belay_on Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 My dog Bruno has been really good the last 3 days (see my other post). I've been totally on top of it, not giving him a chance to misbehave, and so on and so forth. So this morning my husband lets the dog back inside and goes in the kitchen to make an espresso... I wasn't aware the dog was in the house and the next thing I hear is my toddler screaming/crying for his life. By the time I ran to the "crime scene" it was too late of course. I grabbed the dog and put him in his kennel so I could go look at my kid. Obviously I don't know what happened but I know that the last saw my kid he was trying to put a band-aid on an imaginary cut and two minutes later I was cleaning a real cut on his leg. From the scratch and cuts it's obvious that Bruno put my kid's leg in his mouth... So, I am most mad at my loving husband obviously. My kid is not seriously hurt but I sure worried about another incident. I think my husband has learned his lesson but I don't know about my dog... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Yikes. I don't have children, but I can imagine that must have given you and your kid a fright. Did Bruno actually puncture him? How easy is it to perforate a toddler? Of course, my BC Faith once laid DH's arm open with the most innocent of intentions - she expected him to move out of the way when she launched herself at him, mouth agape, and he didn't. So I'm not saying Bruno did this with malice aforethought necessarily. What do you think? The easy answer is to keep child and dog separate - but that's in a perfect world where husbands always remember to shut doors and keep track of where everyone is. *snort* I don't have any helpful advice, I'm afraid. Personally I can't imagine my collies around children - they are far too reactive. But then, I don't have kids so what do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belay_on Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Bruno is not an aggressive dog. I'll never know what happened for sure but I'm sure he didn't hurt my son on purpose. He's still a puppy and wants to put everything in his mouth (not tolerated of course but he still tries...) I don't know how things will be tonight. When this happened, we were getting ready for work and now my kid is at daycare. I don't know what I'll do if my kid is scared of the dog... Also, a toddler skin is easier to puncture than an adult's but it's still unacceptable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Bruno is not an aggressive dog. I'll never know what happened for sure but I'm sure he didn't hurt my son on purpose.He's still a puppy and wants to put everything in his mouth (not tolerated of course but he still tries...) I don't know how things will be tonight. When this happened, we were getting ready for work and now my kid is at daycare. I don't know what I'll do if my kid is scared of the dog... Also, a toddler skin is easier to puncture than an adult's but it's still unacceptable... How old is this dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 How old is this dog? IIRC from her other post, five months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errol Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 IIRC from her other post, five months. I guess it has been said many many times. BC are not good pets if you have young children especially a puppy.Its quite normal for them to chew and nibble and they do grow out of it,but it takes time and patience.Its also not fair to isolate the dog you will only enhance the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 My dog Bruno has been really good the last 3 days (see my other post).I've been totally on top of it, not giving him a chance to misbehave, and so on and so forth. So this morning my husband lets the dog back inside and goes in the kitchen to make an espresso... I wasn't aware the dog was in the house and the next thing I hear is my toddler screaming/crying for his life. By the time I ran to the "crime scene" it was too late of course. I grabbed the dog and put him in his kennel so I could go look at my kid. Obviously I don't know what happened but I know that the last saw my kid he was trying to put a band-aid on an imaginary cut and two minutes later I was cleaning a real cut on his leg. From the scratch and cuts it's obvious that Bruno put my kid's leg in his mouth... So, I am most mad at my loving husband obviously. My kid is not seriously hurt but I sure worried about another incident. I think my husband has learned his lesson but I don't know about my dog... The first rule of thumb always needs to be that children are never ever left unatteded with a dog ever - not even for 5 secs. The puppy and child are either supervised, and the puppy may have to be on a leash as well, or the puppy is crated, or restricted to one room and the child in another or the puppy could be leashed to an adult. If it was your husband's responsibility to do that at the time of the incidence, roll up a newspaper and whack him with it. If your husband lacks the capability to do that, then take the responsibility on yourself. Now I know that doesn't sound necessarily fair - share and share alike, but honestly, some guys just don't get it - no offence to anyone on this board. My ex-husband was like that. I just couldn't count on him to not leave the dogs and my son alone, so instead of risking an incident, I just took on that responsibility myself. Puppies have a tendency to look at young children as another puppy to play with (albeit a weird looking one). Yours could have simply grabbed the pant leg etc in an attempt to get the child to play, puppies wil jump up and knock children down, grab at hands, feet, legs, jump up, nip etc - all the same things that they would be doing to get another puppy to play with them. Supervision is the key. Until the puppy is trained to understand how it is allowed to interact with a young child it takes a lot of work. Most injuries to children are a result of lack of supervision, and not because the dog/puppy is agressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I can't offer much advice since I don't have any kids. Good thing he wasn't hurt bad though. The rescue that I volunteer for ensures that adoptive families know and understand that kids and puppies are not the perfect match. Kids and puppies can be a nightmare, puppies bite, nip, mouth, jump, their baby teeth and nails are sharp and scratchy. Kids poke, prod, pull, bite, scratch, you name it, not to mention the puppy grows much faster than the child. And I know that my bc puppy was just shy of a nightmare and I couldn't imagine adding a toddler into the mix. So, all I can offer is keep them both under close supervision. Maybe even just keeping them separate by a baby gate or a playpen, really for either of them, because I feel that if you seclude the puppy from family interaction all the time, you might end up with a handfull of a dog in the end. Puppies grow out of these stages and toddlers get bigger and both will learn how to handle each other, but it will take time and patience on everyone's part to teach both the child and the pup how to interact with each other but in the grand sceme of things it's just one small sacrifice to ensure another dog doesn't end up in rescue! And I truly wish you the best of luck! Oh, btw, Even-flo makes pretty decent gates for both puppies and children and a reasonable price. julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Puppies have a tendency to look at young children as another puppy to play with (albeit a weird looking one). Yours could have simply grabbed the pant leg etc in an attempt to get the child to play, puppies wil jump up and knock children down, grab at hands, feet, legs, jump up, nip etc - all the same things that they would be doing to get another puppy to play with them. Supervision is the key. Until the puppy is trained to understand how it is allowed to interact with a young child it takes a lot of work. Most injuries to children are a result of lack of supervision, and not because the dog/puppy is agressive. Yep. My poor nephew was a toddler when my brother and SIL got a standard poodle puppy. Even though they were careful about crating the pup when they couldn't supervise, the nanny was not, and my nephew (and later his younger sister) wound up with several puppy-perforations, a couple of which required a stitch or two. Happily, Finn Poodle did grow out of it. Unfortunately, nephew Marshall (now 6) still doesn't like him. Marshall likes his grandmother's miniature poodle just fine, but not his big one. Niece Stella, curiously, had the opposite reaction and by the age of three could get Finn to obey her commands to "sit" and "lie down." She loves the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belay_on Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I agree that dogs and kids cannot be left alone for 5 seconds... I don't know what my husband was thinking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Sweetie, he wasn't... but I bet he won't do it again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belay_on Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 If he does it again I'll have to put HIM in the crate instead of the dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 If he does it again I'll have to put HIM in the crate instead of the dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painted_ponies Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 If he does it again I'll have to put HIM in the crate instead of the dog! I probably shouldn't tell this, but I used to show dogs with a woman who crated her toddlers while she was in the ring. They were Irish Wolfhound crates, and small boys, so I guess she just thought of it as a really secure playpen. But it was still strange to turn the corner at a dog show and see caged children. Of course this was nearly thirty years ago. Nowadays she'd probably be put up under the jailhouse for such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hilarious. I had "kid cages" when I did dog stuff with small kids - they are called Pack-n-Plays now! And of course, someone was always watching them in addition to their being "crated." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I have to admit a degree of "I don't get it" with these things. I don't have kids (perhaps why I don't get it ) but I did grow up with our family rarely owning more than 3-4 dogs, often many more. When I was born we had 13 gundogs in the yard and home The rules were simple. Kids play with kids (or adults) and dogs play with dogs (or adult humans). The dogs aren't allowed to touch the kids in any way that wasn't gentle and friendly. Dogs get exercise and work, training and rules. The last 2 sentences were pretty much the same for the kids People tell me their toddlers can't control their actions, but er...they can. Not as well as an adult, but they can. We could. Above all it was supervise, supervise, supervise, and I can't say it enough *supervise*. When that's done train, train, train. If you can't supervise, *seperate*. During the young years better limited good experiences together than lots of semi good with a smattering of very bad. People keep telling me Border Collies aren't good kids dogs, but in general mine who are given any chance to learn about kids are. My friend's Border Collies are. The dogs of my adopters and puppy buyers are. And none of these people are doing more than average good dog and kid parenting. Supervise, or seperate. Train and expect. to the OP - hang in there, and give your husband the stink eye from me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyleew Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 How old is the toddler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belay_on Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 How old is the toddler? He'll be 3 in July. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyleew Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 My grandson just turned 2 last week and he knows what is appropriate around the dogs and how to behave around them. My niece was around 3 when I got Taz and she learned very quickly what to do when Taz tried to herd her. A 3 year old is old enough to learn how to react around a puppy. I would still recommend supervision, but I also would be teaching the toddler what is allowed and what isn't. You could even have the 3 year old help with training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 If he does it again I'll have to put HIM in the crate instead of the dog! NO NO NO - whacking him over the head with a rolled up newspaper will give you much greater satisfaction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I probably shouldn't tell this, but I used to show dogs with a woman who crated her toddlers while she was in the ring. They were Irish Wolfhound crates, and small boys, so I guess she just thought of it as a really secure playpen. But it was still strange to turn the corner at a dog show and see caged children. Of course this was nearly thirty years ago. Nowadays she'd probably be put up under the jailhouse for such. When we go to our agility trials I have an xpen for my dogs, my friend and her husband have three xpens - two for their dogs and one for their son who just turned 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 NO NO NO - whacking him over the head with a rolled up newspaper will give you much greater satisfaction Awwwwwww...can't we let her rub his nose in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 I'm one of the believers that puppies and children can co-exist in the same house. As others have said, supervise/separate, train (both the puppy and the child) what is allowed/not allowed and make sure to consistently enforce the rules with both the pups/kids. I only have one child, who's 9 now but we've had multiple puppies in the house from the time she was 2 1/2 and they all got along fine. We already had an older dog when we got 2 great dane puppies, and then 4 months later got a collie pup. 3 years later one of our danes had been lost to torsion the other had a medical condition which drastically shortened her life expectancy and we adopted Lightning, the next year adopted Flash and Thunder, last year adopted Rain and Storm, and now Flurry. With each new puppy the whole process of puppy training starts all over again, but at least now my daughter has lots of puppy experience and knows how to deal with them. She will occasionally think it's fun to get the pups wound up and playing rough, but their sharp teeth soon remind her why that's a bad idea and I basically tell her that's what she gets if she plays that way with them. (Pretty unsympathetic mom aren't I ) I figure that at her age and with all the puppies we've raised she knows better. Our pups have all grown up to be very loving dogs, excellent with kids (except Flurry - he's not grown up yet, he's just 17 weeks). He's all about loving on you though, kids, adults, other dogs, cats, whatever. He still sometimes likes to grab at her slippers but he's past the pant pulling, nipping stage and he doesn't go after anyone else's legs or feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 Whether or not it's a good idea to have a young child and a BC puppy in the same home is largely irrelevant here, since the OP has already made that decision. To the OP: You obviously understand that all kid-puppy interactions must be supervised, and that both kid and puppy need training. Here is a website with resources to help you carry out this plan: Doggonesafe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 Alaska, that's a great link. I just got hooked on the clicker training part....Daisy does really well with a clicker but I'm not quite as good at it as she is! Totally off topic. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.