Dogs and infants

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just keep the dog on the leash and the baby in your hands once the dog is familiar with the infant it will be easier to tell him to leave it alone. Its like trying to keep a kid out of a room in the house. When they are curious they will do whatever they can to get to it. Once they know its full of boxes and old clothes they dont care to go in it anymore. Same with dogs and kids once they realize its a baby they dont care no more.[/quote]

I do not agree with this at all. Before our daughter was born we had boughten a baby doll that cried and everything just to try and get our two dogs to understand a baby before my daughter came. When Natasha came ,we let them sniff her right away and everyday she was around the dogs when we were around. As soon as she started crawling that was when he attacked her. Thankgod the other dog was in an other room when this happened or most likly she would have attacked to being a natural insinct to stay in their packs. They knew what a baby was and who the baby was and that did not matter. Now with the dog we still have i do not trust her around my baby at all. There are baby gates seperating them at all times. The only time Thumper is now aloud around us is when we take her outside,the baby is sleeping or we go beyond the gate to visit her.
 
Jee fresh water, that was lucky she's alright...I cant imagine what you feel...Thank god shes okay...Hows she healing?
 
Not to hurt feelings but any dog that attacks a baby or any person while it's owner is near is a dog that is not in control by it's owner and that owner isn't "pack leader". You have to understand a dogs mind before saying "this dog wants to eat my kid because it's a bad dog"

I feel bad for any child that gets hurt by a dog. But I also feel bad for any dog that gets put down without trying some sort of reform. Even worse when you put one down and buy another.
 
when our daughter was born we let our dog get familiar with her. not face licking familiar, but they knew each other. and right now she is almost 4, they are best friends, the dog is very protective over our daughter. to the point of if she laughs loud the dog will come check on her. our dog is not a kid to us but a loved pet. if at any point i would think she was a threat i would take her out back and come back alone. i guess my point is if you were to keep them seperated, then any interaction would be cause to worry, as they are unfamiliar with each other. its like kids and firearms, imo. if they are ever goin to be around one then they should be familiar with them. our kids go shooting with me, know where the guns are(in the gun safe), and know exactly what they can do. and they leave them the heck alone because of it. just my ramblings
 
King Edward;2010774; said:
Jee fresh water, that was lucky she's alright...I cant imagine what you feel...Thank god shes okay...Hows she healing?
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She is healing really well. There is still a scar on her face but the doctor said the way babies heal and how much ive been taking care of it that within 2 yrs it should be completlt invisable.

cichlaguapote;2010782; said:
Not to hurt feelings but any dog that attacks a baby or any person while it's owner is near is a dog that is not in control by it's owner and that owner isn't "pack leader". You have to understand a dogs mind before saying "this dog wants to eat my kid because it's a bad dog"

I feel bad for any child that gets hurt by a dog. But I also feel bad for any dog that gets put down without trying some sort of reform. Even worse when you put one down and buy another.
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First off my boxer went to training school and listened to everything my husband and i said to him. When he did attack my daughter as soon as we told him to release he did. We aswell as his trainers think its because he was getting older and very protective. And once he seen Natasha crawl it was new o him and she just went from a baby that just lyed there to a baby who start taking over the floor space which for years was always a dogs space.We bred his mother and had him from the time he was born till he was 8 yrs old. Also we did not put a dog down and then purchase another!!!! if you look at the pictures we already had her. We also have had her since she was 8 weeks old and is now 9. Also after a dog has attacked my daughter if you think im going to try and keep him or even give him away to another family that the possibility of children being around is going to happen then ur ouuta ur mind! Once a dog attacks once it is most likly to happen again. NOONE can say 100% that a dog is not going to attack,weather your the packleader or not just like humans and every other possible animal the brain can do funny things.
 
The whole thread seems unequivocal in terms of opinion...dogs and small children should not mix. But let me point out that this goes for any breed.

Freshwaterfishing, the pix you post, NO FLAMING INTENDED ABSOLUTELY, of the boxer with the baby ilustrate one of the worst mistakes one can do...even with you by the side, if the dog bit such a small baby, the least you would get is a life long disfigurement.

That is what I mean with "humanizing " dogs..dogs have no place on the couch. One day the owner will want the dog to get out of the couch and the dog will want to stay, and might even growl defensively...people will immediately find that the dog turned mean and agressive. No. The fault is of the owner. Period.

As to putting dogs down, I find that is a very last resort, applicable only in cases of prooven agressivity. What your boxer did does not imply agressivity of itself..It may have wanted to discipline its pack brother - your child.

I've had a Neapolitan Mastiff ***** do that to a child of mine- who ventured unathorized into the dogs place-I gave it to a friend of mine the next day. She lived happily everafter. All solutions are preferable to put such a friend to sleep....
 
Miguel;2010966; said:
The whole thread seems unequivocal in terms of opinion...dogs and small children should not mix. But let me point out that this goes for any breed.

Freshwaterfishing, the pix you post, NO FLAMING INTENDED ABSOLUTELY, of the boxer with the baby ilustrate one of the worst mistakes one can do...even with you by the side, if the dog bit such a small baby, the least you would get is a life long disfigurement.

That is what I mean with "humanizing " dogs..dogs have no place on the couch. One day the owner will want the dog to get out of the couch and the dog will want to stay, and might even growl defensively...people will immediately find that the dog turned mean and agressive. No. The fault is of the owner. Period.

As to putting dogs down, I find that is a very last resort, applicable only in cases of prooven agressivity. What your boxer did does not imply agressivity of itself..It may have wanted to discipline its pack brother - your child.

I've had a Neapolitan Mastiff ***** do that to a child of mine- who ventured unathorized into the dogs place-I gave it to a friend of mine the next day. She lived happily everafter. All solutions are preferable to put such a friend to sleep....
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I completly agree with you on the picture thing. Aswell as them being on the couch. I know now that it was a mistake and will never happen again. I was just showing them to show how sweet he really was.At first my husband and i were not planning on having children so they were our children so letting them go on a couch was nothing to us. As for putting him down i didnt do it untill a week after the attack because i wanted to make sure i was doing the right thing. Everyone including the hospital,rockys trainers,the police as well as my husband said it was the best thing to do because statistics prove that once a dog has attacked then it will do it again. During the week waiting to put rocky to sleep he would continue to grawl underneath is breath and everytime i walked by him with the baby his fur would stand right up. So theres to show he had his mind up and did not want her in the home. As for the other dog being locked up now after the attack with the other dog she started to aswell grawl at the baby.Most liky because she knows what happened and that because of her her brother is gone.Now she is confined to the entire upstairs of the house and the downstairs hallway. I just think no dog of any breed should be trusted with a child.
 
with what you describe it was not, in my experience, an issue of pack brother disciplining pack brother. Your dog was jealous of the child. If felt its rang oder in the pack threatened by the child...let me tell you, it would not stop and you would be a wreck today had you not acted decisively ( I do not condone the killing, mind, but we all take the decisions we find best in the little time we have ).

But, then again - absent of your dog having had a psych problem with age or a tumour in the brain or any sort of thing that could cause the change in behaviour - it was your WELL INTENTIONED conduct of having the dog as a family member that gave rise to the problem.

It happens everyday, and I still have to find proof that a couch, family dog, is happier than a well exercised outdoor dog, who knows its place in the order of things...I find my dogs are happier than dogs who even watch television.

Now I see that you've got another dog, which I fully understand, being a dog person myself, but please rememeber to teach your child how to interact with the dog. The dog needs to know that the child is unassailably higher in the rank order. Therefore your child should play with the dog but always on a higher level, standing up, not on its knees. The child needs to know that a dog is not to be looked straight in the eyes. He should look at the dog with the angle of vision slightly deviated from the dogs eyes.

Your child should give the dog its space when the dog is eating. That is another gross mistake, at least in the macho man country I live in. Owners like to fidget with the dogs bowl to show the dog who is the boss ( I've also done it, of course ). That is bull****. It is disrespecting the dog and controlling it out of fear. One person, the pack leader may do it when necessary, but never the child.

I am ranting, excuse me. I could go on for hours....Love them dogs...
 
and yes, you're absolutely right. your other dog, as lovely as it can be, would immediately jump into the attack on your child. Dogs, and dogs who live with dogs assurdely, always react in packs, and what is worse ( at least for us dog lovers ) is that they group against the weaker...You will never see a dog helping another dog in distress (unless its in the moovies )..if a dog sees one dog being bitten, it will want to assist the bitter...

Not the noblest of characters, our dogs...but then again, so are Lions, the Kings of the Jungle...
 
Miguel;2011113; said:
with what you describe it was not, in my experience, an issue of pack brother disciplining pack brother. Your dog was jealous of the child. If felt its rang oder in the pack threatened by the child...let me tell you, it would not stop and you would be a wreck today had you not acted decisively ( I do not condone the killing, mind, but we all take the decisions we find best in the little time we have ).

But, then again - absent of your dog having had a psych problem with age or a tumour in the brain or any sort of thing that could cause the change in behaviour - it was your WELL INTENTIONED conduct of having the dog as a family member that gave rise to the problem.

It happens everyday, and I still have to find proof that a couch, family dog, is happier than a well exercised outdoor dog, who knows its place in the order of things...I find my dogs are happier than dogs who even watch television.

Now I see that you've got another dog, which I fully understand, being a dog person myself, but please rememeber to teach your child how to interact with the dog. The dog needs to know that the child is unassailably higher in the rank order. Therefore your child should play with the dog but always on a higher level, standing up, not on its knees. The child needs to know that a dog is not to be looked straight in the eyes. He should look at the dog with the angle of vision slightly deviated from the dogs eyes.

Your child should give the dog its space when the dog is eating. That is another gross mistake, at least in the macho man country I live in. Owners like to fidget with the dogs bowl to show the dog who is the boss ( I've also done it, of course ). That is bull****. It is disrespecting the dog and controlling it out of fear. One person, the pack leader may do it when necessary, but never the child.

I am ranting, excuse me. I could go on for hours....Love them dogs...
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LOL no problem i can completly understand what you are saying and as you said i had little time and with everyone telling me that he should be put down i just thought that was best. Yes also the jealously thing i think had alot to do with it. We tried to give him just as much attention as well as the other dog but i guess that did not work. Ive alway been told to never look a dog straight in the eyes and yes i will teach my daughter that aswell. But right now she is only 10 months so all she does is crawl and is eye level with a dog so right now i have no choice but to keep the lab seperated from her untill she can walk. Do you have any suggestions on what i can do so one day i can have Natasha around Thumper?
 
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