Our dog growled at LO

mrsmoxie · April 2014

So our fun loving lab that we adopted 6 years ago growled at LO today. LO was reaching out to touch the dog, and before she could, our lab, Heidi growled. I think I was more shocked than anything, but I put Heidi in her kennel as punishment.

I'm hoping it's a fluke, and DH and I are going to talk when he gets home. But what would you ladies do? Hope it's a fluke thing, like it's never going to escalate? I give Heidi as much attention as I can, obviously it's not as much as before baby, but there's nothing I can do about that. And I always make sure LO doesn't pull on Heidi's fur or anything.

I'm also a firm believer in once you have a pet, it's yours for life. But I have to think about LOs safety first and the thought of giving up on Heidi breaks my heart. I just don't want to treat it like it was a fluke and Heidi really does something bad.
Sorry that was so long!

Zoly1103 · April 2014

Your dog was giving a warning (and not showing aggression) so that's actually a good thing. It may be that she doesn't want to be touched or is still nervous around your LO. I know it is difficult, but you will probably need to keep them separated or at least supervised for the time being. I wish I had time to type out more, but I am getting ready to head out the door.

llybeck · April 2014

LO's safety is first and foremost but I also think it could have been a fluke situation and not a reason to get rid of your dog. Supervise always, even extremely well behaved animals can act out or act differently sometimes for a ton of different reasons. I also agree with @lindszachary that in this specific situation, punishment could potentially do the opposite of what you're hoping for and make the dog act out more.

My dog actually does exactly what lindszachary's dog does too, she lets DD poke her eyes and pull her fur/hair/extra skin/etc and even though you can tell she doesn't love it all the time, she just lick's DD's face/hands if I can't separate them soon enough. She also doesn't really leave DD's side and gets really overly protective of her. She's actually growled at other kids because they got close to DD, she's done that twice and it really worries me even though I really don't think she would ever actually bite. Were you petting the dog or near the dog when this happened? Is it possible the dog was startled and "protecting" you?

LnR70707 · April 2014

I'd limit all contact. Our dog isn't allowed off his mat/bed if the kids are on the floor playing and that has always been my rule. Now, this is primarily because he is just completely clueless as to where is his feet or hind end is (seriously, he once pooped ON my son when he was running around outside). Our dog is now 10, the same age as my friend's super loving dog when she suddenly snapped and lunged at my son's face, so I am constantly aware that a wonderfully loving pet cannot ever be trully trusted. If our dog ever snapped or tried to bite he'd be gone.

Af1004 · April 2014

Watch them very, very closely. DH dog would have been the last dog I'd think would ever snap at a kid (she's a border collie) and 2 years ago, she would have been about the same age as you're dog, she snapped at our little cousin he was like 2 at the time and was just playing closer to her. She always been very gentle with him before and let him pet her whenever. She's has snapped at him twice since. We keep them separated and watch closely now.

blond1230 · April 2014

I agree with the PPs not to punish her but to keep a watchful eye.

My dog growled at our baby the first week he was home- she had never seen a baby and was afraid of him. She is still nervous around him but so much better. She is sweet and lets him pet her but he is grabby and tries to grab her fur and yank her ear and she's spun her head back toward him to almost warn him. She's never bit anyone but I don't trust her she's still an animal. I would never leave a baby and any cat or dog in a room unattended no matter how well behaved the animal is- they're still animals and all it takes is a split second. I've heard too many stories about perfectly behaved pets who snapped and then had to be given away. I'd rather just keep them apart and not chance it.

mrsmoxie · April 2014

Thank you for your responses! I was keeping a watchful eye on Heidi, I know a family dog could turn all too well. The baby was sitting on my lap when she did it. I guess I'm just going to give the dog the benefit of the doubt, and just be even more paranoid. It makes me a little sad. I was always diligent to make sure the baby didn't pull any fur too hard or anything. She just better not pull that crap again.

MallardDucky · April 2014

Dog might not be feeling good and gave the growl as a warning, a trip to the vet to rule out anything medical is a start. Then keep seperated for now

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