Topic : 03/30 Is This Normal?

The dog breeds that have killed children include: YORKSHIRE TERRIER, Pomeranian, Lhasa Apso, Dachshund, Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, and Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  Over the past few decades, every group of dog breeds, and over 40 individual breeds, have killed humans.  Still, more people die tripping over their own slippers than are killed by dogs. 

When I discuss dogs being "properly" or "adequately" supervised, I know I presume that the person supervising is ready to act, to avoid any injury or difficulty.  I sometimes ask,  

"Is a child being adequately supervised if the parent merely watches him/her run out into the street?  Don't we presume the adult is going to prevent the child from running into the street when we say he/she is being 'supervised'; not that the adult is merely observing the child's actions, good or bad?" 

I think most reasonable people would presume some form of prevention when they discuss supervision.  Parents bear the responsibility for properly supervising their children.  Dog owners bear the responsibility for properly supervising their dogs.  When they're one in the same, it is double duty. 

I have expertise in this field (dog trainer for 30 years, educator, writer, consultant, and dog bite statistics expert).  Dogs are not mythical beasts ready to lash out at so-called "precious" children.  (And I have to say I've met a lot more dangerous children than dogs in my life!)  Dogs are a different species; one that humans CHOOSE to bring into their homes.  With that choice comes the responsibility to teach the dog what is and isn't appropriate behaviour towards humans.  It's really no more difficult than that.  Unfortunately, with our "take no responsibility" society, it is voiceless dogs who pay the ultimate price for the owners' negligence.  

"If you aren't committed to BOTH your dog AND your child, you shouldn't have either one." 

This dog is a Dalmation for goodness sake.  Why was the child allowed to crawl or walk up to it, and get in it's space?  An 18 month old!  The dog reacted natrually to a startle response, & I find the mother was irresponsible in allowing the child to crawl or walk into it's space.  Small children have no sense  of fear, and the family realises that the dog had issues before the bite.  The dog should never have been loose in the house when the child was awake.  There are options to co-exist, fencing is the first.  The dog isn't going to jump up and go FIND the child to bite it.  It is up to the parents to see that the child is safe from the dog, AND that the dog is safe from the child, which makes the child safe!     

you train dogs???  dogs do NOT 'just adapt'.   i moved to hawaii last year.  as an animal professional, i'm sure you're aware of the stringent regulations involved in bringing a dog here from the mainland.  my dog was away from us for 4 months, absolutely no contact, living with another family, in michigan, instead of staying in the state mandated quarantine here while his paperwork and bloodwork was approved.  my point is, he recognized us, by SIGHT, at the animal pick-up, before we even saw him.   

no one should live in fear in their home, i agree, and to alleviate their fear, they SHOULDN'T LET THEIR TODDLER CLIMB ALL OVER A DEAF DOG!  the dog shouldn't live like that either.  the dad shouldn't admit the dogs a danger, his wife should admit she messed up.  would they blame the windex manufacturer if their daughter got in a cabinet and swallowed some?  no, they'd realize they weren't being responsible! 

Doglover 82, 

I was reading all the responses to the dog bite issue, and your mention of your dog showing teeth to your daugher concerns me greatly.   You say you are not concerned that Baby will bite your daughter, but you should be!  If your daughter pesters her to the point of growling and showing teeth, it could easily escalate to a bite.  Based on the breeds, I assume your dog is large, so a bite could be serious or even deadly.  I am a firm believer that most dog bites to children are due to situations where the dog is frightened or frustrated by the childs behavior.   Your daughter is too young to understand that Baby needs her space, so it is up to you to be sure she is not put in a situation where she can be bitten.  Again, it sounds like a bite is highly likely to happen.  Please consult a veterinary behaviorist or trainer for further advise specific to your situation.  In the meatime, do not allow you young daughter to be in the floor at the dog's level.  Keep the two separated.  Good luck, and hope your 2-legged and 4-legged kids can grow up together with only positive experiences.  

when i met my husband he had a deaf dalmatian. he made a point to keep kids away from her since she was old and couldn't see very well. what a sweet angel she was. losing her was like losing a child.  

we have since bought a male dalmatian. we looked for a long time to find a breeder that was breeding for temperment, not for profit. what we got was an amazing male dal that is absolutely incredible. we took him straight to puppy school and worked very hard on his training. he even passed his canine good citizen test. prior to meeting my husband, his girl mollie and getting our dal i never would have considered getting one but now i couldn't imagine not having spots running around the house! 

when we are out, kids want to run up to him beause he is amazingly handsome and charming. we always ask them to go slow, let him sniff and if we think the child might not be able to handle petting him, we kindly ask them to just look and not touch. by nature they are protective and high energy. the pawprints that boy has left on my heart are huge!  

to this day i am simply amazed at how wonderful he is. truly a great dog who i am very proud of. we are very protective of him and make every effort to set him up for success in social situations.  

dal lover at sea spots ranch!