hi my friend has a 14 month old dalmation (male)
this week he has bitten there daughter and they are wanting to rehome him
this is the first time this has happend but they dont wish to take any more chances
they are giving it till monday or tuesday to rehome him then if they still have him he will be put to sleep .
if anyone can offer help or advice please pm and i can pass on my friens number
they have all ready phoned thornbury they cant take him as they already have a damation ,and they have phoned the dalmation rescue and have left messages but havnt been contacy back .
thanks

Bitten? I can imagine that would scare any parent.

One of my customers runs a rehome service http://freetogoodhome.invisionplus.net/ and they will homecheck and find a compatiable home for any pets that need it. Might be wirth a check. The lady's name is Jody.

there will be plenty of rescues who will try and take him so he doesnt have to be put down, some may require a little fee of handing him over but this will probably be less than the vets bill to have him put to sleep and give him a chance in life

I dont think there will nbe any need to put this dog to sleep. Im sure someone on here could foster until a rescue centre becomes available.

how do u mean bitten though...? a nip, a full on hospital treatment bite was the dog provoked... why was child left with dog...???

hi my friend has a 14 month old dalmation (male)
this week he has bitten there daughter and they are wanting to rehome him
this is the first time this has happend but they dont wish to take any more chances
they are giving it till monday or tuesday to rehome him then if they still have him he will be put to sleep .
if anyone can offer help or advice please pm and i can pass on my friens number
they have all ready phoned thornbury they cant take him as they already have a damation ,and they have phoned the dalmation rescue and have left messages but havnt been contacy back .
thanks

Why not follow the link below and give as much information as you can, and hopefully get him into a home without children, he his only young at 14 months,
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=214305

is he neutered..? i can take him for the weekend if necesarry my son is away for the weekend...!

the info i have got is he went for the little girl he has badley bruised her skin but got the little girls mum managed to pull the little girl to safety he didnt actualy break the skin .
my friend is very upset but will not take any more risks having him in the house .
he is not good with other dogs and with strangers he tends to bark at them as hes nervous .
this is the first time this has happend .they dont want to have him put to sleep but they dont want to risk having him in the house any longer than they really have to as the little girl is frigtend stiff and the same goes with the rest off the family
i dont think he is neuterd .but is upto date with all his jabs

i do have a contact number if anyone can help

pm rainrescue!

i have done thanks

Really at 14 months he is still just a puppy :sad: it would be interesting to know the circumstances surrounding the bite.
I find it rather shocking that today is Friday and they have just given him the weekend to be rehomed, how are they going to do that? they may as well take him to the vets tonight and save all the hassle :rant:
If its the first time he has done this surely they could be careful with him and wait until a rescue place comes up....I am in no way making light of the circumstances, and I would be very unhappy that my dog bit my child too, but rehoming can unfortunately take time, rescues are full and often have a waiting list.
If they can't get him a rescue place then take him to the dog pound, at least he will stand a chance at a home...but be honest about him biting that one time.
He deserves a chance he is just a puppy!

Really at 14 months he is still just a puppy :sad: it would be interesting to know the circumstances surrounding the bite.
I find it rather shocking that today is Friday and they have just given him the weekend to be rehomed, how are they going to do that? they may as well take him to the vets tonight and save all the hassle :rant:
If its the first time he has done this surely they could be careful with him and wait until a rescue place comes up....I am in no way making light of the circumstances, and I would be very unhappy that my dog bit my child too, but rehoming can unfortunately take time, rescues are full and often have a waiting list.
If they can't get him a rescue place then take him to the dog pound, at least he will stand a chance at a home...but be honest about him biting that one time.
He deserves a chance he is just a puppy!

i can fully understand the points you have made but this isnt my dog im just trying to help the dog thay are making efforts to rehome him but i think they are all frightend of him i think its the fact if the little girl hadnt been pulled away her mum says with the look on the dogs face and the way he was he would have really gone for her it wasnt a little nip

have they had this dog since a pup...? younger than 6 months??

the info i have got is he went for the little girl he has badley bruised her skin but got the little girls mum managed to pull the little girl to safety he didnt actualy break the skin .
my friend is very upset but will not take any more risks having him in the house .
he is not good with other dogs and with strangers he tends to bark at them as hes nervous .
this is the first time this has happend .they dont want to have him put to sleep but they dont want to risk having him in the house any longer than they really have to as the little girl is frigtend stiff and the same goes with the rest off the family
i dont think he is neuterd .but is upto date with all his jabs

How old is the little girl, did the girl do anything to provoke the dog, as moonbird says he his still a puppy, give him a second chance, but never leave the 2 together, we understand he his not your dog, but we are bound to ask questions, just trying to help

the little girl is 6 and sh was just coming into the kitchen when he went for her
the family is that shaken up they arnt willing to give a second chance
i would help myself but i have 4 dogs

i can fully understand the points you have made but this isnt my dog im just trying to help the dog thay are making efforts to rehome him but i think they are all frightend of him i think its the fact if the little girl hadnt been pulled away her mum says with the look on the dogs face and the way he was he would have really gone for her it wasnt a little nip

I'm sorry Rocky1 I know that your just trying to help and I'm glad that you are, I agree that the best thing in the circumstances is to let the dog go to someone else who isn't frightened of him.
Please put forward the suggestion about the dog pound though if all else fails, it seems such a pity for it to end with him pts.

I'm sorry Rocky1 I know that your just trying to help and I'm glad that you are, I agree that the best thing in the circumstances is to let the dog go to someone else who isn't frightened of him.
Please put forward the suggestion about the dog pound though if all else fails, it seems such a pity for it to end with him pts.

i totaly agree do you have a number and opening times please so i can pass them on

Has dalmation rescue got back to you, maybe lotti might have some contact numbers for you

i totaly agree do you have a number and opening times please so i can pass them on

Yes ring 0114 293 0362 I think they are open 10-4 but everything is strictly appointment only, I think someone will be there on Saturday otherwise it will be Monday morning.
I realise that this is not an ideal solution but in a crisis such as this it at least gives him some chance of a fresh start...pts is final.

they are in rotherham would it still be the same number

they are in rotherham would it still be the same number

Hmm I am not sure, have they tried Rotherham dog rescue? tel 0774 2602255 or 0781 4567769 call between 10.00 &19.00 or email info@rotherham-dog-rescue.co.uk, they are very good.
Failing that if they ring the Sheffield pound at least they will be able to advise where to contact for their area.

I'm afraid a lot aren't going to like what I have to say but if the dog has bitten a child unprovoked and with intent to cause harm then it should be put to sleep. There are far too many nice tempered dogs sat in rescue kennels wanting loving home to have nasty ones around. You will just be passing the problem on to someone else. Dalmations have very unstable temperments and what make matters worse is people who know what their dogs are like and still decide to breed with them producing mini versions of their unsocial parents. They don't make good family pets and most have some degree of aggressive behavioral problems.

I'm afraid a lot aren't going to like what I have to say but if the dog has bitten a child unprovoked and with intent to cause harm then it should be put to sleep. There are far too many nice tempered dogs sat in rescue kennels wanting loving home to have nasty ones around. You will just be passing the problem on to someone else. Dalmations have very unstable temperments and what make matters worse is people who know what their dogs are like and still decide to breed with them producing mini versions of their unsocial parents. They don't make good family pets and most have some degree of aggressive behavioral problems.

Yes... I do agree with you to a certain degree, it just seems wrong that a dog so young be given a death sentance, and we don't know the circumstances really, he is still so young that he could benefit from training and perhaps live in a family without children, it really all depends on the dog...its very hard to judge over a few words on a forum what the dog is really like.
Your right about there being so many good dogs waiting in rescues though, and its absolutely essential that the owners are honest about the dog... and yes he definitely needs neutering.

i thought i was trying to help it is his first time shes not trying to hide his problems
but it is his first time just thought he she have a second chance

i thought i was trying to help it is his first time shes not trying to hide his problems
but it is his first time just thought he she have a second chance

can they not get a muzzle for the dog in the short term until they can find a suitable home rather than have it pts?

i can fully understand the points you have made but this isnt my dog im just trying to help the dog thay are making efforts to rehome him but i think they are all frightend of him i think its the fact if the little girl hadnt been pulled away her mum says with the look on the dogs face and the way he was he would have really gone for her it wasnt a little nip

Sorry but if a dalmatian wanted to damage someone, it would. A 14 month old male could easily break the skin and possibly crush the bone of a young girl. It doesn't matter how quickly you pull away.

I can't really say what I think because it might upset people concerned but I do wish people would research the breed before getting the ultimate family 'Disney Dog'.

like i have said it isnt my dog im just saying what my friend has said and trying to help .
the dog the little girls leg is a mess i have seen it

Labyrinth,

There are plenty of dallies living very happily in a family environment - it just depends on which family environment.

That said, I'm the first to agree that they are working dogs and need enough stimulation to prevent their energy turning to aggression. Not suited to everyone.

I think your statement is a bit of a sweeping one as dallies absolutely adore their family members - just like many other breeds they can have issues but are absolutely soft as butter with their family.

the info i have got is he went for the little girl he has badley bruised her skin but got the little girls mum managed to pull the little girl to safety he didnt actualy break the skin .


the dog the little girls leg is a mess i have seen it

so, which is it? is her leg bruised, or is it a "mess?"

and as someone asked earlier, was the dog provoked in any way prior to the "attack"?

Dogs don't just "go for" someone, child or adult, without some provocation/ being wound-up etc.

its badley bruised and yes it does look a mess

Yes... I do agree with you to a certain degree, it just seems wrong that a dog so young be given a death sentance, and we don't know the circumstances really, he is still so young that he could benefit from training and perhaps live in a family without children, it really all depends on the dog...its very hard to judge over a few words on a forum what the dog is really like.
Your right about there being so many good dogs waiting in rescues though, and its absolutely essential that the owners are honest about the dog... and yes he definitely needs neutering.

Yes more facts would be helpful, all we know is that the little girl was walking into the kitchen when he went for her. What was the dog doing before? was he eating? Has his hearing been checked, maybe he was startled? still he really shouldn't just go for someone even if he was taken aback.

I'm not saying this is what happened in this case but I also agree with you Lotti, People should check out the breed and what it requires before just going out and buying a dog, cat, chipmonk etc because they have seen it in a film or on a tv ad.

ok i was trying to help this dog .i thought sheffield forum might be able to help
now i feel i have done something wrong
i could have done nothing and let him be pts
i have the info i have posted and i do have a phone number
please i was just wanting to help the dog

Hi rocky1, I don't think I have read a comment that criticizes you for posting it? unless I am mistaken?? However people need to know more facts before they decide to take on a dog, especially one that has gone for someone. Don't you agree?

hi i did say that i have a contact number for anyone wishing to take him,
i dont have anymore info im afraid sorry

rocky1 nobody is saying you shouldn't have posted - but these things do easily become a debate between people anyway - it's a forum and it will happen. I appreciate you don't have any more info - and I'm not blaming you for that :)

Seems very odd to me that a well socialised, stimulated dalmatian would suddenly snap and bite hard for no reason after months of happy family life.

I also have to say that it's very easy for a dally to break the skin (Takara's done it to my mum by accident when playing) but if a dog bites and doesn't break the skin, it's usually because the dog has realised he's come into contact with flesh and inhibits his bite.

I really hope he does find somewhere before he's pts but sadly I doubt it :( (And I don't have space for him)
People see 101 Dalmatians and think they're cuddly toys not live animals with their own minds, then when they bite, they freak out and it's always the dog that gets the blame.

myself i dont know anything about dalmations and i dont know if they read up on the bread.
like you say i just hope there is a happy ending

myself i dont know anything about dalmations and i dont know if they read up on the bread.
like you say i just hope there is a happy ending

I think it is good you are helping.
People on here feel strongly about rehoming dogs and try to give advice on areas they have experience in. Therefore although things may come across as you may not like, they are only trying to offer advice.
You are right you are the wrong person to have the discussion with because its not your dog.
I hope they can get something sorted as from what I have read It doesnt sound like this dog was trying to harm the child. That said I can also understand why the parents have decided that they will never know for definate whether he did mean to or not and arent willing to take another chance.
Its a tough decision to make because dogs cant explain why something has happened. It would be a different story if the parents were actually there when it happened because then they might have seen it wasnt intentional.

Unfortunately only the parents can now decide what to do. I hope it all works out well for the family and the dog. :)

I think it is good you are helping.
People on here feel strongly about rehoming dogs and try to give advice on areas they have experience in. Therefore although things may come across as you may not like, they are only trying to offer advice.
You are right you are the wrong person to have the discussion with because its not your dog.
I hope they can get something sorted as from what I have read It doesnt sound like this dog was trying to harm the child. That said I can also understand why the parents have decided that they will never know for definate whether he did mean to or not and arent willing to take another chance.
Its a tough decision to make because dogs cant explain why something has happened. It would be a different story if the parents were actually there when it happened because then they might have seen it wasnt intentional.

Unfortunately only the parents can now decide what to do. I hope it all works out well for the family and the dog. :)

thanks for that

ok so everyone is discussing who what where when the facts are there the dog has bitten the girl and the owners no longer trust the dog rocky is trying to help the dog and avoid it being PTS
unfortunatley if it was my dog and as much as it kills me to say if she bit my daughter she would be pts. everyone has their own opinions but i think the dog stil only being young deserves one chance but people nedd to know what has happened so it can be helped.

have they tried British Dalmatian Welfare Rehoming and enquiries: 07905 495084

Please try not to take things personally Rocky1, lots of people here help with rescues in one way or another, believe me you hear and see all sorts and it can be very frustrating.
I think that its great that you cared enough to try and help the dog, many wouldn't have bothered and they need all the help that they can get.
No one has any issues with you at all :)

thanks moonbird

ok so everyone is discussing who what where when the facts are there the dog has bitten the girl and the owners no longer trust the dog rocky is trying to help the dog and avoid it being PTS
unfortunatley if it was my dog and as much as it kills me to say if she bit my daughter she would be pts. everyone has their own opinions but i think the dog stil only being young deserves one chance but people nedd to know what has happened so it can be helped.

have they tried British Dalmatian Welfare Rehoming and enquiries: 07905 495084

hi yes they have phoned a few times and left a message

ok how bad is he with other dogs do you know?

I have to say that although I love Molly to bits, if she bit a child (an intended bite) I'm not sure that I'd want to even think about any other person being at risk if she was rehomed to them, so I sympathise with your friends rocky1.

I sincerely hope that a way is found for him to be rehabilitated, but whether it's a heart breaking decision or not, living with a large dog who isn't neutered and of whom the family are afraid is not the way forwards.

not keen on them at all i think is what she said

ok i have 2 dogs so i cant help there.

thanks for thinking about him

rocky1 ,ive posted this on our rescue forum ,so keep our fingers crossed,& a big THANKYOU for bringing this to our attention,which without this dog could have been given the death sentance.do you think you could get your friends to give him while mon evening ?

Can they not take him to a shelter rather than having him put to sleep? If he was rehomed with an experienced dog owner with no children he could make a lovely pet.

I can't take a dog but if they don't want to take it to a shelter themselves I would come and take him for them. Please don't put him down! Let us know how you get on.

I can understand the parents not wanting to trust the dog anymore, my friend once rescued a Geman Shepherd from some kennels in Sheffield, they had only had him two days and the daughter was playing with a ragger with him and suddenly he decided not to play with the ragger anymore and went for the daughter badly biting her head,totally unprovoked, my friend was hysterical and that was it, the trust for the dog had gone, and she wanted him out of the house there and then, luckily I knew someone with kennels and they took him in, we contacted the police who came to see him and said he would make a perfect police dog, which he did and they even sent photos of him with his handler.

I love German Shepherds, which I think is the reason my friend wanted one, but we knew nothing about this dog other than the kennels saying he had a super temperament!
Luckily niether my friend or her daughter were put off by the experience and went on to buy a German Shepherd puppy, who adores them and they adore her, shes grown up wth their daughter and they all trust her implicitly.

I really hope something can be done for this Dalmation, but I think it would unfair to try to rehome him with another family with young children, until someone has assessed him,
but who do you get to do that, as with the one my friend rescued the kennels said he was fine, and he was a very young dog as well. he was one of the lucky ones that was allowed to channel his energys as a working dog.
But I really wouldn't have trusted him again in a family enviroment.

hi my friend has a 14 month old dalmation (male)
this week he has bitten there daughter and they are wanting to rehome him
this is the first time this has happend but they dont wish to take any more chances
they are giving it till monday or tuesday to rehome him then if they still have him he will be put to sleep .
if anyone can offer help or advice please pm and i can pass on my friens number
they have all ready phoned thornbury they cant take him as they already have a damation ,and they have phoned the dalmation rescue and have left messages but havnt been contacy back .
thanks If you can ask your friend to call Rotherham Dog Rescue on 07742602255,they will take the dog into their care you cann't let your friend have a health 14 month old dog p.t.s

hi thankyou for all your help and advice after reading this thread she has decided to give him a second chance and he is booked into the vets to be netured this week and they are looking for proper traing for him
thankyou

hi thankyou for all your help and advice after reading this thread she has decided to give him a second chance and he is booked into the vets to be netured this week and they are looking for proper traing for him
thankyou

Thats really good news :):):)

you know where i am if needed rocky1

hi thankyou for all your help and advice after reading this thread she has decided to give him a second chance and he is booked into the vets to be netured this week and they are looking for proper traing for him
thankyou

I am really glad that the dog is safe now but I really hope that the owners are true to their word and get some proper training for him and really good advice for themselves on dog behaviour...for the whole family's sake.
I truly hope that things work out well for them all :)

hi thankyou for all your help and advice after reading this thread she has decided to give him a second chance and he is booked into the vets to be netured this week and they are looking for proper traing for him
thankyou

Fantastic news.

Well, I just think that the poor dogs aren't always to blame, ie what was dear sweet child doing to dog before it got annoyed, and this isn't just for this one, I'm talking in general. I say this because I was bitten badly by a german shepherd as a child but to be honest me and my friend where bouncing from one side of a trampoline to the other and driving it nuts. I may have deserved it for irritating the poor dog. I was about 10. (he wasn't put to sleep by the way). So, perhaps the children need re-educating, not just the dogs. Perhaps if they went to dog training too they would understand better pet handling etc. and how to behave around them. Many big dogs I've known haven't little ones because they move so quick around them, followed by grabbing ears etc etc.

From my limited knowledge of Dalmatians, and making a wild guess about the family set up, could it be that this dog sleeps in the kitchen?

Dalmatians can be very possessive over food, and if the dog's bed is in the same room this can lead him to thinking this is HIS area

Dogs often view the children in a family as of the same status as themselves - just look at the interaction between the adults and dogs, and adults and kids in a family. The adults feed and groom both the dogs and the kids, put them to bed, and give them commands, ergo they share the same status and a dog can 'challenge' the child to climb up the pack order

I notice there was mention of the dog looking really nasty. There's another indication that nobody is taking into account the dog's needs! The dog has already issued a warning to the daughter if it 'looked nasty', and the bruising without breaking the skin is further warning. There is no way on god's earth that a dog that size hell bent on doing damage would have been deterred by the child being yanked away - it would have kept coming

Can I suggest that your friends contact somebody who can give them some guidance on how their dog sees their family environment, or at the very least gets themselves off to the library for some good dog behaviour books before this dog really gets too big for its boots?

As Strix says, if the dog looked nasty, he'd already given a warning. This is good.

You wouldn't expect a person to go their whole live without telling someone 'back off' 'go away' or occasionally shouting in anger at someone.

If someone was upsetting you and you gave them all the polite 'please leave me alone', followed by 'look mate back off' followed by 'seriously - now go away before I do something I regret' you would eventually turn to some physical way of getting this person away from you.

I find it difficult to understand how people can misread dalmatians. Generally they have huge teeth and a fantastic lip curl so why is this so often ignored??

It's only when dogs go straight to the bite with no warning (in which case they wouldn't look nasty as mentioned) that their communication skills are clearly suffering. This could be down to poor socialisation or even having been punished for showing milder 'aggression' (warning signals) or having had the more subtle signs ignored.

Take a look at the video and following write up on this blog - it gives a fantastic example of children (even those that are being supervised) ignoring dogs subtle language and why we should take time to learn what they're telling us.

http://ems-dogsense.blogspot.com/

That's a fantastic link Lotti

the piece of blurb after the vid pinpoints all of the warning signs the dog gives to the child, but the one thing it misses out is the point at which the dog actually ASKS the adult to tell the child to leave him and his toy alone!

Who in their right mind encourages a child of any age to pull a dog's tail btw? :suspect:

Why aren't kids taught the meaning of 'No!' anymore? :(

I thought so too Strix, yes it's a shame it misses that point out but this is the sort of thing we need on TV - showing people how to understand dog's stress signals, instead of things like CM teaching people how to 'alpha roll' a chihuahua to prove 'dominance'.

I can't understand anyone who encourages their child to torment a dog - and we know who she'd blame if the dog bit her baby!

yeah, well, that wouldn't be macho enough now would it?

Dogs are wild ferocious beasts who need to be tamed - don't you read the newspapers or watch tv? :roll:

Heaven forbid that we should get any real help in assisting our dogs and kids to get along together

I suspect Victoria Sitwell only got on tv at all thanks to those boots :love: Sound though her advice was, and reproducable that her methods were

Has anybody seen the dog whisperer programme on sky ?

Yes - that's what we're griping about ;)

Is that the mexican guy?

I had to stop watching that vid clip ... I was just waiting for the dog to snap/nip to warn the poor little naked baby off ... jeeze the tension! Was the person doing the filming completely an idiot? Good job it was a lab, if it'd been a Yorkie or a Peke, it'd have had the baby's face in its mouth within the first couple of minutes :o:(

When are people going to learn that most dogs consider children to be of the same status or lower in the family hierarchy as they are, and teach the children to leave the poor animal alone?

That poor labrador! He really did all he could in that piece of film to both please the adult and tell the baby politely to go away and stop taking his toy- and got his tail pulled as a response!

If the adult isn't reading the dog's signals, which were really clear actually (no, that's my toy and I'm going somewhere else away from you, please don't follow me) then how is that child supposed to learn?

The poor dog was just so patient and did everything he could to get away from the baby, he just didn't want to take it further at all, even yawning to calm himself.
What on earth is wrong with that Mother, does she not want her baby to grow up un scarred or worse :mad:

Is that the mexican guy?

Yes it is.

Ruby - it didn't get that far at all - it just highlighted what way too many pet dogs have to put up with :(

The owner twice speaks to the dog to intervene, and the dog responds well, but how far is that kid going to be able to push the dog?

If the owner didn't intervene the dog would probably do a better job of 'training' the child :suspect: he quite plainly has no intention of harming the kid. One loud growl or noisy bark would make the child more wary of the dog in future, but the intervention of the owner in this fashion is just paving the way to the dog being backed into an uncomfortable corner he feels he has to fight his way out of sometime in the future :(

I'm not advocating dogs training kids btw - I'm highlighting how stupid the owner's approach is

Ruby - it didn't get that far at all - it just highlighted what way too many pet dogs have to put up with :(
I didn't think for one minute that they would shown an actual dog attack on a baby, but I just couldn't stand the anticipation that it might give even a little admonitory nip ... I'd have just moved the baby away in a real life situation. To me babies and toddlers and dogs of any size or breed just don't mix. There's too many points of possible misunderstanding that could lead to tragedy.

I have to say we would never put our dog in that position in the first place. Badger our sheltie doesn't like people and he is always placed in the safty of his crate when people come and he is fine with that. I look after a little one and would never leave her in the company of Badger just incase. i just won't put him in that position as i believe if he did do something it would be my fault.

To me babies and toddlers and dogs of any size or breed just don't mix. There's too many points of possible misunderstanding that could lead to tragedy.

In my opinion, I think they're fine and can have massive benefits for each other if supervised properly.

That doesn't mean watching the baby wind the dog up and encouraging it - I mean really supervising and removing the baby when it's getting to a stage where it could begin to stress the dog out. Then as said baby/toddler grows up - teaching the child it grows into what the dog is trying to tell it and when to leave the dog alone.

Unfortunately, this is very rarely done :( And we wonder why there are so many dog attacks.

In my opinion, I think they're fine and can have massive benefits for each other if supervised properly.
I agree about the benefits, it's the supervising properly part that worries me. It's too easy to get complacent about the nannying qualities of a good natured dog. As has been pointed out too many misread doggy signals, and think of the dog as an older brother or sister, wearing a fur coat and, whilst they might have been fine with littlies as a young dog, as they get older, they get less able to cope with being tormented. It can happen in the blink of an eye and then it's too late to cry about it. The damage is done.

I know this from experience and I'd never allow a baby to be playing about so near a dog or cat, me on the alert or not. Just call me an utra careful mum if you like, but rather safe than sorry in my book.

I see what you mean Ruby,

I can't honestly say what I would do... as a toddler, I used to sit on our dog, go for rides on his back, cuddle into him and all sorts but not having children myself, and having dogs who only tolerate children and don't particularly like them - I can't say what I'd do if I had a dog that got on great with babies and I had children.

I doubt I'd let a baby be that close, playing freely (although supervised) but perhaps as the child grew and could understand 'no' and eventually understand reasoning allow them more freedom with the dog (still supervised).

To be honest, it's not really something I've thought all that much about because I don't have kids and I don't allow other people's kids too close to my dogs anyway (only for petting, nothing more).

I suppose having grown up within very much a dog family, and having been taught from a very early age how a dog should or shouldn't be treated, I probably have a very different perspective on things

As a baby I had a Jack Russell (my grandad's) who took it upon himself to adopt the role of being my nanny - which probably had a bearing on things too. I was once discovered, as a very small child, sitting on the hearth rug sharing a bar of chocolate with Pip, a bite for me and a bite for the dog - and nobody has any idea why Pip didn't just take the chocolate off me and scoff it himself! He hated all other children btw - as a JRT is supposed to do :P

Watching the very youngest junior handlers at ringcraft class is also interesting. These kids always seem to have a much greater consideration for other people as well as dogs. Perhaps the set up where we only have one or two children who are the centre of the universe and grow up believing this are the biggest problem with society? Teaching a child how to consider the needs of a dog really seems to make them think very differently full stop

I understand what you're saying about littlies and a young dog Rubes, but if you've brought a child up to respect your dog, there is no tormenting an older dog :suspect:
I despair of this current climate in which dogs are supposed to behave as stuffed toys - and we've all seen how far stuffed toys can be thrown :shocked:

I personally love to see little ones interacting with Molly. She thinks that babies and small children are her responsibility to watch over and she has been known to refuse to chase her ball (normally the focus of her life) if there's a baby that needs a dog to look after them.

That said, whenever she's around little ones she's never left alone with them and my niece (who's 4 and a very grown up 4 at that) knows exactly where Molly can reach on her long lead so she knows that if Molly gets a little too boisterous for her or whatever all she has to do is to step back.

The most lovely thing was sitting in the garden with Molly and the kids last week with my nephew (15 months) on my lap. Molly was lying down my side with my niece sitting on the other side of her. We all had a piece of my brother in law's birthday cake and my nephew was doing exactly the same as you did with your canine nanny Strix. Bite for baby, bite for dog, bite for baby... Molly was the smiliest dog ever.

If she wasn't so happy to have the little ones around her then I wouldn't put her through the stress of being at such close quarters with them. It wouldn't be good for her and it would run the chance of being disastrous for the children. As it is, she pays children the highest compliment of all, which is to give them her ball, and I would hate to deprive her of that and all of the snuggles that the kids get too.

I don't think we knew as much about salmonella in 1971 Medusa ;)

Mind you - there's also the theory that kids who grow up in an animal household are more resilient to germs than those kept in sterile boxes :D

I don't think we knew as much about salmonella in 1971 Medusa ;) Mind you - there's also the theory that kids who grow up in an animal household are more resilient to germs than those kept in sterile boxes :D
My offspring are resistant even to cholera, but we did have four dogs, three cats, several small furries, birds and a man all around at the same time ... I shudder to think what the two clean ladies would have said!

Anyway - a bit more on topic...

Talking about this thread with Mr Strix, just after I'd been feeding the hairy person with small pieces of sausage and having my fingers half chewed off, and he brought up the subject of whether a modern parent would regard this teeth contact as 'biting'. Significantly he asked the question phrased 'if a child was feeding him sausage...' to which my reply was 'I wouldn't allow a child to feed him sausage. He gets way too excitable for sausage' - which I suppose is mostly what this debate is about - guaging dog reactions to situations

I've had small children hand feed Brude his dried food before, but that's far less interesting than sausage, so Brude doesn't 'forget himself' over it. It's important to supervise the child as to how to supervise the dog - so the dog knows its position in the family/pack

Of course having a lead on the dog and restraining him if he gets impatient is useful too. I often recommend that dogs new to a household wear a trailing lead to assist in any sort of problematic situation (even such things as bolting through doors as the lead is easier to stamp on than the dog is to catch otherwise!), and when we visit houses with children we usually have Brude on a trailing lead (beagles being renowned for deafness when they're doing something - being bred for their determination :roll: )

I will allow kids to feed Takara anything really - as the type of food doesn't tend to make a difference.

What does make a difference is the number of other dogs around and what Takara's doing so I always make sure any dogs we're walking with aren't close by so Takara doesn't feel the need to snatch it quickly and always tell her to sit first and ask the child to put the food on the flat of their palm so she can't nip their fingers by mistake. I also make a point of telling them to say 'gently' although they usually forget :roll:

Eddy's good - kids can feed him anything in any way and he's fine :lol: but then, he's Ed!

I have the opposite. Porscha takes food from the hand so gently (everytime) but if she wants to play bearing in mind shes still only 8 mths its all mouth play... teeth and gentle nipping and mouthing.

It drives me bats! I'm covered in bruises, and she isn't doing it intentionally :(

Fox - you need to lean 'no' or to squeak, and immediately stop the game for a few mins - it doesn't take long for the penny to drop :thumbsup:

Someone's obviously taught Molly the word 'ouch' when playing- we discovered this by accident one day. Saying 'ouch' results in her immediately stopping the game and sitting by your side. You could do a lot worse foxy- just choose your key word and use it consistently.