my 4yr old min pin bit my 8 month old in the face. i had to get rid of my min pin. how the hell did it happen?

Question

my baby is ok thank god just a few scratches. i had to beg my husband not to kill the dog. why do i feel so sad about getting rid of him.

he's never did that before and my child is more important to me and for those of you saying its my fault thats so cruel it could have happened to anyone.

Answer 1

I think some good ideas have already been submitted, but would also recommend getting a good book that deals specifically with instructions on how to introduce and integrate dogs with children. (Or you might even do a search and find some good articles/instructions free on the web, that deal specifically with that sort of thing).

I think you feel guilty because you loved the dog, even though you (rightly) love your child more, and you realize it was just an instinctive act on the dog's part. You made the right decisions by getting rid of the dog but also not allowing your husband to euthanize him. The dog is small enough that he might do well (and not pose a threat) to an adult household or a household with older children.

My wife and I once had to take a dog to the vet and have him put down, because he was a BIG dog and he was violent/vicious with adults and children. It was very sad. I loved that dog a lot, but I knew, and still know it was the right decision. I felt so guilty I could hardly sleep for two weeks, because it was early on in our dog experience and I always wondered if we had sent him to training and been better disciplinarians, he wouldn't have had to be put down. I finally had to forgive myself, but I learned a huge lesson. Since then, I won't even allow our new puppies to play bite (the way we had previously done). I just tap them gently on the nose or say "OUCH"!! really loud to train them not to play bite. (I know this isn't the same situation, but the guilt is the same, thinking that there was something you could have done to prevent it).

But the bottom line is--live and learn. Try to release yourself from feeling guilty. You really have nothing to feel guilty about. You made the right decisions as they were presented to you, with the knowledge you had at the time. That's all anyone can do.
You are learning as you go, just like the rest of us human beings. Don't beat yourself up emotionally, it's not going to help anyone--be kind to YOU. It sounds like you have a good heart and good judgment. Things just happen sometimes that we can use as a learning experience.

I am very glad your baby didn't get seriously injured and the dog has a chance to live a good life without hurting anyone. I think things turned out as well as they could have under the circumstances. I wish you the best in the future.

Answer 2

For one thing, it was a Min Pin, they can be quite a handful.

Bites often happen because many people today view the dog as the 'furbaby' and then treat it like a child. They are animals and need to be treated as such. Yours more than likely thought of the baby as the bottom of the pack and treated it as it would a lowly member of a canine pack. The dog needs to know his place is at the bottom rather than thinking he is in charge, and the Purely Positive techniques so popular these days (while very good for SOME) DO NOT HELP and are inappropriate for some dogs.


"it could have happened to anyone". Well, this is not true. It would NOT happen to a knowledgable dog person. They would have had the dog under control and would have seen the signs before it happened. But don't be to hard on yourself, you didn't know any better, live and learn.

Answer 3

With dogs, the older dog rules the pack. It's likely that your min pin thought that your baby was it's litter mate. When a litter mate or a younger dog invades an older/more dominant dog's space, the older dog will snap at the younger dog to make it mind it's manners. It's very possible that your dog was telling your baby to mind it's manners and back off.

But you were right to get rid of the dog. It's sad, but you can't trust it around the child. If you get another dog, you should watch how the baby and the dog interact and never leave them unsupervised. It's just too risky. I'd wait until the child is in kindergarten before bringing another animal in the house, if I were you.

Answer 4

Agreeing with alot of these answers, I would say you didnt prepare the dog for having a baby in the house and it was jealous..the baby may have enticed him somehow to aggrevate him to bite..but you did the right thing by getting rid of the dog. I brought home a lab puppy when my little boy was about a year old..and they were playing one night and the dog jumped up and bit my little boy in the face pretty hard..I found him a new home the next day. Some dogs just are not meant to be around small children..and like someone else said, I would wait until your child is a little older when they can defend themselves to bring in another dog.
And to answer your other question, its normal to feel bad about getting rid of the dog..it was part of the family..but you Have to take care of your kids well being.

Answer 5

Jealousy.Your Min Pin was replaced by the baby and he acted out. You didn't have to get rid of the dog-you could have taken a class with the dog called"Baby Proofing Your Dog"

Answer 6

Dogs bite when playing and in anger. A dog you know, will play bite, but not bite down hard enough to hurt you because they know how hard they can play and not hurt you. An 8 month old is more fragile, and can get hurt even from what the dog thinks is a playful bite. Remember, a dog's mouth is what they use to pick up their pups with.

Or the dog was angry.

Answer 7

Small dogs feel threatened by children. They are loud, hoigh pitched, and unpredictable. This is very unfortunate when you find some one to adopt warn them to be careful when children come to visit. I know many children bit by thier own pets. It's not your fault you had no reason to expect it. Wait awhile and consider a medium or bigger dog who's less skittish and excitable. And try not to worry when the baby is around other dogs so he doesn't learn to be afraid. He shouldn't remember this. I'm sorry

Answer 8

If you've had the dog for a while then it feels attached, and when you're paying attention more to the baby than the dog it gets jelous, so it wants to payback the thing that's getting in the way of your attention. My cousins dog did that to her son. It's jelousy and nothing more.

Answer 9

obviously your baby was trying to get friendly and your dog acted out. you didn't introduce the baby before you had the child. meaning you didn't let your dog smell all the new baby things and allow it to check out the room. next time pick a family friendly dog such as labs and retrievers. English setters are the best because they are very protective

Answer 10

Your dog was jealous of the baby. For all this time the dog was the center of attention and all of a sudden here comes this little baby that people are spending so much time with and giving so much attention to.