Hello,
Perhaps your pup was startled when your daughter grabbed him. Another thought is that he viewed you as the alpha and meant to assert dominance over your daughter; in dog communication I know nipping may be done by a member of the pack asserting dominance. It's really hard to tell what happened. Maybe it was a reaction to pain.
When I was a child I grew up with a dog named Ralph. He was cocker spaniel, German Shepherd, and probably golden retriever. From the time I was two until I was eighteen he was around. Unfortunately, when I was eight years old I had him on a leash when he bit me. Or maybe he bit me because I had him on a leash. He was a farm dog and was used to having complete freedom. Anyway, I walked across the field with him and he balked at the edge of the garden--halfway between grandma's house and our cabin, so I tugged on the leash and he attacked me, actually grabbing my skull in his mouth and shaking. Stunned, I let go of the leash, he left, and I ran up the driveway clutching my pierced scalp. He went on to bite two other people. Perhaps it was the old school way or something, but my family probably figured we'd all done something to deserve it. I think he was just a dominant farm dog and didn't take to being pushed around. Of course, I didn't try to walk him ever again, though my little sister did some years later and he bit her wrist.
I'm not sure how I feel about it. I can't say I wanted him "put down", but I would have liked it if my family had acknowledged that it happened.Â
