December 03, 2012
Our 9 month old baby has started crawling and our 8 year old dog snapped at him. I want to find the dog a new home but my husband wants to train the dog. Is it possible to train her?
Full Question:
Hi,My dog is about 8 years old. She is a lab beagle mix. We have a 9 month old baby, who loves the dog. We take them on walks together, but the dog pulls and almost knocks the stroller over sometimes. We have taken her to an obedience class once, but we did not keep the training up enough. We were trying to let them be together, but when the baby started crawling, she got a warning bark from the dog twice. Then another time he was crawling towards the dog and the dog snapped at the baby. She did not get the baby's face, but was very close. My husband loves the dog and thinks we should try to train her, but I think we should not risk it with the dog and try to find a new home for her. Do you have any advice on whether or not a dog like this is a problem and if she can change her ways? Also, if it is possible to train her, how do we do this?
Thanks
Cindy's Answer:
When it comes to dogs and kids, I don't leave any room for error even with a dog that hasn't snapped at a child.
Since your dog HAS snapped, you have a couple of options.
One would be to rehome the dog into a new family that has NO kids.
The other would be to directly supervise the dog and baby at all times. I realize that for many families this is difficult and there is always the chance for a mistake.
I would set up a safe place for the dog to be in the home. I would use baby gates or an exercise pen.
Here is a section on preventing dog bites in kids. Even with training, I don't trust dogs and babies (or kids) together without supervision. It’s not worth an accident.
I've also included a link to our eBook section. This will give you plenty to read and hopefully will help out.
Cindy Rhodes
Since your dog HAS snapped, you have a couple of options.
One would be to rehome the dog into a new family that has NO kids.
The other would be to directly supervise the dog and baby at all times. I realize that for many families this is difficult and there is always the chance for a mistake.
I would set up a safe place for the dog to be in the home. I would use baby gates or an exercise pen.
Here is a section on preventing dog bites in kids. Even with training, I don't trust dogs and babies (or kids) together without supervision. It’s not worth an accident.
I've also included a link to our eBook section. This will give you plenty to read and hopefully will help out.
Cindy Rhodes
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