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Dog behaviorist, stat!

I'd get rid of the dog. I got bit in the face at the age of 5 (lots of blood, no stitches.) If the baby didn't even touch the sheltie, I don't want to know what'd happen if the sheltie actually felt threatened.

@cyneswith: Ditto. Unprovoked biting is a complete deal breaker in my book.

Was there something the Sheltie had that they were resource guarding? Toy, treat, food? I don't like that it was unprovoked. If he didn't break the skin then it sounds like it was a warning nip. 'you're in my personal space and I don't like it'. Since he usually runs away (nervous behavior?) maybe he felt that he couldn't this time and was trapped.

I would also try to find an animal behaviorist, but if that's not possible you could try treating the dog for good, calm behavior while someone else has the baby nearby. Slowly bring the baby closer (maybe over several sessions) until the dog starts noticing him but isn't antsy enough to look threatened or get up and run away...that's his threshold. You want to work on diminishing that threshold and associating the baby with good things (treats, positive attention). For safety's sake a gate between them wouldn't be a bad thing. Is the Sheltie more bonded to you or your husband?

I'm not a behaviorist, so please take these suggestions with a grain of salt! They might work or they might make things worse. One if the most important things will be being able to read his body language and reactions quickly.

Good luck from a fellow Sheltie owner!

Scary!!

I definitely agree with what the others have said about hiring a dog behaviorist. And also keep the two separated until you do so, because the next time may not be a warning nip.

@brownie: sounds like behavior modification is in order. Getting rid of the dog for something like that doesn't make sense but it is a warning. I think keeping the dog and baby separated for a while and making sure the dog never feels trapped by the baby is a good start. Good luck.

Please don't take this as a judgement, this is just my personal experience growing up in my mom's dayhome with three dogs. IMO little dogs and babies generally do not mix and any dog that bites a child unprovoked needs to go.

Our little dog (bichon x shitzu) HATED babies/toddlers for whatever reason, I always felt like she hated anything at eye level with her. My stepdad's dog bit one of the daycare kids unprovoked in a similar situation to your sheltie and they disciplined it like there was no tomorrow. The dog moved on to attacking small animals and small children anyway. The dog was put down. I'd try an animal behaviorist if you absolutely cannot get rid of the dog, but keep in mind that dogs are animals and are unpredictable- it could be much worse if it happens again.

I find larger dogs to be better with kids on the whole, but if our golden retriever ever bit our daughter for no reason she'd be gone so fast the door wouldn't have time to hit her on the way out. I definitely am not flippant about pet ownership (and clearly you aren't either), but when weighing my child against my pets, my kid is always going to come out on top. Good luck!

@brownie: I'm glad everything is working out ok with your LO and doggies. That's my one big fear when ours gets here. We're trying to prepare the dog and get her used to children ahead of time, but it'll be a big change for her once the baby gets here.

@dc yoga bee: agree wholeheartedly with everything you said