I think the description below, tells its own story, the interpretation comes from the owner of the dog, not made up by anyone else.

The level of injury was such, because the owner was quick to act and was near enough to stop the dog.

Maybe so, but i highly doubt it...so as you know much about this breed do you honestly believe that is this had been a serious attack the owner would have got the dog off leaving the child with just a scratch because i truely believe if it was a serious attack the owner would have very much struggled to get such a powerful dog off the child and i guess the child would have been left with more than a scratch..but i dont know about the breed, so you tell me!

Hello everyone long time no post

Well I have read through this post and here's what I think taking in to account I have only ever owned Dobermanns and have done for 27yrs now, I have 6 at the moment 2 of which are intact males.

You have taken on a dog regardless of it's sex that sound to me like he's been pushed from pillar to post for most of his life, and has been abused, he obviously hasn't been socialised properly with children he may never of had any contact at all with children yet he has been brought into a house with a very small child and is expected to cope with one!!!!!
I would as quite a few posters have said get him to the vet and get him checked out to see if he needs medical treatment it could be something serious like thyroid or cushings if he has hair loss, or something simple like an ear infection that has made him bad tempered, but I think it's simply that he doesn't really like children (I know the feeling) simply because he hasn't had the contact with them whilst growing up, once you have seen the vet you may get a better Idea of why he is acting the way he is, if you get the all clear health wise for him then you have to look at what is best for you your son and the dog, maybe in the right hands he can be a family pet without the stress of having young children around him, not all dogs cope with children even if they have there own they can find other children hard work just like we can, maybe he's to damaged to rehome some dog's are, then the only thing you can do is have him PTS, but please before making that decision try all avenues to give him a chance of a long happy life even if it is with someone else, I'm in no position to physically help you as I don't live in the UK anymore.


Bilclarie

This, this, A MILLION TIMES this. I would NEVER home an adult male dobermann that did not have a proven track record with children to a home that had kids. This was VERY irresponsible on both the original family (who allowed this dog with an unknown history into the new family's home) as well as the new family for not doing enough research on the breed.

Hello, DD, darling! (Casandra) Lovely posts in this thread <3

This dog should have never been allowed to be given to a family with such little experience in the breed, let alone with small children. All it takes is ONE incident in a Dobermann's past (such as another dog attacking him/her at a dog park) or any other breed for that matter, to scar them for life.

Putting this dog to sleep just because of HUMAN negligence would be wrong imho. This is likely NOT the dog's fault at all. There was an adult in the room, and she let her eyes wander, that is not supervising. For all we know, the dog could be head/neck shy due to some trauma sustained in his past and the child went to grab on his ears/head.

If I had this dog, I would be straight to the vets for an extensive round of testing (thyroid, liver & blood panels) in order to rule out any pre-existing condition which may have led to the incident. Dobermanns are prone to Thyroid problems, and often this is an invisible culprit.

If medically clear, I would hire a professional behaviourist and only when the issues are properly diagnosed and treated, would I try to privately rehome this dog. Private rehoming is a dangerous thing, as we've discovered already in this thread. You need to be extra careful about whose hands this dog ends up in. A breed rescue is probably the best option for him right now.

I can't really comment much more, as I have no idea how this dog is treated on a day to day basis. What his diet consists of, what training, exercise and mental stimulation he gets every day etc..

Please don't give up on him, this was very likely not his fault at all. He did not ask to be poorly treated in his past, he didn't ask to be rehomed 3+ times in a year...

It was just poor judgement on the parts of his past two homes, which he should not have to pay the ultimate price for.

Read the original post, just once and then you will see how serious it was and how much worse it could of been. Note she DID struggle to get the dog off!

Good post from some one that owns the breed!

If it was one of your CC `s I woudl say the same, if the dog had to be pulled off a 3 yr old, then it would be PTS..

The fact the dog in question is Dobe, is extremey important, NOT because it's a Dobe, but because of the dogs size , strength, a dog that large can kill a child , your CC`s would probably just maim..but the outcome woudl be the same... the dog would be PTS!!!

And considering the turmoil the poster must be going through telling her all dogs should be given a chance and she is wrong to have it PTS, is not helping...neither is comparing it to a CC that was aggressive to friends when they came to your home.

I dont need to read it again i read it before posting! You didnt answer my question though lol..
and i said struggled to get the dog off which i guess would leave the kid with more injuries...in other words if it was that bad and she struggled so much why did the kid just leave with just a scratch.

If a Dobermann intended to attack a young child or anyone else for that matter it would take a hefty chunk out of whatever part of the body it aimed it's attack at rather than leave a graze and a bruise. Even a nip would do damage. As for the trying to get back when being pulled off, I've already said I think it was probably giving a good telling off. Syd does it to Frank whenever Frank pushes his considerable patience but never even makes contact. He's not adverse to telling my Grand daughter off in a similar fashion, he's telling her to do one, b*gger off and leave him alone. The difference is Syd is as steady as a rock and has had a damn good upbringing and knows his boundaries, that doesn't mean he should put up with being yanked about when he's already made it plain he doesn't want it. The owner doesn't sound that confident tbh and that's not a dig. I can fully understand she was freaked out by the incident.

Would think Thyroid testing would be a good idea, especially as its a Dobe, but I doubt it will change the OP's confidence she has lost in her dog and the fear her child may now have.