Granddad and Rufus

Visiting Granddad and Rufus

Many dog bite injuries to children occur at home, in the backyard or in the home of a neighbour, friend or family member. Kaye Hargreaves was recently asked by Glenda, a new mother, how to go about taking her baby to visit the home of relatives who have a dog.

Glenda’s father, now in active early retirement, has a feisty little terrier, Rufus, who is his constant companion. Glenda was concerned about how Rufus would receive the new baby.  Highly dominant, possessive or jealous dogs - while rare - are a high risk. On hearing more about Rufus, I thought Glenda would have to draw upon her reserves of tact and diplomacy when she took baby to visit Grandad.

Dogs usually give some warning of their tendency to bite. I asked Glenda how Rufus measured up on some of the warning signs :
Previous behaviour : many dogs that bite have bitten, growled or snapped before. A growl should be regarded as a bite that hasn’t happened yet.

Glenda’s father insists that Rufus would never dream of biting. “Rufus loves being patted”, he insists. This is true, but Glenda had noticed that Rufus demands attention when he wants it, but is stand-offish when she wants to pat him. He is particularly hassly when she gives her dad a hug.

Starting at least a week before the visit, Rufus was asked to sit before receiving any attention or patting. With this one simple change in his routine, Rufus will start to earn his attention rather than getting it for free or as a result of being bossy.
Possessiveness : a dog that is possessive about toys, food or a favorite bed or chair could start defending its food or toys, especially when approached by a child. 

Rufus plays keepings off with his toys, and darts under a chair with his squeaky chop after winning possession. His favorite game is to demand that you throw the ball, then grab the it and jump around out of reach when you try to pick it up and throw it.

With Grandad’s co-operation, we taught Rufus to fetch and give the ball back.  Toys were no longer to be left lying around, but were used in short play-training sessions. Rufus would sit on command and be rewarded by a throw of the ball.
Fearfulness : a dog that is resentful or frightened of being handled may bite to defend itself when it feels threatened by being approached.  Any approach can be seen as frightening, threatening or challenging, especially if the dog is cornered, grabbed by the collar or restrained, including by hugging.

Rufus is not normally fearful with people he knows, but dogs are emotional  animals. They reflect and magnify your feelings. If Glenda and her father are nervous and tense, Rufus will learn to feel that way too. I suggested that they  create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for the first meeting to build up pleasant association in his mind with the baby’s existence.

Unruliness : many owners are bitten while attempting to restrain an excitable, unruly dog around other dogs, visitors or passers-by. Without restraint, the dog is likely to jump on visitors, or chase and nip children playing in the  backyard. Jumping up and unruliness can be a problem, even without aggression.

As Glenda’s dad has trouble controlling Rufus when visitors come, I suggested that before the first visit he should teach Rufus to sit at the front door and have two or three sessions a day of teaching Rufus to lie quietly at his feet, on lead if necessary.

On the day of the first visit, they all went into the garden. While Rufus fetched the ball for Glenda, Grandad held the baby for the first time. Then they came inside and sat down.  Glenda held the baby, while Grandad praised Rufus and gave him some pleasant attention, followed by telling him to lie down. They were able to relax but ensure that Rufus was under control. If they had acted tense when Rufus and baby were together, but relaxed when the baby was not around, Rufus may have become hostile.

The first meeting had gone well, but I cautioned Glenda to supervise all future interactions between Rufus and the baby. It is risky to put a baby down on the floor or ground with a dog around. This lowers the baby’s status, and makes it more likely that the dog will want to investigate sound and movement at its level.

With more understanding of dog behaviour, you can feel more confident about offering your children the benefits of dog ownership - companionship, protection and the chance to learn how to be responsible for a pet.

© Kaye Hargreaves 2008, may be reproduced with acknowledgement; www.kayehargeaves.com