This shouldn't even be a question in my mind. Do you love the dog more than your kid? I didn't think so. Bye bye doggie.

Well when you have another kid and the older kid doesn't like the new one are you gona get rid of the older kid as well.

No doubt there are exceptions, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, dogs can be trained to adjust. Remember, human FAMILIES with children of all ages have been living with pet dogs for thousands of years all over the planet. It's a normal condition of human existence. If dogs were as prone to maim the little kids as some of you seem to feel, then we as humans would never have established such a close relationship with these animals.

Certain dog breeds are to be excepted, I believe, such as the dogs bred for fighting. My brother has a fairly large Pit Bull, and she's a sweet dog. However, around my dogs, she is an unrelenting bully, and I don't trust her. So, I would never trust a dog like her around a child. Never.

Most other dogs - yes.

True, but my dog (and likely many others' dogs) has never made any hostile motion toward any child in my house. The first time she does that she'll have a bullet in the head.

Do you have a friend with a chinese restaurant ?

When you have another kid, are you gona get rid of the older one because he doesn't like the new one?

Dogs are part of the family, that is a responsibility you take on when you bring one into the house. The fact that the dog gets between strangers and the kid shows that the dog has accepted the new additon as part of the family and is being protective. The rest is internal family dynamics.

Dogs are big on Seniority, the eye of the needle here is that you have had a 7 or 8 year relationship with this dog that is HISTORY and can not be rewritten. Its years in the family has to be given some respect. The dog needs some reaassurence that its seniorty is still respected (just like you would give Grandma and Grandpa respect) . That dog has known you longer then your kid has.

Dogs are also big on fairness. If I pet one I give the other attention as well.

I think this situation is very workable, but there is a new family dynamic and one has to be sensitive to and pay attention to the nuance of what is going on. I base that upon the fact that the dog is being protective.

By being protective the dog is taking responsibilty for a younger member of the pack/family.

HEY! we would never eat an older dog...that is sick!

no seriously, i dont have kids, but i imagine they trump household pets.

FWIW...

I have a friend whose 18 y.o. daughter still has a scar on her face (even after plastic surgery) from the family dog when she was about 3 months old.

I wouldn't take even a glimmer of a chance with my kid.

The lady I got my Airedale Misty from told me that when she was a child and misbehaved her Dad would take off his belt and take her into the garage to be spanked. One day her Dad took off his belt and the family Airedale knocked him down and held him there until her Mom came out to rectify the situation.

So who gets the bullet in the head now..the dog was protecting the child from perceived harm.

Quiet frankly I would be quiet reassured that, that dog would never let any harm come to my kid so long as it was around. Thats what I would want from that dog.

Also when I was growing up the family down the street got a Lab & black Springer mix...Shaun..a 100 lb dog. Because there were 5 kids in the family that Dog got loved on 5 times allday everyday. After awhile the dog just wanted to be left alone and would growl if it were pestered too much. However if somebody in the family were in an arguement the dog would try and get betwen them. Alsoif anyone from outside the family threatened a member of the family Shaun would try and get between them and growl. So there is a thing called giving the dog the integfrity and respect for its own space. Just as you would demand for yourself.

BTW nobody in the family ever thought much about it..they just let the dog be..and Shaun lived about 12 years.

With my Airedale Misty I used to have to fight with her everyday for the first 5 years of her life. I would be 3 inchs from her face as she was barking at me full tilt. I was never afraid, because if I said ouch she would stop, lick my nose and go back to fighting and vice versa.

If the dog bites someone in the family there is something that is going on your not paying attention to and rectifying. It is incumbent on you as the leader of the pack and being a human who is ostensibly smarter then the dog to be aware of.

The question now arises, exactly how dysfuncitonal is your family?

The fact that your dog is food motivated around the child is a good thing! It will make the transition to the dog being the kids best friend very easy! I too have a Kelpie who isn't fond of little kids. Kelipes, being herding dogs are very sensitive to the twitchy movement and loud noises that kids make. In my case it took a couple months of training (fortunately my wife is a "positive reinforcement" dog trainer) but now Radar, my dog and my 5 month old are the best of friends and my dog couldn't care less about the crying!

Good luck to you Billy, what ever you decide,
Michael

Well said tabs!

That's right.

A dog is first an animal, a pack animal, and will nurture and protect the young members of its pack. This holds true even when they are not its own pups - this happens all the time in the wild species from which dogs are derived, the wolf. You can't take animal out of "dog" no matter what you think or believe.

If your dog has psycho issues, then who knows what will happen.

If you were really going to be responsible, then you will not acquire a psycho dog to begin with, you will train it and get help training it as it grows up.

Even good dogs can get snappy when they get older, and some of the larger breeds can get hardening of the arteries. Makes them snap violently.

Be careful. We all love animals. Don't let it sap your better judgment.

so you have a hearding dog mix and you dont know how they react. why didnt you do some research when you first adopted them? hearding dogs need a JOB!!!!!! snapping is how they get the livestock to move. this trait can be trained out of them with practice.

who came first the child or the dog? if it was the dog you should have taken the steps to get the dog ready for the new family member. socializing the dog for the new family member is pretty simple. you have a new PACK member and the dog needs to know his place in the pack. once they know their spot they will become the childs best friend.

get the correct training...the dog wants to please so give them the chance to show you what they can do. you might be suprised how much YOU really will learn...like ceasar says. more of the training he does is with the owners not the dogs. the dog is the easy part the owner needs to know what they are doing wrong.

i cant imagine my childhood with out our dog make the effort to make it a happy dog friendly home and your childs life will be all the better.

remember you rescued the dog in the first place, it is your resposibilty to keep this promise to Harley!!!!!

A bit more background. Harley was the second dog that she had adopted. The first was Lucky. 100% Border Collie, then Harley was brought in for company. The dogs came into my wife's life before I did, but not a big deal for me as my family has always had large dogs.
Lucky ended up being put down two years ago due to a bowel disorder, after two (expensive) operations failed to put him right.
Harley was very much the number two dog, and after a period of adjustment she settled into her new life with a new alpha male (me) in the picture.
She is very trainable.
She doesn't come in or go out of the house before me, and I try to encourage my wife to do the same.
I have taken her to ground and placed a knee on her chest (the dog, that is) a few times when she has deserved it. She comes to me (again, the dog) begrudgingly sometimes, when off leash.
I think that she has an idea that she ranks below the little guy, but I don't know how she wil react in all situations and I don't think she has the same regard for children from outside her pack (brought to light by the air snap situation). Also the little guy just started walking this weekend so his new found mobility may have unnerved her as well.
Thanks for all your insight, I appreciate it!
She is kind of old for Chinese food, but might make a lovely stew.....;)
Most of the time, she is a very easy dog to have around.

yes sometimes non pack kids can be a little much for a herder. make sure the parents of the child understand. kids need to learn how to behave around dogs and any animal for that matter. sounds like you have things in control.

soon the two of them will be rolling around together. enjoy

Geez, then today's headlines show a dog grabbing an infant and dragging her away. Didn't even want to look at the details, but the baby seems to have survived.

My other half saw this thread, and about cried. I told her about the restrictions of bringing in a dog from Canada (have faced that before on an airplane), and she reminded me that we have 2 grandchildren that are at our place all the time.

I wish something would come up to help you, but the two of you know best (you two know the dog).

Leaning towards training as recommended by the local humane society.
Hoping for a positive outcome to this, one way or another...
Will let you know.... If it is not working, for the safety of our child and those who may visit our home we will do what ever is necessary.

dont mean to hijack, but does anyone have any experience with Huskies and babies? I have 2 sweet huskies and a first kid arriving in December. Thus far they seem great with kids, even screaming ones. Any advice would be great.