Let's face it: some pets are better with young children than others are. Whether it is a pet you are familiar with, or a pet you are meeting for the first time, the best way to keep things under control is to keep yourself and your children calm.
Miko was a cranky old man. He didn't like kids, and he didn't like puppies. Anything young was out. If a child or young animal approached him, he immediately started to rumble to warn them off.
Lally loves everybody. Our first Christmas together, we spent with friends. Friends who had a young daughter who thought Lally was just great for hugging. My patient little girl dog let that kid hang all over her and didn't once show her teeth or growl or anything.
Whether it is a pet you are familiar with, or a pet you are meeting for the first time, the best way to keep things under control is to keep yourself and your children calm. Sudden movements and/or loud noises can be scary to the animal in question.
The situation is a little different if you and your child encounter a dog or cat on the street. If the animal approaches you, let it sniff, but don't chase it down to try and pet it! Half of the dogs you may encounter on an afternoon walk may be so busy sniffing that they won't even notice (or care) that you're around.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How can I tell if my American bull dog will get on well with my 7 month old son?
Amy from Craigshill Livingston
Don't leave the baby alone with the dog. They might get along later on when the baby is past toddler stage. My vet says small children should never be left alone with pit bulls, rottweilers, german shepherds, chows, and a couple of other breeds I can't remember.
We have a Daschund that is almost 2 years old. He has shown aggressiveness toward our grandchildren, including biting. We are concerned to the point of seriously considering giving him up, though it is painful. Has anyone had success with behavior training for this specific issue or is this Daschund's personality trait incorrectable? Our grandchildrens' faces seem to be at risk.
First of all, are your grandchildren hurting or playing agressively with the dog? If so, that's why the dog is being aggressive. Can you keep the dog in a separate room when the grandkids are visiting? If not, most animal shelters have an animal behaviorist on staff that give free advice to help find solutions to problems like yours. They want to do everything possible to prevent pet owners from giving up their pets.
Please do not give up so easily on your dog, there may be an easy solution to this problem. Good luck & I pray you keep your dog.
Life is full of choices. I personally would prefer not to have a biting dog. Think how you will feel if he bites one of their little faces. Not only would the child be scarred for life but you might possible alienate some family members.
Go to www.barkbusters.com/
I am a dachshund owner..of many years... dacshies, in my experience and opinion, are good dogs around well behaved children. Dachsies aren't golden retrievers...
How old are your grandchildren? Old enough to be taught about respecting small dogs space? Plus, if they are only at your home occassionally, your dog is not used to interacting with children. Children can be unpredictible as far as small dogs are concerned, and perceived as threateneing. However, my first doxie was great with children because she was raised with them and around them constantly.
Small dogs don't belong on a bed with a child... small dogs can fall off the bed, and get injured that way.
Is he neutered? That is the first thing to do. The second is find a trainer and take him to obedience training. If the grandkids are old enough you can have one of them go too. I would guess he is the alpha dog and runs the house. Don't let him on the furniture or sleep in your bed. He should stay in the floor. Make him sit and stay before getting food or going outside. Dachshunds are bad about wanting things their way and know how to get it. You have to teach him that he has to do things your way or he doesn't get the reward. Don't feed him table food when you eat and he begs. Your vet should be able to help you find a trainer if you don't know of one in your area.
I had a dachshund that was the same way. He tried biting my hubby finally and we gave him away. Just thought I would let you know. Didn't want to take that chance with other members. He was also neutered, worst dog we ever had. Never had any problems like that we others.
I wholeheartedly agree with anonymous and pet helper. Dachshunds are wonderful, loyal, loving dogs, who like any dog needs training. Over the holidays I had friends visit who both had 12 year old boys. What a difference in these children and the way my dogs reacted and played with them. Don't give up on your dog; it may not be his fault and please, keep any child's face away from a dog!
3 Doxies Mom
I have owned three dachshunds. The two I currently have are rescues. One has nipped two children- one reached through our fence to pet him (so he was protecting his turf.) The other was a 3-year old who was darting around the living room- rapid movements seem to stir him up. Rather than get rid of the dog (he is after all a full-fledged member of my family), I have avoided having small kids in my house- I have no grandchildren so this hasn't been too tough for me. I should eventually take him to a trainer, but have not gotten around to it in the 2 yrs I have had him.
Training might mask some tendencies temporarily, but if this dog just doesn't like children, your grands are at risk. Why not just put the dog out, or isolate it in a closed room when the children visit?
My Daschund Lucky is 10 years old and on occasion would growl at my 10 year old daughter. She grew up with lucky but it appears Lucky treated her like the lower pack dog. Well yesterday she bite my daughter on the face and she had to get 5 stitches.
I would like to get give her away but my family wants to try and re-train her. We bought a mussel today which she will need to wear around her and other non-family. I will keep you posted.
Sounds like you may have a dominance problem. If your dog saw you as pack leader then you wouldn't have this problem. All you would have to do is tell them no and the dogs should listen.
I have a doxie, and she is no good around children either. At first we thought she was protecting her territory but when we put her down she runs up to them and chases them. I know its not all her fault because kids will be unpredictable. The best thing to do is to call in a trainer.
Well I have a 2 year old Doxie and he is very good with children. He even allows the neighboring kids to touch and pamper him and with me around they even take him for a walk. It all depends on how we have trained it when it was a pup.
My little Lucy wasn't around children very much so was never hurt by them but just simply did not like anybody small. Since I didn't have anyone around on a regular basis I just had to put her in her kennel when children did come. I know she needed to be taught but I couldn't risk somebody's face while I was trying to teach her. I couldn't give her up and children aren't frequent visitors so it worked for us.
Our 2 year old YorkiePoo has gotten so when we get ready to put her to bed she starts growling and baring her teeth. Also she has snapped at our grandkids, sometimes breaking the skin. We have 1 grandson that teases her. We can't get him to stop. He thinks it's funny until he gets nipped. Help! We've put her in the laundry room to keep her away, but my stinking grandson lets her out!
By Dottie from soutnwest IN
It sounds like both the dog and grandson need some training! I don't know what to suggest for the dog. But for the grandson, I think you need to have a serious talk with him and his parent/s. He's probably going to try to respond/defend himself by saying that the dog starts the misbehavior (the old, "he started it!" argument). So tell them that you're aware of what your dog is doing, and you're trying to deal with it. But your grandson is not a dog, and you expect better behavior from him. If he cannot control himself and choose to be better-behaved, he shouldn't come over. Particularly if you've tried to close your dog into a room, and then he intentionally lets her out. That behavior is not acceptable or welcomed. The parents need to understand and reinforce what you've said.
It might sound harsh telling your grandson that he cannot come over. But he needs to learn about appropriate behavior and following rules. I wish you the best of luck with this.
I would not stand for the grandson's behavior. After all it is your dog and your home and he needs to learn to respect that no matter what it is about. Now put the dog where he can't get him out and tell your grandson that he is not allowed to play with the dog and tell him why. Your grandson may never learn to treat animals with kindness but you can protect your own dog.
What do you mean when you say you are trying to put your Yorkiepoo to bed? Personally, I've never had to put an animal friend to bed and just let them go to bed on their own when they are ready to. Maybe your baby simply wants to be treated as an individual and not forced? As for the grandchild who teases? How about you tease him the exact same way he teases your Yorkiepoo and see how he likes it? I'll venture to bet he wouldn't like it and will learn some compassion and empathy with the roles reversed!
In the best interest of your dog, re-home it with a no children, then explain to yours the reason why.
Your grandson needs a paddling. I know that doesn't sound politicaly correct, but to tell the truth that is just what he needs. Poor dog.
