Help! Our beagle is lashing out at our 4 year old daughter!

[Taverner]

She has been going after our daughter for the past few days. Granted, much of it is understandable – our four year old daughter has been trying to hug and bother the dog at times. But one of these times resulted in the four year old getting a skin-breaking bite on her face. We thought this might be a one-off, but today she has barked at and nipped at her twice.

I understand part of this is because she sees the pecking order (Daddy on top, mommy, our son, our daughter, then her) but we can’t risk her continueing to attack our daughter.

[Texasgal]

1. Crate train her

When she comes out to interact with the family use a leash. Control her movements with the leash around your daughter. When not interacting with the family crate her for safety. Do this a while and see how it goes.

[Taverner]

2. She is already crate trained

And sitting in hers right now

[Texasgal]

3. Have you tried the leash?

I find that helpful.

[Taverner]

4. She uses a leash anytime either not in the crate or not hanging out with the family

[Texasgal]

6. My male boston bit part of my

lip off when he was much younger, that's when the trainer told us about the leash thing.

You use it indoors, let her go around the family members but keep her on a short leash, if she starts to act up take her to her crate. :shrug:

I hope it works out... I would be a wreck myself!! :hugs:

[WillParkinson]

5. Trip to the vet?

Make sure there's nothing that is being hurt when the little one touches/grabs at her?

[Kali]

7. you MUST make her understand that behavior is not tolerable

and while you are at it train the kid not to harass dogs. I saw a post recently where people were appalled that someone used the term "disciplined" with a dog. Bullshit. Your dog needs it immediately when she shows any sign of aggression to your kid. At the same time your kid needs to not be hurting the dog or doing anything that it might perceive as threatening - some forgiveness for self defense, but not much. Dog is at the bottom of the pecking order in a house with children and it must know and accept that.

[Demoiselle]

8. Keep the dog on a leash at all times when she isn't in the crate.

Take the dog and your daughter for walks together. (I suggest this only because I know it is a good way to acclimate dogs to each other, and it can do no harm to try it in a dog/human relationship.
Work very hard to explain to your daughter that the dog needs space and time. Little kids can make dogs nervous because they move quickly and don't always understand about boundaries. Not that you should allow bites and nips!
Really, consult an expert. And I hope and pray you'll be able to work this out.

[Deep13]

9. So your dog bite your toddler in the face?

Kill it. There's no happy medium here. The dog is dangerous and needs to be put down. There is no pecking order between children and dogs. I'm a little surprised that you have not removed the dog from your home yet for your daughter's own safety.

[flvegan]

11. (facepalm)

[Taverner]

13. I was going to say...

But I wasn't sure which one to freak out at first, the Freeper who said the dog has rabies, or the wicked warden...

[Writer]

43. ...

:popcorn:

[Walk away]

45. Pardon me but that is the most brutal over reaction I have heard in a long time.

How about contacting the beagle rescue, explaining the problem and getting the dog into a foster situation without kids until it can be adopted into an "older children only" household.

I do agree with you that children are more important than dogs. However, that doesn't mean you have to punish the dog with death just because you have made a mistake in how you have socialized your animal or because you are to lazy to do the research to fix the situation.

I would also recommend the dog be re-homed. It is possible to change behaviour in a dog and resocialize but it is rarely 100% and one bite is all it takes. Face biting is so rare in beagles but very common in herding or sheep dogs. One would think he would bite the hand that is hurting him.

[lisbon_255]

10. sounds like rabies.

[flvegan]

12. How are you correcting the dog's behavior?

Your four year old daughter can't do it. It's your job.

[Taverner]

14. I established myself as alpha

Turned her over on her back, said NO! loudly

Stuck her in her crate

She gets no off-leash from here on out, until she stops this behavior

[one_voice]

18. While she's on her back...

in a submissive position..have your daughter "stand over" her, that way the dog is being submissive to not just you but your daughter as well. Let your daughter (with you watching) be the one to release her from that position.

I totally believe in "putting the dog in the submissive state" as discipline.

Some people think it's mean, I think it's "natural" for a dog to be disciplined in this manner, that how the pack leaders di spline their pack. It's the natural order. IMO.

Is this the same dog that was go potty in the house? You might want to make sure there's nothing physically wrong as well.

Good luck.

[Taverner]

20. Is that safe? If flvegan says it is I will do just that...

I just want a second opinion on the safety

[one_voice]

23. My dogs would jump/nip at my nephew..

who was also four. I did a few things, when the dogs would go "after" him I also got between them and "owned" my nephew he was off limits. I also used the technique you used, in placing the dogs on their back and stood with my nephew "over" them. They weren't allowed to get up until he said so.

He seemed to think my nephew was a "playmate" and wanted to play with him the same way she played other dogs. We had to establish that my nephew was also pack leader, and not a playmate.

It worked for me..I'm not advocating you leave the child with the dog alone, don't do that. But if the dog sees the child participating in the discipline then the dog becomes submissive to not only you but the child.

You have to be vigilant, though at the first sign of "aggression" immediate discipline.

I understand you waiting for another's opinion, this is your child. I would be the same way.

[flvegan]

34. Might be safe, but the dog won't understand it.

She didn't put the dog there. The dog submitted to you. Her releasing the dog may not register with the dog as his focus is on you, the alpha. There is the chance that a mixed message will register with the dog being released by someone else and not being kosher with him. You don't want that.

The problem is that your dog is treating your daughter like another dog (natural). That nip on the face would have been nothing to another dog. They don't always remember that standing on two legs is any different.

You need to correct the dog IMMEDIATELY when any sort of wrongdoing is being committed. That doesn't always mean alpharolling the dog each time. A stern, simple "NO!" when the dog does something inappropriate. The dog will register "oh, okay I can't growl at this packmate. oh, okay, I can't nip at this packmate." He'll get it. Be consistent.

And never leave dog and kid(s) together unsupervised.

[Dappleganger]

33. Make sure you also reinforce dominance while sitting or eating.

STARE at them, they will back down. You don't have to put them on their back every single time. Use your body language to keep dominance and establish the pecking order regularly. No touching or begging while you are eating. If it's a huge problem stick him in his crate while you're eating. Ideally they should sit away in a corner...in sight but not begging (down, stay).

If your dog is regularly resisting submission he needs to remain in a show lead attached to you throughout the day, with regular playtimes. A show lead has a slip collar which allows a sharp tug with your 'NO' and it releases immediately, without harm. You can tie one end around your belt buckle if necessary. Make him sit/stay or down/stay wherever you go.

This helps quite a bit with potty training, too.

BTW, make sure your puppy is getting regular, HARD exercise too.

[Sanity Claws]

15. Try posting this in the Pets section

Is this the rescue beagle you talked about? I think you are started to see why the puppy ended up at the shelter.
I hope you can train this dog -- your daughter's safety should be paramount

[Taverner]

17. Yes, rescue beagle

Although the beagle is not from the shelter...

She is from Taiwan. She was found on a busy street with a broken leg as a puppy. Nothing is known about this dog prior.

She lived with a foster home in Taipei until she found a home (ours) where she was put on a plane and sent to us.

She was fine up until now...

[havocmom]

16. Give dog to someone without kids who knows how to train

And DO NOT get another dog until you have your daughter trained in how to behave around dogs. Sorry, but a four year old CAN and SHOULD know what is and isn't good behavior toward a pet. If she doesn't know, DO NOT get another pet until you teach her, and make sure you are vigilant and consistent.

Getting rid of dog will prevent serious injury in short term. But if you fail to instruct and supervise child's behavior with animals, trouble is bound to happen again down the road. For her sake, and the sake of any animal she will encounter, teach her what is appropriate and what is inappropriate behavior around dogs!

Kids are so cute we sometimes forget they need to be taught how to behave. It is for their sake that we must do it. It keeps them safer, helps them relate better to others and not get clobbered.

[bamademo]

19. The next time she shows the least bit of agressive behavior...

grab her by the loose skin at the back of her neck and then hold her down on her side until you hear her sigh and she relaxes. This will teach her she is not alpha dog over your daughter.

[alphafemale]

21. I think maybe the dog thinks she has the hierarchy to "disipline" the "pup"

A nip at the face is pretty typical as far as a dog discipling a pup would go.

She's not meaning to do harm, but she very well could cause harm.

Re-establish dominance and don't let your kid annoy the dog for awhile.

[Taverner]

22. This is how I viewed it...

Rather than "KILL THE DAWG!!!!"

[mzteris]

25. yep. Disciplining the puppies in the pack . . .

even if it's a "human" puppy.

[mzteris]

24. here's what I did to ensure my dogs

saw my sons as "ahead of them" in the pack... even though there was no aggression like you experienced.

First, the dogs were taught (by the dad & I) to sit and wait for their food. They had to SIT and WAIT - and sometimes WAIT some more - for the release command to eat. After they got that down (didn't take long) - then I'd give them the sit command. Then I'd let the boys put the food down. And then the dogs had to WAIT until the boys gave the release command for them to eat. That progressed to the boys giving the WAIT command and then to the SIT command.

Just a suggestion . . .

The other thing, your daughter has to be TRAINED (lol) to not hug the dog. I also second the VET trip, just to make sure everything thing's okay.

[Taverner]

26. We just got BACK from the vet

Before this happened, a few days ago we saw the vet and were given a clean bill of doggie health

[one_voice]

29. I taught my dogs that too..

even for treats they have to sit and wait. The also learned "easy" which meant don't bite fingers off trying to get the treat. I have nieces and nephews that like to give them treats, so they learned "easy" and now don't even have to be told. They are always gentle in taking any food from your hand. And they wait till they're told to take it, I have a specific word I use, this was to protect them from anyone that would give them something they shouldn't have.

[LostinVA]

30. Everything you said is what Victoria Stilwell suggests

And, I think she's tops. She's a big booster of dogs.

The Ceasar Milan backroll thing has been discredited by quite a few people as not helping, what you suggested has been proven to help most times.

The dog is just disciplining a puppy, not being mean.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bigwillq]

42. I love Stilwell

I think she's tops too.

[MadMaddie]

27. I would suggest finding out who the best dog trainer in your area

is. Consult with the dog trainer and see if that person can help you.

If not the 2nd option and responsible thing to do is put the dog up for adoption with strict requirements such as no children and only dog. You can find adoption groups that could do this for you too. It is possible that the dog is not good with children.

Your child's safety is most important. And perhaps like humans not getting along with humans, your daughter and the dog may not get along for various reasons.

People talking about killing the dog are being knee jerk.

[quakerboy]

28. I know what you should probably not do

The dog was chasing my toddler sister while we all played in the back yard. Dog didn't know any better, was used to playing with the older kids, and managed to knock her over, because she was the only one he could catch. He was a dachshund. little bitty legs.

My parents reaction was to have it put down. This lead to a prolonged cooling of the relationship between myself and my little sister. Also a cooling of relationship between myself and my father. And I made numerous college students cry years later in a public speaking class. I was the only one that managed to do that.

I do not recommend the "kill it, kill it now" solution. If you can handle it, do. If you cannot, at least find what is presumably an otherwise good pup a new home.

[Dappleganger]

32. We have four kids and have been through this a few times w/dogs

one with one of our doxies and the other was a golden who's no longer with us. Each time the nipping was with the youngest son who was bossed around by everyone else in the family. The dog just figured that he was the bottom of the pack.

WRONG.

We did the food training exercises very similar to what someone else wrote. That is extremely important for re-establishing who's in charge.

Some things to add: Keep the dog off the furniture, make sure that your child sits on your lap or closest to you. This is a pack thing...whoever is closest to Alpha or Alpha #2 is higher up. Alpha needs to re-order the pack.

During YOUR meals no dogs allowed to beg--don't even let them be near you! Stare them down, tell them no or make them sit in the corner. Do not give any dog a bite from human food or even lick the plate. Again, this is related to pack dominance and will help establish the order of things.

Dog's meal--YOU are in charge, let your little girl give him morsel by morsel his food. Make him wait. Keep following the other poster's directions about what to do.

Naps/Night time--don't let the dog sleep on the bed, especially if the child is in it. Make a bed on the floor for the dog and tell her to stay in it. This is the pack thing again. As the pack order is re-established, these rules can be relaxed but if things get rough again you have to take charge.

What worked for us w/nipping: AS SOON AS IT HAPPENS (immediately, NO TIME LAPSE) grab your puppy's schnoz and stick your finger down his throat until he gags. Let go. Tell him no at the same time you're doing this. We only had to do this ONCE with our golden retriever very long ago and she never snapped again. With our doxie we had to do it twice (they are very stubborn!).

Whatever you do, don't play tug-of-war w/the dog either. A dog who is struggling w/dominance should never be indulged this game with humans.

Last time our doxie nearly snapped at our youngest son (he's 12 now), he grabbed her schnoz and she immediately rolled onto her back and submitted to him. He told her NO at the same time, she got the message and no problems since then.

HTH--remember the key is to be patient, be consistent and keep the pack order established.

[Lyric]

35. We had similar problems when Toby was younger.

We just made sure to start including LyricKid in all of Toby's training sessions, so that Toby came to realize that LyricKid was ahead of him in the "pack". For example, if Toby got growly about LyricKid touching one of his doggie toys, we all firmly told him NO! at the same time, and then I had LyricKid put Toby through his basic obedience exercises--sit, lay down, go to bed. It took about a week, and then Toby went belly-up to LyricKid all on his own after being admonished for something, and that was the end of the problem. We were fortunate enough to have caught it early, and Toby never progressed to snapping or biting.

We are currently going through the same process right now because my sister and her kids recently moved in with us, and Toby needed to figure out where THEY were in the "pack". He got a little growly at them a couple of times last week, so I've been letting the kids help me put Toby through all of his obedience commands and making Toby "sit" at attention and watch while I deliberately and exaggeratedly feed the kids FIRST every night. I make sure to cuddle them and praise them out loud, so that Toby can see the Alpha giving priority attention to the children. So far, all is well--he's stopped the growly behavior and has gone back to his usual happy-dog self. He's a super-smart dog. It doesn't take him long to catch on.

Good luck with your girl. :)

[Arugula Latte]

36. Man.

After reading all these threads, I'm so glad we have cats.

[elleng]

37. Dad asked, 'Would you rather get rid of the dog or your brother?'

WRONG QUESTION!

[AngryAmish]

38. Bag. Brick. River.

[Coventina]

40. Hey, the kid is not a hopeless case, she CAN be taught to behave. n/t

[flvegan]

44. Jail. You. Enjoy.

[Shell Beau]

46. Why would you even say such?

WTF?
Because if you are trying to be cute and funny, it didn't work.

[SoCalDem]

39. You could try a muzzle until your daughter learns to leave the dog alone,. or

or you may have to find a new home for the doggie:(

Our poodle bit our small son on the face and we had to give her to my mother who had no small kids around.. that pooch lived with her for 12 years until she passed away to doggie heaven, but she was a "nipper", and it was never going to work out.

it sucks, but you can;t have your child's face disfigured and it's not fair to the pooch to be always afraid and upset when children are near..

[retread]

41. I love dogs and believe with the proper care and training they can adapt to almost anything. However

once is one too many. I would take no chances. Find a beagle rescue organization near you and let them evaluate and rehome the dog.