Most of us see our pets as part of our family – we treat them as such and assume they will be loving and gentle with each family member. So when your pet snaps at a baby or small child, it can seem to come out of the blue and be so uncharacteristic of their normal behavior.
This is a big deal and shouldn’t be taken lightly – there are changes that will need to be made in the environment and in the behaviors you have around your pet. Let’s get straight into it!
It’s important to understand that just because your dog snapped or growled at your child does not mean they are “bad” dogs. Snapping and growling are very normal behaviors and they are how your dog communicates that they are not happy with what’s going on around them. It doesn’t automatically indicate that your dog is aggressive or skittish – they are simply trying to express how they are feeling.
While these fits of aggression can seem unprovoked, there are almost always underlying causes and warning signs that precede a snap.
Babies and small children can be very rough with a dog without even realizing it – pulling their hair, pushing into them and making lots of strange noises at unpredictable intervals – things that can easily set your dog on edge. Additionally, children haven’t built up the trust that many adults have with their dogs.
Activities such as feeding a dog, taking them for walks, playing and just being around them work to build up trust between an adult and their dog, something that many children have yet to do. Additionally, if a dog also hasn’t been around many children they can feel very foreign to your pet and they might be unsure of how to handle the situation.
What to Do Immediately After
The very first thing you need to do after a snap is separate your dog and your baby. Even the nicest dog can be pushed to where they will snap or growl at someone, so it’s vitally important to always supervise whenever a dog and baby or small child are together.
Put your dog in a crate or in another room behind a baby gate to ensure they stay separate for awhile. It would be wise to be careful while you are doing this – your dog is going to be pretty riled up and you don’t want to suffer a bite yourself.
After the baby and dog are separate, it’s time to assess the damage. Check your child and see if they actually suffered a bite – many times your dog was just snapping and didn’t actually bite down with their teeth.
If there is a puncture wound, you will need to seek medical attention immediately. They will assess the damage, clean the wound and suture it up if needed. Bites can often become infected, so the doctor will prescribe some antibiotics and give you instructions on how to continue caring for the wound at home.
Next it is important to not confront or scold your dog for this behavior, even though it may seem a bit counterintuitive. Remember that when your dog growls or snaps, they are trying to warn others they are uncomfortable and they want the offending behavior to stop.
If you were to punish them at this point, your dog would take it as being punished for trying to warn others they were uncomfortable. This can confuse and frustrate your dog and they may go straight to attacking next time without any kind of warning signs.
Take Your Dog To The Vet to Rule Out Any Pain Points
Now this will obviously be a very sensitive time for your family and your pet, as this is a very scary moment and something you will never want to happen again. Let’s take the steps now to prevent this in the future.
First things first, it’s always good to rule out soreness, injury, sickness etc., especially in an older pet. Take your dog to the vet and explain to them what happened, they will do a thorough checkup to see if there are any injuries or pain points your dog might be experiencing. It could be that your child accidentally touched a painful area and the snapping was reflexive in nature.
What to Do Next
After assessing any potential injuries and getting them taken care of, it’s time to reassess the environment and make some changes to prevent this from happening again.
Always have a barrier in between dog and child
It would be a good practice at this point to ensure there is always a barrier in between your dog and child to prevent this from happening in the future. Use a gate, crate, or put your dog outside or in another room when your baby is around.
You can also use a muzzle on your dog when they are interacting with your baby to make sure no one gets bit. Hopefully, overtime your dog will start to get more comfortable with your baby and you can slowly reintroduce them to each other.
Always supervise when baby and dog are in the same room
Next, you will need to be vigilant and constantly supervise whenever your child and dog are interacting. This means always watching your pets and baby when they are in the same room, so no getting distracted by another task! You can bring in your spouse or another older child to help watch if you need to get something done.
Learn how to read your dog’s body language
While you are watching, make sure to keep an eye out for warning signs in your dog’s body language that they often display before snapping or biting. Dogs don’t want to get violent and will show they are uncomfortable and want to be left alone before the situation escalates.
Don’t know what to look out for? No worries, we’ve got you covered!
If your dog starts displaying these signs, it’s time to either remove them or your baby from the area and let the situation defuse before returning:
- A dog that is raising or licking their lips
- Yawning
- Growling or showing / snapping their teeth means a bite could be imminent
- Freezing in place or becoming stiff is a sign that the dog feels threatened
- Raised fur
- Seeing the whites of a dog’s eyes
- High raised tail, slowly wagging while the body remains stiff
- If your dog is avoiding eye contact and showing some of the above behaviors, that can also indicate your dog is uncomfortable
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Having More Issues With Your Dog Interacting with Others?
Training your dog might be one of the best investments for you and your dog’s life. It will build up your pet’s confidence and create a stronger bond between you two. Training can also increase safety as your dog is more likely to listen to your commands and potentially dangerous situations can be snuffed out before they begin.
Place and leave commands can be especially helpful in contentious scenarios and are a great way to defuse any threatening situation.
If you are looking for a local trainer, ensure they are certified and able to have sessions continuously for at least a few weeks to a few months to solidify what your pet is learning.
Another option is an online trainer, with videos that you can access anywhere and a strong community to help Personal situations. We have found Doggy Dan to have a very strong dog training program, with every lesson available online.
Time To Start a Management Plan
Let’s start a management plan to reintroduce your child to your dog and set up a successful environment to ensure this never happens again.
As discussed above, always supervise whenever your pet and child are in the same room together and look out for the aggravated body language clues that were discussed above. If you see your dog start to exhibit these behaviors, separate the two immediately!
Next, we will try some strategies to desensitize your dog to your baby and learn to associate them with positive rewards.
Get your dog used to seeing your child
Slowly get your dog used to seeing your child. Slowly is the key word here – start at a distance so you don’t overwhelm your dog and to prevent any problems. Keep note of how your dog is reacting and see if you notice any of the negative body language traits noted above. Don’t rush this step even if you are eager for the outcome – it will be worth it in the long run!
Counter Conditioning Strategy
Here is a strategy you could try that we’ve seen some success with with other owners. Try holding your baby every single time you give your pet a treat or feed them. This will create the association in their mind between your baby and the treats they are receiving.
Your pet will start to associate your child with being in charge of the food! You will have to be consistent for this to work, so even if your baby is napping and it is around your dog’s normal feeding time, wait until your baby is awake before you feed your pet.
If all goes well, within some time your dog will be happy to see your baby as they know a treat is coming!
Final Thoughts
Having a pet that snaps at your baby seemingly unprovoked can be quite scary and needs to be handled immediately to prevent any more serious problems. Learning a dog’s body language and their warning signs, making changes to the environment and using counter conditioning strategies can be quite helpful in mitigating this behavior.
If you are still unsure, please speak to your vet or a trainer to get professional assistance on this serious matter. Thank you for reading and we hope you learned something new and helpful from this article.
