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DoninDEN
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Location: Denver, USA
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21-05-2016, 04:33 AM

Newbie: adopted JRT bit my daughter

This is my first post and our first time owning a Jack Russell. We rescued a four year old male from the shelter and he is as sweet as can be. But tonight while he was sitting on the couch with my wife and daughter he started a low growl and bit my daughter on her nose. What are your suggestions? My wife is shook up and I'm not happy.

He exhibits other traits unlike other dogs, we've owned. He is the most bullheaded dog I've had, insistently pulling on the lease and singlemindedly focused on searching for squirrels and what ever he wants. Is this breed, prior experience or training specific?

He has been in and out of the shelter at least twice. We would like this to be his home.

Thank you!
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brenda1
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21-05-2016, 07:15 AM
Firstly is your daughter ok and how old is she? Secondly I would take him back to the shelter and ask relevant questions about what he was like when they had him and where did he come from originally. Only then can you decide whether to kep him. Your daughter is your first priority.
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Norma808
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21-05-2016, 08:20 AM
In total agreement with Brenda 1
Your daughter is your priority
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Nippy
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21-05-2016, 08:49 AM
Hi DoninDen.
JRTs are not always easy dogs believe me!! but they are loving and funny.
I have found they can be a one man/woman dog, and so maybe your dog was a little bit jealous of your daughter being near your wife.
It is difficult to tell without knowing something of his background.
As Brenda said see if you can find out more about him.
Oh and if any JRT I have had has seen a squirrel nothing would have stopped them
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NickyAnn
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21-05-2016, 11:23 PM
Originally Posted by DoninDEN View Post
This is my first post and our first time owning a Jack Russell. We rescued a four year old male from the shelter and he is as sweet as can be. But tonight while he was sitting on the couch with my wife and daughter he started a low growl and bit my daughter on her nose. What are your suggestions? My wife is shook up and I'm not happy.

He exhibits other traits unlike other dogs, we've owned. He is the most bullheaded dog I've had, insistently pulling on the lease and singlemindedly focused on searching for squirrels and what ever he wants. Is this breed, prior experience or training specific?

He has been in and out of the shelter at least twice. We would like this to be his home.

Thank you!
The dog was in the shelter for a reason, and now you know what it is. You have no options because the next time your daughter might lose her nose or finger. This is why I no longer adopt from shelters, as nice a feeling as it is to save a dog, it often isn't worth it.
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Crysania
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21-05-2016, 11:51 PM
A few questions:

1. How long has the dog been in your home? Dogs who have been kicked around a lot can be really stressed out and it won't take much to be pushed over the edge. My younger dog was kicked around SO MUCH in a short period of time (original home to shelter to foster to another shelter to another foster to totally inappropriate adopters back to second foster then to me so we were his 8th home in about 3 months). He was hugely stressed out and while he didn't bite anyone, he was really mouthy, out of control, and chewed on everything. It took him a few months to completely settle in and now 11 months later, he's really OUR dog and all of those unwanted behaviors have gone away.

2. What do you know of this dog's background? It's possible he's not comfortable with young children. Some dogs simply aren't and that has NOTHING to do with coming from a shelter. I've known plenty of dogs from breeders who have been nervous around strangers or children because they were never appropriately socialized with them when they were puppies.

3. What was the whole story of what happened? The fact that the dog growled FIRST is a good thing, but it sounds like the growl and the bite (nip? I'm not sure if this was an all out bite or more of a nip, though I know to a parent it doesn't much matter the degree because your baby has been hurt) happened close together.

I think it's a good idea to take a step back and maybe call the shelter to discuss more. Maybe this is a dog better in an adult only home, in which case it may be better not only for YOU but for the dog as well, to be rehomed to a place where he is more comfortable.

But it could be stress related and so will he calm and settle as he feels more comfortable? That's for you to decide if you want to work with him. I would definitely say to be careful of him with your daughter. Limit their interaction and maybe talk to someone (trainer, behaviorist, someone who works with positive methods) about some ways they can interact that will take the pressure off.

(Also, your description of him is pretty much par for the course with JRTs.)
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tumbleweed
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22-05-2016, 09:08 AM
Not going to comment on previous posts but the golden rule when getting a dog from a shelter or rescue organisation is to ask " why is the dog in shelter/rescue in the first place"? Many don't know the past history of an animal but they should unless brought in by a dog warden.
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Trouble
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22-05-2016, 09:24 AM
Originally Posted by tumbleweed View Post
Not going to comment on previous posts but the golden rule when getting a dog from a shelter or rescue organisation is to ask " why is the dog in shelter/rescue in the first place"? Many don't know the past history of an animal but they should unless brought in by a dog warden.
The trouble with that is people lie when handing a dog in. I think you have to rely on your own judgement tbh. If a previous owner was to say the dog had bitten someone the dog would probably be pts.

Op do you want to keep the dog?
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Crysania
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22-05-2016, 11:37 AM
I think the question of "do you want to keep the dog" is the most pertinent one here. How comfortable is the OP?

There are a lot of unanswered questions here. Dogs rarely bite for no reason. Dogs who bite are either pushed to it after warnings are not heeded or have had their warnings inhibited (by all the people who think growl = aggression, so we should punish it out of the dog). I doubt this dog bit for no reason. It may not be a reason humans AGREE with, but I doubt it was with no reason. I suspect based on what little is said here the child leaned over the dog and the dog considered that a threat. The growl was not listened to and so it snapped at the child to get her away. That's not something *I* would want in a dog who was around a young child all the time because it's clear the dog is uncomfortable and that it snaps far too easily. I'd rather have a dog like my older girl around kids. She puts up with a LOT from children and only once growled at a young boy who grabbed her face to pull himself up. We got the child's hands off her mouth and away from her and all was fine. But she's steady and doesn't go from warning to snap easily or quickly.

So perhaps this dog is just not appropriate for a family with a young child. He might be perfectly fine in an adult only home. But the real question is does the OP want to work with the dog to make him more comfortable and therefore stop something like this from happening again or would the OP rather adopt a dog who is more tolerant of children?
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Moobli
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24-05-2016, 09:10 AM
Difficult decision to make but I think if a rescue dog bit my child (unprovoked) then I would have to make the difficult decision to return it to the rescue centre. Your child's safety must be your priority.

If you would like to keep the dog then, as others have said, try to find out more about it's history. Did it come from a home with children? Has it bitten before?

JRTs can have a high prey drive and are usually very energetic, so if you do decide to keep him then perhaps up his exercise and give his busy brain something to do. Barn hunts (I think you have over there) sound ideal.
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