What Would You Do If Your Dog Bit Your Baby?

Hi everyone:

I read this because I have a 10 month old and a 12 year old mix dog, we actually have three dogs. The older dog does not like the baby and has growled at her a few times. I NEVER let her by the dogs alone, because dogs are reactive. If the baby pinches or hits the dog, their reaction is to defend themselves. That is instinct!

What we have done, we NOT to get rid of the dog because I feel it is our responsibility to the dog and our baby to give them both a home. We committed to both of them.

That being said, I keep them seperated. The baby does not go around the dog and the dog stays clear of the baby. We keep the dogs bed in our room, which the baby hardly every goes in. We just keep a good seperation. The two other dogs love her and play with her on the floor, always supervised! We are trying to teach our daughter the "right" way to pet the dogs.

You could also look into obedience training for the dog. It does cost money, but with the right type of trainer, you may be able to remedy the situation.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi C.,

Similar situation, different approach, because I kept the dog...Here's how!

I have a similar situation. My black lab, who was our baby for almost 4 years before my sons were born, never showed any aggressive behavior. Even when my first baby was born, my dog would sleep by baby's crib and she would come to me when the baby started waking up or crying, kinda to tell me to take care of baby (that was really sweet).

But, when baby started walking and getting into stuff (10 months old by the way) dogie started claiming it's territory.

So, it snapped at my baby couple of times, specially when eating because it did not want baby around. There has been other incidents (and another baby) but they always have a territory or a leave me alone reason.

I don't excuse the reasons, I have always sent the dog outside and let her know it was wrong wrong wrong.

With a second baby within 15 months and all we chose to keep the dogie, and my babies are now 2&3 years old. I wish my dog would have been more baby friendly but it's not. Toddlers make my dogie kinda nervous (I wonder why?!!! ha ha ha)

My sons have learned that the dog has it's boundaries, they have learned that they can not touch it's food or touch it's tail. The have also learned that they have to let dogie know that they want to pet it and wait for dogie's permission to do that. They have learned how to approach the dog (and any dog) with a soft voice and their palms facing up.

I have seen many children at parks or even walking my own dog that just come and pet the dog without knowing how to approach a dog safely and specially asking dogs permission. This puts them at risk and then we all blame the dogs.

During family time, we (hubby and I) make the dog lay down, belly up and ask babies to pet the dogs belly. This puts the dog in a submissive position as we teach dogie that we are the bosses and the babies as well.

Now that babies are talking I have taught them to give commands to our dog like "sit, roll and stay" and it is working pretty well.

In my family, the older my kids get, the better the dog-child relationship is getting. I am so happy I kept the dog!

Each dog is different, each family is different so you follow your heart, because MOMs really know what would work better for their families.

I just shared my story but I know that there have been accidents with aggressive dogs and babies that could have been prevented in many different ways (not leaving dogs with babies without supervision or even giving dogs away, yes I would agree that sometimes is needed).

I would never put a dog down because it snapped at my child though.

Hopefully I was of some help.

N.

C., I have to say I would get rid of the dog. There is no way I would put my child at risk. I would actively search for a good home for the dog, but I wouldn't keep him. We got rid of our dog right after my son was born because he seemed too aggressive and it wasn't worth the risk (he was my husband's dog so it was difficult for him) I know some people say that you should just watch him the whole time with your son or keep them seperated, but what if.... Poor guy, I'm sure that was a scare for your little one. I hope it works out.

Hello,

Several years ago I had a similar situation. We kept my german shepard mix at our place of business in a back room behind the counter. A friend was there with his 5 year old daughter who had played with our dog at home many times. The little girl entered the back room where the dog was alone and he bit her in the head. Unfortunately it broke the skin and we had to rush her to the hospital for stiches. We called animal control and they came out to survey the area and evaluate the dog. Fortunately for all the little girl recovered fully and animal control did not take the dog away from us or put him down. If you are in doubt please have the dog evaluated by professionals to determine her personality. You won't regret it!!

Get rid of the dog.

Find a good home. BELIEVE ME it is NOT worth the risk!!!!!!!

I absolutely don't think you need to get rid of the dog! The dog was clearly not trying to hurt your child; If it wanted to, it would have. It didn't "bite" your son. Your son must have hurt or scared the dog. Unfortunately, the dog cannot say "ouch that hurt, please stop"; he reacts as a dog. That is why it is so important to watch your child when he is "playing" with the dog. At 7 months old, he is quite honestly just too young to understand the rules, and will be for quite a while. His being a little scared may be a good thing.
It is your responsibility to be sure that he doesn't harass, climb on, steal food, poke the dog in the eyes, etc. I have 3 large dogs, one is a pit bull (and she is the sweetest of all!) Dogs think of your family unit as a "pack". You are higher in the pack - YOU SET THE RULES and teach everyone their limits and what is expected of them.
Your husband is right. There is no reason to get rid of the dog.

Hi, how are you?
I just wasnted to tell you that you need to take your child to the Dr. right away to make sure he/she did not catch any disease from that dog. You need to be very careful with your dog and make sure it stays away from the child. Maybe you can get one of those screen to make sure the dog stay away from the child. Last but no least make sure your dog is properly immunized.

I hope this helps.

Wow, that's scary!
We have two dogs and two children (our youngest is 9 months) We love the dogs very much. I am thankful we've never had a situation like the one you describe.
If you want an honest opinion then without hesitation I'd say it's time to get rid of the dog.
If I thought even for a second that one of our dogs was going to growl or show signs of aggression, the dog would be gone. You have to ask yourself how you would have felt if the dog bite had been worse. Dogs are like part of the family, I know, but once babies come along, everything changes. I have a feeling that you must know in your heart what the right thing to do is and maybe you are asking for other moms to validate what already know. I would ask your pediatrician or anyone else who your husband respects to back you up on this one. You just can't take a chance. I know I'd never forgive myself if something like that happened. I am so sorry for your situation- it is a tough one. I hope you figure out what to do in the best interest of your family.
Good luck!!!

I have 2 dogs that I love, so I completely understand how you feel about your sheltie, but if either one bit my child I would get rid of the dog immediately, with no questions. It is not worth the risk of a more severe injury!!

I would definitely get rid of the dog!

I have had all my kids bitten by dogs, one a grandparents dog, 2 from a friend's dog.
My middle son that got bitten got blood poisoning, and was lucky they didn't have to take his arm. The nurse there said we just got there in time, many are not as lucky.
The bit was just a small puncture in his hand. WE had hydrogen peroxided it well, and packed it with neosporin, and watched it, but all of a sudden the next evening, there was a red streak running (looks like a light rash, running up from his hand to under his arm.)

Maybe this time it wasn't that bad of a bite, but is it worth it to take a chance?
If you can't be absolutely sure the dog won't do this again....(and if he did it once...he's capable again, obviously he's jealous of the baby or something...) it's not worth the chance. The child is ALWAYS more important than the animal.

Hi,

You know I love my dog, he is like one of my kids I have had him since he was 2 months, he is a 70 pound boxer, but if he ever bit one of my kids I would get rid of him. This won't be the first or last time he will bite him. Make sure you are always around when they are together. I have four kids two which were babies at the time and my sister has babies as well, and we have many gatherings and children around the house, so my dog is use to the pulling and playing so he has never tried to even growl not even when they play with his food he just walks away. My point is juts be very careful, your baby is very young and those things terrify me. You should seriuosly get rid of that dog forget what your husband said, this is your BABY.

I wouldn't hesitate to get rid of the dog. This is your baby you're talking about here! How could you even take a chance? Next time, the bite could be much worse. And you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

Well I can say that I am in the same situation. However, our dog bit my husbands 2-year old niece. This was about 7 years ago and the dog was only about a year old. What we have done since our son (2 yo) has been born, we leave her in the kitchen when he is up and put a gate up to keep her in there. We do sometimes let them interact, but not much because my husband is scared of it happening again. The only reason she nipped the first time was because the niece wouldn't stay out of the dogs face. It was nothing major, just a major family fight! We still give the dog as much attention as possible and she seems to be fine. She is an Australian Blue Heeler which is a cattle dog and requires A LOT of attention and none of this has seemed to affect her. Just be very careful when your child is around your dog and if you are really scared of it happening again, you might invest in a gate that you could put up somewhere to keep the dog away.
Hope all goes well!

I know that has to be a scary situation but the fact that the dog didn't leave even a little mark means he was just saying in dog language "back off". Maybe your son touched or grabbed something that hurt or just plain annoyed the dog. I would definitely not get rid of the dog. If he left a mark yes, totally. Train your dog new commands to use when he's around the baby and train your son that dogs have boundaries. There are play times and times when he just wants to sleep or relax. I hope this helps.

Hi there!

On a personal level I would get rid of my dog :(
I have a pit bull....YES--a pit bull and 2 babies---20 months and 4 months. I am SOOOOO lucky to have SUCH AN AMAZING dog! He is my son's best friend. Ofcourse I had concerns when my first child was born--we did the whole "bring the blanket home from the hospital" to let him sniff it--- i guess maybe it worked b/c since the day we brought the 1st baby home the dog has been fine. They share food (not at the same time), toys, and furniture.... I truly believe that each dog as an individual had a different temperment...that being said...if he did it once he'll probably do it again!!!!
You can not be too cautious when it is your CHILD!!!!

Get rid of the dog!!! Do you really want to give the dog a chance to bite your son again??? what's more important the dog or your son??

I would unfortunately have to get rid of the dog because if he has bitten once he might bite again. I know it is hard to do but you have to think about your kids. If you don't have the heart to get rid of the dog I would make sure that he was an outside dog and never alone with any small child because next time it could be serious.

Sincerely,

M.

SAHM Boy/girl twins 4 years old and an 8 month old baby girl

C., you should never leave the two of them alone together (which you probably don't do anyway) At 7 months, you need to be right there at his side when he's patting the dog, so that you can see how the dog is reacting.
That being said, the dog needs to be corrected because this is inappropriate behavior. If you do not correct this behavior then there is a chance that the dog could bite your son more seriously at some point.
If you or your husband are interested in learning more about this, check out this website. You do not need to be a member to read the discussion forum, and you will get lots of good info about dog training.
the website is:
www.leerburg.com
Good luck
PS Our puppy also bit my 5 year old son when she was about 3 months old; it did break the skin and really scared me. I followed the recommendations that I found on that site and she has never growled at him since...

While I read that you are not getting rid of your dog, I will share with you what we did in the same situation.

Our dog did the same thing and I called my vet and he said the dog needed to be put down. I was shocked. I called a friend that is also a vet, he said the same thing. I could not do that. However, with a great deal of sadness (and i still to this day wonder if it would have worked out), I found a great home for our dog. It was not worth it to me to wait and see if a serious bit would ever occur. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. Even with all your watching (and I keep an eagle eye on my son) I would think hard because as he gets older and possibly more touchy feely with the dog you will turn your head once in awhile and the dog has shown aggression.

get rid of the dog. If it happened once, why not again. next time your child could be permantly scarred. I am an animal lover but I love my child more. Find a nice home for the pet and get it out of the house asap! Research cases of dog maulings on babies, that have never bit anyone before. Its hard for dogs that are older to adjust to a new baby.

I have two dogs and I truly believe that it is my responsibility to monitor the situation. My daughter is 11 months old and plays with the dogs but I am really watching!! I watch for ears back and I don't let her reach for bones they may be chewing. She is absolutely not to be near them when they are eating. They are also kept out of the kitchen when she is eating.

Your dog sounds like it was warning your child...not a reason to get rid of the dog! He was communicating the only way he can. You need to be more on top of the situation and looking for signs that the dog is concerned. Don't let your child pull on the dog or poke the dog. Move your child away from the dog after a few minutes or tell the dog to leave to give them a break...I really believe it is up to the owners to be protecting both your animal and your darling child!!

I did have a trainer come and work with me and my dog before the baby.....he was great. I used a company called Dog Master, my trainer was George ###-###-####

Please please please find another home for the dog. Your responsibility is to protect your child until he is able to protect himself.

Please be aware that the dog may get more agressive towards your son as your son gets older. Right now, your little boy is not actively going after the dog... soon (and I speak as the Mom of an almost 2 year old that loves to chase our 9 year old mini-dachshund) that will change.
Our dog has never been agressive towards our daughter -- instead she will seek shelter in her crate. I do keep a close eye on them because I know that our little one tries her patience from time to time.
It would not be a question for me if our dog ever behaved agressively towards our child. I would adopt her out.
Consider beyond today and don't wait for it to happen again would be my suggestion.

T.
Mom to Katie 1 yr 11 months
EDD 12-7-07 to Baby Boy