I think this is more complicated than just "Crate the Dog".

Starbuck was crated as a pup and the crate is still available; but she chooses not to use it. My mom has never used a crate on any of the dogs we owned and we always had dogs when I was a child. The current dogs are very friendly and they are always out when people are over. We have dinner at her house 1-2 nights a week. We have friends and family over and the dogs are fine; I even take Starbuck over there often.

My mom does a couple things that may be causing pack structure confusion; i.e. the dogs sleep on her bed.

I don’t think the dog would have bit me, if it was me that approached her while she was lying down. If she was tired and wanted to be left alone then she should not have been in the middle of the living room with 5 adults talking and watching TV.

I don’t allow my daughter to abuse the dogs and I don’t allow her to approach the dogs while they are eating. Anyone who has had an 18 month old knows how hard it is to watch them 100% of the time; much less teach them when it is “ok” and “not ok” to pet the dog.

I'm going to order the Establishing Pack Structure DVD. But I'm not sure how this dog will do with the crate, as I mentioned she hates to be away from my mom.

 Quote: keith larson

I think this is more complicated than just "Crate the Dog"...

But I'm not sure how this dog will do with the crate, as I mentioned she hates to be away from my mom.

Then, don't crate. Again, she can use a gate that is taken down when your daughter isn't there and put up when she is. This is the age when some animals (not just dogs) no longer forgive infractions.

Sleeping on your mom's bed isn't the reason the dog nipped your daughter. Your daughter approached an adult dog from behind to give that dog a hug. The dog nipped her to warn her it wasn't "proper". She had already warned your daughter (and you and everyone else) by getting up and walking away several times in the past.

Gates are great. Once you put them into practice, you will wonder why you hadn't began the practice a long time ago.

Try it.

 Quote: keith larson

If she was tired and wanted to be left alone then she should not have been in the middle of the living room with 5 adults talking and watching TV.

Her house. Her right to lie on the floor unmolested.

Not being contentious, Mr. Larson. I have been there. My grandson has the scars on his lip and jawline. Please listen.

Keith, you've been given really good advice. It's up to the adults in the house to manage the dogs and protect the kids.

You can't expect the dog or the child to make the right decisions about how to behave. This is for the adults to do.

A crate in the same room or a gate that is see-through will allow the dog to see your mum but be somewhere safe.

If you want to view this as a pack-structure problem, do so - the leader of the pack failed to protect the dog, so it had to take charge.

We crate childern all the time but instead we call it a crib or playpen. We use other restraints including child leashes, car seats, strollers, etc. It is really amazing how many similarities there are between raising children and having dogs. The truth is that as pack leader both the dog AND the child needed to be protected. The best protection is proactive and would never even result in a tackle or a bite. Of course, if you were truly a failure as a pack leader you wouldn't even have brought the subject up. Your inquiry shows that you want to make adjustments so that there will be a better future. It is a challenging situation to deal with a dog, a child, and a grandparent all at once. Good luck! I agree that crating is not mandatory but some sort of physical restraint probably is, either for dog, child, or both. It does sound like the situation is set up for the dog to have some confusion about its status as follower. You seem to hint at that. The only suggestions I have for dealing with that are as has been previously stated- get Ed's video on pack structure and the family.