I asked the question can you trust a dog that is previously mild mannered that suddenly lunges at your son while growling? I left out some details that seemed to have been important. The dog is 6 yrs old. No she did not have sores on her (I know because I bathed her thouroghly, and no my son did not pull her skin. When he reached over her he placed his hands under her to lift her. He (my son) is very gentle and loving with animals. My concern is that dogs do turn and her being a lab she is a large dog who if wanted to could easily kill my son or me for that matter. Okay maybe with her age she is a little geriatric, but I do not allow my son to hurt or aggrivate her. He gets repremanded when he does (which is rare) but so does my dog if she responds in a bad way. I try very hard to make sure that he respects the dog but she needs to know her bounderies too. I love my dog but shouldn't my sons safety come above all else including my dogs ill behavior for whatever reason?
2007-08-05 07:44:50 · 13 answers · asked by Concerned 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
NO child should EVER be left with a pet unsupervised no matter how wonderful that pet is. To many things can happen.
2007-08-05 07:48:39 · answer #1 · answered by Great Dane Lover 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
The bottom line is no. No dog, no matter how docile, should ever be trusted 100% with a small child, no matter how respectful that child is. There is always a chance that something could happen that would result in the child being bitten and in today's society that usually results in the dog loosing it's life even if the bite was deserved.
"I love my dog but shouldn't my sons safety come above all else including my dogs ill behavior for whatever reason?"
Yes and no. Your son's safety should always come first. If you truly believe that your son is in danger and it is not possible for you to keep them separated when you cannot closely supervise them, then you need to rehome the dog. While a dog that is going to be around small children should be tolerant of the manhandling that inevitably comes from children, I think it is totally unreasonable to expect a dog to be perfectly well behaved at all times in spite of provocation from a child. You wouldn't expect any human to tolerate rude or obnoxious behavior from a child with nothing but a smile on their face at all times or to not yell loudly (yelling is an aggressive human behavior that is often roughly equivilant to growling or lip curls in a dog)if a child accidentally injured them, so why should you expect it of a dog?
Aggressive behaviors are part of a dog's NORMAL communication repetoir. Growling, lip curls, lunging, etc are all warning signals that "hey, I don't like what you're doing and if you keep it up I'm going to bite you." If you punish a dog every time they display a warning signal, even when it is appropriate, eventually you will end up with an animal that has learned not to give warning signals and just bites "out of the blue." These are FAR more dangerous than a dog that growls and lunges but does not make contact when they feel threatened. Even biting is normal for dogs. ALL dogs have a bite threshold. Some dogs should be awarded sainthood for their tolerance before it all becomes just too much, and others have an unacceptably low threshold. But every dog has a point at which they can't take it anymore and if the aggrivator does not listen to their warning signals and back off they will be left with their last resort...which is biting.
2007-08-05 14:59:05 · answer #2 · answered by ainawgsd 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Children should NEVER be left alone with a dog. Not any dog. No matter how well behaved the child. Children do things that can cause a dog to bite. Not always bad things. But a childs fast movements and high pitched squeals when playing can just be all it takes for a dog's prey drive.
In your example, dogs do not like to be leaned over. It's threatning. Many dogs also don't like to be lifted. Your son is most likely in her mind, below her in pack order, so growling and lunging was her way to telling him to back off. The next step would be a bite.
Your resolution can be to get rid of the dog or to be sure to never let your child be alone with the dog.
2007-08-05 15:06:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You can never completely trust any animal alone with a child. The simple reason is, the animal can't talk!
I am not trying to be sarcastic. What I mean is that the dog can't tell you if it isn't feeling well. So, if it is sick, and someone bothers it, it might snap! (I get the same way when I am sick!) Without words to tell you it is sick, it has to use what it's got, teeth and growls.
A dog that is 6 years old may also have some arthritis or hip, knee, or elbow issues that are common in Labs. A complete physical at the vet's would not be out of line here. I have known many sweet tempered dogs snap at children for what seemed to be no reason. And after a vet visit, the reasons were extremely clear. Good luck!
2007-08-05 14:54:25 · answer #4 · answered by Katslookup - a Fostering Fool! 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I`m sorry , but it seems to me that your son is not being honest with you. You may believe him that he has done nothing cruel to the Dog but, I suspect, that when you have not been there his comportment with the animal is very different.
Animals are wise and honest. Your Dog is showing you that your son has been cruel to it in some way. If I were you I`d believe the dog before your son! No, really.
Probably the best is to find a new home for your dog where he will be happy and well`-treated by everyone, and it will amaze you to see the difference in him! As things are at the moment I wouldn`t
put it past your dog to bite him. He might be asking for it. But the trouble is you will punish the DOG for it.! Unfortunately the Dog can`t tell you what exactly is going on in your absence.
Best to find a new home for him, is my advice before you regret it, and don`t be tempted to get another animal until your son has grown up a little more..
2007-08-05 15:05:33 · answer #5 · answered by Sue 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Why was your son trying to lift her? Large dogs do not like to be lifted, especially for correctional purposes. Six years old is in no way geriatric for a dog. She is middle aged and should be in the prime of life.
The real question here is can you ever really trust your child with your pet, not the other way around.
2007-08-05 14:52:17 · answer #6 · answered by RE 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are giving your dog too much responsibility. It is your job to keep both your dog and your son safe. First, they shouldn't be unsupervised together. Second, dogs in general do not like being picked up. You should not punish your dog if she doesn't like the treatment she is being given-you will end up with some resentment there.
Keep the babysitting in the human category, and you will not have problems with dog or child.
2007-08-05 20:30:44 · answer #7 · answered by anne b 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You asked if your son's safety should be more important than the dog. Yes it should. And if I were in your place, I would euthanize the dog. Your first responsibility is to the child not the dog. It is just not worth the risk of having him or some other child bitten.
No dog should be trusted alone with young children. It is just a fact of life. Lots of dogs nip. And abuse has nothing to do with it in 99.9999999 percent of cases. Temperament is genetic. Nippy dogs are nippy dogs. Some of the most well-cared for, best-loved dogs in the world are the nastiest biters of all because they are spoiled and dominant. Don't let anyone put a guilt trip on you are tell you the dog is worth more than the child. It isn't.
2007-08-05 18:14:40 · answer #8 · answered by mama woof 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
If the dog has growled or snaooed at your son I would not leave them unsupervised at all. It is to risky to even take the chance.
2007-08-08 11:58:23 · answer #9 · answered by Steph 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's why dogs are called animals. I never trust my animals around children no matter how loving the animal seems to be toward the child.
2007-08-05 14:49:00 · answer #10 · answered by jacquie 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋