My dog bit my son in the face. What should I do? Is euthanasia needed?

I'm so sorry that you're in this position! Behavior problems like this can be heartbreaking for everyone involved, and you're correct that the unpredictable nature of the aggression makes Jack much more dangerous to manage. I do believe that euthanasia can be a reasonable option in cases like these, even though this decision may be very difficult. If you want a professional opinion to help you make a decision, I would recommend consulting with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Jack in person. He/she can give you a much better idea of the risks involved in working with him and trying to manage him safely, as well as an opinion on the prognosis for significant improvement. Your vet should be able to help you find the nearest veterinary specialist in this field, generally at a referral center or teaching hospital, if this is something that you decide you want to do.

Hello. Extracting all of a pet's teeth is a major undertaking, & can cost many thousands of dollars. But, you cannot keep a dog that bites in a home with children. Hopefully, they can try to rehome the dog with a more suitable one, but if the bite was unprovoked & particularly vicious, then euthanasia may be the only option. Even a dog without teeth can still hurt a child, never mind creating a very scary situation for a child. This is always a tough & sad situation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Wow, this is very tough. Unprovoked aggression is very serious, especially since it was so bad that Ryder died. The big problem here is that you don't know what caused it, and that means this could happen again any time without warning. I'm very concerned about your baby, and what if he went after your newborn? Things like that have happened before, and you have to ask yourself do you trust him anymore? Would you trust him around your newborn? Could you live with yourself if he attacked your newborn? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, then honestly euthanizing is the best option. Trust me, I get how hard this is. I recently put my dog down for aggression against our kids. He was an anxious dog, and it was getting worse. He become protective over his bed, and one day when our back was turned, he bit our son in the face right next to his eye. A few millimeters over, and he would have gotten our son's eye. I could not trust him anymore, and had to put the safety of our kids first. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, he was only four. I get your despair, but you have to put your baby first. I hope this helps.

I'm so sorry about Thor. If training hasn't worked and he's still biting, especially without warning, he cannot be rehomed. I get where you are at with this. I had a Basset Hound I adored. He started getting crankier, and snapped at my kids a couple of times. Then one day, he bit my son in the face right next to his eye. If he had gotten his eye, my son could have been blind. As much as it hurt me to do it, I put him to sleep because my kids' safety was most important. I couldn't live with myself if he disfigured one of my kids. It's a hard hard decision, but in his case, putting him to sleep may be what is best for your family. I'm sorry.

You are facing a difficult decision. You need to consider your family’s safety first. Also the more you isolate Days the less enjoyable her life is. She can’t be placed with another family and you have done a good job trying to have her settle in but it has not worked. Unfortunately I do think having her humanely euthanized is the correct decision in this circumstance. While every life is precious we need to make tough decisions to protect others. She could cause life threatening injuries to you, your dogs and family or someone else and you would be liable since you’re aware of this aggressive behavior. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear you are going through this with Horus. If you have not tried behavioral training or anti-anxiety drugs, I would speak with a veterinarian before making the decision to put him down. I've had a couple of cases where the owners were at their wit's end and as a last ditch effort, I prescribed a combination of anti-anxiety medications and had them start behavioral training. After 3-6 months of this combination, I saw a drastic reduction in the aggression that the owners had reported. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Chewbacca is super cute! Biting children especially in the face is very serious. Chewbacca should not be in a home with young children. Biting in the face is unacceptable in any breed of dog. I recommend seeing a Veterinary Behaviorist for the best possible outcome. They can provide you and prognosis for his ability to be around children. Sadly it is likely best for him to be re-homed with someone with out children. I am not convinced that stress of moving has anything to do with the bite. I would at a minimum discuss this with your Vet at an appointment and consider behavior modifying drugs. In the meantime Chewbaca should be kept in a separate room from kids. I am sorry! I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!