Have you ever had to rehome your dog? (shih tzu, yorkie, bite)
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I just found out that one of my son’s dogs will need to be rehomed, or put down. She’s a nice dog, except she does not like small children. The kids have known this, but hoped when the dog was exposed to their own baby, she would get used to her. They have a male also, and he is very gentle.
My DIL said the dog has growled at the baby, and so the dog will need to go. Incidentally, the dogs are never ever left alone with the baby.
My son is deployed, so it’s all on his wife right now. Dh and I have a history of swooping in and solving our sons problems, but we are 4 hours away, so it’s on them to fix it. They do have a small network of people who own the same kind of (very expensive) big dogs, so I think they have been reaching out to see if anyone wants her.
It happens. They are doing the right thing; children ALWAYS come first and I can tell you if any of my dogs had ever shown signs of dominance or aggression to my children, they would have been off my property within 24 hours. What breed of dog is it? If it is expensive, that means it's likely someone desirable so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding it a home as long as it hasn't actually bitten. Breeders will be a good resource. Depending on the breed and how bad she is around children, euthanization may be the best option. Children are everywhere and they sometimes run up to dogs without permission, climb fences to get balls or toys, cut across yards as a shortcut, etc. Even homes without children often have relatives or friends with young children. I certainly would not want to be in anyway responsible for anyone else getting hurt because I passed on the problem.
They want to rehome the dog because she growled? How many times has she growled? Has she snapped at or nipped kids, or anyone? Growling shows that the dog has some bite inhibition, it's a warning that she needs space; a really dangerous dog would nip or bite, not growl. When I was a child, I sometimes hugged our Basset Hound too long and too tight. Sometimes she would growl; and when she did, I immediately stopped hugging her; and she would be fine. She never hurt me or any other person or dog; and was usually gentle and affectionate. That doesn't mean that all dogs who growl are safe; it depends on the circumstances when/where/why the dog growls.
How old is the dog, what breed is she? What happened before she growled? Was the baby just sleeping, or lying down; or was the baby interacting with the dog?
If the dog's owners don't think that it's worthwhile to try to train the dog to tolerate the baby, or have tried and it hasn't worked; they should contact the dog's breeder; who, if a responsible breeder, will take back the dog. Another resource might be the national rescue society of the breed; if it is an AKC breed, they will have a national breed club that can be found online, and that club will have national and possibly regional rescue groups/people.
They want to rehome the dog because she growled? How many times has she growled? Has she snapped at or nipped kids, or anyone? Growling shows that the dog has some bite inhibition, it's a warning that she needs space; a really dangerous dog would nip or bite, not growl. When I was a child, I sometimes hugged our Basset Hound too long and too tight. Sometimes she would growl; and when she did, I immediately stopped hugging her; and she would be fine. She never hurt me or any other person or dog; and was usually gentle and affectionate. That doesn't mean that all dogs who growl are safe; it depends on the circumstances when/where/why the dog growls.
How old is the dog, what breed is she? What happened before she growled? Was the baby just sleeping, or lying down; or was the baby interacting with the dog?
If the dog's owners don't think that it's worthwhile to try to train the dog to tolerate the baby, or have tried and it hasn't worked; they should contact the dog's breeder; who, if a responsible breeder, will take back the dog. Another resource might be the national rescue society of the breed; if it is an AKC breed, they will have a national breed club that can be found online, and that club will have national and possibly regional rescue groups/people.
Any sane parent would get rid of a dog that growled at their baby if said dog was big enough to easily kill the child; it sounds like this one is. I've had several friends that got rid of small dogs (a Yorkie, a Shih Tzu, and some 10 lb mutt) because it growled or nipped at their babies. Sensible people are not going to risk having their child injured by a dog. When you have little children, the circumstances don't matter - the kids come first. They are more important than any dog.
We have taken in two dogs who growled or otherwise showed aggression towards young children. We had no children left at home when we took in these dogs and had no problem with them.
Any sane parent would get rid of a dog that growled at their baby if said dog was big enough to easily kill the child; it sounds like this one is. I've had several friends that got rid of small dogs (a Yorkie, a Shih Tzu, and some 10 lb mutt) because it growled or nipped at their babies. Sensible people are not going to risk having their child injured by a dog. When you have little children, the circumstances don't matter - [/b]the kids come first. They are more important than any dog.
[/b]
That part about kids being more important than any dog is really profound. Not.
Allow me to say what the 50 people (so far) who viewed but chose not to respond to the post probably wanted to say:
To adopt a dog that you know doesn't like small children, hoping that s/he will, by some miracle, become acclimated to your own children and not display aggression towards them, obviously presents a danger to the children--and is not fair to the dog.
It's enough of a challenge to manage behavior issues which arise after a pet is in the home. To disregard those known tendencies is irresponsible--and neither "sane" nor "sensible." That is a fact. And now, this dog will be rehomed--if she's lucky--and euthanized, if she's not.
As is usually the case, animal problems are, in reality, people problems.
Growling is a dogs only way to let you know they are uncomfortable about something. I think when you have kids you need to teach kids to respect that and to leave a dog alone if it growls at them. Our family dogs growing up would sometimes growl at us when we did something they did not like and my parents did not yell at the dogs for doing so instead they taught us to respect the dog. Growling does not mean a dog is an aggressive dog and will bite it means back off I do not like that. Yes we did have one grumpy dog that was not a fan ok kids and bit all of us once/ Once again my parents did not yell at the dog but rather cleaned the wound and educated us about dogs and how we need to listen to a dogs warning. I have a scar on my knee from that dog but because of how my parents dealt with it I was not at all traumatized by it and never feared that dog. I learned how to read a dog and to respect them.
If it makes a parent uncomfortable then by all means rehome the dog and if it is a purebred dog from a responsible breeder they should be willing to take it back . That is why when you do buy from a breeder you need to make sure they will take a dog back if necessary.
Growling is a dogs only way to let you know they are uncomfortable about something. I think when you have kids you need to teach kids to respect that and to leave a dog alone if it growls at them. Our family dogs growing up would sometimes growl at us when we did something they did not like and my parents did not yell at the dogs for doing so instead they taught us to respect the dog. Growling does not mean a dog is an aggressive dog and will bite it means back off I do not like that. Yes we did have one grumpy dog that was not a fan ok kids and bit all of us once/ Once again my parents did not yell at the dog but rather cleaned the wound and educated us about dogs and how we need to listen to a dogs warning. I have a scar on my knee from that dog but because of how my parents dealt with it I was not at all traumatized by it and never feared that dog. I learned how to read a dog and to respect them.
If it makes a parent uncomfortable then by all means rehome the dog and if it is a purebred dog from a responsible breeder they should be willing to take it back . That is why when you do buy from a breeder you need to make sure they will take a dog back if necessary.
I'm of mixed feelings on this. If the parent thinks there's threat to the baby, then yes, get rid of the dog. However, I'm wondering about what the context was of this interaction. Was the baby playing on the dog or was the dog seeking out the baby to growl at them? Did the mom think it would be cool to let them hang out together? My own dogs growl at everything that happens in the street, so there's also that possibility. But why even let the dog close to the baby?
Whatever though, a valuable large-breed dog will probably find a home pretty easily. There are a lot of rescues that specialize in large breeds. I just kind of wish people who are looking to have a baby in the future wouldn't get big dogs that could eat a newborn in one gulp.
The dog is a Dogo Argentino. I’m sure they are contacting the network of Dogo people they know to try to place her. She is 8, and spayed.
My husband and I were with the kids and both dogs, about 4 years ago, when she snapped at a little boy who came up to pet her. Up until then there was no clue that the dog had any issues. Fortunately the boy was not hurt.
The dog had a rocky childhood, so we don’t really know if she was ever mistreated, or why she seems afraid of children.
Now the kids have the 10 month old and the dog has growled at the baby twice. I don’t know the circumstances.
Believe me, I have no clue why my son thought this big dog was a good idea, but he got her 8 years before there was a child in the home. Then, they went and got a second one a few years ago. The male is a very good dog.
I hope they can rehome the female to a childfree home, but one way or another, she needs to go.
Jesus Christ on a bike! That is NOT a breed that should be in a home with children! Are they insane? Both dogs should go. The growling one needs a dirt nap. These are a dangerous breed and have killed several people. I can’t even imagine what people are thinking having them in a home with kids. They are parents now, it’s time to make better choices.
Nonsense. There is nothing wrong with the breed. I’m just not going there.
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