https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 14 Apr 2026 21:52:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2062663 Tue, 10 Feb 2015 13:26:31 +0000 besitos 2062663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks to everyone for the responses and advice. </p> <p>I've now spoken with a dog behavior specialist (who worked as a director for the humane society for years, and specializes in aggressive home situations), and have a bit more information to use on my end. </p> <p>@Coffee-lover: @MrsADS: @sarac: The behaviorist did explain the difference between a snarling growl and a "this is me telling you I don't like this" growl. Our dog has never snarled or shown any other physical signs of an attack (like ears, raised hair, etc.). She said this is a good sign. Most dogs are able to be vocal when they are not happy, and it's not a sign of an aggression problem.</p> <p>But, he nipped at the baby.</p> <p>She's convinced this is "resource guarding". And, now we don't know if the resource is the dog's bed. Or food and the bed. Or food, toys, and the bed. We aren't going to experiment to find out, and that's where the danger is. Dogs cannot be trained to not respond to their resource. This will likely always be an issue.</p> <p>The specialist said that we should keep them completely separated for a week. This isn't too hard to do. We will just keep the dog back in the kitchen and dining room with his bed. It's more than enough room, and he can go down to the basement if he wants (there's a couch). </p> <p>She then said a semi-permanent separation is best indefinitely. Basically, anytime we are not on the floor with baby, or he's not in our arms, the dog needs to be separated. We still have at least a year before our LO knows how to open a baby gate, so it can work. We can still do walks each day. Dog is fine when his bed isn't involved. Plus, LO is usually in a carrier or a stroller.</p> <p>At the point where E can open the baby gate, re-homing might be needed. This part really struck me: "While you think of Charlie as one of your children, you must remember that he is a dog, and he will never understand logic. I've seen the worst of the worst, and know what a dog can do to a small child." She went on to tell me she recently re-homed a dog. She begged and begged the dog to just change, to stop fighting. She cried and cried, and finally just realized a different home was the best solution.</p> <p>We are not there yet, thankfully. But, her words really helped me. I love our dog so much, and we're committed to giving him an amazing life in our home. If it looks a little different than we planned, that's okay. Thanks again for all of the support and encouragement. I really, really appreciate it. </p> <p>I'll still update once we've visited the vet. The underlying issue is likely not an injury or pain, but it needs to be investigated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061932 Tue, 10 Feb 2015 07:28:41 +0000 BananaPancakes 2061932@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@besitos: So sorry you're having a tough time! We've had a couple of friends with dogs who did not deal well with their new crawling baby and separation worked for all of them. And lots and lots of reinforcing that when the dog is in their bed, they are not to be approached at all. But we even kept that as a rule in my house with our lab who had never shown aggression towards DS. They deserve their own space to relax, just like anyone. I don't think you need to rehome if you're willing to keep them apart for a while. I know our dog became much more loving towards our son after he started walking. Maybe crawling is just confusing to them? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061908 Tue, 10 Feb 2015 04:02:41 +0000 BabyPenguinXO 2061908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with poster who said rehoming the dog may be best. If your dog has growled at LO before, it doesn't seem like an isolated situation.<br /> I suppose you could try complete separation, though for a big dog and one used to having free Rome I do see the potential for stress, but it's worth trying.</p> <p>I love animals. But my fears would have started when the dog first started growling, and I don't know that I would truly ever be comfortable with that. </p> <p>I'm sorry OP! What a crummy situation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061893 Tue, 10 Feb 2015 02:01:59 +0000 sarac 2061893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, that sounds like a rehoming situation. My daughter is very close to one of my big dogs, and he's great with her. If she gets too rough with him, he'll make a very quiet rumble, and she knows to immediately disengage. I wouldn't feel comfortable with any thing other than that level of interaction. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061871 Tue, 10 Feb 2015 00:07:24 +0000 youboots 2061871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: agreed. My dogs go into protect mode when on leash. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061827 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 22:47:33 +0000 ChelseaRose 2061827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents' dog bit me in the face (didn't break skin, I think) and my mom was pregnant at the time. They re-homed the dog immediately. I'm not much of an animal person and I would not tolerate that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061807 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 22:17:12 +0000 78h2o 2061807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Torchwood: I agree; many dogs are more fearful/aggressive on a leash. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061805 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 22:16:03 +0000 78h2o 2061805@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Coffee-lover: I definitely respect your view. I will say though that I feel like separation has worked really well in our situation and hasn't been unfair or stressful. Maybe it's easier since our dog is small, but separation hasn't meant crating or excluding our dog (though our dog is crated when we are away from home). She is only completely separated from the family when my husband or I can't be there to have a hand on her or LO... she is mainly put on the other side of the fence (where she has full run of the upstairs, living room, and dining room) when I am cooking or when we we are eating. We sometimes throw a stuffed kong or something to the other side to give her something to do and she likes sitting by the window watching people walk by. If LO is playing with toys in the family room, the dog sits in one of our laps and gets a belly rub. We've also made an effort to take the dog on more walks so that she doesn't feel left out. I feel like the worst is behind us now that LO really understands she needs to be gentle. </p> <p>We are now allowing them to interact more since there haven't been any incidents in a long time...but again, they are VERY closely supervised. LO now pets the dog ever so gently and our dog runs to lick/greet her, brings her a ball to play fetch, etc. I think DD is still too young to be trusted completely with the dog, but our dog seems a lot more relaxed around her. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061803 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 22:14:35 +0000 Torchwood 2061803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just a side note to keep in mind- a few people have mentioned that it might be okay to have LO around the dog when he's on a leash, and that's probably true for most dogs, but be sure you know your dog's personality. Our younger dog is actually significantly more aggressive when on a leash. I expect we'll specifically have to keep LO away from him when he's on a leash. Some dogs just have leash aggression. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061791 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 22:03:47 +0000 erinpye 2061791@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love animals, and have always had them in my home, but I know they can be dangerous, and for me, the moment one of our cats lunged and scratched at LO's eye, he was out permanently. He lives in our garage/ outside, and is no longer allowed in our house. As sad as it is, I believe it's just too risky to allow an animal, who hurt my child unprovoked, to be in our home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061744 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 21:20:46 +0000 Mrs. Oyster 2061744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't gotten a chance to read through the other responses yet - but I wanted to say that I've been there and I'm so, so sorry that you're in this position.<br /> We had our pup for 5 years before our son came along. While she is VERY high energy and was always a little skiddish around small children, she was SO good with him when we brought him home from the hospital. She would have licked his little feet 24/7, if we had let her. Everything seemed to be going well until he started to move. Once he began crawling and walking, not long after, all bets were off. She would often growl at him whenever he came near her.<br /> When he was maybe about 9m old, she nipped at him and got him right below his eye. There was no real damage, but I was horrified and, honestly, my relationship with her just changed. We held on for about another year, mostly because my husband refused to consider other options. In the end, it became very clear that she was becoming depressed over the whole situation (not enough time/energy for her, and her anxiety over him) and I was finally able to convince my husband that it was best for HER to find a new home.</p> <p>We were very lucky that my mom is completely in love with her and was able to take her into her home. It is still very hard on my husband and I think he resents me for it, but I honestly believe it was the best choice for everyone - especially her. My mom dotes and spoils her beyond belief (which is one of my husband's issues with the whole situation) and also makes sure she gets to go on walks 3 times a day....things I couldn't reasonably offer her - that I still feel guilty about.</p> <p>I hope you're able to make the very difficult choice that is best for everyone, but most especially your toddler and your pet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061732 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 21:11:17 +0000 spaniellove 2061732@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@besitos: You mentioned that the separation is making your dog seem depressed, and I wanted to ask where you're keeping him? We set up a space for our dog using a big metal puppy play pen in the corner of the family room so she could see out very easily and actually sit next to me when I'm on the sofa. I put her favorite bed in there with her cuddly blankets and found that even when she has her freedom she's perfectly happy to hang out in her space. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061725 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 21:07:55 +0000 QueensBee 2061725@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So sorry that you have to deal with this. :bummed:<br /> I also think you've gotten a lot of good advice already. We have a grouchy and quirky rescue dog, so we've faced a similar issue. We've been able to keep toddler and dog separate for the most part and we've figured out the dog's main triggers so we can mostly live in peace. Now that LO is 22 months, it's less of an issue because he understands that he has to be calm around the dog and give it space.</p> <p>I hope you're able to find a solution that works. :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061706 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 20:49:18 +0000 Mae 2061706@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you've already gotten great advice from everyone else but I just wanted to say I'm so glad you're being so thoughtful about this. Babies are so hard on our pets. I hope you find a solution you're comfortable with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061696 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 20:42:43 +0000 MrsADS 2061696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Coffee-lover I'm also an animal lover but have to say I agree with you completely. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061646 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 20:06:33 +0000 Synchronicity 2061646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you have received some amazing advice. I am a total dog lover too, so I understand your distress over this :( Your dog definitely does not deserve to be put down over this, so I'm glad you're trying not to consider that an option. If it were me, I'd move the dog's bed somewhere that your LO cannot get to it, so there is a safe, childfree space. I'd also likely put up gates and keep them separated almost all of the time... They can be together when your dog is on a leash for a walk or when they are heavily supervised. Your pup can have free rein when your LO is asleep or out of the house. I think this is the only way I'd be comfortable for a while! I'm sorry you're going through this... So tough! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061636 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 19:57:13 +0000 Trailmix 2061636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our dog has nipped our kids twice, I think? Both times when they were being too rough with her, and I take full blame for not being more on top of it and letting our toddlers attack our dog. Ours is little, so less chance of severe damage but it is worrisome. We moved her bed so it's a safe space where they can't get it and just try to be hyper aware, saying 'Gentle', etc...I'm sorry this happened but I am confident it can be resolved! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061627 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 19:50:41 +0000 Coffee-lover 2061627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am a complete animal lover, but seem to have a different opinion than most. If your dog has growled at your baby on multiple occasions before he bit your baby, it does not seem like an isolated incident. It just escalated to biting this one time so far. </p> <p>I would either keep complete separation from the dog and baby at all times (which does not seem fair to the dog, and is stressful to all) or I would rehome the dog. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061576 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 18:54:19 +0000 Mama Bird 2061576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think, if you're able to do it, separating them is the perfect solution. Some dogs just don't deal very well with someone getting into their personal space, but it's possible to both train them to react more calmly, and to teach your son to be more sensitive of that (when he's a bit older).</p> <p>My dog had really strong boundaries about not biting. He'd even let me take food out if his mouth (which I had to do often enough because he ate some very inappropriate things). He still nipped a few people if they got in his space. It was after they'd dive bomb him in the street screaming "how cute!" and grabbing his ears/sticking their hands in his face. I just had to keep him close and warn people not to jump on him, because it's not like he could say "go away, you're so rude!"... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061571 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 18:51:37 +0000 lemondrop 2061571@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@besitos: My husband is a vet (in the shelter system too, it's SO common) and I'm a vet tech, so it hit us extra hard. We both cried for the next few days after until we figured out that total separation could work out for us. The big thing is that we have not relaxed our separation of them and once our youngest got mobile, the same rules applied. </p> <p>It's easy to say that you would do X or Y if your pet ever hurt your kid- until you are faced with that very situation. Thanks for getting in contact with your vet, they get that question quite often, I assure you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler/page/2#post-2061554 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 18:24:38 +0000 besitos 2061554@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lemondrop: Wow. I'm so sorry you went through this. Thank you for the perspective. I just talked with our vet, and she said the same thing "your dogs just can't rationalize certain situations". She also explained that even though we think things haven't changed that much, our dog's view is probably much different. No more being in our bed. No more free reign. Not as many walks. She suggested what worked for you: keeping them totally separated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061519 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:56:13 +0000 lemondrop 2061519@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we had this happen right before our first son turned 2. It was a very severe bite to the face and it was over a food item. We had an extensive ER visit, many stitches and permanent scars on my son's face. </p> <p>Our dog is older and can be cranky, and frankly it was 100% our fault as pet parents and child parents that we didn't separate them sooner. We put our very good dog in a very bad situation. I still feel immense guilt over this for both of them, and still get very upset when I think about it a year later. </p> <p>In the vet field, we put down so many dogs whose owners take their good nature for granted. As loving and devoted as they are, when put in a stressful situation, they are still animals lacking rational thoughts at the human level. </p> <p>We discussed euthanasia and the options to re-home, and did a trial with baby gates keeping them separated- it worked out just fine for us. They are 99% separated, the 1% is that they can pet him over the fence with supervision a couple times a day and going back and forth outside. As an older dog, he just sleeps most of the day anyway on our bed just off the living room. When the boys are playing in their rooms, during nap times, and in the evenings once the boys are asleep, he gets free run of everything but their rooms. He loves the boys, but is much more content living his retirement snuggled on the bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061472 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:32:44 +0000 besitos 2061472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsRcCar: It sounds like you guys really assessed the situations, and acknowledged your dog needs space &amp; understanding too. I don't want to make excuses for the dog, but I am certain he was feeling crowded. And you're right, the dog was communicating. I think the key thing is making sure the dog has a place to retreat to if needed. We'll be working on this tonight. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061462 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:28:05 +0000 besitos 2061462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@alphagam84: No, I was sitting right there. The dog was completely curled up, and I could hear the growl (even though he wasn't snarling or moving), then he suddenly lunged at him. It was all within about 2 seconds. Our son wasn't even touching the dog's bed. :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061454 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:24:04 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 2061454@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am so, so sorry. We had one of our dogs do this and we ended up having to find him a home with no kids (with one of our friends). We tried training, separating him from the baby, exercising him more... everything! But he just didn't do well and it kept getting worse. I was a big ball of stress all the time, scared he would end up biting our baby the moment my back was turned.. because, can you really trust your dog and the baby in the same room anymore?<br /> I understand how hard it is. Try training first - maybe he will respond well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061446 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 17:18:09 +0000 Thenetexan 2061446@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Before we had kids, we had friends and their toddler over. She was about the same age as your LO. Our dog was fine with the toddler, until she got on all fours and started crawling toward her. The dog growled and barked. We wondered if he perceived her differently when she was crawling versus walking. Thankfully our dog did not make contact and we have not had any issues since. I am sorry you are going through this, as I am sure it is not easy to figure out what to do. Good luck. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061427 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 16:58:32 +0000 Torchwood 2061427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: That's 100% not true of our dogs, or any others I've spent time around. They come up to us and fight to get to our faces to give kisses. If we try to force them to, they usually turn their heads and refuse. They give each other kisses too, usually in the context of one is upset so the other comes to comfort them. Maybe it depends on whether kisses were encouraged when they were puppies, but saying that kisses "usually" are a bad sign is bad advice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061421 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 16:54:15 +0000 brownie 2061421@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went the professional dog behaviorist path. Our little dog did a very similar thing to our similarly aged child. It was the one instance we worried about (dog being cornered). The behaviorist has us work on his nervous Nellie behaviors. He isn't a fan of our son (Even at almost 4 years old) but the safely coexist. Our son knows not to chase and corner him. Our big dog on the other hand let's our kid ride him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061391 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 16:34:05 +0000 MrsRcCar 2061391@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our dog has snapped once or twice at N. Both times he provoked her before I had chance to get between them. She is generally great with my kids. The first time she snapped and fell/jumped on to her when she was sleeping. I think she was just shocked. When N started to cry she looked horrified. The second time he tried to poke her in the eye. She snapped but no contact. I think it's fair for her communicate with us. She is great at taking herself out of the line of play. We have also worked hard to have great boundaries. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/our-dog-bit-our-toddler#post-2061369 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 16:23:47 +0000 pinkcupcake 2061369@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sorry :( I am a huge dog lover , and would be absolutely broken if I had to go through something like this. </p> <p>I definitely do not think you need to put your dog down over an incident like this. I would say, absolute worst case scenario, you may have to rehome your dog to a family with no young children(and with full disclosure of what happened). But before doing so, I would look into training, keeping baby and dog separated, maybe setting up gates? </p> <p>I'm sorry :( </p>