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Newly aggressive


Guest Mkl
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Hi there

i have a 2 year old desexed female BC. She’s generally very placid and submissive. Unfortunately within the last 2 months she’s bitten 2 young kids on the face. I think they were just a warning that she was uncomfortable but there were no signs before that she was going to bite eg no growling. 

I’m unsure what to do now. After the 1st incident we did some 1:1 behaviour therapy but that seems to not have worked. Should I rehome her? I’m absolute heart broken at the thought of this but she’s causing me so much stress and I couldn’t cope if she hurt a little kid again. 

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I am betting there was some small signs that the children and you missed. I know with my BC hers are tiny and I have learned to read them, Ears back, licking of lips, pulling away. 

As far as the biting I would say don't allow children to pet her or interact for long periods, with mine she puts up with it for a bit but she was not tolerate most kids roughly petting her and will rely on me to keep her comfortable. 

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I wouldn't allow her near kids at all. One of mine adored kids and was very good with them. The other 3, not so much. My current boy I keep away from kids, it's not worth the risk of a child being seriously hurt.

Several years ago, I saw a 5 or 6 yr old girl, stitches and bruises all over her face, shoulders and arms. Her grandmother's small breed dog had gone after her and done that in under 3 minutes. So, this kid is scarred for the rest of her life, grandma's on the hook for medical fees, a rift has opened in that family that will likely not heal, and the dog is dead. Put down that day, I think the girl's mom said.

That's why I say keep her away from kids. She's learned that biting kids makes them go away. You'd never be able to relax with her when around children, and that will make her uneasy all by itself. Not worth all the heartache it can cause. To say nothing of the legal liabilities - since she's bitten kids already, you've got a known danger on your hands. And she would lose her life.

Ruth & Gibbs

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I agree with Urge To Herd, above. There are many ways that you can work with her to make a difference in this behavior. But I would advise never allowing any contact with a child again, ever, for any length of time whatever. Short or long period of time makes no difference, as is noted above. Tragedy can occur in 3 seconds.

 It is too great a risk to the dog's life to allow her to be around kids, and I would not let her be around strangers until you have fully addressed this issue. If you re-home her, you are only passing along this problem to another person, who may not handle it well and something terrible may happen, so keep that in mind when you are considering your options. Work with a qualified dog behaviorist who uses only positive training methods and see what can be done. But if you love your dog, her contact with kids is over permanently.

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2 hours ago, urge to herd said:

I wouldn't allow her near kids at all. One of mine adored kids and was very good with them. The other 3, not so much. 

Ruth & Gibbs

I put up my hand to stop kids who coming running toward the cute dog, sometimes even step between the oncoming small marauder(s) and simply say, "I'm sorry, kids, he doesn't like strangers". Thankfully that's always worked. If there are adults nearby, I always get thanks/appreciation from them.

I don't like it, one of my greatest joys has been my girl that loved kids. And Buzz didn't like kids, but he loved any adults at all. BUT, it's my job to keep humans safe and my dog safe. There are risks that are not worth the possible outcome.

 

Ruth & Gibbs

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