How bad was the bite? Does the dog normally interact with kids and this kid in particular? Does anyone know what happened or led to the bite? What is the relationship you have with the neighbor?

 

There were two puncture wounds on top of forearm, nothing that I saw on bottom of arm. Not too much blood. Dog interacts with my kids and other children in my home all the time. Not this particular girl though because my kids don't play with them much.

I was in the next room so I don't know exactly what happened other then she and her sister were on the porch. When I got there the one that was bit was huddled in middle of the yard.

We have a good relationship with the neighbor.

 

Be open and honest and contrite. Offer to pay the bill(sounds like you already plan to) and let them know what steps you are going to take to prevent this from happening again.

Apologize to the little girl. Make sure she knows that a mistake happened.

If you have a good relationship with the neighbor, hopefully they will see you are taking this seriously and that you feel bad and will accept the good will.

Don't try to shift blame. That will tick off parents.

Talk to your son. He was there, he knows what happened.

 

The medical facility must report the bite. Gather all your vax documentation. Your dog is up to date on the rabies vax....? If up to date, there is normally a 10 day quarantine period at home BUT depending on the local, that could be instead at the shelter. If not up to date..... it varies by county and circumstance on quarantine or immediate testing.

Good on you paying the medical fees. I would also locate a very experienced trainer for 1. eval on the dog 2. training for family members for management and safety 3. dog training. I would explain the details of steps I am taking to the neighbors and discuss with them about having the trainers assistance in reintroducing the child that was bit to dogs - when she is ready and not to the dog that bit her.

Again, get on top of having all the vax records on your dogs available when AC makes their visit.

 

Bad news.. I agree - be honest and open with your neighbors - they now hold your dog's future in their hands. Do not make excuses, do not register anything but shock, sorrow and apologies along with picking up all expenses. Whatever your neighbors want - they get. You don't want them to lawyer up and go thru that nightmare for months on end.

You must appease both parents! This is crucial. The minute you leave and their door closes - they may fight with each other over what should be done.

Hopefully, they realize that you are a parent also and you would have the same feelings they are experiencing too. Are they dog people? Do they own or like dogs???

 

They have a dog themselves but honestly don't get the feeling they are dog people.

 

check out the laws in your area and know your options.

Be honest and contrite with neighbors and try to find out the scenario. IE, was there provocation of any sort (ask your son). Try to understand what made your dog bite.

Needless to say, you'll now have to keep your dog in close check around all children.

 

It is pretty negligent to have door unlocked with children able to open the door and large dog able to get out or cause present situation. That needs to be fixed and a system developed to prevent further problems. Dogs should be supervised as well.

 

To be clear, the door was locked. My son is 11. He made a mistake and went against our usual protocol and opened the door. Mistakes happen. There has never been any indication that this dog was aggressive in any way.

 

I see it like, when a dog causes damage to something the owner needs to take responsibility on some level. The management system in place didn't work. Any dog can bite to protect his home if it doesn't realize the situation.

It is true mistakes happen and accidents too. Hope it doesn't happen again with this dog.

 

I don't think I have indicated in any way that I am not taking responsibility. We are taking full responsibility. And yes, accidents do happen. The dog getting out was an accident. I have no idea what caused the dog to react like that and that is my biggest concern going forward.

 

My son tried to crack the door and the dog pushed past. The older girl was on the porch knocking on the door. The younger, who got bit, was on the walkway leading up to the door. Baron ran right up to her my son said. I suspect he was trying to nip her arm and he didn't use enough bite inhibition. That's not acceptable either, just what I suspect happened. He nipped and then ran around the yard like who's gonna play with me. I ran out to girl, my husband just called dog and he came in. The dog didn't even go near her again or even bark. I truly don't think it was done out of aggression, just poor behavior from a young (not even two) dog but the results and consequences are the same.

 

So this can really be a safe assumption. I know my male had no training and for one week we dealt with that. I admit I had a couple bruises. If this is truly the case, which I can believe, then up the training and teach him. Teach him a place command. If doesn't even sound like he has a clue what he did. Yes the end result is the same but management is completely different with aggression and an over zealous goof ball.

 

"Now a days if you watch the news 11 and 12 yr olds are out there raping, killing, and robbing people. I have a feeling that in the near future it's going to be hard for us as people to decipher who is evil and who isn't. "

huh

the dog should not have access to the front door . There is always an element of excitement , even if an adult had answered and was prepared to manage the dog . The young boy wasn't . He was as innocent as the neighbour girls.

 

I feel bad for the situation you are in and hopefully this was just an err in judgement in your dog. If it were me I would prepare for the worst just in case... up the training, provide more supervised socialization and treat this bite as if there were aggression involved. You need to protect your pup from it's own actions at this point and if that means you have to be on high alert for a while then so be it. Hopefully it never happens again but if you keep your guard up then you can prevent another incident whether intentional or not.

 

I wonder if this could have been herding behavior. My Newlie nipped a couple of other dogs (no blood) when he was about the same age and folks on this forum suggested that it sounded like herding.

Of course, as you say, the end result is the same and the behavior cannot be tolerated. But it's usually helpful if you can figure out why something happened if for no other reason than it gives you ammunition for preventing it in the future.

 

I feel bad for you, your dog and the little girl, but accidents happen, dogs bite all the time, hopefully the bite was only superficial and the child won't suffer any long term damage. I'm sure your dog was just excited since there was no previous aggressive behaviour but it's up to the girl's parents how far it will go. You might get sued for emotional trauma, your dog could get registered as a dangerous animal and will always have to be muzzled and leashed but that's the worst outcome. I hate to bring up that old saying "when we were kids (40 years ago for me ) someone got nipped by a neighbours dog all the time, as long as it wasn't too bad our parents patched us up and went about their business, maybe with a smack to the head for going over uninvited to the neighbours property. Now a days children and parents are so much more sensitive so no telling how they will react. Apologise, cover any expenses and make sure it will never happen again. Good luck

 

You may want to fence your front yard and put a no trespassing sign up. This would be a preventative. Costly, but it may be necessary and may be what will provide peace of mind for all involved. My front yard is this way.

My neighbor told me my dog bit him. It was a bad injury. He had put his hand thru my fence to pet him as apparently he did every day. He told me he had no intention of suing me but that I needed to put a sign up so no little kids would be hurt.

The news of this bite shocked me. I know of several adult neighbors who had been petting him thru the fence for years with no problems. I could not understand what happened. I met with the neighbors as they walked by and asked them to please stop petting because he had bitten someone. They couldn't understand it either. It was sad to separate Smokey from his friends but I could not trust him anymore.

That was 6 years ago and Smoke died 2 years ago of old age. I was just outside two days ago and there is the little old man who Smoke bit with his hand thru the fence again trying to pet my new GSD Summer. I went over and asked him please not to and he should know better than anyone why not....

Well, he said "Why? I've always petted Smokey". I told him for the third time that Smoke died two years ago and this dog is not Smokey. He said "Smokey never bit me". "It was the black poodle that lives up the street". He didn't remember telling me it was my dog. All those years - the mistrust - the worry all because this man apparently hardly knows what planet he is on.

You will treat your dog differently. You have lost trust. If you can't do a fence and gate - maybe an intercom system at the front door that must be used to say "just a moment while I put the dog away" before that door ever opens. Might bring some ease to your mind about worry that this could happen again.

 

I know of several adult neighbors who had been petting him thru the fence for years with no problems. I could not understand what happened. I met with the neighbors as they walked by and asked them to please stop petting because he had bitten someone. They couldn't understand it either. It was sad to separate Smokey from his friends but I could not trust him anymore.

This stuck out to me.

We don't have a front yard fence, but we have chain link on one side in the back (long story - it was supposed to be wooden privacy and isn't). I'm constantly monitoring my dog and some little kids if the neighbor has her grandkids over. If one of us can't be out there with the dog, she has to stay inside. Rule #1 is YOU DO NOT PET A DOG THROUGH THE FENCE. I've repeated this to those kids more times than I can count. (I expect to have to because of their ages and it isn't like they're there all the time, so I don't expect them to remember from visit to visit.)

It isn't about trusting my dog; I absolutely trust my dog and frankly I think she's got a nicer disposition than most children. But she's still a dog, and letting people stick fingers at her through a fence is a risk to her. If someone's hands taste like something delicious or if she thinks they have a treat, if they poke her in just the wrong spot, I just can't take that gamble with her wellbeing. I'm just always surprised when I hear people are relaxed on that particular point, because the idea of my dog unsupervised in the backyard with kids next door gives me hives.

To the OP, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare. I don't have any advice. Just good wishes for you as you try to navigate this.

 

Did your son see what haappened. Yes 11year old boys i have one and he might possibly do it again on accident. They do have those fancy pet gates it curves i seen them in home goods or marshalls in the pet section. You can use that in front of the door so dog will not be able to get to front door . It is easily moved but a small deterrence. We used this in front of the door when my dad came to watch the dogs for us so i didn't have to over worry my dog may slip out of door. I know its hard to control what every one does inside the house. He may over reacted to her fear and in protective mode because she was not quite in the house. I don't know. Lucky no one got seriously hurt and is a warning- not every one gets those. It is good you are friendly with your neighbor. Maybe buy the little girl a prize to show them you were thinking about her and assume full responsibility being sincere always prevent any confrontations. Fence and no trespassing sign a good idea. Aldo,

 

I have little girls that like to open up my front door when people knock. They know the rules, they know they aren't supposed to, but they occasionally get rather excited when they see someone they know coming, and open it anyway. It's been a PITA since I got Lyka. I installed a latch at the very top of the door like they have in hotel rooms so they can't reach the lock to unlock it. You may do that if your 11yr old can't reach?.

Last week, I was on my front porch in the morning. My daughters were asleep when I went out. One woke up and opened the front door to see where I was right as a jogger was running by with her dogs. Lyka saw them through our large front window, and as soon as my daughter cracked the door, Lyka was off and running. Luckily, she just sniffed the dogs and I was able to grab her before she bite (she is a rescue, and highly dog aggressive), and got her back inside. Now I have a baby gate between my front door and the security screen. That way, if somehow they get past the lock, at least the gate will slow Lyka down in getting out. She isn't a jumper, so she just kinda lunges at the baby gate. It's not a perfect solution, obviously, but it helps.

As for the bite, I'm no expert, but it sounds like your GSD was playing and didn't intent to harm. But, it's still a recipe for disaster. Most definitely get a trainer in to help you. Lyka is improving by leap in bounds in the short time I have been working her with the trainer.

Hopefully your dog is UTD on all shots? Have the neighbors (adults) had interactions with you and your GSD before? I would be much more open to letting it slide if it were my child if I knew the owners were responsible and took time to train rather than it being a negligent owner.

 

No matter what happened or why, your dog bit a child and drew blood. Won't matter a fig if it was "herding" "playing" or aggression, he bit a child. Doesn't matter if you think the girl did something to your dog to make it bite or it all happened because your son opened the door and the dog got out.
He bit a child, will be marked as an aggressive dog from this moment on and now you will have to be super vigilent and super alert to your dog in public,whether your yard or a neighborhood walk.
Just pray the little girls parents don't talk to a lawyer and get all sue happy. Then you will have issues.

 

Animal control came yesterday and took Baron for the mandatory 10 day quarantine. After a review they decided to classify him as a "Dangerous Dog" which basically puts legal restrictions on what he can and can't do. Frankly, the animal control office said it's stuff any responsible dog owner would do and we already do it's just now legally required. Such as being walked by responsible adult, being vaccinated, being in an appropriate fence when outside. I hate that he's labeled but the rules are completely reasonable.

We spoke to neighbors and they are being so awesome. We are all upset it happened but they agreed that it was an accident in terms of him being out. They told animal control what good dog owners we are. We came up with a plan together of sending Baron off to a serious training facility when he is released from animal control. We will all then re-evaluate based on the recommendations of the behaviorist at the training facility etc as to the safety of him returning to us here. We agreed that we all need to be comfortable.

Thank you for all the advice here about what to expect and how to handle, it was really helpful.

 

Great news ...considering, hope the girl heals fast and Baron will be home soon.

 

Oh my word! A situation that was handled perfectly by all parties involved. What a rarity in this day and age. Congratulations and thanks for being such a great GSD owner/representative

It's good that he will be seeing a behaviorist. I would want to know what triggered this too.

How is your son doing? I remember messing up when I was young. It's so scary to see several adults very upset over something you did. You never forget hard lessons like this.

 

Accidents do happen. And kids are not adults. They do things before they think about consequences. Sometimes they do not think at all. Sometimes they think they can manage something that they cannot. I don't think it is helpful to blame a child for a thing like this.

That being said, I probably would impress upon the boy that there is a possibility that if the dog gets loose again, and bites again, it might not be up to you all what happens to the dog. The dangerous dog that has another incident might be ordered to be euthanized. It may very well be out of your hands.

So, while we do not blame the child, and we put as many controls in place to prevent a future issue. I think we also have to let the boy know how serious it would be if the dog does get out again. If that means putting up a gate system on the porch or inside the front door, if that means crating the dog before opening the door, every single time, well he may be more willing to make sure if he knows the dog might be put to sleep if he doesn't follow the safety measure.

11 is young enough to make bad decisions, but big and strong enough to get the environment into a state that is unsafe -- he might come up onto the porch and not shut the gate, he may unlock the door and answer it while the dog is running loose in the house. I think you have to work with your big, little kid too to help him help your dog remain safe.

I am sorry this happened, and I am glad that you are taking responsibility for it and doing everything possible to find out why and prevent it from happening again. Hope the little girl is ok, and it is nice to have good neighbors, cherish them.

 

Similar thing happened to us not that long ago. I was playing fetch with my gsd in the front yard and a neighbor I didn't know walked across the street came up behind me and startled me. My dog walked over and jumped on him - scratching him. (no bark, no growl) Not dog people at all, called animal control and now he's potentially dangerous. (and he's met people - that I've seen approach us, many times with the ball in his mouth!)

We saw a behaviorist that did two tests and determined he's not aggressive in the least. Which he's not. He goes to doggy daycare every week and our dog walkers are obsessed with him. When he's decided your in his circle - he's yours forever. Strangers on the other hand - nope. We've used BAT training when introducing him to new people in the house which has worked wonders, but I know I can only use the "place" command with people in his circle that are entering the house. Otherwise, we don't even bother with it (especially with friends that have little kids or are scared of big dogs) and we put him upstairs in the kennel.

Being due with our first child - this situation makes me so, so nervous when the kid gets older. I mean, our dog already at 2 1/2 yrs. has his first "bite/scratch" what have you on record...accidents do happen, but it could mean the death of my wonderful dog in the future. I know he's still young, excitable and very trainable - but man, I feel you on this one, it's scary and it's a lot of work to manage a dog like this. Growing up with Collies, this is definitely a new element for me.

 

Always good to hear we're not alone. What's BAT training?

 

My house is considered a very chaotic home (we have six children and LJ) but my children know not to answer the door....EVER!! That is something that we have instilled in them since they were able to open doors. I hope everything has turned out ok and you were able to continue on and hopefully this is a great lesson learned

P.S. I know it can be costly but fencing the yard is a great way to help eliminate the need for your dog to rush out the door, other than training of course. I NEVER let LJ out in the front yard because it is not fenced and he is dog aggressive. But, he knows whenever I open the door to the backyard it is ok.

 

Bat

Behavior Adjustment Training: A New Approach to Problem Behaviors

Behavior Adjustment Training. It's worked really well for our guy when introducing him to new people in our house. (no they're not here to kills us) as well as introducing him to dogs. (he loves to do the herding crouch and pounce). I redirect him a couple times until I see he's calm and ready to meet.