Flat Coated Retriever

[Law]

Don't get we wrong, I would never leave a child with ANY dog I didn't know and trust.

Unfortunately I have seen a poor flattie who had been abused and was quite psychotic. I put my hand through the mesh so he could sniff me, and he went nuts and BIT me. Fortunately being a flattie I escaped with only scratches.

This wasn't because of the breed of dog that bit you, it was because the dog had bite inhibition and/or only wanted to warn you to go away, not injure you. These things are due to training and the temperament of that individual dog, not because the dog has some kind of physically weak jaw because of its breed.

Small dogs can easily cause serious, lasting damage to people's hands - people losing fingers, permanent nerve damage etc. A dog the size of a Flatcoat can also do serious damage if it wants to. That dog chose not to injure you severely, it wasn't limited by its jaw.

Totally agree with this.