I am desperate for advice, please help

[CuppaBiccieBliss]

We have a 3 year old lurcher x labrador, spayed female. She has recently started pooing and weeing in the house when left on her own, never more than 2 hours per week (I'm a sahm)
Even worse, tonight, she has snapped at 18 month old dd and growled whenever she was in sight. She was on her lead at this time, thankfully.
She has been checked out by the vet, no underlying problem and is flead and wormed regularly.
I am beside myself, she is a much loved family pet but I can not and will not jeopardise the safety of dds

We are going to have to re home her aren't we

How long have you had her for?

you could try another vet, in my experience there are some much better than others but also some with experience in cases they may have seen this and know something different to look for.
If you trust your vet and feel they are very thorough then you could try a behaviouralist. Take your time to find one that is well recommended and able to figure out what is effecting her. If you are in the London area I can recommend Sociable Paws, the behaviouralist works for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and is very used to figuring out what spooks dogs or why they have started to react differently.

IMO, it sounds like something has changed whether it's a health prob or a situation prob. It's a matter of deducing and managing but you are 100% right to put your DD first, although that is a crushingly had decision to make. Good luck, I hope you find the cause ASAP so you can have both your girls with you x

Is it really responsible to rehome a dog that you believe has no health problems and is not in any pain but is growling and snapping whenever it sees a young child...?

I really don't think that's on, sorry.

What if you rehome her and through the stress it escalates and she actually bites a child?

Not to mention, which rescue is going to take her?
They are all overstretched, most have waiting lists, I can't imagine many being happy about taking on a child aggressive dog tbh, it's a liability for future adopters.

I agree with Figwin that you need to try and figure out what has changed for your dog.

How long have you had her for?
How old is she?
Do you know anything about her previous life before she joined your family?

It is v odd for a dog to growl at the mere sight of somebody unless there has been some kind of history?
Also, if the weeing and pooing in the house is new development, it suggests a stressed and/or anxious dog - what's changed??

I would consider working with a good behaviourist first of all.
And in the meantime, I'd keep the dog and your DD v much separate - different rooms, stair gates etc.

I'm going to sound extremely dim here but I hadn't even thought about the re homing situation, we are just totally gutted that it has come to this and obviously wasn't thinking straight. But, you are right. We have had her for 2 years, she was here when dd was born and there has never been any problems, until now.
She has been the same this morning, as soon as dd got up she was growling at her.
I would be willing to try a behaviouralist but I don't know if I can trust her in the house anymore

Anyway, I'm rambling now, thank you for the advice

Many dogs find toddlers very difficult to cope with - wobbly things with high-pitched voices and behaviours that is different and more unpredictable than larger people's.

Yes, I would keep them apart from each other for now.

Is it possible that the 'change' that might be affecting your dog is the fact that your DD has started walking??

Also as an ex Battersea worker myself I can assure you that rescues will take her but most likely rehome her to a family with older children or a retired, active couple. Battersea takes in any dog but would have a waiting list situation for you due to space. There are many rescue centres that would do the same. Just because a dog is worried by something does not mean they are not able to live in an environment where it is unlikely to come into contact with it particularly in its own home. If she had bitten that would be different.
It could also make your life easier having extra stair gates around the house. Giving her things like a kong to enjoy when you are doing something with the LO and she is the otherside of the gate etc. This may not impact on her behaviour to DD directly but could ease her stress levels a little as she is having a nice time and not feeling left out x

Pacific makes a really good point. Babies aren't any sort of threat to a dog (most dog bite tragedies you hear about which involve tiny babies have occurred due to predatory aggression, because dogs don't even recognise babies as human).

Toddlers are a different thing entirely - they still don't really resemble adult humans, they make high pitched sounds, they are wobbly and unpredictable in their movements and adult humans behave (in the eyes of a dog) strangely around them. Toddlers also often make a bee-line for dogs, and they're right at face level.

The growling is your dog's only way of warning your toddler that she feels uncomfortable and threatened, so don't punish her for it. I'd recommend you get a stairgate put in place today so your dog has somewhere comfy and safe she can go that the child is never able to access - this in itself will help to reduce the stress she's experiencing and therefore make her less likely to show aggression.

You do need a behaviourist to come and assess the situation properly - this needs detailed investigation because there may be more than one issue going on. Be very, very careful which person you trust with this job, because anyone can call themselves a behaviourist, and many do, yet practise very outdated and harmful methods which could make things much worse in the long term.

The APBC is an organisation with very high standards so you know if you're passing for someone to help you they are well qualified and practising modern, kind and scientific methods. You can search for a local behaviourist on their website:

www.apbc.org.uk/

Good luck

*paying for someone to help you

figwin correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that while battersea and the rspca will take any dog, they euthanise those who are seen as unrehomable, including human aggressive cases?
Battersea are not a no kill shelter?

All no kill rescues I am aware of do not take on human aggressive cases?
Perhaps that relates just to bites rather than threats?

Yes but that's not what this situation is. Battersea will always try and work with a dog first. This would not be a case of immediate euthanasia. There has been no bite and the situation may be workable and is limited to a direct issue. If your dog was having a pop at anybody and you were unable to get near it then that would be a straight PTS.
It's not a difficult concept, Buttholelane. Humans can be freaked out by something then a dog can be to, doesn't mean they deserve to be PTS or lump it.

Well, my personal opinion is that a dog that snaps at the sight of children is not safe and if the owner wants to rehome them then they can but I think it's irresponsible to do so incase the dog later goes on to bite a child.

That's not to say that I don't understand that dogs can't be scared of things and that I don't understand that sometimes the situation can be managed, maybe even cured to a certain extent.

Just that child aggression is not something I would personally stand for, if it was my dog, I would have it put down because I wouldn't want it around my kids and I would never forgive myself if it bit someone else's children.

I did read that in 2009 a third of battersea dogs were euthanised, I also read that dogs were euthanised for showing aggression to other dogs which is why I assumed that child aggression would be a straight put down also.

Wow, so a dog that is scared of a toddler and communicates fear without biting should be PTS without seeking outside help?! Just wow.

Every dog which has shown aggression towards a child was once a dog which had never shown aggression towards a child.

Any dog can and will show aggression if pushed. And yes, some develop such ingrained, abnormal aggression that they are better off euthanased. But this situation, where a dog has snapped once and growled twice (ie has given warnings three times) is one where this dog doesn't want to hurt the child but may feel it has no alternative in future unless something is done to improve the situation for it. There isn't enough information available for me to advise what that might be.

I suggest the OP seeks the advice of someone qualified to diagnose this problem, rather than the opinion of the Internet's randoms, before deciding to have her pet put to sleep. Most people would have a trained mechanic look at their car before deciding to scrap it in case it's dangerous. Many behaviour problems can be repaired.

Not a single one of those cases were black and white. There are levels of aggression and the amount of dogs PTS by battersea were because they take dogs others won't and owners can't afford to PTS. Those stats of a third include dogs with serious health issues that would be unfair to not euthanise for quality of life.
As I said before, a dog that has given a child warning signs that they are not happy by growling, then snapping could well live a happy life with a couple in their 50s who have no children, very experienced with dogs and live in a lovely rural location if the issue was unresolvable. If the dog bites it's a different matter. I have seen many people come to rehome from battersea who are "not child people" and the dog would not come into contact with any child, or would be muzzled when out and about for its own safety.
If you would PTS your dog then that's your opinion and as I said earlier, child safety comes first. All I'm saying is that it's not a lost cause.

It may not be a lost cause but we all have our own views.
I have heard too many stories where child aggressive dogs were worked with, got better then reverted back which has influenced my opinion also.

Have a Google for Lurcher Link and Hounds First Sighthound Rescue - both excellent charities and take the dogs into foster homes to assess them before rehoming them. They offer fantastic support and could even put you in touch with a Lurcher specific trainer - they are not like 'normal' dogs.

I've had lab x lurchers in the past and have found them to the quite amenable dogs and what you describe surprises me. I've had lots of experience fostering difficult lurchers - PM me if you want a bit of non-judgemental support x

If she's literally started growling and snapping days ago...I'd take her straight to the vets and get a full check up and blood tests.

While dogs can and do get scared of toddlers, they usually communicate that pretty well rather than it appearing out of the blue.

Then if she's healthy get the vet to refer her to a behaviourist for an assessment.

In the meantime keep the dog and DD apart.

Also lab and lab x can be prone to thyroid issues which can manifest in unpleasant behaviour