Can't Make A Decision

[Guest Sparklegirl]

Hi all,

 

I've decided to post here as there seems to be loads of experience and knowledge. I'll give you a bit of background - we adopted our greyhound 2 months ago, discussed getting a dog for a long time before deciding the time was right. We researched lots of breeds and talked to a lot of people after deciding on a greyhound. The breed sounded like it would suit our family. My partner is in the forces and is away Mon-Fri. I work 5 days a week, we have 2 children 2 and 6. The routine we have been working with has been that I drop kids off at school/daycare and take him for 30 mins walk, we have a dog walker come in for 30 mins at lunch time and I walk him again at 4pm for 30 mins. On the weekends we can be out for hours with him and the kids. Hewas described to us by the agency as a "boisterous boy without any manners that would need training". He is a big dog at 30 inches. We were looking for a dog that would not be bouncing around the house all the time and the amount of sleep they require sounded perfect!

 

I started training classes with him and he has been doing well. A lot of his food issues have gone - he wont try and pinch or hassle us for food anymore, and he is getting better at not jumping up to the ceiling when he sees or hears his lead. He still goes bonkers when I get in from work to walk him though, but he is starting to lie down when I ask and gets that I wont put his lead on until he lays down.

He has good recall and we have recently let him off lead in an enclosed field up the road from our house.

 

But....

He has snapped and growled at our 2 yr old, 3 times now. our son hasn't been doing anything other than walking past him in the lounge and touching him in a very gentle manner (not while he is sleeping or eating) Also we had an incident on the weekend when we were out in the field. The dog had been running about and came running back to us and knocked over our son (who had been standing still) - something to be expected due to both their sizes. When our little one was on the ground, Finn went from standing there to pouncing on top of him and pinned him down and was darting his head back and forth over his face. I completely freak out because of the growling and snapping incidents and thought he was going to bite him. My husband pulled him off and gave him a good telling off. Finn appears to be very nervous around our little one, yawning, licking his lips a lot and will go out of his way to avoid him. I have never left him with the dog, not for a second and not even where I am not between the dog and our son.

I am so nervous now and am not really sure if he fits in with our family. at the moment he is in the kitchen separated from the rest of us by a baby gate, he comes in and lays on the couch when kids are in bed and I am feeling bad because I think he is constantly stressed by being around the kids.

 

I have spoken to the adoption agency and someone is coming around tomorrow to have a chat - I have spoken to a few other dog owners and they say they would get rid of the dog if that happened to them. I really don't know what to do. I have been thinking about it nearly every second and I just don't know if I am prepared to risk something happening again.

 

What are people's views on this please, anything would be helpful right now.

 

Thanks

 

 

[greysmom]

Only you can decide how much you are willing to put up with, and what you feel is safe behavior around your kids. Many groups here in the States won't adopt to homes with toddlers (my group says under 5 years old) for just this reason. If you have taken reasonable precautions, and given your child safety rules for being around the dog, and these incidents continue to happen, you should really consider returning the dog *before* something worse happens. Once a dog bites a child it's hard for him to get out from under that reputation, whether it's deserved or not. If you don't have one, ask your adoption rep for a muzzle.

 

Some sensible safety rules for dogs and kids:

>Child should never approach the dog, for any reason, when the dog is laying down or eating.

>If child wants to give attention to the dog, the dog should be called over to the child

>No child should ever be left unattended with any dog

<Children and dogs should not play roughly together

>Children can be involved, as is age appropriate, with dog training

[Guest jetska]

My husband pulled him off and gave him a good telling off. Finn appears to be very nervous around our little one, yawning, licking his lips a lot and will go out of his way to avoid him. I have never left him with the dog, not for a second and not even where I am not between the dog and our son.

I am so nervous now and am not really sure if he fits in with our family. at the moment he is in the kitchen separated from the rest of us by a baby gate, he comes in and lays on the couch when kids are in bed and I am feeling bad because I think he is constantly stressed by being around the kids.

 

 

 

These paras are what cause me the most concern here. The dog being nervous around the child is not a good sign. Punishing the dog/telling the dog off is probably only going to make the dog more apprehensive about the children.

 

The fact that you are nervous about it now is only going to make the situation more tense for yourself and the dog.

[Acadianarose]

That is a tough call. I would never trust any dog 100% with a young child but I don't think I would trust Payton much at all. When we first got him, DD got too close to him and he jumped up barking and basically stood on her head (she is 9) when she dropped to the ground. We were terrified. He also growled a few times at her. She is old enough to be involved with training and gives him treats, etc., so he is doing much better with her. I still make him wear a muzzle in the car with her and I am very careful to supervise her interaction with him. I generally put him in his kennel if small children are here, but he is doing really good with her.

 

That being said, my oldest daughter's greyhound does great with kids, with the exception of the really annoying ones that are too much in his face.

 

I believe that you have to be extremely careful anytime you have a dog and children together. That goes for any breed.

Edited December 6, 2013 by Acadianarose

[RedHead]

A lot of people might disagree with me, but I personally don't think a greyhound (who has only lived in a kennel and has never been exposed to kids) is the ideal dog to adopt when you have young toddlers. It sounds like you have been working hard on a lot of things so far, but I guess it depends on how much you are willing to do and how much you will ultimately trust the dog. It isn't fair on anyone to have him living separately (not fun for him, and probably not the kind of dog you envisioned as your family dog). I think that in many cases, with proper techniques, greys can learn to live with and trust kids, but it is a ton of work which can be hard in an already busy family.

 

There are many people on here who have had to return dogs who were not right fits. If your dog is stressed, and you are stressed, it may not be the best match. Personally, I think it was partially the adoption group's fault for adopting out a "boisterous/needs training" dog if they knew you had young kids.

 

Sorry, I know this is a tough decision...

[Guest Celestrina]

I 'm amazed that they would place a dog they described as "boisterous boy without any manners that would need training" in a house with toddlers. Very irresponsible on the agency's part.

[a_daerr]

I personally don't think a greyhound (who has only lived in a kennel and has never been exposed to kids) is the ideal dog to adopt when you have young toddlers.

 

I think that in many cases, with proper techniques, greys can learn to live with and trust kids, but it is a ton of work which can be hard in an already busy family.

 

Personally, I think it was partially the adoption group's fault for adopting out a "boisterous/needs training" dog if they knew you had young kids.

 

Yes, yes, and yes. Agree 1000%

[TheFullHouse]

A lot of greyhounds have been around kids. A lot of farm owners do have children and the dogs are exposed to children. A lot of trainers also have children and their kids work and play in the kennel with the dogs so assuming that these dogs have never been exposed to kids is the wrong assumption to make. The difference is that most kids on farms and in kennels are taught from an early age to respect these dogs and how to behave around them.

 

Allowing a youngster to run and squeal around a dog is going to get just the reaction you saw. The dog gets excited and wants to play but the size difference can be a problem.

 

If you had requested your group to give you a calm, sedate dog then obviously this boy isn't a good fit around little kids. He may do better in a home with older kids.

[cleptogrey]

it sounds like a bad match to me. it's difficult to generalize, but your boy has given numerous warning signs that need to be read. not all dogs react to children in that manner, not all greyhounds but with young children around serious personality profiling is essential. i really believe that the only person who can make that type of judgement call has to wear many hats- the hat of the rescue group but the hat of an experience parent and trainer. hoping that you will recondition and train w/ two young children in the house is asking a lot.

 

both my husband and i have been knocked down by our male- a couple of times in obedience classes- recalls and agility maneuvers- i was in the way, my dog was determined to do his job. also, when it comes to kids running and making kid noises many dogs, especially sighthounds will course them. my last saluki used to do that. it's instinct.

 

do act upon this quickly since your dog has already given you warning signs. they only can do one thing and he needs not to be labeled as a biter. he just needs the right home and your family a more laid back grey. my first grey came off the track after racing 168 races. she got her canine good citizenship and was certified as a therapy dog with in 2 months. a very mellow, laid back creature. her therapy work was with kids at noogie land, part of gilda's club. children caressed her, dressed her up, fed her treats and told her their deepest darkest secrets. (oh, we don't have any children at home now so this was totally new to our female) yes, there are greyhounds out there, the slightly older more settled retirees. best of luck!

Edited December 7, 2013 by cleptogrey

[JohnF]

A high-maintenance dog that requires 24/7 surveillance to keep little kids safe is not ideal to have around. He MAY be just playing in his own kind of way and he may not intend to cause any harm, but he's so big and quick and if the child struggles inappropriately a tradgedy can happen in a heartbeat.

 

I've been knocked down into the mud by a Zooming Greyhound and knocked sideways too - you just have to keep your eye on them and not move at random from where they last saw you.

 

It's a tough call to make but you describe a dog that will have every chance of fitting into a home with more mature people. So what I'd do is have that chat with the adoption people and if you decide to send him back perhaps make a donation so that they can keep him for the month or so that it may take to find a new home at this time of year.

[Guest GryffinSong]

Also, regardless of what you decide to do, allowing a boisterous dog to run off lead around a toddler is risky. Please keep him on a leash outdoors when your child is around. But I agree with the others ... doesn't sound like a great match with a toddler. Good luck!!!

[jetcitywoman]

I 'm amazed that they would place a dog they described as "boisterous boy without any manners that would need training" in a house with toddlers. Very irresponsible on the agency's part.

Especially as the OP said they asked for a quieter hound who wouldn't be bouncing around the house a lot! They gave the op the exact opposite of what he asked for.