My Lab/ chow mix bit a child!!

[Kosy]

I, too, am happy that the little girl is okay. In many states dog bites are reported by hospital staff for purposes of statistics, and animal control might receive a report. I'm curious--did animal control give you a warning? I am not trying to start anyhting here--I'm just curious as to wheter the bite resulted in any action.

[Pam]

When my daughter (who posts here as Christiansmommy) was about 3 or 4 years old she was riding her big wheel down the sidewalk. The neighbor's dog ran down the driveway and bit her on the leg. I mean that when she tried to get off the bike the dog was still hanging on. Of course the neighbors were mortified and apologetic, etc. I just asked them to provide me with proof of rabies vaccination and we let it go at that. We were not very close with these people, either before or after the fact, and I noticed that after a while I never saw the dog around. By the way, my daughter to this day is still the biggest animal lover around (next to me )

[Alysser]

It sounds to me your dog wanted to be left alone and got angry. Just watch him more carefully next time. And tell your daughter not to go near him when he is relaxing or tired. Tell all your kids so it doesnt happen agian and watch the dog around other kids. Also, chows are known to be aggresive so mabye thats why.

[bckrazy]

I definitely think that all time with children from now on should be strictly supervised. Make sure that every encounter your dog has with kids is a POSITIVE one, meaning NO kids crawling on him, pulling on him, or being rough. The kids should be taught only to gently pet the dog and offer him treats. If the kids start chasing or hounding him, the playing ends quickly! It does not take much for a dog's teeth to scrape a baby's head, but that does show a lack of bite inhibition. On your part, you should start teaching him to have a gentle mouth by holding treats between your fingers and only allowing him to take the treats if he licks, NOT bites or nibbles it. You should also play tug with his toys and occasionally slide your hand down near his mouth. Even if he accidentally nips you, cry out like you're in pain and end the game to show him that nipping is not tolerated.

You should provide a safe place for your dog, not under the table. Get him a nice, secure plastic crate or a wire crate with a cover and place it in the area of your house where he is most often. Leave the crate door open, so if the dog is stressed, he will instinctively go to his crate for safety. All kids that come to your house need to learn that the crate is a NO-kids zone! If kids go near the crate to harass the dog, they get to leave, or go on a time-out A good behaviorist is also HIGHLY recommended! Even if you think this was an isolated incident, this is serious for you and your dog, if he bites again he is at risk of being euthanized.

Maltese_Love, thats a pretty rude, generalized statement about Chow-Chows. Well-bred Chow's are bred for a steady, calm temperament. Yes, they are a bit more reserved breed, but they are not supposed to be "aggressive". I grew up playing with my friend's 2 very well-bred, beautiful Chows who had totally great temperaments, they would allow us to dress them up and put bows all over them

[Alysser]

No its not. I am not stating that Chow Chows are horrible and aggressive. They were bred for guarding so thats a trait they have. And I am not saying her dog is aggressive. I MENT to say they are aggressive at times.

[bckrazy]

uhm, ok. Your words were ~ Chows are known to be aggressive. You didn't say they're "horrible, aggressive" dogs, but you DID say they are aggressive. Basically every one of the working breeds was bred to guard, as were most of the Herding breeds and even sporting breeds. What I'm saying is that this most likely isn't about the breed, it's about a dangerous situation for the dogs and the kids. Even a Yorkie (NOT bred to guard, obviously), when chased and backed into a corner by a child, is very prone to nip them in a situation where they feel the need to protect themself.