Advice... Fur Baby Problem (Sorry it's long)

celiadever · July 2015

We have two dogs, both rescues. Well, our bigger one (Zoey) was abused and emaciated when we got her 2 years ago. We got her back to a healthy weight, and she has regular vet visits. She has always been very calm and docile, LOVES to cuddle and give kisses. The only thing with her is that she still acts like she is never going to eat again. We got her a slow feeder bowl (doesn't work with her) and she still inhales her food within a minute. She also shakes whenever she sees us about to fill her bowl. Recently, she has taken to bullying our other dog from his food... she will block him from getting to it and if we don't watch her she will go for his bowl. So, we usually keep her away while he eats. Earlier today, she snuck by us and went for his bowl. My husband yelled at her, and she ran to her kennel. He went to grab her to stick her nose in it and she attacked him! He has two deep cuts from her teeth by his mouth and although we cleaned them out, they keep bleeding. Now the dilemma... she has never done something like this and I am scared with our son due any day now that this can be a possibility that she will bite again. Especially since babies tend to crawl and grab things as they get older. Also, we are worried about her biting one of us again. We have kept her in the yard since the incident and our other dog is already upset that she isn't in the house with us. Anyone been in a similar situation? If so, was your dog able to stay in the home or did they have to go? We just feel so guilty about having to possibly put her back in a shelter but my family's safety must come first.

jbrown6714 · July 2015

Sorry you are dealing with this. I am a dog lover and understand your concern and your love for your dog. I don't really have much advice. I know there are things you can do to make dofs more comfortable with new babies ( bring hospital clothing home for her to smell ect.). I honestly don't know what I would do in this situation though. If you chose to get rid of her could someone take her? A shelter would be so sad, but obviously you baby comes first!

oneblessedmess · July 2015

I had a friend in a similar situation. Their dog was sweet as can be outside of meal time but was very food aggressive. They also had a child and decided to hire a trainer. After some sessions the dog was getting somewhat better but the trainer was honest and said she was still concerned about the safety of their baby, who was starting to crawl. They couldn't predict what the dog would do if baby got too close to his bowl. They decided to give up the dog to a couple with no children who could better work with the dog. It was a hard decision but like you said, their child's safety came first.

Are you able to try a trainer?

Bebemonkeh · July 2015

I understand your dilemma. I also have two dogs, one of which has similar anxiety/aggression issues. Both dogs get along great for the most part, however every now and then Chase (the more problematic one of the two) will attack his brother, and the fights aren't pretty. Our solution is keeping him gated separately in the kitchen except for walks/occasional play time in order to make sure this doesn't happen in preparation for the new baby.

I'm not an expert but I think the reason your dog attacked your husband was out of fear. You mentioned she ran after being yelled at, and then when he went to grab her I think instinct probably took over. If I were you I'd look into keeping her crated/gated somewhere during feeding times, and after your LO is born definitely keep the dogs gated in their own space until they get used to the new baby in the house. I think no matter how much you trust your dog, they all have limits/breaking points, but you shouldn't have to get rid of her. Would it be possible to try a new routine like separate feedings/etc?

2babes3angels · July 2015

So sorry!! I think your concerns are totally legitimate & I think I'd definitely be feeling the same way if one of our dogs behaved that way. I think if either of my dogs started acting aggressively toward me or my husband, we'd first work really hard to discipline her & nip that behavior in the bud. Letting the dog's action intimidate you puts her in the alpha position, which I think will just make the behavior worse. If our discipline efforts didn't work, I'd imagine we'd consider sending to the shelter (I'd feel weird offering a potentially aggressive dog to a friend....). I feel like these situations are so hard because we love our dogs. But also, they are *just* dogs. Baby comes first.

Savanna111911 · July 2015

I honestly am not sure that I would get rid of her immediately. It is good that you know this can happen though. I agree with PP, you should try to somehow change the feeding routine and keep them separate when they are feeding. Obviously never ever leave her (or any dog) alone with your baby, and take precautions to keep her food away from baby (baby gates maybe?) and see how things go. It may be worth bringing in a trainer but you may be able to play it by ear. I would definitely say that if this had been a recurring problem you should look at other solutions but I don't know that I would get rid of her after one incident. Just keep them supervised, keep them apart while eating, and allow only supervised visits with the baby. If you see more aggression than rehoming may be necessary but I'd give her one more chance.

mfitch9191 · July 2015

Sounds like the dog attacked out of fear of your husband coming to stick her nose in the bowl. Maybe try to avoid this kind of reinforcement since she was abused and is obviously timid and untrusting from it. It sounds like the only thing you can really do is separate feedings, keep the dogs in different rooms when it's time to eat. That's a hard decision!! I hope you find something that works for you. I know it is hard to get rid of an animal.

shanasheppard · July 2015

I agree with PP...can you keep their bowls in their crates so at meal time he doesn't feel threatened by the other pup or like someone is going to be starving him?
I'd be pretty torn too if this was happening with our pups this close to the baby's arrival.

Mjstine · July 2015

I am so sad about this. I have worked in veterinary clinics for 10 years and have seen it all. She definitely went for your husband out of fear. She was in her safe zone (her crate) and she knew he was coming for her. It absolutely does not make it ok. But animals are animals and we forget sometimes that they have instincts. I would separate the dogs anytime food is involved. I would never allow your baby to play, crawl, or be anywhere near the area where they eat at any time. Getting a trainer involved is a good idea. She is afraid, and punishing her for fear will not help anything. You and she need to learn to communicate and understand each other. I have a rescue who is riddled with anxiety. He has torn our house apart on many occasions, and sometimes it has been trying, but I cannot give up on him. Because I know he is not acting out of anger or aggression, it is fear. I would strongly suggest that if you must get rid of her, please try to find a gentle and accepting home who will be willing to work with her. Putting her back in a shelter will only continue to damage her even more.

I hope that you find a way to work through this with her. I would be absolutely heart broken to have to give up my dog. Good luck!

celiadever · July 2015

We had a trainer when we first got her because she had really bad anxiety issues and would destroy things. We already keep her away when we feed the other one, and she has her crate. The dogs are not allowed upstairs already (we have a gate at the bottom of the stairs) so we can keep the baby upstairs for the most part. We kept her in the yard since the attack on my husband, and when we let her back in she attacked our other dog when he went to welcome her back. I am at a loss, but maybe we try training again. I am so heartbroken, I love my dogs and I know she is scared and damaged. But my heart was seriously in my throat when I saw her go for my husband's face. I will see how she acts the next few days, but like @marymoore711 said, I would feel weird asking a friend or family member to take her knowing she is starting to act out aggressively. I am just at a loss because she really is a loving dog. Thanks for all the advice! We will give it another week or so before we make a decision about a shelter.

Huler · July 2015

celiadever said:

We had a trainer when we first got her because she had really bad anxiety issues and would destroy things. We already keep her away when we feed the other one, and she has her crate. The dogs are not allowed upstairs already (we have a gate at the bottom of the stairs) so we can keep the baby upstairs for the most part. We kept her in the yard since the attack on my husband, and when we let her back in she attacked our other dog when he went to welcome her back. I am at a loss, but maybe we try training again. I am so heartbroken, I love my dogs and I know she is scared and damaged. But my heart was seriously in my throat when I saw her go for my husband's face. I will see how she acts the next few days, but like @marymoore711 said, I would feel weird asking a friend or family member to take her knowing she is starting to act out aggressively. I am just at a loss because she really is a loving dog. Thanks for all the advice! We will give it another week or so before we make a decision about a shelter.

Can you contact a rescue instead of just straight up sending her to a shelter? Also, you shouldn't feel weird giving her to family or friends if you are being honest and telling them the whole background. I would contact the trainer again, especially if she is already familiar with your dog. We had some issues with my firstborn (aka dog

) about 1-2 years after we brought my son home, he was reacting aggressively to new people and my sister for some reason. The trainer that we went to for his puppy school came over, and the money spent on her was well worth it -- she gave us tools, worked with him, and I felt much better afterwards as well. It's always something we are cognizant of, but it helped soooo much and six years later, he's been an amazing family pet.

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