My dog just nipped at my 2 year old and got her in the face. There is a small mark there, and of course O cried for some time.
I am sure O got in her face, as she does frequently, depspite many attemps on our part to teach her otherwise. I was using the bathroom when it happened.
The dog is getting older, and I am sure she gets annoyed by DD. But it scared the crap out of me. It was minor, but could have been a huge deal.
What would you do, seriously? My options are make her a 100% outside dog, or find a rescue. She is a purebred Belgian Malinois. Obviously leaving her outside on 6 acres isn't horrible, but she is used to being inside and will jump on the back door eventually to get in. A chance I am willing to take if need be though.
Re: NBR- serious dog help needed
My first thought was, "well that will teach the kid".
In all seriousness, check to see if the dog is hurting anywhere, the dog I grew up with snapped at me when he was in pain, it was the first sign for us that something was wrong, he didn't limp or anything.
I am only afraid that this wouldn't really ever offer me the security that I needed to feel comfortable with her around the kids. She is about 9 years old (old for her breed) and she is just getting worse in temperament with age.
I'm so sorry for the scare. This is a tough one. My husband and I have talked about this as we also have a large dog and do worry about the possible chance encounter like this. For me, I would not get rid of the dog, rather keep a very close eye out when the two of them are together in the room. HOWEVER, I have not experienced this and am not a mom, yet, so my view may change if this were to happen to us after the birth of the baby. What a tough decision. I hope that you can come to a decision that is best for all.
This was about the age of out mastiff, he was just in a lot of pain. He normally would let kids crawl all over him etc...and it was downhill from there.
Take him to the vet to get checked out and make sure he's feeling ok, dogs don't display pain the way people do, you may never know.
I love this answer, but I just cannot be watching them 100% of the time. Especially since there is a new baby on the way. There are numerous times a day where I am not in direct eye view of them, you know?
I have really no idea what to do. I have a call into the vet and the rescue org to get some advice.
You are right; this is really not feasible...easy for me to say with no kids and only a dog...I really hope that the rescue group/vet can give you suggestions.
If you have the dog as an outside only dog, when you let your child out to play you still risk your child agitating the dog again and getting nipped (or worse) next time. It won't matter if you're extremely watchful of your child and the dog, it could happen again. To me, I wouldn't risk it.
I'd offer the dog to someone who doesn't have kids, maybe some empty-nesters who can give the attention the dog needs and won't be small enough to agitate the dog. Sometimes, when dogs get older, young children just irritate them and there's no cure for that.
Perfectly said. I can say right now that I would never ever give up my dog, even if she nipped at my child in her old, crotchety state. But, like tulips, I'm not a mom yet, so I really shouldn't say that, and I absolutely won't judge a mom for giving up an aggresive dog.
Is keeping them separate not an option? That's what I'd do first. Gate the dog in another part of the house with her bed and toys while LO is out and about, and when LO is asleep, give dog free reign. That way you don't have to keep an eye on them 100% of the time.
I hope you work something out for all of you. Good luck!
This is something we've dealt with before, being the owner of two big dogs - one is a pit bull and the other is a pit/boxer mix. We had a (rescued) pit before we had kids who chased a little girl down a flight of stairs, pinned her down at the bottom of the stairs and bit the little girl on the face. We refused to tolerate her and turned her over to animal services immediately. Our dogs now are incredible and so good with our 3-year-old DD. Our rule is to give each dog two chances (unless it's something crazy like with the chaser). And I don't mean two chances to bite. I mean two chances to be aggressive towards people. The first could be (and these are real-life examples) growling at a kid, nipping, as opposed to biting, at a kid, or biting either DH or myself. Second time any of this happens, our dogs are out of my house.
That's what works for our family, which includes our dogs. You have to think about what works for you guys as a family with a pet. As much as I believe in second chances for animals, just like people, if I honestly did not, as a mother, feel comfortable leaving my daughter and dogs alone together, I'd get rid of the dogs. Trust your instincts. If it wasn't a serious injury and you think DD may have instigated it, give the dog another chance. The kids have GOT to learn, but the dogs have to learn, too. Good luck!
At the recommendation of our vet, we called Bark Busters when we found out we were expecting. They are an in-home dog training service and have been AMAZING. We have a large Golden Retreiver, a German Shorthaired Pointer and a Bloodhound (who, at a year old, is already over 100lbs).
BB has given us a lot of steps to take to get our furry brood ready for a little one and has just helped in overall control. They can focus on specific behavior issues and focus a lot on that "pack leader" concept. We've been really pleased. Maybe a trainer could help. It's not 100% security, but it gives us a lot of peace of mind.
Maybe there is a family member or friend who can take care of her?
Or somehow she needs to be separated from children.
I completely believe that dogs are a member of the family, but childrens safety comes first.
I had an older dog who never did snap, but we were always scared she did. I'm actually kind of glad she passed away before we conceived.
Its a tough decision, but it sounds to me like she's not safe around children.
We had to re-home our aggressive great dane (he was mentally challenged and training wasn't working) after he kept attacking people and other animals. I'd talk to your vet, but re-homing might need to be an option. I don't know how strict they are in the states but a young woman (teen mom style) was recently arrested because her roommate?s dog killed her three week old baby. Apparently the SPCA feels that you are being negligent if you are not physically in between your animal and your child at ALL TIMES.
https://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100607/mtl_100607_barnabe/20100608/?hub=MontrealHome
This was really sad but it made me feel better knowing that I did the right thing by getting our dog away from children. Your dog might just need to be in a different room most of the time or it may need to be re-homed, but that's up to you and your vet. But you have to ask yourself, is the dog that has already bitten your child worth getting your kids taken away? The reality is that you can easily have a non social dog on 6 acres, but because he's bitten a child once, you can never have it in the same room as a child without an adult in between the two of them. Can you do that? Do you want to? Good luck. I've been there and it's a horrible decision to have to make.
At risk of offending some people, I have had a little time to think here, and I don't think I feel good at all about keeping her here around little kids.
This is not the first incident. She has snapped and growled at DD many times. At least 2/3 snaps for sure that I can remember. Each time I got very upset and went through the same charade I am going through now. But I never did anything about it, obviously.
But I just had a mental image of the "next" time this were to happen, and me taking one of my girls to Vandy Children's to have her face reconstructed from a 75 pound dog bite. And to know that I would have already had prior "warnings" that I did not heed. I would not be able to live with myself knowing I could have prevented this from happening.
I am going to find her another home with no children. I will not take her to the shelter (which is a kill shelter here), and I am not able to keep the dog separated from the kids all the time. It's just not feasible. She gets irritated if confined, and it will really be worse in the long run.
Thanks for your advice, and I really pray no one ever has to be in this position. In the long run, it's the safety of my kids over the comfort of the dog.
This post rubs me all kinds of the wrong way.
I am sure O got in her face, as she does frequently, depspite many attemps on our part to teach her otherwise. I was using the bathroom when it happened.
If you know your child doesn't respect the dog's boundaries, you shouldn't have left them alone. Sorry, I understand it's hard, but it's the truth. This could have been prevented. Now that it happened, deal with the root of the issue and move forward.
My options are make her a 100% outside dog, or find a rescue.
Really, these are your only option? What about working with the dog with a behaviorist? Or establishing better boundaries for the dog and the kid? Baby gates? You're giving up too easily, IMO.
Yeah. It was not a happy decision, but I couldn't deal if something happened to one of the girls or their friends.
Whats with all of the suggestions to turn them into outside dogs? That sounds insane.
Has this dog had any training at all?
Oh FFS, honestly, I think you're just looking for an excuse to get rid of the dog. This is a million percent your own fault if a)you knew the dog snapped before and (as you say yourself) you never did anything about it and b)you still left them alone.
This whole incident was preventable, but obviously, you never cared enough previously to work with the dog, and clearly don't now. Poor dog.
I will also say that I am expecting my first child shortly with one dog that has been agressive to adult male strangers, and I am VERY nervous as to how he will react to a baby. You can bet your a** I am working with him now, and he will be put under a microscope when the baby is here.
I am not saying you should risk the safety of your child, because I personally do not know this dog, but honestly- have you even tried to help the dog? Guaranteed it will be put to sleep at that age. Can you live with that? Maybe I am just more of an animal lover.
Didn't realize I had to "stfu"...it's a public message board. She's not looking for the best solution for all involved. The dogs getting screwed because she's not willing to work on training or other methods that could prevent this from happening again.
no offense, but yes, you CAN keep an eye on your dog and child 100% of the time. when you have to leave the room, you take either your child or dog with you. parenting to a dog and to a child is not easy.. believe me, i have 3, a 16 month old and a baby on the way. life is in no way easy at times.. but a dog is a dog.. you cannot trust even lassie with a child alone. they are animals as much as we like to humanize them. try training the dog. if you get a really good trainer (and not the crappy petco/petsmart trainers that basically anyone can become), it'll make all the difference.
a dog is a part of your family, i can't imagine getting rid of the dog because your daughter probably got in it's face. my son tries to do that all of the time with my 3 dogs (but to kiss them, he's obsessed) but i quickly stop him. my pit rescue was actually abused by children and HATES kids, but after training, she loves my son.. still, i would NEVER trust her or my 11 pound dachshund with him. please consider finding a great trainer and just separate the 2 when you're not in the room watching.
I strongly believe you're making the right decision. It's one thing if the dog and your DD have always gotten along, and you suspected it was just the dog going too far in playing. But it's another when there is a history there already of the dog snapping and growling before this bite. Based on your original post, my first thought was the dog was playing and got carried away. But given your follow-up about there being a history, you're doing the right thing.
I said nothing contrary to that. But there are ways to have a dog and a kid live harmoniously in the same environment (Gasp!) and she's doing NOTHING to even try to make it work.
i 100% agree with this. it seems like you asked for advice but pretty much had your mind made up of just getting rid of the dog instead of really trying to work with the dog. you said the dog is older? there also could be some health issues there that's making her this way..
as much as everyone hates to admit it, but when a child comes into this world, unfortunately, your dogs, cats, etc all go on the back burner. i can't possibly pay attention to my 3 the same as i did before, but i sure as heck try to make an effort for them not to FEEL the difference. I've seen it with so many people (friends, family, etc) that just don't really care about their dogs after their kids are around.. whether it's not playing with them, not grooming them, not snuggling, not taking them to the vet, etc. it's really kinda sad.
Why in the heck did you even ask for advice if you weren't going to listen to it? Go ahead, give up your dog, you dont deserve it anyways
As to MrsJohnson and bethy's exchange:
I understand that I did not take the proper precautions before. But what's done is done. I cannot go back.
Bottom line, I love my dog. I will not be taking her to a shelter or dropping her off on the road, or telling my husband to take a shotgun to her. I will find her a home. With people without children, and people who can give her the attention that I am obviously not giving her that she deserves.
But my kids are #1. This is not the first time this has happened. I will admit I was in the wrong before, but there is not anything I can do at this point. Training can go so far, but in an 8/9 year old dog, I do not feel like this problem will magically disappear.
And no, you cannot watch a kid and a dog (not to mention a newborn, and another dog) every minute. It isn't possible. When you learn how to do that, please let me know.
I am aware that this decision is not one that some people would make. And that is fine. But when your dog bites your child's face, you have to make a decision. And mine is to not let it happen again.
Flame away. I don't care really.
And yes, I was looking for advice, and I read each and every response. And I came to my own decision, as I knew I would.
I'm not sure how you are looking for advice when you keep saying "Whats done is done"? You already have your mind made up. Good Luck finding that dog a better home.
You're wrong and you know it. There are lots of options, and you're choosing to take the easy road. Congrats on sucking.
You take your kids or the dog with you to the bathroom/lkitchen/laundry room, whatever!!! Its very simple, dont leave them together, duh.
Just because you didn't throw the dog on the side of the road, or tell your husband to take a shotgun to her doesn't mean you love her. It means you're not a complete scumbag that condones killing animals. Good luck finding that "perfect" home. I hear there's a magical farm too.
And by the way, I was nipped at as a child. More than once. My parents used it as an opportunity to teach me how to respect dogs instead of dumping them.