4 YO rescue and aggression

[Doggycrisis]

Please no judgement.

Adopted a Spanish mastin lab x who arrived sunday AM. Have two DC aged 5 and 7.

This AM 5 year old DS was building his train track, realised his train was upstairs and got up and ran to the door to grab it. Dog was sat to the side of door and fully lunged at DS but inhibited biting. But it was aggressive enough to scare me, she's a big girl. I don't think DS did anything to provoke her? If a child can't do as he did because the dog will bite then they shouldn't be together?

Shes also snapped at our other dog this morning. She's a beautiful dog but I'm not sure she and children should be together. She'd be the best dog you could ask for in an adult only home.

I'm 99% sure I know that she can't stay but what do I do? Rescue is based in Spain and the contract states to return to them but that could take weeks. What is the best to do in the interim?

Am I over reacting?

I'm surprised the rescue allowed you to adopt given you have two very young children. I would be very concerned if I were you. I fear this is a disaster waiting to happen.

Me too but they were adamant she is good with children. I'm now concerned they've based that on her seeing children out and about rather than in the home.

I think I can sort out my parents having her for an emergency basis

So many of these foreign rescues are dodgy as hell and I think this just highlights why, had you met the dog before she arrived? Any trial visits etc.

Keep your children and the dog separate from now on. She has been through a massively stressful upheaval and hasn’t been give a chance to decompress.

I don't think DS did anything to provoke her? From the dog’s point of view, a strange child running directly towards them is threatening.

Where has she come from before you got her?

To be dead honest, I wouldn’t have her in a room with children playing yet, she’s in a completely strange place with strange people - her current stress levels will be through the roof.

She came from southern Spain so hadn't met her. I have the dining room gated off for her but she seems to want to be in this one particular spot

It's far too soon to have her interacting with your children like that. It takes a lot longer for her to even realise it's her home. Have a look here

www.rescuedogs101.com/bringing-new-dog-home-3-3-3-rule/

It's all been lead by her. She spent all of Sunday and much of Monday opting to be in the dining room. I'm fairly experienced with dogs and body language and yesterday she became a lot more relaxed and opted for this one particular spot. The children weren't interacting with her which is what has alarmed me, they know to leave her unless she initiates.

So you allowed your young DC to run full pelt towards a dog who has been in your home for 5 days, from an unknown background, and who has recently experienced the severe stresses of transport and rehoming?!?

And folk wonder why kids end up bitten
Your children should be nowhere near what is essentially a highly stressed and strange dog, and you need to do a LOT of self education on safe child-dog interactions.

She shouldnt have any access to your children - she's been through a hugely stressful journey, dumped in a home and is expected to be perfectly behaved?

Your children should not be running or making any sudden moves around her AT ALL even if she's behind a baby gate. It takes a long time to settle in a foreign rescue - why you think its OK to have the kids playing on the floor around this dog that you don't know is beyond me. I have 2 foreign rescues so I know what's involved.

Eventually your kid might be able to run past the dog but not after 3 days in your house, that's absolutely nuts to expect her to be OK with that. I know you said no judgment but foreign rescues get a terrible rap on here and its for things like this. If you contact the rescue they should sort out a foster placement for her.

Well I can't kick the kids out can I? He was playing calmly with his train set and got up and ran towards the door, he is 5 and really good with dogs but he is still 5.

Our existing dog is a foreign rescue and settled in beautifully following his lead on when he's ready. I've had dogs well over 20 years.

@Doggycrisis

It's all been lead by her. She spent all of Sunday and much of Monday opting to be in the dining room. I'm fairly experienced with dogs and body language and yesterday she became a lot more relaxed and opted for this one particular spot. The children weren't interacting with her which is what has alarmed me, they know to leave her unless she initiates.

The trouble is dogs, like humans, don’t always know what’s best for them. Ball obsessed dogs can die from exhaustion through repeatedly chasing a ball, rather than stop and rest.

A shut down dog can look like a relaxed dog, and being shut down could explain her reluctance to leave that spot.

Is she eating OK? Can you tempt her to a safe area with food? She needs somewhere were she won’t be disturbed, so the dining room isn’t suitable if you use it or walk through it.

You're expecting too much of her too soon. I'm not blaming your son I'm saying that you should not be allowing this dog to have access to your child while she's still decompressing from a highly traumatic journey. No idea why you said anyone is suggesting kicking your son out

She is eating well. She's ridiculously relaxed at the moment, flat on her back snoring her head off but the kids are at school. Our dining room is kitchen access so not completely cut off.

You're not over-reacting, a big strange dog with an unknown history lunged at your small child. I know I would never risk having them in the same room for a long long time - she may well continue to be on high alert around him.
Presumably the 'rescue' have no UK-based support? Who did the transport, can you contact them?
In the meantime, get her a secure set-up where DC and your other dog cannot get to her.

I feel you got lucky with one random dog from overseas, you've only known this one for a few days, no idea how you can judge if she would be the 'best dog you could ask for' when she's still in her come-down from her traumatic experience.

And this is why most reputable Rescues don’t rehome where there are young children.
You didn’t even meet this dog, you just relied on the word of (probably well meaning) volunteers who wanted to find it a home. That’s pretty irresponsible all round really. You should have done a slow intro to your children and resident dog outside the house and seen how they all got on.

This is the very reason I don’t think it’s right to be importing dogs into homes with families without having them in a very experienced no child/dog foster for a period of time first. This dog clearly has not been assessed correctly or in a home environment and hasn’t been given time to decompress or for it’s true personality to come through.

The backup from these rescues is also a disgrace.

There’s a very good reason why rescues in the UK are very cautious about rehoming to people with young children.

@Doggycrisis

Well I can't kick the kids out can I? He was playing calmly with his train set and got up and ran towards the door, he is 5 and really good with dogs but he is still 5.

Our existing dog is a foreign rescue and settled in beautifully following his lead on when he's ready. I've had dogs well over 20 years.

Yes he IS 5 And far too small to be in the same room as a possibility traumatised dog who’s background you don’t know

I would keep them separate until you can return/rehome her. It sounds like you are going to have to very carefully manage her environment with regards to your children as well as the other dog which with very young children is very difficult. I wouldn’t give the dog a second chance and I say that as someone who worked with rescue dogs for years. Good luck

This is why no dog should go directly from transport into a home. They should always be placed with experienced fosters for assessment and desensitisation and re-homed accordingly with U.K. rescue back up for life.

This is why UK rescues are having to pick up the pieces with imported rescue dogs from rescues with no UK back up :( and then the UK rescues get incessantly moaned at for not having "child friendly" dogs, urgh!

The kids and dog need to be kept apart, fully supervised at all times. It doesn't sound like this particular rescue was very responsible.

Bear in mind this dog will also be very unsure of its place in the pack - it has to work it out - you already have a dog so thats still in flux. I think it needs to be gated or crated at least so it can work out the stress its been through. Is this an option?

I absolutely would not leave it with kids. Did you have a read of leerburg.com - some good articles there but I do not agree with all of their points but good stuff on dog mixing and agression.

She only arrived on Sunday?
3day 3 weeks 3 months.
She needs time to settle in and adjust, feel safe.

I don't think DS did anything to provoke her?
He's moving fast and unpredictably and she doesn't know him. So he's he did provoke her, but through no fault of his own. She just hides time and space.

@Doggycrisis
Honestly I don't think the dog did anything wrong or your son. You might just need to rejig where her safe spot is and then reassess.