Quote: John Stopps

And for those wondering what happened to the dog, he met the business end of a .270 Winchester about an hour after the attack.

Yikes!

There's really no reason to take chances here. I ALWAYS put my dog in another room if we have company over that includes children - of any age. Simple as that. As Mike said, no dog has ever died from spending a few hours in a room by itself...

This dog needs it's owners to wise up on a number of fronts, but since it isn't the poster's dog, I would just insist that the dog be put away when the baby was visiting, or I wouldn't visit any more.

~Natalya

The dog has feelings? So does your child!?!!? Sheesh, I can only imagine how frustrated and annoyed you must be.


An approach I used with my own mother, when my son was much younger, and her sweet, but rambunctious Boxers tended to knock him into things, was that I wanted my son to grow up liking dogs- not being afraid of them. I told her that even though the dogs would never intentionally hurt my son, they were inadvertantly giving him negative expereinces, every time they knocked him over, bumped him into the wall, etc.

She wasn't offended when I put it to her that way- since she wants her grandson to love dogs too.

Many people will simply go on the defensive if you say their dog is dangerous, and stop listening to reason.
If you take the approach that the dog could accidently hurt the child when it jumps up (which ANY dog can do, aggressive or not. Dogs are big, kids, not so much), and that you want your child to love the dog, not be afraid of it, that may help.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not minimizing your belief that this dog is aggressive... what I'm doing is asking that you remove your opinions of the dog from the conversation, and instead focus on your desire to help your child become a dog lover, by avoiding scary experiences.

I really appreciate all of the feedback. I knew that I was not crazy.

Hey, I didn't say you weren't crazy.


You have a very valid complaint. You are 100% right to be concerned and pissed.

Thanks

Uhh, Mike, do you think maybe the problem is too much coffee?

 Quote: nancy jocoy

and both are under obedience commands

Does Ed have a video on that? "Basic Obedience For Kids".

I like Alyssa's approach. It's non confrontational and doesn't bring the feelings of the dog into play.

I had a GSD who was fantastic with kids but my friend's younger brother was terrified of dogs so I had to put Lady out in the yard whenever he was over. This wasn't a young child either. He was about 10 years old but he was afraid of dogs because the farm dog they used to have would play rough with him when he was your granddaughter's age. That is how kids get afraid of dogs.

I think it goes back to the title of the post. Common sense.

Kids have to be taught not to stare at dogs eyes, throw their arms around the necks, try to ride on their backs, throw toys around high drive dogs, respect their crate, not bother a sleeping or eating dog, and run and squeal. And they can learn most of this by 3 or younger.

It is training that will serve them well. We had a friend when my kids were young who thought it was fine her dog "helped her raise her kids" with warning growls and the like. The kids abused this poor dog with "love" We quit going to their house.

An infant is terribly vulnerable!

I just wish that there were more responsible pet owners out there. As far as my daughter is concerned she is my child and I would do anything to protect her. People have to remember that DOGS are not HUMAN.