Re: Beagle biting
- From: "White Monkey" <k.m.c.ooper@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 07:07:42 +0100
I have a 5-year-old female lemon beagle who recently bit my
10-month-old daughter on the face, which required 4 stitches. The
beagle is definitely an Alpha personality. The incident occurred at
the dog's mealtime when my daughter was crawling near her food bowl,
although there was no food in the bowl at the time. The beagle has
shown food aggression before, but only in the form of growling and only
if she was approached while eating. She has never bitten anyone before
(or since), but has growled at the baby before and since on various
occasions, none of them involving food or a toy or any of the dog's
"property." I've heard mixed advice. Some say I should get rid of the
dog no question about it. She will definitely bite the baby again in
the future. It is in the breed's nature. It is not something that can
be "fixed" by training or avoidance of provocation. Some say she can
be conditioned not to behave this way with the proper training. Is
there any hope she can be trained not to bite again? My child is first
and foremost my priority, but I'd really like to keep the dog if I can
be sure she will not pose a threat to the child again. Please help.
Thanks, WMG
Speaking as someone who has a Great Dane that growled twice at our baby many
months ago, I can only say I'm boggled you let things get anywhere near this
far. It's too bad. I would not be able to bring myself to keep a dog after
an actual bite to a baby, and would seriously have to consider putting her
down rather than risk inflicting this situation on someone else, but that is
an extreme solution and I would, depending of course on the severity of the
bite, probably have decided to rehome her though a breed-specific rescue
with clear information given as to why--but then, Great Danes are rare here
and the rescues can be very choosy about who they rehome to and can check up
on the dogs for life. This would sadly not be the case for your beagle.
I saw the first two growls as far too serious to just let go by, and I
called a trainer, came on here and went to my breed-specific groups for
advice (and in addition to getting quite a bit of great advice, weathered a
lot of conflicting advice, advice phrased abusively, and just plain abuse,
but sorting the problem out was worth it), and then worked out a training
plan that worked for my dog's personality and with my baby's behavior. I
would have had a behaviorist in immediately but they are not common here. I
have since consulted with one.
There has been no further incident since then, and that baby is now 1 1/2
years old, but I do stay extremely vigilant, and yesterday when I caught my
dog trying to get the baby to play in a way she uses with the cat, I decided
she might be thinking herself a bit too "equal" with him again, and asked
her to back off and go to her bed. Then I let out toddler take her blanket,
and we sat there and petted her for a few minutes. I don't let him bother
her when she's eating, although she has never once displayed any form of
food aggression (the cat shoves under her chin and steals food, even).
IF you insist that you're going to keep your dog in this situation, you need
to immediately prevent any interaction between this dog and your baby while
you seek out and employ a qualified canine behaviorist. NOW. Your situation
has clearly been allowed to continue until things are genuinely out of
control.
--Katrina
.
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