Need Serious Help!

[Guest GoingRogue]

Our greyhound got our daughter in the nose tonight. She bled for the longest time but is OK. We think either his tooth got her nostril or he bumped her hard enough to cause a nose bleed. He was laying down behind the sofa and may have been asleep, which I know can be an issue if they are startled. Our daughter told us, after she calmed down, that she was just petting him, then we heard him growl and she started crying. We have told both of our kids numerous times to leave him alone when he is asleep and to respect his space (DO NOT GET IN HIS FACE). She is right at eye level with him.

 

Will this always be an issue? She is only 3 and I know she is not always going to remember to give him space. She loves him and wants to play and hug. Is it fair to either of them to keep him here? He has growled at her one other time and we gave him a stern NO. We made a commitment to him and don't want to take him back but this is my daughter. He could really do some damage with her being the same height.

 

He is really a good dog and he is already part of the family (he has been with us for about 5 weeks). Please help us sort this and any info is appreciated.

[kamsmom]

First, I am so sorry that this happened. I know it had to have been scary for you, your daughter and for Rogue.

 

Without actually knowing you or your household I can only go on what you have written. The first thing I see is that you say he was behind the sofa and so I am assuming that your daughter was too. I would not allow this at all. If you can't see your daughter with him at all times than she can't be with him. I used babygates, not to keep the dogs out but to keep the kids away from them. It gave the dogs a break and it kept the kids safe and me sane. You also say he did growl, he gave her a warning to say, "get away". Having kids and dogs can be hard but also so very rewarding. At three she is old enough to remember but still young enough to require constant supervision.

 

This can be done but the whole family has to be firm with not only the dog but also the child. By firm I don't mean "strong arm" I mostly mean there has to be a routine and certain rules have to stay the same no matter what.

At three she can help feed the dog and she can help "walk" the dog. ( I have leashes with a traffic loop that my kids are allowed to hold so they think they are walking but I have the end of the leash for control ) This will help build the bond with the dog and the child. Another "rule" I had was that every evening we had time outs. Not for bad behavior, but for a break from each other. It was the dogs time to have a peaceful, uninterrupted nap and usually if I timed it right it was time for the child to have a nice nap too .

 

Good luck, lots of others here will have excellent advice as well

[Guest scfilby]

Your hound is at the point where this behavior surfaces. He is becoming comfortable in his new surroundings and starting to try his authority. Our hounds had sleep startle and space guarding when they first came to us. It was corrected pretty quickly, and they now are very comfortable being touched or even moved when sleeping. So, although every dog is different, it need not always be like this.

 

Obviously, you need to be able to supervise. I would not leave your DD and the pup alone in the same room until you are comfortable. If you can't always be in the same room, you can muzzle. You don;t mention it, but if you are allowing your pup on the human furniture, I would stop that. Try to reinforce to your daughter that she needs to let the pup come to her. Never lean over a dog that is laying down, awake or not.

 

Mickey snapped at our youngest daughter a couple of times just after we got her for the same reasons. She learned to let the dog alone when laying down.

[sobesmom]

Step one - calm down. Your DD is ok. Step two - prevention.

 

You made the mistake MANY of us have made - the dog has been in the house a while - you relax...but to the dog- it's still adjusting. You got to a comfort level - that the dog isn't ready for yet.

 

As much as I'm sure you've tried to teach - 3 yr. olds DO NOT necessarily understand boundries - and don't necessarily don't "get" warning signals.

 

It's NOT the dog's fault - or the childs. But - It's time to take a step back - and start over. The dog is not ready for full access to the kids unsupervised - and the kid isn't either.

 

I would strongly suggest you set up a crate - and make it the the DOGS's spot. Feed her there, give her treats there, nice comfy bed there- in your livingroom. HER SPOT. And - no kids allowed - EVER. You don't ever need to close the crate door - but make sure EVERYBODY knows it the DOGS place and they can never enter.

 

That is a very easy rule to follow for a child - and gives the dog a safe place.

 

It will be FINE - if you deal with it now.

[Guest 7ct5]

Glad to hear your daughter is okay and that youre commited to the greyhound. As others have said and I'm sure you're already doing this, but do not ever let them together unsupervised. I would not trust any three year alone with any dog. Like the above poster said, it's no ones fault but it is your responsibility to prevent this from ever happening again.

 

How is the grey adujusting otherwise? Is the growling isolated icidents directed at your daughter? It's really hard to judge the situation online, but perhaps your adoption group can offer you more one-on-one advice. What sort of training methods are you currently using?

[TheFullHouse]

I have to agree with Kamsmom, the first mistake was allowing her to go behind the sofa where the dog was. This is obviously the spot your pup has chosen as his safe spot, where he can go to get away from the kids. I would never allow the children back there, for one you can't see what's going on and two your pup probably sleeps while back there.

 

Secondly, he's warning her if he's growling. He can't talk so a growl is his only form of communication. She's 3 and fully capable of understanding the rules, what she lacks is impulse control so constant observation of the two of them is imperative. Hopefully your little one has now learned to leave the dog alone when he's laying down, at least for a little while. She will probably try again but it may be a while.

 

Try letting her give him treats, give him his food bowl, let him know that she controls the treats and the food for a while and he'll see her as his little provider. You can do this with both kids, it makes them feel involved. Once your boy has adjusted and sometimes it takes as long as 6 months to adjust to a new home, things should be fine. I would always be very careful to never leave them in a room alone together, and make a place where your boy can go when he's tired of the kids, his own little time out where he can nap without keeping one eye opened all the time. If that's a crate, that's fine. I use crates for my dogs to sleep in, if it's a spot behind a baby gate, or just some out of the way place (like behind the couch), some place that is off limits to the kids so when he's had enough he has access to.

 

Patience, time and always watching for a while will work wonders.

[Guest leash]

I also have a three year old and a greyhound. My three year old think that every time our greyhound is sleeping is the best time to pet him. Just like your greyhound it is not much liked. We got one of the mesh creates for the living room. We put a nice bed, toys, & chew stick in it to make the dog want to be in there. Our son knows that if our greyhound is in the create he wants to be left alone. Though we still have to remind our three year old from time to time about the dog being in his bedroom we have to leave him alone. It has solved our problem. It has worked great!! This way we are able to keep an eye on everyone. Our dogs still feels like part of the family in the living room and no more issue while our greyhound is sleeping. I think it has helped my son a lot to know boundaries. My greyhound can only take so much of my son in a day. I have noticed that our greyhound only sleeps in his create and when he is ready to play or be loved he goes right to my son!! Happy family now.

[Guest GoingRogue]

Glad to hear your daughter is okay and that youre commited to the greyhound. As others have said and I'm sure you're already doing this, but do not ever let them together unsupervised. I would not trust any three year alone with any dog. Like the above poster said, it's no ones fault but it is your responsibility to prevent this from ever happening again.

How is the grey adujusting otherwise? Is the growling isolated icidents directed at your daughter? It's really hard to judge the situation online, but perhaps your adoption group can offer you more one-on-one advice. What sort of training methods are you currently using?

 

He is adjusting really well and is a really good dog. This was the second time he has growled at her. The first time she had a book in her hand and the corner of it poked him so that's understandable. This time he growled and snapped his head around, that's what caused the nose bleed. We had a long talk with our daughter and we could tell he was upset about what happened.

 

Our living room is open and to get around to the sofa we have to go behind it. It's a high traffic area that he has picked for HIS. I am going to set his crate back up and make it "his" place. He is not fond of it but we can make it a positive place. He had issues with it and we had to stop crating when we left the house. We do have her and our son feed him and give him treats. We will step up the training that they do with him also. Thanks to everyone for the advise. I knew I could post this and everyone would make me feel better about it.

Thanks again guys and keep the advise coming.

Edited July 26, 2010 by GoingRogue

[TheFullHouse]

I am going to set his crate back up and make it "his" place. He is not fond of it but we can make it a positive place. He had issues with it and we had to stop crating when we left the house.

 

You could put the crate up and just leave the door open so he has access when he wants. If he's good out of the crate when you leave, I'd just leave the door open as long as the kids aren't there. No need to lock him up, that may be what sets him off and the reason he doesn't like it. You're absolutely right, you can make the crate a fun place. I trained one of mine with kong filled treats and toys and a cookie every time he went in when I told him to. He now loves his crate! I give you credit for trying to work it out!

[Guest leash]

I am going to set his crate back up and make it "his" place. He is not fond of it but we can make it a positive place. He had issues with it and we had to stop crating when we left the house.

 

You could put the crate up and just leave the door open so he has access when he wants. If he's good out of the crate when you leave, I'd just leave the door open as long as the kids aren't there. No need to lock him up, that may be what sets him off and the reason he doesn't like it. You're absolutely right, you can make the crate a fun place. I trained one of mine with kong filled treats and toys and a cookie every time he went in when I told him to. He now loves his crate! I give you credit for trying to work it out!

 

Our Greyhound would not go into the old create after being locked up when we left. We went out and bought a new create that is mesh to start all over. We unzipped the part that close it so he knows it is always open. It took a couple of days and he found out that everything was in there. Now he goes in there to sleep, chew, and sometime play. Greyhound are funny and seem to remember everything that is why we bought a new style create. All greyhounds are different so it just depends on the dog. If your greyhound goes to sleep in that spot I would try to redirect him to another location. Our Greyhound used to sleep in the worst part of the bedroom until I made he move to the spot where I wanted him to sleep.