Harry’s been nipped

[RobinRed]

Poor Harry my 5 month old has just been nipped by a male dog we dont know on the evening walk. Both were on leads and in a controlled manner we were letting them say hello but next thing I knew Harry was crying and obviously distressed 😞. The only damage I can see at the moment is a small bald patch by his ear (no blood looks more like skins been rubbed off) but he’s still stressed so won’t let me inspect him properly. I’ve not had to deal with anything like this before - any advice please on should I disinfect? What with? And what should we do if we see this dog again -avoid or try again? The owner was very apologetic but did say afterwards that he is nervous (he’s a lovely looking field spaniel).

[Leo0106]

Hi,
I'm sorry I can't give any real practical advise but just wanted to wish your pup well and hope he is not too traumatised.
The only thing I will say is, at about 5 months old our pup Leo was 'attacked' by a terrier when off lead, luckily Leo ran away when he could get out of being pinned down. This happened at our agility class and our trainer was there who observed it, the terrier was then kept on a lead for the rest of the session however immediately after it happened our trainer advised us just to recall leo, walk with him as normal and just complete a visual inspection initially, when he had calmed down we then handled him to check for any injury, which there wasn't.

Our trainer said the most important thing to do from a behavioural point of view is visually inspect and make no big deal about it, wait until he is really calm and settled until you inspect so that he dosnt form any fear of other dogs etc.

[RobinRed]

Thank you Leo0106 that’s helpful to know. At the time I diverted him with a handy bit of sausage and we finished our walk - he’s currently trying to eat our Christmas cards  so I’m hoping there’s nothing deeper lurking in his dark fur but I should get the chance to inspect properly when he zonks out later this evening.

[Pearly]

Dilute hibiscrub can be used to clean wounds - available from your Vets or a chemist (just don’t admit it’s for a dog  ) 1 part hibiscrub to 10 parts tepid water.

It sounds as though you handled the situation as well as you could for your boy - just be aware that he may be a bit more reactive when on a lead and perhaps avoid introducing him to other dogs.....it’s important to socialise pups at a young age but no need to do so as they get older!  I’m as guilty and thought I was doing the right thing in encouraging doggy interaction but they don’t need it and the risk is a nip or worse.......

It’s a good behaviour to teach Harry to ignore other dogs and get on with his own business, especially on a lead as he has no where to “go” and is likely to be a little defensive (I would be if I’d been nipped  )

Hope he’s ok and no lasting damage is done,

Jayne

[Londongirl]

Henry got bitten by another dog when he was just 4 months old. They were playing when all of a sudden the other dog got aggressive. Henry was bitten on the ear, and went hairing off into the distance as soon as he could get away, yelping. Luckily someone stopped him mid-pelt and scooped him up. We were as calm as we could be about it, checked him over, saw there was blood, popped him on the lead and walked him home, no fuss. Luckily it didn’t have any last affect on him - he was out bothering other dogs to play with him the same afternoon! I have tried to teach him to leave other dogs alone, but it’s not always easy.
 
Hopefully your little one will shake it off. If he does show signs of being a bit reactive, there’s no harm in steering clear of other dogs for a while,

[Leo0106]

Sounds like you handled it really well, the temptation for me to scoop Leo up and cuddle and fuss him was overwhelming when it happened to us but we were lucky enough to have help on hand and we've had no further issues with leo And dogs, he's a rough player but now knows when no means No!
Hope your little one is ok and still enjoys his chrismtas spoilings 😊

[RobinRed]

Thank you all for your sound advice and reassurance. I’ve been trying so hard to get things right with Harry. We have an old girl Missi who is 13 and she has never shown interest in other dogs when out and about, I always thought she was missing out on the fun but now I’m starting to think she just knew better! Harry seems happy as can be at the moment so hopefully no lasting damage (will check later). It’s too late to get hibiscrub now but will pop out tomorrow and get some as sounds like it will be a good store cupboard item which I hopefully won’t need 🙂.

[bizzylizzy]

Poor little Harry, hope he‘s none  the worse for his episode. Those long floppy ears can be a bit of an Archilles Heel as far as other dogs are concerned, Humphrey‘s had his nipped a couple of times. I‘ve found that he‘s totally unforgiving though and once an incident has happened, those dogs are on his enemy list, he‘s not prepared to give them a second chance, but then I don‘t suppose I would either! 
  to Harry