How are your pets with your LO's?

[katie]

We have a greyhound who is 7yrs old and she is a very chill dog, doesn't bark, growl, barely even plays...over the past month she has snapped at Lillian twice. One time Lillian pinched her and the most recent Lillian lost her balance and landed on the dog while she was laying down. Lillian has also put her fingers up the dogs nose, goes to her bed, has not been that gentle at other times. 

Anyone else's dog snap at their kid? Do you keep them separated? I don't like the idea of keeping them separated. But I also don't like the idea of her getting snapped at our worse. Now I feel nervous when both the dog and Lillian are in the same room. 

FTR - she's never bitten anyone before or snapped at anyone before this. 

[Deleted]

My dog has growled at Ada several times. When they are near each other we have to watch them really closely. Our dog has lots of issues from being abused in her former home, so I knew that we would have to keep a close eye on them. It does suck though, I wish I could relax a bit when they are near each other.

[charlielove]

My cat is not a fan of small children. She hisses whenever Charlotte gets within 10 feet of her. My dog, on the other hand, has taken so much crap from the kids and never done anything besides get up and move, and she is 8. I'm sorry I don't have any advice to offer, but I would definitely be concerned too.

[katie]

Lindy - ours is a former racing greyhound so they were not treated very well either. She hasn't done a regular growl at her but this last snapping incident she sounded like she was hissing or something, it was very odd. We keep a close eye on them especially since L likes to dive on her bed. But this last time I was sitting right there, saw the whole thing, she just lost balance and the dog happened to be there to catch her fall.

[lauranicole91]

We have an Aussie and a chihuahua. The chihuahua has snapped a couple times(the first time he actually tapped his teeth to her forehead. The second was just a snap in her direction, he didnt actually come in contact with her skin). After the first time, we separated them for a long time. But now we don't.

They spend most of the day lounging around our bedroom because I keep them away from the boy we babysit. So the dogs and Pey only spend a few hours in the evening together.

My Aussie is great with her. Loves to give her kisses and puts up with all Peyton's pets, pats, fur pulling, lunging into, and nose kissing craziness. I love them together

[mrsjaymay]

Unfortunately, we are a household that keeps our dog separate from the baby. Hopefully when she gets a little older things will get better.

[Deleted]

We have a big German Shepherd. He is OVERLY protective of DH and I - and I hate to admit this, but he has bit people. One, a guy who came to our house to fix the internet, and a friend of the family (who he's known forever, but it was right after Cam was born and the friend came too close to the baby. It freaked us all out!). Anyway, he's never once been aggressive or hostile or anything towards Camden. He ADORES Camden. Sleeps next to his crib since he was born, always has to be in the same room as him, when he cries - Mack is RIGHT there. Anyway, he has all of a sudden out of nowhere snapped at Cam twice too. Since like a month ago.

But he recently met/got acquainted with our BIL/SIL's new puppy, and he didn't like him. He was so annoyed by the new puppy and growled at him and snapped at him too. You could tell he was just annoyed with the little yippity thing. So now he kind of treats Camden that way when he never has before. I feel like its the puppy's fault! LOL. But, ever since he snapped at him, I dont leave them alone anymore.. like, not out of sight for a second. I still let Camden go near him because I'm wanting to know if he's touching a certain spot that might hurt on Mack, and then we can know what the problem is. But Mack won't do it if we're in the room because he knows he'll get in trouble. *sigh*. Sucks needing to be on watch and edge all the time around him now, but I need to be

[fusion]

My dog is full aware of the consequences that would occur if she were to hurt one of the kids. She'll growl at Jameson when he is upright abusing her, but she is within her rights to do that. Anna is really good with her and just pats, so she's never been growled at. The dog doesn't like either of them though, I can tell she is still somewhat bitter over being displaced in the family hierarchy. She was depressed for a long time after we brought Jameson home since she didn't get to go out in the car everywhere but he did. Crazy dog, wayyyy too smart for her own good.

[spaghetticat]

This is something that makes me nervous, too. It is just very unpredictable. I don't let them be alone together and if V goes by the dog, I make sure I am showing her gentle, etc. my dog spends a lot more time in her crate now. I feel bad about it, but I don't want to take any chances.

[mrsjaymay]

Apr 24, 2013 15:09:27 GMT -5 fusion said:

My dog is full aware of the consequences that would occur if she were to hurt one of the kids. She'll growl at Jameson when he is upright abusing her, but she is within her rights to do that. Anna is really good with her and just pats, so she's never been growled at. The dog doesn't like either of them though, I can tell she is still somewhat bitter over being displaced in the family hierarchy. She was depressed for a long time after we brought Jameson home since she didn't get to go out in the car everywhere but he did. Crazy dog, wayyyy too smart for her own good.

This is such an important mentality to have!

Nephew straight up abuses their family's shih tzu. That dog just sits there and takes it. SIL and BIL think it's wonderful that the dog is so well behaved. I cringe. It's important that kids learn to treat animals well, too!

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2013 15:47:03 GMT -5 mrsjaymay said:

Apr 24, 2013 15:09:27 GMT -5 fusion said:

My dog is full aware of the consequences that would occur if she were to hurt one of the kids. She'll growl at Jameson when he is upright abusing her, but she is within her rights to do that. Anna is really good with her and just pats, so she's never been growled at. The dog doesn't like either of them though, I can tell she is still somewhat bitter over being displaced in the family hierarchy. She was depressed for a long time after we brought Jameson home since she didn't get to go out in the car everywhere but he did. Crazy dog, wayyyy too smart for her own good.

This is such an important mentality to have!

Nephew straight up abuses their family's shih tzu. That dog just sits there and takes it. SIL and BIL think it's wonderful that the dog is so well behaved. I cringe. It's important that kids learn to treat animals well, too!

Exactly. And no dog should be forced to take that. Thats one of the main reason why I move Camden or make him be gentle. Poor dog doesn't need to be beat on!! 

[JuliaGulia]

My cat Zoey HATED when we brought Alexis home, but she has really come around. Every time Alexis gets loud or cries she comes running. Usually she is laying on the floor wherever Alexis is playing. She lets her "pat" her (she can be pretty rough with fur pulling, tail pulling, and biting her). We obviously don't let her purposely hit the cat but Zoey just lays there and takes it. They love each other! Alexis always screams "Kitty" and then does this weird meow thing when she see the cat. It's so cute. My other cat doesn't come within 10 feet of her.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2013 15:47:03 GMT -5 mrsjaymay said:

Apr 24, 2013 15:09:27 GMT -5 fusion said:

My dog is full aware of the consequences that would occur if she were to hurt one of the kids. She'll growl at Jameson when he is upright abusing her, but she is within her rights to do that. Anna is really good with her and just pats, so she's never been growled at. The dog doesn't like either of them though, I can tell she is still somewhat bitter over being displaced in the family hierarchy. She was depressed for a long time after we brought Jameson home since she didn't get to go out in the car everywhere but he did. Crazy dog, wayyyy too smart for her own good.

This is such an important mentality to have!

Nephew straight up abuses their family's shih tzu. That dog just sits there and takes it. SIL and BIL think it's wonderful that the dog is so well behaved. I cringe. It's important that kids learn to treat animals well, too!

Ada hits my parents dog and the dog won't do anything.  It drives me crazy, I'm like dog move or run away or something  I am trying to teach Ada gentle with their dog and our dog but she doesn't get it so I only let her "pet" them if I am right there.

[helicase]

I'm so glad you started this thread, katie!  A couple of weeks ago, T grabbed and yanked our unsuspecting whippet's tail.  The dog turned and barked at T, but during the bark, nicked T's forehead (a little scratch).  I saw it happen, but was helpless to do anything.  I felt (and still feel) like such a horrible mother for letting it all go down.  Our dog was disciplined (sent outside for 15 min -- it was cold and she hates being outside) and I comforted T, but I still feel so bad. 

Since then, the dog always keeps her eye on DS.  We let T pet our dog, but always make sure it's gentle and the dog (sometimes begrudgingly) allows it.  I hope, one day, our dog and T have a great dog/kid relationship with snuggles and companionship, but we're not quite there yet.

[mala]

Anna is great with B. She's a 2 1/4 year old Anatolian Shepherd (107lbs and taller than a German Shepherd). She puts up with a lot of shit from B, including taking her bones and messing with her food and water while she (Anna) is eating/drinking. We (DH & I) discourage B from messing with Anna, but sometimes we just aren't quick enough. So far Anna hasn't done a damn thing about B messing with food/water. She will occasionally refuse to let go of her nylabone when B wants to take it, which causes B to have a bit of a tantrum, but we feel like Anna is perfectly within her rights to not give up her bone when she's in her own bed (her "safe spot").

The biggest problem we have is Anna knocking B over. In particular when she's excited, she doesn't always look out for where B is in relation to her and she has literally run B over more than once.

She has snapped at B once and only once a few months ago. Anna was asleep on the couch. B was crawling around on the couch and fell on Anna. She hit/pinched something vital in Anna's throat and Anna woke up and snapped at B. It was purely instinctive and I'm positive she was just snapping at what hurt her without realizing what/who it was. Her teeth didn't make contact with skin, but it was scary for me and B. Anna immediately went to bed without being told (her bed is her safe spot and where she goes when she's in trouble. I know it sounds weird, but it works. We don't have a crate for her, there's no place in our house a crate for her would fit.).

We have had no other incidents of snapping or growling. Anna does spend most of her time outside as long as the weather is nice. Whenever we try to bring her in she always asks to go out 10 minutes later (she has a very clear "outside" cue).

That said, I think now that the babies are older the dogs are trying to teach them what is acceptable behavior and what is not. The growling and snapping is really just how they communicate to the children that they need to back off. They don't really understand that the babies don't understand what they're trying to say.

[vthokie]

We have a 13 yr old husky mix. He's not a fan, but he's pretty crotchety and a bit blind and deaf, so I think she startles him a lot. He just tries to stay away from her. Now that she walks, she likes to go up and par his back. She's nice about it, but when he barks and moves away from her, she laughs maniacally and follows him to pet again. She likes to chase him saying " du" and signing dog.
We keep them fairly separate and don't leave them alone together. Poor old dog

[peachdragon]

Our dig has snapped and lunged at our daughter about 3 times. We keep them separated. The dog now lives in our basement and comes upstairs when Anna goes to bed. She is a rott lab mix. She's big and I'm not taking any chances. I'd like to re home her but my husband is in love with her.

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[rjamz]

Jamie and Suzie the Dog are BFFs. We got really lucky bc we got her from a rescue organization after he was born and weren't sure what to.expect from her. He pulls her hair, smashes food into her fur, pokes her eyes, etc and she just licks him or walks away if she's annoyed. We of course try to discourage him from pestering her and try to teach him being gentle, but I'm not always fast enough.

She snapped at him once. She had horrible infections on her feet when she came to us and she was sleeping and he grabbed her foot. She just reacted. I separated them for the rest of the day and she's never done it again.

I'm sorry you're worried about your dog and kid together. I wish I had some advice. Maybe a trainer could help?

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[katie]

Hey Mala, good points and I think you're right. The dog could have easily bit if she wanted to. Both our snapping incidents are what I believe to be something that either hurt or scared the dog so I do get. It still freaked me out, more so of the what ifs. Lillan is doing better with gentle petting but sometimes she just pinches out of no where. I am just going to have to always sit on the floor with L all the time rather than the couch for now.

[Regina Philange]

I have a small Maltese/silky mix. She tolerates Lou. But my dreams are crushed of them being BFFs. She does snap at my niece and that makes me nervous. My niece yanks on her hair.

[mamasaurus]

I don't leave the birds and the baby alone together. She's not gentle enough, they startle easily, and they tend to bite when they startle. I haven't let her pet 2 of the 3, and even the one she has pet, it was supervised and just his tail with one finger. I don't know when I will let her try to hold one of them. Maybe in high school!

[mala]

Apr 24, 2013 19:11:28 GMT -5 mamasaurus said:

I don't leave the birds and the baby alone together. She's not gentle enough, they startle easily, and they tend to bite when they startle. I haven't let her pet 2 of the 3, and even the one she has pet, it was supervised and just his tail with one finger. I don't know when I will let her try to hold one of them. Maybe in high school!

I'd be so much more wary of letting LOs touch/hold birds than dogs! I feel like birds are more fragile than even the smallest dog, and they're so much more independent than a dog and almost impossible to train the same way. Plus, beaks can do so much damage!