worrying behavior

hi was wondering if any 1 would be able to help me i have a 1 year old staffy boy and a 5 year old child i have had my dog since he was 5 weeks old yes i no was to early but his mam regected him and normaly the dog and child get on with each other but the last week the dog has growled snaped and bit my son not breaking the skin im really worried as i dont want this to happen again and i really dont want to get rid of the dog any tips on how to make sure this dosent happen again would be very helpfull thanks

I haven't experienced it myself, has it just come on? Exercise?

Maybe you could come and say hi....

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

was your child alone with your dog? could he have hurt him in any way, you know standing on his tail by accident?

hi no i was in the room with them both we were all sittin on the sofa and boomer was inbetween us and my son went to put his hand on his back to stroke him and boomer just turned and bit him on the arm boomer was a sleep so i supose he cud ov got a fright when my son stroked him and would ov probably put it down to that myself if this was the first time he had shown aggression towards him but its not this is the 3rd time in the past week

Well the thing is dogs do not bite for no reason, there may not be a reason we can see, but there is to them

It sounds like your dog gave a warning bite and that he has good bite inhibition thankfully, also when a dog is asleep they should be left alone the same goes when they are eating, sounds like your son startled him that time, and perhaps has a negative connection to your son.

You really need to make sure that you supervise your son and dog and never leave them on their own, has Boomer had a check up at the vets to rule out any pain?

Also what sort of exercise is Boomer currently getting?

boomer gets a 45 min walk in morning and a half hour walk on a night time hes normaly a very laid back dog who loves his cuddles ive neva eva had a problem with him b4 im going to try get him into the vets in the morning and get him checked over and just to make sure hes alright thanks

Definitely a trip to the vets first to rule out any pain which might be why he's lashing out at being stroked.

Also you could try upping his walks, an adult staffy really need 3 X45min walks a day with some off lead run about time too

does sound like your son may have startled him when he stroked him and woke him up,i would keep a close eye on them both and try and explain to your son not to stroke him when he's asleep or as ella said eating,get your son involved with him and let him give him a treat when bloomer has done some thing good.

Sounds like more exercise is needed he should be getting at least three 45 mins walk a day and off lead and play for mental stimulation aswell.
If you could do this I am sure it would make a hell of a difference.  

will defo get him into vets and make sure hes not in pain and yes will up his walks hes off lead for most of his walks any way as we only live 2 mins away from a massive field and hes only eva on lead while walking to and from there and when on field he loves to play fetch amd football

my son is normaly really good with him he normaly leaves him alone while hes a sleep and he is the one who feeds him boomer is normaly very gental with him we took boomer to puppy school when he was younger and i took my son with us to get him involved my son and boomer have gettin very good a clicker training together

I would make sure the dog has his own quiet area where your son is not allowed to go and make sure your son has his own area ie sofa where the dog is not allowed. The random & constant fireworks have affected the mood of my dogs but also pain,diet & exercise are a BIG factor. I hope it was a one off, but professional help may be needed.

To me, it sounds like your son has inadvertantly either made him jump or hurt him.

I would definitely ask the vet to have a look to make sure that he has no back/joint pain, and then make sure your son knows not to disturb him when he's asleep.