Lurker Question

[soozalu]

Dirty lurker here...  Sorry to start out with a serious question, but I know from reading that some of you ladies are very good with dogs so I'm hoping you can help me.

Background: My husband and I adopted a 1 year old terrier mutt (30 pounds if that matters) about 1.5 years ago from a local shelter.  At the time we adopted her, we took her to one of the Petsmart Puppy Kindergarten classes, and it was an abysmal failure.  She was so disruptive that we were continually asked to leave the class, and we were never able to get her to calm down and behave enough to participate in the class.  We practiced the skills at home and learned basic commands, but never learned to control her in public.

Then, I got pregnant, and I'll be honest, we discussed the fact that Ripley wasn't well trained and our concern for how it would go with the baby, but we really didn't do anything about it.  When our daughter, Emily,  was 2 months old, Ripley growled and snapped at her for the first time.  We obviously weren't thrilled, and decided it was time for more intensive training.  We hired a dog trainer to come to our home for several sessions and we had some success while he was there.  Unfortunately, it didn't stick. 

As my daughter has become more mobile, Ripley has been increasingly aggressive with her attempts to play with Emily.  She is constantly getting in her face, nose butting her and even occasionally nipping her and jumping on her.  I have not been very happy about it, but have addressed it mostly by watching their interactions very carefully and intervening when necessary.

Fast forward to last night...  I'll preface this by saying that I know this incident was our fault.  We were letting Emily play on the floor at the same time that Ripley was working on her kong stuffed with treats, and Emily made a grab for the kong.  You can guess what happened next, right?  Ripley freaked out and attacked Emily.  Thankfully, she did not do any lasting damage, but she scared the shit out of all of us.

So, the big question: What the hell do we do now?  This dog has been a member of our family for the past year and a half.  My husband is heartbroken.  I'm just trying to figure out a way to keep my daughter safe.  I don't want to get rid of our dog, but I am at a loss as far as what other options we have.  

[Wrath0fKuus]

Do something more than a few half-assed sessions with a trainer.

[soozy87]

If I were you, I would get rid of the dog ASAP. My child's safety is more important than a dog. Luckily nothing serious has happened, yet.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

let's look at it from a parent's pov. if your kid were having big behavior issues, would you go to just a few sessions with a therapist and hope for the best? no. so why do you expect it to work for your dog--a terrier who are known for being strong-willed and hard to train.

[Gato]

I'd place the dog with a friend until a new home could be found OR we could get training and were satisfied that the dog would no longer be aggressive with our child.

[lime]

More sessions with a trainer and don't put your baby and dog on the floor at the same time seems like a good starting place.

[soozalu]

That's kind of the point of the post... What exactly am I supposed to do besides "a few half assed sessions with the trainer"? Do I take her to some kind of bootcamp? Do I hire the trainer to come back? A different trainer?

[Deleted]

I'd try training again.
In the meantime, separate the two with a doggy/kid fence so they don't intermingle. This obviously isn't a permanent solution but it is temporary and will keep your daughter safe.

[goaskalice]

I'll be honest training is more about training you than the dog. If you're not up for keeping the routine and training consistent then maybe you're not ready for a dog. I would commit to more training sessions, with you both there. It's something you have to work on every day for the rest of your dog's life.

[karmasabiotch]

Some dogs are just not good around small children.

I'm not sure if you have really done everything you can do but you don't want a dog to harm your daughter if you turn away for a moment. If you can't put the time and attention into training the dog 100%, you already know what you want to do.

[TheSeaward]

you had the dog first, you need to rehome the baby

[bluelily]

We've got some similar issues with our dog and our toddlers. Like yours, our dog has shown signs of aggression from the very beginning, but things were okay at home until our babies arrived. We have a trainer who comes twice a week to work with our dog and has for almost a year. We've seen improvement, but there's no quick fix to be had here. Our trainer says these problems almost always start when the baby becomes mobile. It's hugely stressful for the dog because babies are wobbly and unpredictable.

Step 1 is to separate the dog from the baby at all times for the time being. When the baby is gone or in bed, the dog can be out, but when the baby is present, it's better to put away the dog, for everyone's safety and stress levels. Buy your dog a food puzzle to keep her mind occupied, and take her for walks after Baby is asleep, but don't let them near each other until you've had an evaluation with a good trainer. You're going to want a trainer with a lot of experience with aggression. I can possibly ask my trainer for recs, if you can tell me where you live.

Step 2 will be for your trainer and you to work a LOT with your dog on desensitization, obedience, and impulse control. It's a long step.

I've been where you are (I haven't really left yet) and I feel for you. It's hugely stressful, but we love our dog, we're committed to keeping her safe and well, and so we're doing what we have to in order to make it work.

[soozalu]

Thanks for the replies. My husband said that he felt like we had failed our puppy, and I agree. Obviously, we don't what we're doing...

We're located in Humble. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[miniroller]

Just to chime in: pet store training classes are often (@ least in my area) some of the worst-reviewed training classes. I'd recommend calling your vet for some recommendations, & also possibly looking @ online reviews. Good luck w/ your pup...

[bluelily]

Aug 8, 2013 16:32:08 GMT -5 soozalu said:

Thanks for the replies. My husband said that he felt like we had failed our puppy, and I agree. Obviously, we don't what we're doing...

We're located in Humble. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I've asked my trainer for recs and will let you know what she says. I'm in Texas, too, so she very well might have contacts in the Houston area.

[soozalu]

Humble, TX. Outside of Houston.

[orangello]

How much exercise is the dog getting? It's not a cure-all, but more walks/dog park/day care could help a ton. It's hot in Texas right now, but this is non-negotiable. Dogs need exercise, especially breeds like terriers - they're active little buggers.

And don't ever give her food or treats in the same vicinity as your baby - food is a trigger for a lot of dogs, and it's hard (if not impossible) to train that out of them. The best bet is to keep them separated. Is she crate trained? She may like getting treats in there with the door open - it's a safe place for dogs. Just baby gate off the room so the little one stays out.

ETA - this can work out so the dog and the baby are happy and safe.  But it can only work if you WANT it to.  If you're looking for an excuse to get rid of the dog, find her a good home, don't drop her at a shelter.

[soozalu]

She is crate trained. We keep her in her kennel during the day, and have a dog walker that comes and takes her for a walk at lunch. We play fetch with her at night in the back yard and inside when it's too hot.

[bluelily]

Oh, I'll add:

My dog and my kids are separated a lot. We have a quiet room we keep our dog in when the kids are home and awake, with food toys and a closed door. I know it sounds cruel, but it is MUCH less stressful for her than to be behind a baby gate, where she can see us but not be with us. We want to work toward a place where our dog and our kids can intermingle stress-free, but for now, everyone (including our dog) is much happier with this setup.

[soozalu]

bluelily, how old are your kids? did you have aggression issues with your dog that caused you to get the trainer? do you plan to keep the dog and kids separate until the kids are old enough to "play nicely", or are you working towards having the dog spend more time with your children?

[bluelily]

Aug 8, 2013 16:54:27 GMT -5 soozalu said:

bluelily, how old are your kids? did you have aggression issues with your dog that caused you to get the trainer? do you plan to keep the dog and kids separate until the kids are old enough to "play nicely", or are you working towards having the dog spend more time with your children?

My kids aren't quite two.

My dog has been in training off and on since very small puppyhood, and has really always shown some signs of aggression in certain situations. At home, she was fine with just my H and me, and I thought she'd get acclimated to my kids and be fine, but she really hasn't. She's nervous-aggressive and status-seeking, so she has some issues with the fact that the kids rank above her in the family "pack".

We're kind of doing both. We're waiting for the kids to be old enough to understand that they need to give the dog her space (they generally do give her space, but they're toddlers, so they aren't super predictable), and we're trying to give her good opportunities to interact in positive ways with the kids under very supervised conditions, to help them build a relationship. But we're doing those interactions with help from our trainer, who has a ton of experience with dog aggression and behavioral issues. In other words, don't try this at home without professional help.

[blanca]

If you aren't able, willing to commit to really training the dog, probably best to find a home for her that is more suitable for her.

[TheSeaward]

Aug 8, 2013 17:14:42 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 8, 2013 16:24:38 GMT -5 TheSeaward said:

you had the dog first, you need to rehome the baby

This is now one of our mandatory responses to these type of posts.

OP - Your dog is not going to magically become the dog you want. You have to really follow up with the recommendations of the behaviorist. I agree with LHC, if you guys truly don't think you can do this, I'd look for a good home for the dog. 

honestly my first thought was if they put as much effort into raising their baby as they did their dog, their kid will be a holy terror

[joshlyman]

1- animal behaviorist stat. This is not the dogs fault here. (And NOT just a trainer, an actual behaviorist)

2 - Your dog is a resource guarder. Google it. And NEVER EVER give high value treats when you child has access to them or the dog again.

Honestly, it sounds like you have an untrained high strung dog that was never prepared when you brought the baby home. This is all fixable, but it will take actual effort on you part.

[winecat]

You should see a behaviorist not just a trainer. Keep the baby and dog separated, especially when there are high value treats/food around. I know your kiddo is young, but teaching her how to be safe around dogs is SO important. Your dog is not the only dog that she will encounter and teaching her to be safe is better longterm.

[joshlyman]

Aug 8, 2013 16:32:20 GMT -5 miniroller said:

Just to chime in: pet store training classes are often (@ least in my area) some of the worst-reviewed training classes. I'd recommend calling your vet for some recommendations, & also possibly looking @ online reviews. Good luck w/ your pup...

Also, this. We did one session at pet smart and I was appalled. We do all our training at an awesome facility now.

[soozalu]

Thanks for the resources. I'm off to google (and feed the baby). Will check back in later.

[joshlyman]

Also google NILF as a training method.