spiritdogs
Posted : 10/26/2007 4:40:07 PM
OK do not bite my head off...
I think that kids+dogs in a small home is just crappy. I've been around herding dogs my whole life. They do not do well in closed areas specailly if there are children. Aussie are well known for there stand offish ways. They dont really deal well with people thus they make wonderful herders. Can't be mad at the dog for the bite to the kids face. Not saying the kid had it comeing! Im just saying the parents are not around the child and dog 100% of the time. There is not telling what the child did to the dog during these times. I have a 2 and 3 yo and I have seen what they do to our cat and dogs when they dont think I am watching. Its when you catch them doing it most people say " dont do that" and thats it. Not enough.
The reason that most children under 10 don't do as well as older children is that they don't really understand the consequences of their actions. It's the same reason that a child under age 7 is rarely held accountable for criminal behavior.
I give a "free bite" to all my dogs , Its going to happen some time or another. If a dog repeats a biting in a worser degree then I have no trouble rehoming or PTS. I try to treat my dogs fairly. Older dogs are at a higher bite rate IMO then younger ones. So for most of my older dogs I will watch them double time once then hit around 7yo+ because again IMO they become snappyer. Its my responsibilty as an owner to try and insure that my animal is control'd at all times .
While older dogs can get cranky from pain due to arthritis, etc., the statistics do not bear you out. Most bites occur from adolescent male unneutered dogs between the ages of 9-15 months of age.
As a child my mother bred Dobies and Perro de Presa Canario! This breed has a bad rep like there cousins the Pit Bulls. My Mother never allowed me to be alone with these dogs at all until I was 10. Even when she was in the house with us and the dogs she made sure that the dog new his role and wher ehe was allowed and not allowed to be, Same for us! We had three places in the living room to where we could sit and play and if that wasn't enough we were sent to our rooms. As soon as getting a new one she spent weeks and months training them to insure her childens safety. Nothing against your sister but she should have spent more time training her dogs and insuring her childs safety.
I agree that children should not be unsupervised around dogs. All good points.
It wasnt a bad bite considering Ive seen an Aussie rip open a calfs rump down to the muscle to get it moving.
With all due respect, Aussies are my breed, and while some get too mouthy, a herder that damages the goods is not considered the ideal working dog. A well placed nip, fine, but ripping???? Not good.
His an older dog its understanable why he might become more snappy now then before. You said his 8? Ive never seen a Aussie live past 11 Normal for the Aussie my Dad had was 8-9 years.
Again, this is just not true. Many Aussies live to the 12-14 age range quite easily with proper care and feeding. (I get 16+ years out of most of my dogs, but they eat organic, get lots of exercise, no chemical crap on them, and I don't keep them outdoors - they live in the house.)
I researched longevity as part of my criteria for where I chose to get my last puppy, and many of the dogs in her lines live to 14-15 pretty consistently, barring accidents. She's from all working stock.
IF the bite WAS over food then it needs to be adress and have rules apply'd when eating. Food at the table not in the living room ect ect.
The problem with a resource guarding dog, and having kids around, is that the kids bring neighbor kids in, and even if there is no food, sometimes the smell of it on a kid's clothes, or a dropped toy, can set some dogs off. It's all about risk and how much a person is willing to take in managing a situation like that.