What do we do re dog and child? So shocked and upset

[Mojitomogul]

We (well my mum) rehomed a collie cross lab 6 weeks ago- from my friend who has had him since a puppy, he's four now. He is perfect in terms of recall, calm nature, gentle play, good with other dogs. We thought we had landed such a lovely dog- and with adults he is. But two weeks in, my two year old nephew- whom the dog had met on walks and been stroked by etc, and was very gentle with him- dog was sitting next to me at mums house and I was stroking him, and nephew came up slowly among side and reached out slowly and gently to stroke dog. Dog then suddenly turned round, growled and grabbed nephews arm(thank god did not draw any blood or even leave a mark, we think it was a warning bite). I was so shocked and since then we have not left any of the nephews alone with dog. But tonight dog has met nieces who are 4 and 6, and 6 year old was sitting on the arm of the sofa, I was next to dog on the sofa. Niece was stroking dog gently on the head and then suddenly dog did exactly the same as he had done with nephew. Thank god I was right next to them and managed to grab dogs head before he even got to nieces arm. So she was unharmed but just upset by the growl. But we are at a loss and so upset. He has such a good life with us, hes not bored or frustrated, loads of toys and 3 hour walks daily. We feel so upset as it just comes out of nowhere. He must be scared of the children as he has never been around them before us rehoming him. What the hell do we do? Can this be trained out of a dog? Is it inbuilt? Shall we rehome him to adults only home? My nephews and nieces are only round every 2 weeks or so but we want them to be safe. Hes absolutely fine with them out in the walks -this has happened only at home. So upset.

[SirVixofVixHall]

He was telling her to leave him alone, basically. Maybe also telling her to keep away from you. I have known dogs do this when they are just tired out, and want to relax. (The one time my old dog growled, was when I had taken him on an overly long walk and then tried to stroke him as he slept) . He isn’t familiar with children, he is a one person type of dog who has lost his person and is trying to adjust.
I think you need to work on this with a behaviourist, (after checking with the vet for possible pain,) and give him a safe , quiet space when children visit.

[FleasAndKeef]

I think you would really benefit from some support from a properly qualified dog behaviourist. Look for one with APBC or IMDT qualifications as the industry is unregulated. A good behaviourist won't judge you or berate you, but can assess the situation properly and give you advice about how to move forward to make sure everyone is safe and happy

[frostedviolets]

Collie owner.
Whilst it’s true that collies have a reputation for being ‘one person’ dogs and potentially jealous/possessive and it’s also true that labradors (and Goldens) are well known for problems with resource guarding I don’t think it sounds like that at all from your OP.

If he was guarding you or your mum this behaviour would surely have been seen with adults?

I suspect that it’s a dog that is scared of children, many many dogs are, and personally, I wouldn’t keep him on the basis that although the warning bite is massively inhibited he is a big dog, he is putting teeth on people and if you aren’t careful if he may escalate to harder snaps.

He needs to be seen by a professional behaviourist if you do want to keep him and make sure he is kept away from young children.

[Littlemeadow123]

If you do keep the dog, don't crate it for hours on end while you have kids visiting. Keep it shut in a quiet part of the house away from the kids where it has more space and food and drinking water.

[Georgia2001]

Hi our collie was like this with children and we just had to be very careful. If you have none of your own then put him in the garden or kitchen when they are round to visit as long as the recall is good then you can call back if off lead if needed and when we were out and a child asked to stroke ours we always said no. Collies can be really nervous. It would be a shame to rehome if you can manage the situation really well as we did.

[Suchafaff]

As a mother of a DD who has been bitten by a dog on her face and left 2 scars on her cheek I cannot tell you strongly enough to re-home the dog and let them know that they cannot be trusted with children.

My husbands boss' dog had been around children for 4 years, was with my DD all day and in a split second he bit her cheek. It was horrendous and utterly traumatic. And it doesn't end with the bite and trip to hospital. She is now scared of small dogs and will get anxiety if a dog is off the lead at the park.

Do not risk it, not even for a second. It is admirable how much you love the dog but you have to put the children first.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

The dog could be "hugging" with its mouth. Many dogs do - and they often make a sound which sounds like growling, but isn't.

TBH, I would keep the dog but not allow him near the children util you KNOW that he is safe. And if you feel he isn't, I would still keep him, but not let him interact with the children.

[finn1020]

Rehome. It has to fit into your life, not you try every different suggestion given above and find in 12 months time you’re still at the same point you started at. It doesn’t matter why it’s doing this, you’ve only had the dog for a short period so rehome it to somewhere more suitable.

[Singinginshower]

Agree with previous posters. Get a stair gate to keep children and dog apart. No need to rehome at this stage.

[carly2803]

vet/behaviourist and crate the dog around kids

and ffs get the dog OFF the sofa, they think they are higher up in the pack than they are!

best of luck

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

And please disregard anyone who uses the word ‘pack’. 🙄

[Whynosnowyet]

Having to 'helicopter' own a ddog is very stressful op..
Rehoming a pet is very hard but thinking of the ddog here is priority.
Rehome.

[Bymeanstogo]

Delegate the dog, you can get safety gates. I’m surprised you and your trusted the dog around children after the first time. I wouldn’t have, once would have been enough for me.

Separate or rehome to adults only

[category12]

Are you intending to have children?

[Bymeanstogo]

I also wouldn’t crate the dog, it’ll cause resentment, just put a safety gate on the kitchen & give the dog a bone to have in the kitchen. That’s what my parents do when I visit with DS

[GetawayfromthatWelshtart]

another vote for stairgate and keep them apart when they visit and also drum into them to NOT go where the dog is.

They are not living with you 24/7 so going forward you can look at getting training for the dog.

growing up we had a cat that HATED my sister but was lovely to everyone else (granted she was a total bitch, even I didn't like her very much... the sister, not the cat). Mum didn't get rid of either of them and my sister was old enough to know to avoid her.

[Pippinsqueak]

Unfortunately I would not be giving this dog a third chance. As someone who saw her sibling almost mailed to death by a dog she grew up with at the age of 8 I dont care If they are warning shots or it's just being protective it would be a pts job or immediate regime with full disclosure

[Amicompletelyinsane]

One of my dogs is fine with the children until its sat by our near me. Then it they came towards me he would growl and guard me. With a behaviourist we have managed to train him. But it's always careful management. He's not allowed to sit by me or actually have attention from me as such. He's trained to superior in his bed across the room and hasn't Shottery any signs of issues in over a year now. However I can never trust him completely. It's easier now the children are biggee too. May be worth behaviourist advice but just keep them apart

[saraclara]

The dog could be "hugging" with its mouth. Many dogs do

[HavenDilemma]

@Pippinsqueak Put to sleep?!?!?!? Wtf?! Way ott. It was not an attack and the dog has just been rehomed! He's confused & scared. I'm not justifying it at all, but these factors have to be considered. You can just kill any dog who misbehaves

[SonjaMorgan]

I would never leave my dog with small children, he doesn't like them and I could never guarantee he would be fine. He is crate trained and we keep him out of the way. I suppose it depends on how much time the children are going to be out the house. You could crate him and hire a professional to help with the socialising?

I wouldn't re-home but then my dog is a major part of my life.

[Ginger1982]

You have 2 choices - always keep the dog separate from children or rehome him.

Our dog was very highly strung. We could cope with him but when DS started walking things got worse. I was terrified of something happening and after much dealing with vets and behaviourists, we had him put to sleep. Seeing how DS is now with my MIL's very docile dog, I know something would have happened by now.

You can't take the chance.

[Pippinsqueak]

Hmmmm let's say it happened again and this time it was fatal would you be saying poor dog??

This dog clearly has shown repeated aggression towards children, it needs to be removed ASAP to someone who knows how to handle this properly or pts.

Have you seen it with your own eyes, a dog attack on a child? and you've seen your sisters face and neck hanging off by a dog who had been around children all its life and suddenly turned with no warning.

I have three working dogs and a one year baby, I would not trust my dogs as far as I could throw them and if they ever showed signs of aggression towards her provoked or not they would be gone no matter how much I love them.

[Thefaceofboe]

We had our little rescue dog 6 years till she died recently. She was the most vicious (but lovely) animal I’ve ever seen in my life! She carried on like she was possessed! We were just very cautious and very careful and after time she trusted us and really calmed down. As children we know not to touch the dog when she was on the sofa / bed as she was possessive and learnt how to handle her. Obviously this is not ideal for you and you don’t want to risk an injury to the child but I think it depends on how much you are willing to put up with. Good luck x

[Booboostwo]

It is not responsible to get advice about a potentially aggressive dog on the internet. This dog needs to see a vet to rule out a physical problem causing pain and then be assessed by a qualified behaviourist. The behaviourist will, hopefully, be able to explain why the dog is acting as he is and what training and precautionary measures you need to take to keep everyone safe. You then need to decide whether you are able to do what is needed to keep everyone safe for the rest of the dog’s life.

Meanwhile you are right to keep the dog away from all children. Be sure to have two barriers between the dog and the children, e.g. not just a closed door, that can be easily left open by accident, but a closed and locked door.