Hey there (Agression issues after moving to a new house)

Hi there everyone, i was browsing and found this website, i have an English Springer Spaniel, who is now 4. This weekend has been just a nightmare, we moved house so now we are beside the road which is the main route to a primary school, now our dog has never grown up with children and finds them a threat. he was outside on saturday and a little girl come across the road, shouted on the dog teased him and put her arm over the gate the dog growled then she proceeded to pet the dog, which resulted in the dog biting her. now it was only a small bite on the arm which her mum had running under the tap and wasnt even going to take her to hospital but we convinced her it was for the best now she has changed her story saying the girl is traumatised and wanting the dog put to sleep. now the dog was in his own back garden minding his own business before they bothered him.

whats everyones opinions/tips on the situation?

welcome to the forum,
what a horrible thing to happen to you and your dog.

First of all, personally I dont think you or your dog are at fault, if your dog was within its own garden, and a child came unattended and stuck her hand through the fence and after a warning growl got bitten then unfortunately i think its down to the parent.

there is no way i would let my child go up to an unattended dog and pet it - especially if it was through a fence.

well thats what i thought, they have contacted the police and they have been round for a statement from her but never been near us..which makes me think that they havent a case, they also said today as i was out with the dog a walk that forensics were in to take photos of her wound...which i only thought they appeared if there was a murder and no witnesses and no person responsible..but i dunno. we have become the talk of the town and the dog has had loads of people writing him off but i stand my ground when i say that he is a good healthy dog who was only minding his own business.

Hi Laura and welcome to Dogsey

What a dreadful introduction to your new home.
If your dog is not well socialised with children he will no doubt have been tying to protect himself because he was fearful, the behaviour although regrettable is also understandable. Also dogs like familiarity and routine, the move will have unsettled him anyway.

I would make sure you write down every detail of what happened while it is fresh in your mind. I can't predict what the police will do but but I would say if you explained the circumstances to them and make every effort to ensure the access to your property is childproof (eg adding fine wire or boarding to your property to exclude small hands) they may take this into account.

I would also try to habituate your dog to children by taking him where he can view them from a distance and giving treats/praise so that he learns to associate them with good things. If you can find some wiling well behaved children to toss treats from a short distance this will help too.

Good luck, hope all goes well and that things work out and you are happy in your new home..

First I would apologise to the neighbour and say you`re dealing with the problem but make it clear that your dog acted on provocation within its own garden (otherwise it could be taken as an admission of guilt). You don`t need a neighbour dispute when you`ve just moved in.
Secondly, I`d invest quickly in solid 6` fences.

I feel very sorry for you.

However, don't apologise. It will only be construed as guilt.

I couldn't agree more than with Mini.

Firstly, your dog will be feeling unsettled by the move and if he is already fearful of children, then the girl sticking her hand through the fence will have forced him to feel the need to defend himself.

I would definitely invest in some kind of fencing or wire so that children cannot get through to your dog and try to get him used to being around children if at all possible.

My GSD bitch was not brought up around children and actually had a frightening experience when she was a pup, when 4 or 5 children jumped on her, just wanting to pet her, but she was terrified. After that, she was always fearful of children and would bark and growl if they came too near her.

I then moved house and had a young boy living next door with his parents. I introduced them slowly and got Joe (the neighbour) to play ball with my dog - which she loved, as well as getting him to feed her treats and come on walks with us. After a short time, she really enjoyed his company and so we started to introduce her to some of his friends.

I now live with my husband and his 5 year old son, as well as our 8 month old baby boy, and Flame is totally trustworthy with the children and their friends. It takes time, but can be done.

Good luck. PS. Your boy looks gorgeous.

thanks everyone for your comments, very high fence put up today so he cant get near the gate anymore...poor spotty!

You've done the right thing with the fence. Well done for the speed you did it.

Sincerely hope nothing comes of this - I hope the little girl is not really traumatised by this, especially as, in my eyes, your dog was blameless.

Chin up, honey xx

thank you x