Aggressive dog- what to do?

[Efe]

I would try a combination of in-home professional training and a discussion with your vet about possible temporary medication for stress. If this doesn''t work, then I would rehome. I feel for you as I am a serious dog lover myself. I believe she deserves the chance, but your child is more important. Good luck.

 

[upgrade]

I had a big, thoughtful response to this typed out... and it disappeared into cyberspace when I hit 'submit.'

The short version: I feel that you owe it to your dog to at least consult a behaviour specialist. I believe that the safety of your child has to come before all else, but if there is a possibility of rehabing the dog so that your child can be safe and the dog can stay, then that would be the best option. Re-homing a dog is very stressful for them, no matter how great the new family is so my feeling is that you owe her every effort before you put her through that. If you try training and it doesn't solve the problem then you have to do what you have to do for your child, but at least you can do it guilt free knowing that you did everything you could. If a dog is behaving in that way (and I say this as a dog lover who had a similar situation) then she isn't happy and if rehab doesn't work then rehoming could end up being a happier situation for her too. I do believe that in some dogs, their inherent temperment just is not suitable for children, but in most cases it's a training issue rather than a nature issue. There are very few animals out there who have temperment problems that cannot be corrected.

I have a small dog who has been with us since he was a puppy and my oldest son was 3. He's always been great with my older child but when we brought home the new baby, he started showing some aggression once the baby was old enough to be mobile. He has longer hair and when the baby would pull his hair he would snap and snarl, and if the baby got into his food, he'd do the same. I was really worried and so sad at the possibility of having to give up my dog, but if that was what it took to keep the baby safe, then that was what I would have done. We really put a lot of effort into the dog and low and behold, problem solved. We consulted our trainer and followed a lot of Cesar Milan's principles and it worked. I started running with the dog to give him an energy outlet and that alone made the difference. We also were very careful to never put the dog in a situation where he had the opportunity to decide how to 'discipline' the baby. We were on him and we took control before he could. He now knows that if the baby pulls his hair, he's to walk away and he does. (of course we also work with the baby to make sure he treats the dog well!) If the baby goes after his food, the dog walks away from the food bowl. He had to learn that all of the people in the house are above him in the pack. It sounds harsh but the dog is much happier now and so are we. I did contemplate re-homing him for awhile but I felt I owed him more than that (and selfishly, I love him to bits and didn't want to lose him) and I'm so glad I put the effort in.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

ETA: I guess I did give you the long version afterall!

 

[Laila619]

sorry for the threadjack, but Starset Princess, that is so sad about your friend''s dog that they put him down.

Sounds like it was just an accident and he wasn''t an aggressive dog.

 

[ChinaCat]

Ebree- Seems like you''ve gotten lots of great advice, so I''ll just say that I''m so sorry to hear this and I hope you find a resolution that brings you peace, either way.

I love my dog like he''s my child, but O is my child, and he comes first now.

 

[E B]

You all make very good points, and I truly appreciate you sharing them. We have a lot to think about, and won't make any snap decisions.

Haven and elrohwen- I'm on the West Coast and we're moving to the East Coast. Both places have pug-specific rescues, so that'd absolutely be the route we'd go if we decide re-home her. I wouldn't trust just anyone to care for her. We adopted our male pug from a rescue and had to go through a lengthy approval process, so I trust that a good rescue group would find a great fit for her if needed. (Thank you for your offer, though, Haven. You're very sweet to offer to help.) I'm also looking into one-on-one training in our new area, effective as soon as we move.

 

[softly softly]

Date: 1/15/2010 12:27:23 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 1/15/2010 12:11:11 PM
Author: lyra
Rehome her. You don''t need justification from anyone else. While I think you could have done things differently with her from the start, the fact is now she is in the situation where she represents a danger to your son. It''s not an easy situation, but take the time to find a good home for her. Perhaps there is a Pug rescue club near you that can advise. You''ll never be completely comfortable with this dog. Give her a chance for a better life with someone who has the time and skill to train her properly. Lots of dogs do better in homes without small children.

Agree. Most of the moms here pre-baby would have given you the ''commitment for a lifetime'' two cents. It''s not. Once there is a child in the family, the dog doesn''t have status over the child, period. If the dog is a threat, the dog goes. And it''s obvious from the moms here who have gone through dealings with aggressive dog that things change once you have a child (assuming the dog is aggresive), and anyone without a child couldn''t possibly understand that.

Agree also. As to the idea of constant supervision, I''m not sure how realistic that is if the dog is inside with you most of the time - it assumes you never let your child out of your sight for one second which is slightly unrealistic, especially as they get older and more mobile. Even mothers are entitled to toilet breaks. Ebree I wish you all the best with this as I am sure it must be an awful situation to find yourself in.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/17/2010 1:30:40 AM
Author: softly softly

Agree also. As to the idea of constant supervision, I''m not sure how realistic that is if the dog is inside with you most of the time - it assumes you never let your child out of your sight for one second which is slightly unrealistic, especially as they get older and more mobile. Even mothers are entitled to toilet breaks. Ebree I wish you all the best with this as I am sure it must be an awful situation to find yourself in.

It''s pretty easy to separate a dog from a kid with a baby gate - then supervise them any time they''re allowed together.

I''m not disagreeing that rehoming is probably best, just throwing out a solution to how ebree can manage while she''s looking for a new home.

 

[Mara]

re: quaranting the dog, they also have those xpen wire gates, we used to have one for portia, it totally contains them and gives them like a 5x5 space that is theirs. or you can open it up and use it as a long gate to quarantine off just one room. also along with getting training when you guys move, you can start doing some things now, like potentially any time the dog does something that would be traditionally aggressive for her, correct her immediately and/or remove her from your company. good luck ebree!

 

[packrat]

Lots of good advice given. I think I would try, before your little boy gets to zooming around too much, retraining the dog first. You never know if it might work, if you''re consistent with it. Otherwise, there''s nothing wrong w/finding a different home for Sally. It''s not a case of, oh she peed on the carpet one time so she has to go. Some people get a new animal home and the very first time it makes a mistake, out it goes. This isn''t the case.

We ended up rehoming 2 dogs b/c of aggression-none towards the kids, but towards each other, and we didn''t want to take any chances. We both felt bad and neither of us wanted to do it, but we just couldn''t stand the thought of "what if". One went to be a truckin dog, and the other went to his mom.

Good luck w/your decision-it''s not easy I know, but you''ll make the best decision for your family!

 

[princesss]

*hugs*, EBree. Emotionally, this is a really hard choice. Logically, it''s very easy. Child first.

We can sit here and debate what should have been done, or what could work all day, but if you don''t feel Henry is safe, you need to do what you can to make him safe.

I''m as big a pet lover as anybody, and regard my pets as a lifetime commitment until they present danger to a person. We have a gorgeous Boxer that we are working very hard to introduce to kids because he''s nervous around them, and we work hard to socialize him and get him to interact with kids under controlled circumstances. We adopted him with every intention to keep him for life. But if, even after all our work, he was a threat to my child he''d be gone.

If you feel comfortable waiting for a while, I''d definitely try sectioning the dog off and working with a professional trainer. If you don''t, I''d contact the pug rescue group on the West Coast.

 

[Maisie]

Ebree, It just dawned on me that you might have thought me insensitive posting the photos of James with Blossom. I wasn''t trying to show off that I have such a soft dog, I wanted to show you that even though she is that good with him, I wouldn''t hesitate to put him first should she turn on him.

 

[E B]

Thank you all for your continued advice and support. I guess my biggest worry is that I won't be able to be 100 percent consistent with her training as I chase my small human child around. That wouldn't be fair to her.

As for sectioning her off, it hasn't become an issue yet. My son isn't crawling, and when he's on the floor, it's only for a short time and completely supervised.

Date: 1/17/2010 7:56:31 PM
Author: Maisie
Ebree, It just dawned on me that you might have thought me insensitive posting the photos of James with Blossom. I wasn't trying to show off that I have such a soft dog, I wanted to show you that even though she is that good with him, I wouldn't hesitate to put him first should she turn on him.

Not at all, Maisie! Those photos were so touching, and I'm glad you posted them. I'd love it if my dogs were as protective of my child. (And I meant to comment on them earlier, but I completely forgot!)