[Trillium]

The other day a close family member dropped in for a visit. They had been else where and brought their shipoo (Howard)with them. They had been in the car for a few hours so they tied their dog in the yard while they came in for a visit. Well Betty Jo (one of my spoos) saw Howard in the yard and scooted past us and went out to say hi. Everything was ok for a min or so then Howard snarled and snapped at Betty Jo. My husband Tom got in between the 2 before anything else happened and brought Betty Jo in.

I put my spoos out in their run. My daughter is 6 and loves dogs and went out to see the other dog. I didn't think too much about it as my husband was out in the yard with her. Howard was driving my husband nuts barking so we brought him in. When my daughter came in I found out that while they were out Howard had nipped her in the face and drew a bit of blood.

The dog went from entertaining and being sweet to snapping at my other spoo Jenny who just went to sniff him. He startled her enough that she spent most of the rest of their visit on my knee. He then proceeded to snap 2 at my 7 year old David. His owners were very upset by it all and did try to correct him but really. I'm not amused to say the least. I took up correcting him and put him on his back.

I expect that they will not bring the dog here again or at least I hope so until he learns some manners and I did certainly tell them that he really needs to be socialized and they need to make sure that he knows that they are pack leaders. However since they have countless times had various of my dogs in their home I don't want to say their dog isn't welcome here. Though my dogs have never nipped or any such thing in their lives.

Its really upsetting because it makes me worry about visiting them with the kids if their dog is likely to nip them. Any thoughts??

 

[Marian]

Wow, I think little Howard should have been confined in a crate during his visit at your house, and also when you go to visit them. I would hate to think you would stop visiting with this family member just because of their little Howard the Menace.

More important though, they really should be thinking about the liability. That little dog sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

 

[Olie]

Its really upsetting because it makes me worry about visiting them with the kids if their dog is likely to nip them. Any thoughts??

What a tough situation........I am so sorry.

Maybe have a nice conversation and explain just that ^^. I think Marian hit it on the nose - the liability could be a big issue. I am sure they are good people that just need a little friendly nudge to get them in that mindset so their dog will be a better companion and playmate to other dogs.

I know you are a great mom, and you are right your kids should not have to worry about being bitten too...

Good luck and let us know how this works out.

 

[Trillium]

Wow, I think little Howard should have been confined in a crate during his visit at your house, and also when you go to visit them. I would hate to think you would stop visiting with this family member just because of their little Howard the Menace.

More important though, they really should be thinking about the liability. That little dog sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Lovely thought about the crate. I've suggested that a crate would be a great idea but he freaks out in one and will bloody his paws trying to get out of it.

I'm really shocked at the whole thing as they have had dogs for years and they have always been well trained and wonderful dogs. Then they adopted this one and its like all the rules went out the windows. They feed the dog at the table, he sleeps on their bed, he doesn't stay in their yard off leash, in fact he can't be trusted at all off leash and isn't great on leash. These were all HUGE no no with previous dogs.

They adopted this one as an adult and all the previous ones have been adopted as pups maybe that has something to do with it. But its really upsetting.

 

[partial2poodles]

If I am not with my dogs and holding their leash, they have to sit in the car. You never know if they might jump, bark, or do something unexpected. It was bad enough at the 1st incident...but then it kept happening, going from bad to worse. Keep Howard at home....no more visits.

 

[ArreauStandardPoodle]

Hey you!! Happy Mother's Day! I am soprry that Howard was such a little varmint while he visited. I hope they just leave him a thome next time. Not very nice for the girls to be intmidated or uncomfortable in their own home. ASnd poor Katy. That was a fine Happy birthday wasn't it? I hope her feelings aren't hurt too badly!

 

[Trillium]

Fortunately my kids are dog crazy and still like the mutt. It was just a scratch. I'm glad they aren't the kind of kids to be permanently frightened by the afternoon. I've got to agree thought its a bit much for Betty Jo and Jenny to be in that kind of situation in their own home.

 

[Locket]

If this was Howard's first time at your place, I would guess that Howard might have been uncomfortable and overwhelmed in the surroundings and acted out. If not, than is this unusual behaviour for him at your house?

After the first nip at your daughter, the dog should've been out of the house or not allowed near the kids. I also think the alpha rolling is of no use. It only makes the dog more uncomfortable and likely to lash out, but that's just my opinion.

 

[spoospirit]

This may well have been traumatic for the dog if this was his first visit and he has not been properly socialized. However, I would not have allowed him to have access to my children or dogs after the first incident. That would tell me right off that he was an accident waiting to happen.

I think that you should be honest with your friends and tell them that they should not bring the dog to your home again until it has been taught proper behavior. It is doing right by the dog and by your children. This may be uncomfortable, but the well being of your children and your dogs, I am sure, comes first.

If a dog nipped one of my children, that would be all it would take for me to request that my friends remove the dog from my home before he does serious injury to someone since it can not be crated.

Sounds like they have a lot of work to do with this guy.

 

[BFF]

This may well have been traumatic for the dog if this was his first visit and he has not been properly socialized. However, I would not have allowed him to have access to my children or dogs after the first incident. That would tell me right off that he was an accident waiting to happen.

I think that you should be honest with your friends and tell them that they should not bring the dog to your home again until it has been taught proper behavior. It is doing right by the dog and by your children. This may be uncomfortable, but the well being of your children and your dogs, I am sure, comes first.

If a dog nipped one of my children, that would be all it would take for me to request that my friends remove the dog from my home before he does serious injury to someone since it can not be crated.

Sounds like they have a lot of work to do with this guy.

I agree with SpooSpirit. If you do choose to allow him to have a second chance at your home, I would suggest you control the situation. Let your family know before they come, how you intend to handle the situation and which training techniques you will use. If they don't want to surrender control then Howard can stay at home. It sounds like they would understand and even appreciate some help.

 

[Harley_chik]

I think Howard's owners need some serious training. You don't bring a dog into a strange environment and then leave him tied up. I'm sure he felt very vunerable. He was tethered, he couldn't run away. I assume he doesn't know your dogs, they are just huge, intimidating creatures to him. Betty-Jo came running toward him; he had no way to escape and his owners weren't there to protect him. Things just escalated from there. I'm sure after that he was on the defensive. I'm not defending the dog; just saying I can see why he would react that way. His owners set him up for failure.