Puppy scratching daughters face...

[Rootskate]

That poor dog. How sad.

 

[sunnyday123]

Metime. What good do you think it does to respond to a request for help and advice with an attack on parenting and accusing someone of lack of concern for the puppy's wellbeing. I wouldn't have posted on her looking for advice if I wasn't concerned. If you were concerned about the puppy or anyone involved's well-being you would be helpful and offer insight and not just down me and my attempt to get some support/advice. Please do me a favor and don't try to help anymore because you have failed miserably!! What good do you think will come from your post??
I won't be reading any further posts so please do not reply unless you have something supportive to say. I won't be reading anyway so sorry to the posters who had good intentions and did try to help. I really appreciate the good hearted people on this board who are actually concerned and offered constructive advice. It is much appreciated but to all the others who just want to point the finger and put someone down get a life and find somene else to put down!!!

I don't see where anyone "attacked" your parenting, but it sounds like you wanted everyone to say, "Oh, what a bad dog!" And I'm sorry, if your 5 year old cannot tell the difference between a stuffed animal and a real, breathing animal, the problem lies with your daughter and not the puppy. The puppies behavior is coming from 6 months ( or however long you've had her ) of defending herself against your daughter.

Dangling her over a stair railing?? Sorry, there's something wrong with that kid. That's abuse in my book, plain and simple. And the dog, no matter how small, shouldn't be carted around like a baby. They aren't accessories, they are living, breating creatures.

Sorry the fault lies totally and completely with YOU, because you are responsible for your daughter and her behavior. Bet it's never been to an obedience class. You might want to sign them both up, at least then your daughter would learn the right way to handle an animal, because if I saw someone random hanging a puppy over a railing, you can bet your sweet bippy I'd be on the phone to animal control or the police.

You previously said you wouldn't read unless someone offered something helpful, well here it is. Teach your child to behave around animals so she doesn't get her face mauled off one day. Which would not be the animals fault.

 

[Deb in IA]

This is a great book. It really helps you understand WHY dogs do what they do.

I hope you read it.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I have read this whole thread and don't even know what to say.

I have a 5 yo DD and she would never think of dangling our dog over a railing. OMG!!! What if in that instant he scratched her and she let go? He could be dead, or badly injured. My kids were taught to respect life . And that you have 2 older pups, it makes the stuation worse. How are those poor dogs treated?

You are not being attacked , OP. You need to take a long hard look at those poor animals , your parenting, and that 5 yo. Oh my!

Instead of attacking all the posters, it should tell you something , since everyone is saying basically the same thing.

 

[metime]

Oh My gosh you are using the puppy as a hostage!


OP,

Seriously, have you read your own posts?

Your first post is slanted out of concern for your daughter and you seemed rather clueless as to why things panned out the way they did. The fact is you watched things escalate to the point where your child got scratched in the face, which was not safe for your daughter or the puppy. So many people are seeing that you are not certain of how to safely have children and pets and they are concerned because your posts indicate a lack of empathy for the animal.

I am sure you are a caring mom and I am sure that you let your daughter treat the dog as a toy for so long becuase you thought it would work out. Now it isn't woking out. Those who know animals and simply know better are not seeing any indication that you are really knowledgable about dogs and kids mixing.

I promise that the scratch was not the first indication that the puppy needed a break, you either were not supervising or didn't care about the puppy as long as your daughter had her 'toy'.

I cringed when I read your post, as I think most people did, because those who truely care about animals can see that you were not concerned enough about the situation you allowed to take place. What belated concern you did have was only for your daughter, which is great, but you also need to be concerned for the puppy too.

There is no way I could sit back and watch any animal be treated that way and not have a great deal of empathy toward it. I think that is where you are losing people. If you had empathy for the animal the situation would not have escalated to the point where your child got hurt.

The fact that you are threatening to kill the puppy is quite sad and proof that people (the ones that you think are too harsh) maybe underestimated the risk the puppy is in being in your care.

 

[maxiesmom]

Puppys are not toys, and they do break. What will you do if your puppy is seriously hurt by your daughter? Will you just excuse the behavior because you think your daughter is too young to know better?

The best thing you can do for that poor puppy is to find it a new home. One that has kids in it that have boundries, and know the difference between a toy and a live animal. Before either your daughter or the puppy is seriously hurt.

 

[Youarehere]

As long as you treat your daughter like a special snowflake, that is how she will act. I can't believe you are trying to pin this on the puppy. Some people should not have pets or children.

 

[LOVETHATPOLY]

To the OP: I just hope it all works out.

 

[Jennasis]

Methinks the advice the OP has recieved hit too close to home.

OP, you can't ask for advice and then get huffy because the advice you get isn't what you wanted to hear. So far ALL the advice has been spot on. If you are going to keep the puppy, you need to tell your kids NO PICKING IT UP. They can pet and play with it, but the need to back off.

Good luck.

Oh, and that threat about eunthanizing the pup because your feelings were hurt by strangers? Weak, lame, and melodramatic.

 

[Scurvy]

The fact that you are threatening to kill the puppy is quite sad and proof that people (the ones that you think are too harsh) maybe underestimated the risk the puppy is in being in your care.

I agree. I feel horrible for the poor puppy at this point. I know the OP said she wasn't coming back if people weren't going to be supportive of her, but I'm sure she's still reading.

OP - I hope you were just exagerating because you are feeling angry and defensive. Given the tone of your original post and the over-the-top nature of your most recent response, I think that your home really isn't the best place for a puppy. I am completely disgusted that anyone would consider killing a helpless animal because they don't want to take the time to train their child to interact properly with animals.

Additionally, all of the behavior you have described you puppy doing is completely normal. What you see as her not being "blameless" is natural puppy behavior. She's playing with your older dogs. If they can put up with a rough child, I'm sure they can deal with a playful puppy. If you intend to keep these animals in your household I strongly urge you to investigate some obedience school just so that you can learn more about appropriate animal behavior and the proper ways to interact with your pets. Otherwise your child is really at risk for much worse than a scratch the next time she is too rough with an animal.

 

[Mono~rail]

Maybe we should take her to a shelter and have her put to sleep. How many people do you know that want a puppy in this economic disaster that we are all living through. That's a great solution but one I am considering due to all of your insenstive and unkind remarks. Maybe we should take a puppy out of a loving home with kind owners who are trying to figure out a way to improve the situation and find a way to make it better. Yes that would probably make you all happy. Maybe that's the solution. Thanks for helping me see come to this conclusion you all have been so helpful.

If you are serious about putting her to sleep, I'm willing to adopt your puppy. I'm sure many people would be willing to adopt it before it came down to being dumped at a shelter and put to sleep.

 

[bumbershoot]

I too see the puppy's behaviour as being frightened and trying to get away from the person who is frightening it.

As a young teen I got a NASTY slice on my heel from our puppy. At first people really freaked out about it. But the reality was, he was playing, he had those needle sharp puppy teeth, I was barefoot...it was really the obvious outcome of that moment, because I wasn't being careful. And if I hadn't pulled my foot up when he first connected with my heel, the scar wouldn't be nearly as big. IT wasn't his fault, he was a puppy and I wasn't being careful.

I'm having a problem with carrying this dog like a baby, too. Then again, a lot of adults carry their tiny dogs like puppies, too, so the kids might very well be copying adults.


As for somehow saying that it's the dog's fault because the dog jumps on the other dog...eh. That's just dog-with-dog behaviour. Dogs have hierarchies in their relationships, and it's obvious that this puppy is THE dog in the house. Sounds like the others understand it. No, not fun to watch. But natural and normal between them, and can't be used "against" the dog.

 

[MushyMushy]

As long as you treat your daughter like a special snowflake, that is how she will act. I can't believe you are trying to pin this on the puppy. Some people should not have pets or children.

A little harsh, but I have to agree with you there.

If one of my kids even DREAMED of dangling a puppy over a railing, they'd be feeling the wrath of mom. Maybe I'm just a mean mother, but an action like that would not be something I'd be sitting down and explaining to them "gently" that it's wrong. And I was never the strictest mother on earth either.

I know another poster had a very good argument for it being fairly normal for that age to not understand, but I've never seen a 5-year old who didn't know the difference between a puppy and a stuffed animal. I agree that it might be wise to talk to a counselor. Even if there's nothing there, what would it hurt?

 

[CherylDan]

Thank you Cheryl Dan for your very compassionate and insightful response. How dare you say I don't care. Who do you think you are. and who made you the expert on this situation. I think it was a mistake to ask for advice from people who know little more about this than I do. My hope was that I would get some support in what I was already doing which is correcting my daughter and teaching her how to handle Shamrock gently and appropriately. Which is what I have been doing. I don't claim to have the situation under control but I am taking steps to make the situarion better but obviously you don't want to hear that. Then you would have no reason to berate me which for some reason you seem to enjoy doing.

Maybe we should take her to a shelter and have her put to sleep. How many people do you know that want a puppy in this economic disaster that we are all living through. That's a great solution but one I am considering due to all of your insenstive and unkind remarks. Maybe we should take a puppy out of a loving home with kind owners who are trying to figure out a way to improve the situation and find a way to make it better. Yes that would probably make you all happy. Maybe that's the solution. Thanks for helping me see come to this conclusion you all have been so helpful.

Let's see...where to start? Who do I think I am? I am an owner of a 7 month old Bichon puppy who is disgusted by the fact that another adult would allow a child to mistreat any animal, let alone another Bichon puppy. And then blame the puppy.

How dare I say you don't care? Because you said as much.

Who made me an expert on this situation? I never claimed to be an expert. I merely formed an opinion based on what you posted, From what I can tell here, my view was pretty much in line with everyone else's. You were offered advice and support throughout this thread. It just didn't seem to be what you wanted to hear.

Maybe you should take the puppy to a shelter and have her put to sleep??? And in the same paragraph you claim that the puppy is in a loving home???? My idea of a loving home is not one that threatens to have a puppy put to sleep. How many people do I know that would want a puppy? A sweet, adorable Bichon puppy? Plenty. Myself included. And, if you live within a reasonable distance from me, I would be happy to pick her up tonight.

Like I said before, for the sake of that puppy, I sincerely do hope that the situation in your household has improved.

 

[Gagirl69]

Sorry about the scratches on your daughters face. Having said that, I agree with the other posters. The puppy is probably trying to get away from your daughter because of mistreatment. I mean, how would you like to be dangled over a railing?!? Poor pup. I think you need to be stricter on your daughter about the pup. At the age of 5, she knows better. You need to let her know that type if behavior will not be tolerated. I hope things turn out well.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

My family is pet oriented. We currently have a dog and a cat.

We got KC (short for Kitty Cat) when DD11 was 3 and she loved the heck out of that cat. She would pick her up and carry her everywhere. The cat would let her but we were the ones to instruct DD that while the cat would let her do things it didn't mean the cat liked them. KC only "scratched" her one time and we let DD know that was the only way KC had of telling her to knock off whatever she was doing. (I put it in quotes because the cat poked her with only one claw when she could've tore her arm off) It didn't take DD but 2 or 3times of being told the appropriate behavior before she fully complied. Today her and KC are inseperable,same as they were on day 1. KC runs down the stairs to greet her at the door when she comes home from school,KC hugs her when she's picked up...yes hugs her...a paw on either side of her neck and her face nuzzled into DD's neck,KC gives DD baths...licks her then rubs her paw over the wet spot...licks her paw and rubs it on DD,DD has a bad day and KC refuses to leave her side and it goes on and on and on.

We got our dog Gus,a Shih Tzu/Dachsund mix,making him a little guy,two years ago. My youngest DD was 5 at the time. And she fell in love with him upon sight. Gus because of his breed has trouble with his legs. They turn inward instead of running straight down. We let all the kids know--We have 5 kids--that Gus,while loving to be held and loved and rubbed also needed to be handled with TLC. Gus was a 1 1/2 yo when we got him and had no training. DD5 took it upon herself to work with him and she jumped into it whole-heartedly and worked her butt off--heck she even taught him to sit with nothing more than a hand signal. Today Gus is an incredible dog. When he had to be at the vets overnight we found DD sleeping in his dog bed.I kid you not and we have the pic to prove it!

Over the summer we had friends staying with us. They have 2 little girls,one celebrated her 4th birthday while here and the youngest is 18 months. Neither one had ever had any close contact with animals because their mom finds them gross. They started out by screaming as they chased them and grab them roughly and the baby would pull their fur when they got close to them. By the time they left (about a month and a half) both girls would sit on the floor and KC and Gus would walk up to them and sit next to them and the girls would pet them and rub their bellies and feed them treats out of their hands.

I guess what I'm trying to get to is that you've had Shamrock at least for about 4 months--this is more than enough time for a 5 year old to have been instructed on the correct behavior in regards to him. You have 2 older dogs who have the ability to get up and move if your DD is rough with them,poor Shamrock is locked in her arms and probably a good 3 feet off the floor.

To come back and say that your only taking other posters advice "with a grain of salt" and then threatening to put the poor guy to sleep is abhorrent. There is a real issue with the dog that is only going to get worse and the worst part is that it isn't the dogs fault.

I think you need to sit down and have a serious discussion with your DD about her behavior letting her know that there are consequences and repurcussions that go far beyond what the dog will do to her. And can I just say that if she dangled me over a railing every time she tried to hold me I'd want to scratch her eyes out also.

Spending more time with your DD to help her get over being jealous of the dog isn't a good idea because it will only reinforce her bad behavior towards the dog because she'll keep doing it to get extra time with you--She needs to be taught that she will get nothing good from her mistreatment.

If you're serious about keeping Shamrock then you need to set up enforced boundaries. If all of the suggestions given aren't acceptable to you then you need to rehome Shamrock to someone who understands the dogs needs and is willing to make his home environment a safe one that he can flourish in.

 

[christiane]

Maybe we should take her to a shelter and have her put to sleep. How many people do you know that want a puppy in this economic disaster that we are all living through. That's a great solution but one I am considering due to all of your insenstive and unkind remarks. Maybe we should take a puppy out of a loving home with kind owners who are trying to figure out a way to improve the situation and find a way to make it better. Yes that would probably make you all happy. Maybe that's the solution. Thanks for helping me see come to this conclusion you all have been so helpful.

I know many people, including me. PM me if you are serious!

You purchased your puppy in this "economic disaster"! And you already have 2 dogs so you know there are financial responsibilities!

First you want to "get rid of" your little pup & now you are willing to euthanize her because your feelings are hurt. I'm not sure if this is your attempt at sarcasm, but do you know how unstable you sound? We have just received great insight into your way of thinking & it might make your daughter's behaviour a little more explainable.

Most of us were genuinely trying to help you. Now we are just dumbfounded...

I have 5 children and not only would they never act the way you describe your daughter does, they would interfere if they ever saw someone else doing it.

 

[JEmaryland]

Sign me up as another animal lover willing to take poor Shamrock off your hands.

 

[honugirl]

I'll take Shamrock too.

Kids and pets can be a great mix when supervised properly. I don't ever remember treating my pets like that, even when I was a kid and I had dogs from the time I came home with my parents.

 

[pixiewings71]

OP, I hope your DD's scratch is better soon, it's never fun to be scratched or snapped at by a dog, no matter how big or small.

If you wish to keep your Bichon please call a trainer (I know an amazing one but she's local to me and I have no clue where you are located so it may not help) and sign up all your dogs and your family for classes. We have 2 dogs, 1 is a 50 lb mix (Germ Shep/Dobie) and a mini Doxie. We had Blue (the mix) first and we added Autumn (our Doxie) just a couple years ago. We did training classes with Blue after we got him and then we did them again after we got Autumn, we took both dogs and the kids to all the classes because we all needed to learn to interact with the dogs. Some of what you described your pup doing are normal dog/dog behaviors, in fact Blue & Autumn play all the time, Autumn is always chasing Blue (which is hilarious as Blue is so much bigger than she is, she's about 9 lbs) and jumping up and biting on him, this is how dogs play. I am a little worried about the food agression tho, that's not a good sign, however a good trainer can help with that. So my biggest suggestion is to please find a trainer and take some classes with your dogs and your children, you might be surprised at how quickly things turn around in a class situation.

And please, if you're serious about putting her down, don't do it, please contact a rescue association that works with Bichon's and ask for their help. Heck, if you can't find one I'd be happy to take your pup in, I also know a few others who would be happy to take her in.

Good luck OP, I hope you are able to resolve the situation quickly and easily and without undue stress to yourself, the other dogs and the pup.