Dog Bites Advice Needed

I disagree with Gamma G. If your son had 7 marks on him due to the animal biting him, there is a problem. Regardless of him running after the dog, bothering the dog. 7 times is too many. I would let your son's father know that you are concerned about the bites and the lack of supervision with the dog. I would let them know that to you this is a big deal and that they need to get a handle on the dog or your son will not be coming over. I would also take photos of the marks. You might need them.

Some dogs should not be around kids, this might be one of them. If that is the case, the dog either needs to be put up when your son is there or they need to take him back.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why people think small dogs biting isn't a big deal. As if the facts that they are small and don't often break skin are good reasons for them to be mean. The dog hurt your son, 7 times, that cannot be allowed, whatever the reason behind the bite.

I would take pictures and get your ex on board with this never happening again. Also, talk to your son about speaking up and talking to his father when he needs help.

I would take pics and document what you saw and what was said. I would take your son to the doctor to have the bites checked out, which will also provide further documentation. No, it's not right for a child to be bit or nipped at that many times. However, children (and sometimes some adults) need to be taught proper behavior around dogs. Running from dogs, jumping around, teasing them with toys or their hands, getting on the ground/floor with them, chasing after them, etc. - all these activities can over-excite a dog and causing them to get more nippy or attempt to bite. Kids often think it is great fun to get dogs riled up like this, until they end up getting hurt.

So I do think it's a balancing act, between teaching kids proper behavior around dogs, and adults making sure they are supervised at all times - if this cannot be accomplished, then the dog should either be kept confined away from the kids (crate, small room) or place in a different home without children. Some dogs are more excitable and nippy than others and are not a good mix with small kids. Some have not been trained properly not to jump and bite at people.

I would talk to your son's father again, and ask if the dog is current on rabies vaccines and if they can show proof. I would also make it clear that if preventative steps are not taken, you will be speaking with your attorney about modifying the child custody arrangements since you will not allow your son to be put at risk for injury. I would also make sure your son understands how to avoid dog bites in the future - which will not only be helpful at Grandma's house, but any other time when he is around other dogs as well.

I'm an insurance agent so dog bites hit a nerve with me. I don't believe this isn't a "big deal". ONE small nip is not a big deal, SEVEN, ya, that's a big deal in my book. I would take pictures, document it in email to the ex and also contact the grandma and tell her what happened. Suggest that the dog is kept outside when kids are in the house, or gated inside a separate room. I have low tollerance for making "excuses" for a dog that bites kids. After they are contacted and its documented, if it happened again, I would file for temporary custody and ask for a hearing. Your ex is putting your son at physical risk. Good luck.

Well if there is a supervision problem as bad or sad as it may sound. I would be taking my son to the doctor for the dog bites. By law-they HAVE to report it and by law the pound or AKA animal control has to come out and investigate it. Well at least that is the way it is here in Georgia. It may vary from state to state and county to county.
If they don't want to supervise the children around an obvious dog that needs the training not to act that way then they may be forced to do so by you simply taking your son to the doctor. That would be my suggestion if your son isn't gettting the supervision he needs in order to be safe. They will get mad at you but I'd rather DO something about it now rather than wait until the dog snarls his face off-small dogs are no exception. I get so sick and tired of the bigger breeds getting blamed when they "snap" yet it's okay for a little bitty dog to "snap" -it's no different other than the bigger dogs doing more damage quicker but believe me a smaller dog can do just as much-I've seen it happen.
Children also have to be taught how to act around animals too-I'm not totally blaming the dog here so just take the responsability of teaching your son how to act and treat animals. Doesn't sound like Dad is going to be the one to do that even though it IS his responsability to teach him AS WELL AS the dog. You can control your son but the dog is another story and unfortunately to protect your son you may have to rat the dog out by going to the doctors and telling them what happened. If the laws are the same there as it is here in Georgia then Dad/Grandmother will have NO choice and they will have to pay for it as well especially if they decide that the dog needs to be quarantined.

I would also say it wasn't a big deal because my FIL's dog will snap and bite, not breaking the skin EVER, if her space is invaded. She was a breed dog that lived in a cage, never really socialized to be around people much less kids.

This dog will take some time to get used to the new home and I would ask that they put up a baby gate or something to keep the dog in a smaller space until the dog gets better socialized to your son.

They need to spend some time together so they can get familiar with each other. He needs to get to know her signals that she is done and needs to be left alone.

One thing that your post points out is they didn't know your son had been bit. That tells you something. It wasn't hard enough to make him cry, he let it happen numerous times without saying anything, he might have been annoying the dog too, etc....

If he had been crying they would have noticed. If he told them the dog was chasing him and biting him they would have noticed and put a stop to it. If the dog had been growling and barking at your son to get him to go away they would have noticed.

The dog needs some time to get used to your son being there and it will take longer since he doesn't live there. Your son needs to recognize that the dog is not like the rest of the animals he's come into contact with. He needs this to be a learning experience on how to interact with strange animals and how to use his words if he's uncomfortable.

There is no telling what this little dog has been through. Sometimes they have been tortured by children, think of the little boy and how he treated toys in Toy Story 1, no one can tell how a new animal is going to react to a situation especially a rescue dog. They are usually sent to a shelter because the family didn't have any idea how to socialize or train this animal and they found themselves having a pet that didn't know how to "go" outside or how to get along with them, or some other area that the first family had no idea.

Just talk to ex and ask they help the dog to socialize with your son and to keep them separated a bit until they can see the dog is more comfortable with him.

Did it break skin? Take pictures now and lots of them. Has do had shots? Did u see the pedatrician? Not good it is a BIG deal! Good luck and clean those wounds well very well and often keep bacitracin on it too. Youre lucky it wasn't his eye!

This is a big deal. Not only is your child being hurt physically, but he is developing a fear of dogs. How much fun could the visits to his father's be for him if he is afraid of the dog? Not a lot of supervision going on here, obviously-I don't blame the dog, I blame the dad and the grandmother. Take pictures, document the bites, and I would absolutely insist on better supervision or the dog must stay outside-or your son won't be staying overnight. Very sad situation. Having a dog can be so great and so special for kids when the dog and the child are properly supervised.

I am picturing your son and his cousins running from the dog and the dog chasing and reaching up and nipping them. No violence; no problems with the dog's temperament - just kids playing with a dog.

I have to agree with them - it's no big deal. My 4 mo. old german shepherd does the same to my granddaughters and any other child who will run so he can chase them. He doesn't mean to "bite" them; he's playing and it's like a kid playing "tag." He's tagging them. He never does it hard; it doesn't hurt them. If it did hurt, it would have been an accident on the dog's part.

I really think you ought to let this one go. Your son is fine. Obviously the dog didn't hurt him since your ex didn't even know anything had happened. Most separated parents are always looking for fault with the other for. I think you need to find something else this time.

I trained my dog not to bite. My kids were 10+ when I got him. But when the grandkids came along, I was very close to him (my dog) whenever the grandkids were around until I knew They were safe around him.

Now, if he has had enough and needs "protection" he comes to me and I lift him up to my lap. I've taught my grandkids to "pet him nice" and he and they are good companions.

Your former husband can do the teach the dog not to bite. I would start by having your former husband run away from the dog. If the dog chases him and tries to bite, I'd turn abruptly and grap the dog's mouth, squeeze the mouth closed and say "no" or "aacchh" loudly until the dog stops.

Good luck to you and yours.

Take your son to the doctor and document this. Take pictures of the injuries. Then talk to his father again. I have no idea what your son was doing to or around the dog or what the temperament of the dog is, but you're right - it's very clear there was no supervision, in any case.

Does the dog need training? Probably. Does your son need to learn how to behave around dogs? Probably. But the problem here is that your son was injured somehow and no one really knows what happened. Address this immediately, because it is not acceptable.

I hope your little guy is ok. No one who has responded so far has addressed the possibility of infection. When my daughter was 2, our dog scraped her hand with a tooth--not strictly a bite, but it broke the skin.
By the following morning, a red line started going up her arm-it was infected, commonly called blood poisoning. We had to start her on antibiotics. Last April, my son-in-law got a bite on his hand from his own dog. By the next evening, the red line was nearly up to his armpit. Untreated, this kind of infection can be fatal. Do not ever take a dog bite lightly. Even with current vaccinations, the wound can get infected. Please educate all adults who have the responsibility of watching your children.