Dog attacked my child - heartbroken

Knine

westies4ever wrote: »

its not rubbish - its true - any research on terriers will tell you they have a natural hunting instinct and can be quick to annoy; no one is saying all terriers are aggressive nor are they attacking the breed (i wouldnt have any other type of dog as i love them so much) - mine certainly arent aggressive but i wouldnt trust them unsupervised with children or around children full time.

outdoors for a dog is fine IF the owner has the appropriate set up for them.

Well with my vast experience of showing, working and breeding terriers along with several other breeds, I can tell you the opposite. I also very regularly handle a lot of different breeds of dogs and I never have any terrier issues.

Again working ability in a terrier does not make them any more likely to attack someone. It is how you raise the dog, teach them what is acceptable behaviour etc and this is regardless of breed.

Of course children should never be left unsupervised with ANY Dog.

Dogs are fine outdoors but what I mean is that a dog who has been all along a house dog and suddenly finds himself outside might not be too happy.

Penname

Wibbs wrote: »

Penname wrote: »

Thank you all for the advice. Have taken it all on board and have been on phone to vet and shelter. Got good advice from both and have a trainer coming out to advise us.

If all comes to all, he'll be rehomed to a childless house.

Fair play P My take would be a once off incident in an otherwise good dog shouldn't condemn the dog, especially if its buttons were pushed. Trainer a great idea too. Hope it works out for you and your family.

Ta. We feel torn. Obviously protecting kids come first but want what's best for him too.

sezzie22

Just a note if you adopted this dog from a shelter- you would have signed a re-homing/adoption contract and the dog remains the property of the shelter/rescue- YOU MUST CONTACT THE ORGANISATION YOU ADOPTED THE DOG FROM AS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PTS THE DOG-THE RESCUE HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-ITS A LEGAL OBLIGATION ON EVERY ADOPTION CONTRACT!!!!

Penname

sezzie22 wrote: »

Just a note if you adopted this dog from a shelter- you would have signed a re-homing/adoption contract and the dog remains the property of the shelter/rescue- YOU MUST CONTACT THE ORGANISATION YOU ADOPTED THE DOG FROM AS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PTS THE DOG-THE RESCUE HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-ITS A LEGAL OBLIGATION ON EVERY ADOPTION CONTRACT!!!!

Yeah, did earlier. Thanks.

Zillah

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Cue the endless supply of "Oh buy MY dog would never do such a thing" yeah right...until he does it.

That's not what he said. What he said was "Oh but I have seen several dogs live their full lives from start to finish staying inside and have seen no aggressive behaviour". My grandmother's terrier, who I was around from the age of 5 or 6, lived her entire life inside the house and she was the kindest most gentle dog I've ever seen.

Your territorial argument is bull.

abouttobebanned

Zillah wrote: »

That's not what he said. What he said was "Oh but I have seen several dogs live their full lives from start to finish staying inside and have seen no aggressive behaviour". My grandmother's terrier, who I was around from the age of 5 or 6, lived her entire life inside the house and she was the kindest most gentle dog I've ever seen.

Your territorial argument is bull.

No. You just think it is. And you're wrong.

fret_wimp2

Dont blame the dog for this. Dogs are pack animals and act on instinct. If a dog does anything wrong, its always due to lack of training or knowledge on the owner. I 100% believe this. your dog bites, you should have trained them not to.

Secondly,the dog needs to be put in its place. Simple as. Dicipline the dog, show him his place in the family/pack.

I had a jack russel terrier for 15 years, from pup until he recently passed away.

When he was a pup he made a snap for my nose once. He got pinned to the ground and shouted at, just as a dog would pin another dog to the ground and growl. He also got a smack across the nose.

He never ever bared his teeth to any of us again.

Also, Ensure your child knows how to live with a dog. Ive saw kids pull at, walk on, thorw and abuse dogs and parents think its "cute" saying how much the child loves the dog, but if the dog makes so much as a sniff or growl to indicate discomfort hes slapped or worse.

If someone done anything threatening to me, id put them in their place. if the child came in quickly and very close to the dog, thats threatening right there. Teach the child not to do that!


Finally, ensure your dog gets enough exercise. a dog with a lot of pent up energy is a recipe for disaster, especially terriers, as if they are not tired they need to be busy. bring him for loooong walks, give him stimilus such as a big raw bone, something to keep him busy. he will have less energy and will be more docile.

alie

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Put the Dog in the back garden!!! Come on people, the amount of stories I'm reading on this bloody forum about people that are heartbroken cause their dog attacked their child in the house. What do you expect? Dogs are territorial animals, and I don't care how much grief I get for this - THEY BELONG OUTSIDE!!!!

And what happens if the kids are out too?

kylith

I'm surprised at the rescue rehoming a terrier with small children; they're not a breed that will take any messing, and I was nipped plenty of times by ours when I was a child. If the child's skin wasn't broken then the attack, while shocking, is unlikely to have been vicious; if he had really wanted to hurt your daughter he could have.

Definitely get on to the rescue and they should take the dog back. If you decide to get another dog there are plenty of breeds with longer fuses than a terrier has. As a rule of thumb I find that the larger the dog the more patience they have with little ones.

mad_shopaholic

bring him back to the shelter to be rehomed its not worth the risk you were lucky this time there was no serious injury to her whos to say he wont do it again as you said yourself your daughter did nothing to provoke him.
(also happened me as a child with a dog we had when I was younger also did nothing to provoke him.unfortunately i wasnt so lucky and have been left with scar on my face)

Zapperzy

rsole1 wrote: »

Treat him like a lesser member of the pack, he's looking to become top dog. He needs discipline and to be put in his place. Put him outside and leave him there, feed him and exercise him. That's his new role -watch dog.

Dogs are not wolves, you've been watching too much cesar milan. Throwing this dog is the back garden and just feeding him and exercising him and other than that having no human interaction is a recipe for disaster when one day the child decides to open the back door and go outside to the dog.

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Put the Dog in the back garden!!! Come on people, the amount of stories I'm reading on this bloody forum about people that are heartbroken cause their dog attacked their child in the house. What do you expect? Dogs are territorial animals, and I don't care how much grief I get for this - THEY BELONG OUTSIDE!!!!

Again as above what happens when the OP turns their back for a second and the child opens the back door and goes out to the dog? I done it once when I was a wee one, the grandparents dobermann who was trained as a guard dog and had never encountered children before, I disappeared and they found me outside hanging out of the poor dog! Luckily for me Bruce turned out to be a gentle giant with kids despite being a pretty ferocious guard dog when strangers were around the house.

abouttobebanned wrote: »

:rolleyes:

First off, I have no idea who your friends are or what kind of dogs you have so your lame attempt to beat my argument with "experience" is somewhat pointless.

In any other forum but this, people would accept that animals are always unpredictable. I mean how many times have you read about people being "shocked" that their precious pet turned on their child?

I have a springer spaniel, and he's the gentlest creature you could meet, but he doesn't share a house with my 7 month old daughter. He has a massive kennel and a massive run in the back garden, and he absolutely loves it. (2 of the warmest blankets you could imagine in the kennel).

kids and animals sharing living space is just a recipe for disaster.

Cue the endless supply of "Oh buy MY dog would never do such a thing" yeah right...until he does it.

I won't say my dog would never do such a thing as I don't know if he will, yes he's an animal so I don't know whats going through his head at all times. I believe dogs should never be fully 110% trusted around kids (and likewise kids never fully trusted around dogs), you never know when one day the dog is feeling unwell or has a sore ear and some kid comes along and hangs out of him and pokes him, dog snaps and immediately it's the dog's fault.
Dogs are animals just like horses, cattle, cats and mice are. Dogs are the only animal that we have this it bites so must be put down mantra. A horse kicks or bites and we don't immediately rush to get the gun and shoot it do we? I disturbed a horse eating once and by millimetres it missed me with a very powerful kick, was said horse put down, no, I got told how stupid I was to disturb a horse eating!

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Yes but how often will your child spend outside compared to inside?

Do your children not play in the garden?

OP I think your making the right decision by getting a behaviourist in (I hope a reputable behaviourist) to try and make sense of the situation. A vet visit to rule out any problems is a must too.
Hope your child is ok and won't have a fear of dogs as a result. No harm in getting her to meet friendly dogs again to ensure she doesn't develop a fear.

ppink

Zapperzy wrote: »

I disturbed a horse eating once and by millimetres it missed me with a very powerful kick, was said horse put down, no, I got told how stupid I was to disturb a horse eating!

me too! I got such an earful and I was only young. Around that time there were reports of a guy getting kicked in the head and killed by a thoroughbred ...no way that horse was pts either!

Zapperzy wrote: »

Do your children not play in the garden?

I'd imagine they are sayign the dog should be in a run contained. I can never understand the appeal of having a dog that is in a run out the back for 22 hours a day and may get a walk for 2 hours. what do people get out of that pet ownership, a walking companion maybe?

Wibbs

mad_shopaholic wrote: »

whos to say he wont do it again as you said yourself your daughter did nothing to provoke him.

I would respectfully disagree.

Penname wrote: »

So last night, he was sitting at my feet when my kid went over, put her head down to him (which she does all the time - they are very affectionate with him) and he went for her

The bit in bold is threatening to a dog. Most will go along with it for the quiet life and out of respect for the family, but would likely go for another dog who tried it. You may not see it as provocation, but that has been my point, a dog will. People can have little clue about what will trigger a dogs behaviour and fewer can read their less obvious signs of discomfort.

Zapperzy wrote:

you never know when one day the dog is feeling unwell or has a sore ear and some kid comes along and hangs out of him and pokes him, dog snaps and immediately it's the dog's fault.
Dogs are animals just like horses, cattle, cats and mice are. Dogs are the only animal that we have this it bites so must be put down mantra. A horse kicks or bites and we don't immediately rush to get the gun and shoot it do we? I disturbed a horse eating once and by millimetres it missed me with a very powerful kick, was said horse put down, no, I got told how stupid I was to disturb a horse eating!

+1000. If every pet cat that scratched their owner or friends of same was put down, there would be a helluva lot fewer cats around. Ditto like you say with horses. Horses can nip, kick, throw you, even deliberately stand on your foot for shíts and giggles and no one is breaking out the syringe. I think it's down to the idea that dogs are closest to us and people tend to anthropomorphise them and treat them like "furry children" more. So it rattles their cage more when the dog starts acting like a dog and not a human. Hence the reaction.

x Purple Pawprints x

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Put the Dog in the back garden!!! Come on people, the amount of stories I'm reading on this bloody forum about people that are heartbroken cause their dog attacked their child in the house. What do you expect? Dogs are territorial animals, and I don't care how much grief I get for this - THEY BELONG OUTSIDE!!!!

Just because they belong outside doesn't mean they should go around attacking children.

OP try a behaviourist (a good one) or if you can't afford that try to rehome the dog. If you can't I'm afraid getting him PTS is the only option. Better safe than sorry. If he attacked again there's nothing to say he won't seriously hurt your child.

Wibbs

Zapperzy wrote: »

Dogs are not wolves, you've been watching too much cesar milan.

I'd kinda disagree. They are wolves, however they're domesticated juvenile wolves. That's the big difference. The difference Milan et al seem to miss. They're still going on out of date thoughts on wolf behaviour(observed in captivity among adolescent wolves). The real deal is much more like a dog in some ways. Not nearly as aggressive or dominant(with a Mexican accent:) )with each other as believed. The "pack" is a family unit. Indeed much more like human family units than chimps for example. One reason we fitted so well with each other at the start of the domestication process. Many thousands of years ago a tame wolf cub wouldn't get that much of a culture shock being raised as part of a hunter gatherer family/tribe. At least not until it hit maturity and wanted to go off and start it's own family. Domestication took that part out of the mix. It can even go the other way too on those rare and fascinating occasions where children have been "raised" by and ran with wild wolves or feral dogs. Contrary to the Tarzan story that ain't gonna happen with chimps.

Throwing this dog is the back garden and just feeding him and exercising him and other than that having no human interaction is a recipe for disaster when one day the child decides to open the back door and go outside to the dog.

Plus one and even the full on "dogs are wolves" crowd would agree on this score. Wolves don't isolate family members for wrong actions. It would screw up the whole family/pack dynamic. They don't wrestle others to the ground either. If one tried it it wouldn't last long. I'd love to see Cesar try that with an actual wolf. Cue gory snuff movie.

portgirl123

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Put the Dog in the back garden!!! Come on people, the amount of stories I'm reading on this bloody forum about people that are heartbroken cause their dog attacked their child in the house. What do you expect? Dogs are territorial animals, and I don't care how much grief I get for this - THEY BELONG OUTSIDE!!!!

bull ****e. dogs DO NOT belong outside

Hellrazer

Wibbs wrote: »

I'd kinda agree with this myself. For a start I'd never trust any dog unsupervised with small children.

This + 1000000000000



No dog should ever be unsupervised around any dog.No matter how good that dog is around kids.Even my own are supervised especially at eating times.
My dog is trained that I or any of the kids for that matter could take a steak out of her mouth and she wouldnt flinch but I still wouldnt let the kids even try it.

All these threads about peoples dogs biting kids seem to evolve around something the child has done and not the dog.

Hellrazer

portgirl123 wrote: »

bull ****e. dogs DO NOT belong outside

Calm down.

boomerang

Please take the opinions given here with a grain of salt. The dog wasn't jealous. The dog wasn't trying to assert himself over your child. He wasn't claiming you as your property. I have yet to meet a dog that likes someone get in their face - especially when they have been minding their own business. I think we need to be very clear in our use of language here. Your dog did not attack your child and he did not bite. He responded emotionally to a threat by snapping as a warning when he felt he had no alternative. I would be interested to know if the dog was napping or laid out when the child approached - and if the dog was aware of the child's movements before she bore down on him. Is it possible he got a fright?

OP, the likelihood is this dog is as safe as any dog *can* be around small children. I doubt the rescue anticipated that the children would be coming near his food bowl when he was eating, or putting their faces down towards him, which is very threatening to a dog.

I know you have put a lot of work into ensuring the dog does not feel so threatened when the children interfere with his food bowl, but ideally they should be prevented from going anywhere near the bowl when he is eating.

No dog likes anyone bearing over them, especially when they are resting, and I would encourage you to look at some information on how to teach kids to safely interact with their pet dog. You need to know what kind of behaviours from the kids will annoy, threaten or hurt the dog.

There are people out there who think that dogs should be absolutely perfect angels willing to put up with any kind of treatment without complaint. If they snap, growl or show their teeth (all warning signs in canine communication, and none of which inflict injury - that's the whole point, because the dog does not want to get into a confrontation) then it's a dealbreaker and the dog is deemed vicious or unsafe, and put down. But what human could live up to such a standard? And these are just dogs, after all.

From what you are saying, the dog felt defensive when your child bore down on him. Imagine yourself being the size of terrier, and a child looming over you like that. The dog didn't attack you child. He didn't bite your child. There are no wounds, and there's no blood. Your dog was giving a warning. "Don't come any closer or I may be forced to bite." If he had wanted to inflict injuries, he would have. It wasn't vicious. It might have looked that way to you, but the dog as they say can't send solicitor's letters - he only has his mouth to express himself with when he's forced into a corner. You should actually feel reassured by the fact that he didn't break the skin - it shows he has good "bite inhibition." A genuinely aggressive dog would have skipped simply snapping as a warning, and gone straight to biting for real.

Don't panic and give up on the dog. Don't think the rescue gave you a defective animal. Just learn a bit more about how dogs respond to humans (especially kids) and be proactive about preventing situations that put the dog (and kids) in a vulnerable position.

Have a look here:
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/kids-and-dogs-how-kids-should-and-should-not-interact-with-dogs

"Actions that might cause the family dog to bite are common sense... Kids frequently can’t help but get in your face. They often have to be trained to maintain the appropriate social distance. Similarly, putting your face into a dog’s face, even if it’s all in the family, can be irritating to the dog, especially when the dog has no control over the child’s behavior." - Dr Sophia Yin.

You've been doing really great in training your dog and integrating him into the family - please don't give up on him now.

Hellrazer

sezzie22 wrote: »

YOU MUST CONTACT THE ORGANISATION YOU ADOPTED THE DOG FROM AS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PTS THE DOG-THE RESCUE HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-ITS A LEGAL OBLIGATION ON EVERY ADOPTION CONTRACT!!!!

Has one of these so called "contracts" ever been tested in a court house???
I cant find any evidence of it being legally binding.

TooManyDogs

Hellrazer wrote: »

Has one of these so called "contracts" ever been tested in a court house???
I cant find any evidence of it being legally binding.

They're not legally binding at all. They're simply in place to try and make bringing the dog back to the organisation the automatic thought if the dog doesn't work out. People are far more likely to bring the dog back to the rescue if they think they legally have to.

sezzie22

Hellrazer wrote: »

sezzie22 wrote: »

YOU MUST CONTACT THE ORGANISATION YOU ADOPTED THE DOG FROM AS YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PTS THE DOG-THE RESCUE HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DECISION-ITS A LEGAL OBLIGATION ON EVERY ADOPTION CONTRACT!!!!

Has one of these so called "contracts" ever been tested in a court house???
I cant find any evidence of it being legally binding.

Hellrazer- you are entirely taking this thread out of topic- you should know if you are any way inclined towards rescue that these contracts are in place- why do you feel the need to pick on my comment based on our PM history??? I dont appreciate your attack on me via PM in relation to another thread which you have since admitted you were incorrect in doing- however this admission was not to me but another party.....OP has posted they have contacted the rescue in question and I am happy with that- I was simply pointing out something to them- however now you have chosen to pick on my topic of point. I dont see you be-littling any other persons points or replies to OP....so please leave my suggestion to OP alone and stop swaying this thread to an entirely different subject matter in relation to legalities and the likes- I was simply poting information the OP may not have thought of based on the upset this whole situation may have caused them

Hellrazer

sezzie22 wrote: »

Hellrazer- you are entirely taking this thread out of topic- you should know if you are any way inclined towards rescue that these contracts are in place- why do you feel the need to pick on my comment based on our PM history???

Ok firstly I wasnt attacking your post.I was asking a genuine question.And secondly youre the one who cam on this thread giving (shouting) legal advice which I think at best is dubious.
Toomanydogs has already clarified my question so I dont know why you are bringing this up after Toomanydogs already answered it.

I dont appreciate your attack on me via PM in relation to another thread which you have since admitted you were incorrect in doing- however this admission was not to me but another party

So this other party is sharing pms that are supposedly "private" which by the way Im annoyed over now.
I apologised for my error in that one.I actually have the pm here and I thought I had copied you on that apology and if I didnt Im now apologising for that.

.....OP has posted they have contacted the rescue in question and I am happy with that-

As am I.

I was simply pointing out something to them-

No you didnt "point" it out to them--you did the internet equivalent of shouting what I believe is dubious legal advice at them.

however now you have chosen to pick on my topic of point.

No I didnt--Ive already explained that I was asking a genuine question--something that I belive should be asked because if rescues are asking people to sign a so called "legally binding" contract then I believe that that is wrong on their part.

I dont see you be-littling any other persons points or replies to OP....

Wrong again-see above.

so please leave my suggestion to OP alone and stop swaying this thread to an entirely different subject matter in relation to legalities and the likes- I was simply poting information the OP may not have thought of based on the upset this whole situation may have caused them

No--youre the one swaying the thread towards a different matter entirely by starting this on thread--for a second time by the way.The last time you also chose to take your frustrations out on thread and then I removed the post and you took it to pms.I suggest that you do the same here.Now in 12 posts youve decided to start arguments with the mods on thread twice--I suggest if you have problem with my posts again you take it to pms as users have been infracted for similar.

doctor evil

Just want to say this.

The dog may be able to go into childless home but if it is someone elderly that person may be much more vunerable when/if nipped/bitten as their skin is much thinner and joints are stiffer.

An older person may also have grandchildren visit or to mind.

Shazanne

doctor evil wrote: »

Just want to say this.

The dog may be able to go into childless home but if it is someone elderly that person may be much more vunerable when/if nipped/bitten as their skin is much thinner and joints are stiffer.

An older person may also have grandchildren visit or to mind.

Do you not think that statement may be just a bit extreme? You are now painting this dog as being completely visous and I have seen nothing in the OP's description at any stage to suggest this. As someone pointed out above, if the dog had wanted to it could have bitten the child but it didn't. Yes, it did attack, be it defensively or otherwise, but I don't think it fair of you to suggest that it would attack every person it comes in contact with. Maybe its unwise to have the dog with small children, but dont blacken it completely.

Mo60

Shazanne wrote: »

Do you not think that statement may be just a bit extreme? You are now painting this dog as being completely visous and I have seen nothing in the OP's description at any stage to suggest this. As someone pointed out above, if the dog had wanted to it could have bitten the child but it didn't. Yes, it did attack, be it defensively or otherwise, but I don't think it fair of you to suggest that it would attack every person it comes in contact with. Maybe its unwise to have the dog with small children, but dont blacken it completely.

I have a dog, a Yorkshire Terrier, that snaps and growls on occasion. He is a dog that I rescued from the dog pound so I do not know his previous history. Most times he is loving and affectionate, but sometimes he does snap if he feels threatened in some way. I am working on this, but it does not mean that he is a danger to all and sundry.

Da Shins Kelly

I think the dog would probably be better in a childless home. I'm always a bit wary of dogs in general in homes with children, particularly small children who have a tendency to prod and poke and pull without realising that it's annoying for the dog, and they should never be left alone together (I realise the OP didn't leave her child with the dog). If he found a home with maybe an elderly couple or any childless couple, I'm sure he'd be much-loved.

In my experience (and I'm no animal expert), I've been snapped at and nipped and chased by more terriers than I have bigger dogs. A friend of mine has a boxer and a couple of small children and I've honestly never seen a dog that is as good with children as this boxer.

If the OP decides to get another dog, I'd suggest maybe a bigger one. I've always found labradors to be delightful, collies too. I also find a good old-fashioned mutt hard to beat.

borderlinemeath

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

I think the dog would probably be better in a childless home. I'm always a bit wary of dogs in general in homes with children, particularly small children who have a tendency to prod and poke and pull without realising that it's annoying for the dog, and they should never be left alone together (I realise the OP didn't leave her child with the dog). If he found a home with maybe an elderly couple or any childless couple, I'm sure he'd be much-loved.

In my experience (and I'm no animal expert), I've been snapped at and nipped and chased by more terriers than I have bigger dogs. A friend of mine has a boxer and a couple of small children and I've honestly never seen a dog that is as good with children as this boxer.

If the OP decides to get another dog, I'd suggest maybe a bigger one. I've always found labradors to be delightful, collies too. I also find a good old-fashioned mutt hard to beat.

I'm not going to drag up an old closed thread but the most recent thread about a pet attacking a family member was a 2 year old retriever (very similar and often confused with Labs and both are considered to be an ideal family dog) that attacked the OPs brother and consequently had to be put down admittedly because of lack of training.

Also collies are a very active breed, and if not adequately exercised can get snappy and have been known to "herd" children if not stimulated.

Any breed of dog is capable of an attack if it's in a situation that it feels threatened or if it's not properly socialised within a family unit - and socialisation can't happen if the dog lives exclusively in the back garden feeling ostracised from it's family.

So last night, he was sitting at my feet when my kid went over, put her head down to him (which she does all the time - they are very affectionate with him) and he went for her, biting several times by the time I was able to pull him off her. Luckily she turned her face away from him so he only got the back of her head and didn't break skin, but still - she was lucky. It was definitely not a warning - it was vicious - very distressing.

OP your dog was sitting at your feet, relaxing - not wanting to move. Your child bent down over him, disturbing his peace and quiet and quite possibly gave him a fright - not suprising he reacted like he did. It was just a warning, every dog is capable of an attack - which is where they will break the skin, draw blood and do extensive damage.

Just a thought and maybe not related, but Friday night (when you say the attack happened) was the Late Late Toy Show and 99.9% of kids would have been in a highly agitated state of anticipation waiting for it to start! If your kids were wound up waiting for the childrens event of the year to happen, you're dog could well have picked up on the atmosphere, which was very much out of the normal routine. In his head he's saying -"It's night time, time to snooze and rest but the kids are acting like it's playtime and it's unsettling me" Routine is so important for dogs, particularly rescues who thrive on regularity as anything out of the norm of their new family routine can be very unsettling.

Penname

Just a thought and maybe not related, but Friday night (when you say the attack happened) was the Late Late Toy Show and 99.9% of kids would have been in a highly agitated state of anticipation waiting for it to start! If your kids were wound up waiting for the childrens event of the year to happen, you're dog could well have picked up on the atmosphere, which was very much out of the normal routine. In his head he's saying -"It's night time, time to snooze and rest but the kids are acting like it's playtime and it's unsettling me" Routine is so important for dogs, particularly rescues who thrive on regularity as anything out of the norm of their new family routine can be very unsettling.[/Quote]

I see ur point but it was around seven o'clock, just before kids go to bed. This is wind down time for them so no anticipation at all. We sky plussed cos they wouldn't stay awake past eight!

Well, an update. We have a behaviourist coming out to assess whether it's something we're doing wrong or if he genuinely isn't suitable to have in a child household. If its the former, then she'll show us and the kids what to do. To be brutally honest, I'd be happier if he was rehomed as the reason we got a dog was mainly for the kids but he deserves a chance. Apart from Friday night, he IS a fab dog and the kids adore him.

fret_wimp2

boomerang wrote: »

There are people out there who think that dogs should be absolutely perfect angels willing to put up with any kind of treatment without complaint. If they snap, growl or show their teeth (all warning signs in canine communication, and none of which inflict injury - that's the whole point, because the dog does not want to get into a confrontation) then it's a dealbreaker and the dog is deemed vicious or unsafe, and put down. But what human could live up to such a standard? And these are just dogs, after all.

Like. Like. Double like