Dogs and children

Ducktale

We got a dog (a schnauzer poodle mix) about a year ago whom I absolutely adore. He's extremely calm, mild mannered. He's about 3, he was a rescue. He has very very rarely been around kids. On Christmas, he was around an 18 month old who loves dogs and was in his face a lot. Not hurting him, just touching. Well I guess he decided enough was enough because he kind of snapped at her and snarled. Didn't bite, but it totally freaked me out because he's never done anything like that ever. So now I'm all concerned and need your advice, especially when we have kids. Do you think it's because he's just not used to kids? Do I need to train him somehow? Advice please!

Mysterious_wife

What would you do if someone was in your face all day? You would probably yell get the fuck away. That's what your dog did. I'm team dog. You should have let him have space and removed him from the situation. When the time comes there will be a learning curve for everyone including the dog. Just remember this and do not leave the baby unattended with the dog.

CowgirlK39

Agreed. Just as it is a part of parenting to teach kids how to behave with other kids (don't pull hair or poke eyes, etc) the same must always be done for pets of any kind. People forget that and the minute an animal behaves with a normal defensive action, they freak out and euthanize it. Teach all future children where it is okay to touch the dog, and only for a little while, then give the dog space for a bit. Also, ALWAYS supervise any children with the dog no matter what. That way if something does happen, and the dog reacts, you can immediately handle the situ and be a witness so no one says your big mean animal bit their kid and needs to be put down.

ETA: Holy crap, words suck today!

Jags8

I plan to teach my kids to be gentle. But in the meantime, as soon as I got my rescue pit mix, I started "messing" with him a bit. I tug his ears a bit, give his tail a little pull, etc.
And guess what? My nephew came over to my house when he was a year old an figuring out the walking thing. He would use my dog's skin to pull himself up to stand. He also tugged his ears and tail a bit. My pit mix didn't do a darn thing. Don't get me wrong, I told my nephew "no" and "gentle" and showed him how to pet my dog.
So basically, you need to train both your dog and your kids.

dogperson11

I agree with PPs. I would recommend that you create a "safe space" that the dog can access anytime. We have a lab that does great with kids and crowds, but after several hours she's tired and needs a break. We keep her kennel setup in our bedroom (it's where she sleeps) and sometimes she will go put herself in it if she's has enough. Also, if you catch the dog react like that again to anything you should correct it right away. If it will ease your mind then take your pup out in crowded places more often and just sit with him (a shopping mall, park, etc).

Ducktale

Thanks guys. I know I should have seen he was stressed and done something about it sooner, I just never saw him do that before so I didn't expect it. That was my bad and I feel guilty about it. I was just concerned because kids just do shit sometimes, and I got worried that at some point our dog would get stressed and I might not catch it 100% of the time. But you actually made me feel better that it's not really a problem with my dog, just with the situation, and I'll just work with him and teach our kids. I really appreciate the advice and feedback.

Ducktale

@mrsmechanic1 thanks for the article! This is new territory for me so I have a lot to learn.

MelissaL121

This is a really excellent article....

Excerpt-
"Most of the cases I see involve a dog no one expected to bite. When was the last time you heard a parent say, “Oh yeah, I totally knew my dog was dangerous and I just let the kids play with him anyway.”?"

It discusses dogs being pushed to their tolerance/breaking point because 'you' don't respect their boundaries.

Having been involved in conformation with my dogs and having several breeder friends, the issue of children and dogs is discussed quite a bit.

Food for thought...

https://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/2010/02/21/good-dogs-dont-bite/

FemShep

Ducktale said:

Thanks guys. I know I should have seen he was stressed and done something about it sooner, I just never saw him do that before so I didn't expect it. That was my bad and I feel guilty about it. I was just concerned because kids just do shit sometimes, and I got worried that at some point our dog would get stressed and I might not catch it 100% of the time.

One thing to keep in mind-you must always, always supervise a dog and child together, until the child is old enough to be trusted around the dog (not the other way around, and definitely not for the first few years). We have a beagle our 18mo adores, and DD loves nothing more than to "hug" the dog. I don't let DD get within grabbing distance of the dog unless I'm with her, because while the dog has never done more than growl, once, at DD, she deserves to have someone help DD learn how to be gentle with pets. And an 18mo is just too young to be able to always be gentle. It's great to see how much they love each other, but they both deserve some help in learning how to be good friends. Good luck!

Mysterious_wife

Jags8 said:

I plan to teach my kids to be gentle. But in the meantime, as soon as I got my rescue pit mix, I started "messing" with him a bit. I tug his ears a bit, give his tail a little pull, etc.
And guess what? My nephew came over to my house when he was a year old an figuring out the walking thing. He would use my dog's skin to pull himself up to stand. He also tugged his ears and tail a bit. My pit mix didn't do a darn thing. Don't get me wrong, I told my nephew "no" and "gentle" and showed him how to pet my dog.
So basically, you need to train both your dog and your kids.

I'm side-eyeing this advice. You shouldn't allow your nephew pull on your dog.

Jags8

Mysterious_wife said:

Jags8 said:

I plan to teach my kids to be gentle. But in the meantime, as soon as I got my rescue pit mix, I started "messing" with him a bit. I tug his ears a bit, give his tail a little pull, etc.
And guess what? My nephew came over to my house when he was a year old an figuring out the walking thing. He would use my dog's skin to pull himself up to stand. He also tugged his ears and tail a bit. My pit mix didn't do a darn thing. Don't get me wrong, I told my nephew "no" and "gentle" and showed him how to pet my dog.
So basically, you need to train both your dog and your kids.

I'm side-eyeing this advice. You shouldn't allow your nephew pull on your dog.

I didn't "allow" him to. He just did it. and like I already said, I told him "no" and "gentle," and showed him how to pet nicely.

Mysterious_wife

Jags8 said:

Mysterious_wife said:

Jags8 said:

I plan to teach my kids to be gentle. But in the meantime, as soon as I got my rescue pit mix, I started "messing" with him a bit. I tug his ears a bit, give his tail a little pull, etc.
And guess what? My nephew came over to my house when he was a year old an figuring out the walking thing. He would use my dog's skin to pull himself up to stand. He also tugged his ears and tail a bit. My pit mix didn't do a darn thing. Don't get me wrong, I told my nephew "no" and "gentle" and showed him how to pet my dog.
So basically, you need to train both your dog and your kids.

I'm side-eyeing this advice. You shouldn't allow your nephew pull on your dog.

I didn't "allow" him to. He just did it. and like I already said, I told him "no" and "gentle," and showed him how to pet nicely.

I misread your post. I apologize.

krcran06

I have a schnoodle too and he is nothing but great with kids.  However he was an uptight rescue who has been socialized a ton (taking him to parks off leash, out to outdoor bars in texas etc).  It is 50% the dog being a happy comfortable dog (walking away from an annoying situation etc) and 50% the child learning the proper ways to interact with animals (like never pet something you don't have permission to).

My biggest worry with my dog is knocking kids over when playing with them... but he is only 20lbs and kids are mostly made out of rubber so we will tackle that one if its an issue.

SmileyJay

To be honest, some dogs are just more particular than others. We have two dogs of our own - a dachshund mix and a golden retriever. The mix we got from a rescue situation when he was about 4 weeks old (I was volunteering at the humane society and answered a call where the mother died) and nursed him and raised him. He is 5 now and just the sweetest most gentle dog. But he is also a bit of a grouchy old man sometimes and I don't trust him not to nip if a person (child or adult) were to provoke him. He has been raised around children and loves them so much, but there are limits. 2 years ago he nearly bit my then 4 year old niece when she would not get out of his face. We told her to stop taunting him but she was not raised with dogs and treats him more like a toy, which we don't tolerate. So he growled and nipped but didn't get her, just scared her. Schnauzers have a similar temperament - just "particular"... I don't know how else to describe it.

Our own children will be raised to respect animals but they also won't be left alone with animals until they are older. Neither of our dogs have the jaw capacity to break skin, but toddlers are just rough with dogs and you don't know what could happen. It's really for the dogs safety, too. Some people leave their infant alone in a room with a rottweiler - their kid, their choice. We are more of the camp "better safe than sorry" when dealing with little ones and our beloved pets.

Just introduce the baby slowly and use pack n plays and baby gates to keep separation from dogs when you aren't able to be there. If he hasn't been to obedience training I would do that now before you are pregnant. Not only is it great for bonding but you will also have contact with a trainer you can call later if issue arise with introducing baby. 

SmileyJay

Just wanted to add - when I said I don't trust him not to bite... he has never once bitten anyone and has been with us every day of his life since around 4 weeks old. The only time I have seen him come close was the incident with my niece. Still, there is no way on earth I will take the chance of him nipping someone and having to be put to sleep. I know that is a big stretch but he is our baby so we watch him like a hawk and make sure nothing happens like that. 

Like you, when she was getting in his face we kept saying "stop it, he doesn't like that" what she should have done is just removed him from the situation because he was obviously irritated. Live and learn. 

I will say that since that incident my niece has never again gotten in his face. She learned to be more respectful of animals and we watch her very closely with all of our pets.