Aggressive to my two year old

 Sounds like she is resource guarding the newborn. She bit your 2 yr old? Bad? Blood? Dogs and children should never be left unsupervised. You knew the dog was possesive of the baby, the dog should never have been allowed any interaction with your 2 kids. Now your dog has a bite history and you could have easily prevented this.

 I know this is harsh, but come on.

jet978

jump on the dog

  Really? Why was this allowed?

 I'm sure you didn't come here to be lectured. I can't imagine how upset you must be. I agree that dogs and children should never be left unsupervised but I don't know  what happened in your circumstance. It may well be resource guarding or it could be the way your two year old behaves around the dog. She may be too grabby or pushy. We probably need more information.

You are flirting with disaster.  The bite was a warning.  Find a behaviorist to help you learn to manage this problem.  This is NOT something you can get proper help with through a forum or on the net.  Please, please don't delay in getting some help. 

We usually tell people to keep kids off the floor  and dogs off the furniture as one preventive measure.  I never allow my dogs to play roughly with a child, lest they feel that the human is a peer and not a leader (notice I did not say anything about dominance, or dominating a dog - the way you become a leader is to control resources, and high places seem to be associated with power by dogs, so a child that is on the floor is seen as a peer and treated like one - dog thinks it can play rough, or govern the child's movements).  Humans often miss the subtle signals that dogs give to tell us that they are not happy with a child's advances, too, and a lot of bites happen because of it.  Whenever a dog exhibits resource guarding behaviors and there is a child in the home, that is a big fat red flag that perhaps it might be a dog that should be in an adults only home, or which should be particularly well supervised when in the company of the children.  One way to lessen the guarding behavior is to associate the presence of the two year old with really good stuff happening for the dog.  So, let's say the two year old's name is Jack and the baby is Jill.  Your job, whenever Jack appears, is to continually feed Fido until Jack goes out of the room, then you immediately stop feeding Fido.  In other words, Jack becomes a predictor of good things for Fido, not a threat to his other resource, the baby.  This is not the end of the behavior modification, however, and I would strongly suggest you contact a behaviorist in your area for professional help so that you can address this before it gets worse.  (You can find one at IAABC or Animal Behavior Society web pages)  Until you get help, try to avoid triggering the situation - keep Jack away from Jill when the dog is present, unless you are right there.  Also, do NOT punish the dog for growling, as you can make this much worse.  If you take Fido's early warning system away, he may go directly to an aggressive behavior, which is not what you want.  In any case, do not allow children, even the baby, on the floor when the dog is about.  Tire Fido out with exercise, then let the kids play on the floor while Fido is snoozing in his crate or playing with an interactive toy in another room with the door closed.

Good book: "Living With Kids and Dogs Without Losing Your Mind" by Coleen Pelar

I never leave my children unsupervised with my dog.  I was sitting on the floor with my eldest daughter next to me.  My newborn was in a bouncy seat and my dog in front of me.  My daughter kissed the new born and my dog growled then nipped at her shirt.  Like I said before, this has never happened with any other infant or child around.  My dog has always taken to people, especially children.  I know how my dog acts with young children and she never been aggressive towards anyone, child or adult.  At the same time I can tell when my dog has enough and I separate her from the situation. Maybe this was a freak thing. My older child and I playing on the floor with the dog involves and toys like rope, balls, etc.  Playing rough with my dog would be rolling around and playing with toys, never any hitting or pulling.  There was the occasional falling on the dog but it was never intentional.  My dog has never showed any discomfort and it was always followed up by licking or nudging of the head to the hand for affection.   The bite was more of a nip and no blood. I did not yell at the dog or show any aggression to the dog.  Our dog is never allowed on any piece of furniture so I moved the newborn to the couch to diffuse the situation.  I never had a problem like this and didn’t think I needed to take any preventative measures.  I thank everyone for their advise concerning this matter and I hope that I receive more “how to” posts to help this situation that has taken place. Thank you again.

jet978

I know how my dog acts with young children and she never been aggressive towards anyone

Until now...you now know your dog IS aggressive towards a child in a certain situation...excuses and denial do nothing but make it harder to move forward.

jet978

Maybe this was a freak thing

jet978

The bite was more of a nip and no blood.

again..excuses do not help. Why spend time trying to explain away or minimize, what made you concerned enough to ask essentially..strangers for help? Obviously this bothers you or you would not even be here yes? It is concerning to you right? So don't minimize it. Our instincts as parents are seldom wrong or misplaced. Don't second guess that you have a problem on your hands because you do, not trying to be harsh...just real. I have 2 children and 3 dogs and you MUST be real.

Your baby will grow and become more mobile and opportunities for the dog to guard your infant from their sibling will increase. Kids argue and take things from one another..not an if...a WHEN. So as stated. Get a behaviorist and keep the dog separated from your daughter...from BOTH children, until it is under your control. This situation is not something any of us here...who cannot see your household and do not know your daily routine or the postures and body language of your particular dog in this situation...can help you with. Not really. We can commiserate, support, and offer what MAY be useful advice..but the bottom line is someone THERE who can see you, your dog, your home, and your children is going to be a million times more helpful to you.

Just an FYI bouncy seats, swings, and activity chairs have been known to incite prey drive in dogs...and you might reconsider using such when the dog is around. Certainly NO dog toy items should be anywhere in the vicinity to avoid triggering the dogs resource guarding.

 

jet978

I hope that I receive more “how to” posts

This is too risky for your kids to try to fix this through a forum. Get a professional behaviorist instead. There are WAY too many things that you need to look for that can not be taught here. Posture, body language (tail, ears, eyes), approach, body tension, attitude, etc.. There is no way you can see this without studying dog's body language for years. There is no way that you can do this by yourself without the risk that your kids could be bitten again.

Last time it was a nip, next time your dog might think that the "nip" was not enough and he will think this requires a stronger "correction" to the kid, then your dog will end up having to be put to sleep and everybody looses.

rwbeagles

jet978

I know how my dog acts with young children and she never been aggressive towards anyone

Until now...you now know your dog IS aggressive towards a child in a certain situation...excuses and denial do nothing but make it harder to move forward.

Everything Gina/rwbeagles said, and I mean that truly and seriously and thoughtfully.  Please please please do not let this escalate for the sake of your children first, and for the sake of boxers and pitties second.  Please do not add a negative statistic, since you have all the power to keep this from happening again, or something worse.

jet978

I never had a problem like this and didn’t think I needed to take any preventative measures. 

  Because you didn't have a second vulnerable child before.  From your descriptions, your dog is protecting the vulnerable baby from the seeming threat of an unsteady energetic toddler.  It's your job to help your dog understand that protecting your baby is YOUR job, not hers, and that you have the situation under control.  Please do get some professional on-site help, because YOU don't have the luxury of the time necessary to be taught things online from strangers who cannot see you, your children, your dogs, your situation.  Your toddler does not deserve a bad experience with dogs (being scared by an aggressive incident right up to plastic surgery from a bite.  It happens, and almost always to someone whose dog "never did that before" or the owner "never thought they had to worry about the dog".)  You have the fortune of a dog who has given warnings.  Take them.  Use the link spiritdogs provided, or if that doesn't yield what you want, you can try http://canineprofessionals.com/Public/FindAProfessional.aspx and be sure to choose "Behavior Counseling" from the menu on the right.

We really all wish you and your dog the best.  Again, I'm thankful your dog has given warnings... and, btw, I do NOT think she's a bad dog from your descriptions, whatsoever.  It could be perfectly appropriate in other circumstances (if someone else was mistreating your baby).  She just needs to be taught that she doesn't need to protect the baby from your toddler, that's your job not hers.  We will be thinking of you and hope a good Behaviorist can give you valuable tools to work with your situation.  You may become the voice to teach other moms in the future from what you learn.  Looking for some good to come out of this situation.  If you can, please keep us posted.

I'm going to address your points step by step.

I never leave my children unsupervised with my dog.

I probably wasn't as clear as I should have been.  Supervision is more than just being present.  You need to be able to "read" your dog and issue cues to change his behavior before he gets too close to a child, or engages in any preliminary behaviors that are problematic.  Not always easy to do, even for experienced dog people.

 I was sitting on the floor with my eldest daughter next to me. 

Again, I usually suggest that humans be on the higher "resting spot" and dogs on the floor or a cushion if there are any issues whatsoever.

My newborn was in a bouncy seat and my dog in front of me. 

One of our other members pointed out that movement engages behavior in some dogs that you may find undesirable.

My daughter kissed the new born and my dog growled then nipped at her shirt.  

Especially if she was leaning over the baby, the dog might perceive this as a threat.  Frontal approaches, leaning over the body of another animal, and direct stares, not to mention silence and putting the mouth near the child, are all signals that tell some dogs (especially those with limited social experiences involving such encounters) that the threat is real.   Also, this dog has experienced pain (even though it was accidental) from the same child falling on her - dogs can put two and two together in ways that a two year old could, so she may be leery of your daughter hurting the baby in the same way she was hurt.

Like I said before, this has never happened with any other infant or child around. 

So what?  It has now happened, and while it may never happen again, you need to NOT be in denial or excuse it, but rather manage and train the dog so that the chances of it happening again are minimized.

My dog has always taken to people, especially children.  I know how my dog acts with young children and she never been aggressive towards anyone, child or adult.  At the same time I can tell when my dog has enough and I separate her from the situation.

Dogs, like people, do not always love every single other being they meet, even if they seem to like most people or other dogs.  You did not intervene soon enough in this case, or you would not have had the incident.  Not saying that you even could do so fast enough, but you can see where I'm going with this - dogs are faster than we are most of the time, so the key for now is to keep the dog at a distance during interactions between your older child and your baby.

Maybe this was a freak thing.

Maybe, but don't you want to use more precaution rather than less to insure that it doesn't happen again.  Poor interactions with kids kill a lot of dogs - you may be able, if you are NOT in denial, to save your dog from that fate, and have her continue to be part of your family.

My older child and I playing on the floor with the dog involves and toys like rope, balls, etc.  Playing rough with my dog would be rolling around and playing with toys, never any hitting or pulling. 

You don't have to hit or pull at a dog for the dog to think that you are a playmate and not a superior being deserving of respect.  Playing on the floor puts you in the same class as other dogs and puppies, and your dog interprets that as a dog would, not as a human would.  Stay upright or on a chair as you play with her, and cut out the rough games.  Fetch is safer.

There was the occasional falling on the dog but it was never intentional. 

That would happen exactly once in my house, if at all.  Dogs don't get "intentional" they just get "what just happened to me".

My dog has never showed any discomfort and it was always followed up by licking or nudging of the head to the hand for affection.   

Nudging is a "demand" behavior that I always ignore, so that my dogs are not manipulating me in any way.  Lip licking is a stress related behavior that says "I'm not a threat"  and is *not* a "kiss".

The bite was more of a nip and no blood. I did not yell at the dog or show any aggression to the dog. 

That shows that the dog has good bite inhibition which, despite the fact that there was a snap, is in your dog's favor.  I am glad that you did not show any aggression to the dog, as that might have made a bad association between your older daughter and punishment.  Nice going on that one.

Our dog is never allowed on any piece of furniture so I moved the newborn to the couch to diffuse the situation. 

That's good, but I would keep baby and daughter off the floor from now on.

I never had a problem like this and didn’t think I needed to take any preventative measures. 

Common misconception.  ALL dogs need training, management, preventive strategies, and socialization.   Otherwise, they just go about doing "doggy things" unfettered...

I thank everyone for their advise concerning this matter and I hope that I receive more “how to” posts to help this situation that has taken place.

Definitely consider going to a positive training class with your dog so that she learns basic commands and you learn some safety and management techniques.  One really good thing to do is teach her to watch you immediately when you say her name.  The free site, www.clickerlessons.com has a section on "Attention" that's very good.

Thank you again.

You're welcome - everyone here really has your childrens' and dog's welfare at heart. 

 It sounds like your dog is protective of your newborn to me.  It sounds like she misinterpreted your toddlers actions as a threat to the baby, who she (rightly) perceives as helpless and vulnerable.  (I am not a professional nad as I;ve never seen the dogs, this is just a pure guess!!)  She sounds very sweet and highly intelligent!  If only her behaviour was not also dangerous for the older child.

First - SAFETY.  Now that this has happened, you cannot be sure it won't happen again, or escalate.  So, seperate the dog from the children via a crate or gate if you are not actively supervising.  Otherwise, you need to introduce a little structure which prevents the dog interacting in this way with the kids.  For example, you make sure you are between the kids and the dog if they are not directly interacting.  if kids are playing a game on the floor, the dog could be sent to her "place" (a mat or blanket at the side of the room).  If the child wants to play with the dog or pet her, she does it from a chair or similar and the dog stays on the floor, with you close by and guiding her as to a safe and appropriate way to go about it.

Second, MORE safety.  Get help.  With such young kids involved, and with a dog so strong and so misguided as to what her "job" is.... it's just not worth risking the worst happening.  

Third, speaking of "jobs", I think it would be helpful in this situation to tell your dog in no uncertain terms that she is fired.  Do you have a sling or baby-carrier?  I think it would be helpful for you to keep the baby ON you, particularly when the older child interacts with the baby, at least for now.  The dog will see that the child already HAS a protector (you), and she need not be so vigilant!  Some people might think I'm a total nut job, but I do think that dogs are capable of a degree of reasoning... and at the very least, this approach would do no harm at all.