child wasnt climbing on, pulling tails maybe grabbing/tugging and irritating the dog.

Until your child is physically capable of defending themselves or physically capable of removing the dog they shouldnt be left alone with the dog..

Children always get the innocence vote but i bet in a lot of situations the blame should fall entirely on the person controlling the dog at the time of the incident be it the child or the adult that has left the dog with the child

my opinion applies regardless of whether its a puppy or adult dog. Personally i think Caesar at 4 months would give a 7 year old a real tough time with regards to controlling the dog i wouldnt leave him with anyone under the age of 14 personally and thats at 4 months

avianantics

This is one of the reasons many breeders won't sell a puppy to families with small children. Why is your wife pissed? Does she not understand that this is a puppy? Puppies jump, nip, bite, chew.... it is what puppies do.

I will reiterate.... please do not leave your child and puppy alone unsupervised.

Poor pup probably has no idea what you "got in her face" for, you have to read her mind (body language) and stop it while she is thinking about it.

Do a search here on Bite Inhibition, also get your puppy into some basic obedience classes so that she learns things like sit and stay, and have your son work with the puppy as well. That way everybody in the family can have some control.

Hugs to your pup and your son.

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Shelly Wing
AKC GCH/UKC CH Lyndobe's Wheel of Fortune, "Wheeler"
AKC Ptd Lyndobe's Loquacious Charm, "Lola"

dobermama

I agree with the other comments- children and puppies should NEVER be left alone unsupervised! If there is anything that your wife should be angry at, then the one you both should be pissed at is YOU (or your wife, if she was "supervising" and allowed it to happen). No puppy can control the urge to romp & play rough- it is their nature. It is our job to train them not to do so with humans, and especially not with small children.

Jumping and nipping is entirely normal behavior when you haven't taught otherwise. If you haven't already enrolled in a puppy class for the whole family, please do so ASAP. Mountaineer Kennel Club is excellent, and I can recommend them highly.

In the meantime, your children must not be allowed to play with the puppy without an adult present (and by present I do not mean just in the room- I mean standing next to the child/puppy ready to correct unwanted behaviors). Do NOT allow the puppy and child to play chase games or tug games that encourage mouthing or nipping. DO allow games of fetch, or the beginning of obedience training. DO sit your son down and explain to him that he must NOT play rough with the puppy, as she is going to be much bigger and stronger than him very soon and WILL hurt him without meaning to!

Obedience training with a Doberman is NOT optional, it is imperative. And it can be a wonderful learning and bonding experience for the entire family.