Is My Baby Safe?

Hi D.,
We have had good and bad experiences with dogs. I find that no matter how well you know a dog you always need to be on guard. My son has been bitten by a dog that was at his daycare, a poodle. The dog was around ten and had been with the family around kids for most of its life. You just never know. I would ask the dogs be put in a seperate room or just keep pushing them away from the kids. Best of luck.
-J.

Hi Donna, I wanted to respond to this question because there are too many people that are against trusting any animal around young children...that being said, let me ask you a question about the schnauzers...are they nippy, or are they mouthy? Nippy would be snapping at things or people....mouthy is when they just like to put everything in their mouth, with no aggression behind it. I have worked for a groomer now for over 16 yrs, and have dealt with all sorts of personalities in dogs...from the over friendly to the overly aggressive, and everything in between!! Little dogs tend to be more uneasy around small children than larger dogs, but as long as they are taught that they can be safe around kids, they are fine (most small dogs feel uneasy because they can feel intimidated by kids, because of the jerky movements kids make and the loud noises they sometimes make)... Where I work, we have a mastiff and a chihuahua....and they both love my kids, as well as all the other animals that stay there from time to time!! My 6 yr old has grown up in that house, and those dogs are his best friends, especially the chichi (Tito), but my son knows how to be around dogs and respect them, he sits on the mastiff, and Xena loves him to death, I completely trust them with him, and while I am working, he stays upstairs with them and is perfectly happy and safe! My 6 month olds' only problem is that they love to lick her and be around her, the only fear I would have is the mastiff stepping on her, because she is clumsy (lol).Please feel free to email me so I can try to further help you with this, but if they are in actuality nippy, with aggressive tendencies, than obviously it is better to be more safe than sorry, and keep them in a separate room while you and your children are there!! I hope this helped, although I probably more rambled than helped you...lol...

Hi D.,

It sounds like this is an excellent learning opportunity for both the dogs and your child. It's a good time to teach the dogs how to appropriately behave around children and also you can teach your baby at the same time how to respect animals and treat them nicely. I've done some work with both my own personal dog and other dogs training them on differently behaviors. But until the dogs are at a point you know they are trustworthy always keep a close eye. But I'd be careful to not give the dogs the impression that this little person is a threat by not letting them have any contact what so ever. If they are young dogs, this nipping should definitely be addressed and the dogs' owner should be the one to work with them ASAP. It's actually pretty easy to teach a dog that nipping is not acceptable. I really like the methods used by Cesar Millan who has the show The Dog Whisperer. He also has a book out that your father (or father in law) could read. But if you want more specific tips on what to do with the dogs, feel free to ask me. I'm pretty experienced with dog stuff and I've learned a lot through my older sister who is a licensed vet tech and also took a dog behavior course.

You should know first of all that I am NOT a fan of little dogs, anything under 75 pounds is just a waste of fur...sorry to anyone that likes them.
We have a Husky/wolf mix and he has always been wonderful with my girls, they learned to ealk by holding on to his fur and he would shuffle along with them all over.
Anyway...your little one and the dogs need to learn to get along happily. That's going to mean lots of suppervision and time on the grown-up's part. Grandpa needs to make it cler to the dogs that all humans out-rank them regardless of size. And of course your little one will have to learn to be nice to the dogs.
Not all dogs have patience with children, some just can't take the noise that comes with little ones. If you all work together you can find a happy arrangement I'm sure.

My mom has two full grown german shepareds and all they want to do is lick and smell my girls. My older daughter beats up the dogs all the time with toys but they know not to bite her or nip her. I dont know how to explaine it but they just know. Same thing with my 6mo old, they are just courious about her but will not hurt her.

Hi D.,

I take the same stance as Sarah on this issue. I think it's always wise to be very cautious when it comes to dogs around children - particularly when the dogs are on their 'own turf' and may see the children as intruders. My in-laws have a very spoiled, annoying dog, (some kind of water-dog), that frequently nips at our boys - well, it frequently nips at everybody! Just like Sarah I spend a lot of time pushing the dog away from the boys with my foot.

If the dogs are well-trained and know their places in the 'family pack' it's usually okay, but if they're already nipping at the kids I think you may need to say something. As they are young dogs they may calm down as they get older, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

D.

Our daughter was severely bitten on the face by a dog, completely unprovoked. I would not trust someone else's dogs with your children at all. I've come to believe that dogs are unpredictable, in general. The best dogs for your children to be around would be ones who certainly know their place in the home (no nipping, no face licking, no jumping, etc) and who are very used to being around young children. I've learned that you can never go back and redo your decision; it's best to listen to your instincts from the start. The dogs either need to be better behaved or kept away from your children.

I would not trust them near your childs faces, if they are nippy dogs. Be careful.