all the more reason to look into it deeply

Thanks, I'm just worried for him.

I know you are worried, but until you know the details, reading that stuff wont help at all. like DD said, he gave a warning growl so he was probably uncomfortable with the situation and its better that he growled than just leapt in and bitten (although, in this case the boy still was bitten, but if the growl had been listened to he probably wouldnt have).

what about baby gates, crates etc or even putting him in another room when young relatives are about, if you dont trust him? i dont mean this to sound harsh, but you brought him into this world so you need to take responsibility of the situation and help this young dog in any way you can.

This is why I have taken him rather than let him just be put to sleep.

I know I can use baby gates and such but the lay out of my home its not pratical really.

I've taken some of the advice on here - he is going to the vets tomorrow for an assessment and they will determine if he can be rehomed or if he cannot.

This really sucks. - I've always been one of the people to blame it on the owners when things like this happen. Poor little boy. Hopefully George will be able to be rehomed.

There could be a very good reason he reacted in that way and a quick vet check might not determine why.
The full facts need to come out he gave a warning growl for a reason did something happen that nobody saw. Was the dog in pain.
Like i said HD and ED can come out at this age were the parents both hip and elbow scored?
The temperaments of the parents is only a start in responsible breeding then on top of that you need responsible owners. Did these people have any experiance in the breed?
I've owned a rott for coming up to 7 yrs now and i still have loads to learn.
It just saddens me that the first sign of a problem and the dog could be written off when it could so have been avoided in so many ways.

a vet visit is a great idea, as a medical problem can afect behaviour.
however, they wont bre able to do a rehoming assessment for you, most vets arent qualified as they arent trained in animal behaviour and training.

only you could start to determine this when you know the facts, then you could get help of a behaviourist

i know you have taken him, and its great that you have... but any responsible breeder should... thats the responsibility of bringing little lives into the world. if baby gates wont work, what will you do in the long term then? also, what about a crate?

its great he is going for an assessment at the vets, but that may not provide answers. also, what if you cant rehome him? a dog that has bitten is difficult to rehome, especially if its a bite that has ended with a little boy being taken to A&E.

i dont mean to sound harsh or anything, and i know you are upset... i just dont want to see this dog being PTS if it isnt warranted.

There are too many things not known as yet, a vet is not always able to make that decision either.
My thoughts are
- a bite is different than an attack
- what damage did the dog do to the kid (draw blood, puncture wound, or just mark the skin)
- the dog is going to be highly unsettled now, he is in a new environment, so any assessment on his behaviour needs that taken into account
- not knowing if the child did anything towards the dog and the dog reacting the way it did

they are just my thoughts on the matter, I do not believe the dog has to be pts at this stage and the parents of the child would be highly upset right now and the decision does not need to be immediate.

I am not saying pts or not but all this has just happened and if the dog is posing no threat right now I would be waiting for a few days before anything is set in stone, at the same time not disregarding anything that has happened, and would not be leaving the dog with any children or when out not leaving him with your other dogs.
Just repeating all this is only IMO

Definitely find out all the facts before making a decision.

I hope things work out for you and the pup and it's a case of a bit of re-training is all that is required.

If you're unable to keep the dog, perhaps approach your nearer Rottweiler rescue(s) for some advice and support. I agree with everyone else - the dog may not be at fault here, especially as there was a warning growl. Any dog is capable of biting to defend itself, it's not the most ideal thing but it's natural for a dog, and as suggested, the dog may be in pain and have acted out. You don't know how the dog was trained, how the son behaved around it, what happened and whether there were warning signs for this behaviour happening weeks ago - someone posted about dog 'attacks' on children recently and how it often emerges that the child has hurt the dog, accidentally or on purpose.
I had a GSD with bad hip dysplasia, which started from a young age, and I know on her really bad days she probably would've bitten if pushed. For that reason, she was kept away from my stepsisters when they visited (not all that often so it was easy enough to achieve) and if they did interact with her, it was under my supervision and with warnings to be careful and not touch her back end. They were old enough to understand fortunately and nothing ever happened, but I know if they'd been left unsupervised and forgot what they were told, they may have gone to stroke her bad hips or give her a hug (she was still a cuddly dog despite her pain!) and if they'd exerted the wrong amount of pressure or wobbled and fallen on her, she may well have snapped out of pain. I wouldn't have called her an aggressive dog but pain can make a dog forget all its training and manners and make it just act instinctively. If anything had happened I would be blaming myself a lot more than the dog.
I really hope you can sort this Rottie out, whether it's discovering that this was all just an unfortunate incident that's very unlikely to ever happen again, or to find out there's a health reason behind it - even if it may be kinder to have this boy PTS. I hope you can sort it out and find the best answer