BehavioRx Case of the Month
for December 1997

Dogs That Bite Children. Is There Hope?

If ever a behavior problem seems to have a dead-end, it is when the family infant or child gets bitten. Many behavior consultants and most other professionals advise euthanasia when asked by worried owners about a dog that has growled, snarled or bitten a child. To do otherwise is often viewed as legally risky. However, on a case by case basis, once all the facts are known, there is often hope for the dog. But the owner must make the decision as to entering a corrective program and must assume full responsibility for the safety of the youngsters involved.

A Case

The mother of a two-year-old, highly active daughter was distressed when her 3-year old neutered male Chow Chow removed a small section of the child's ear. The baby had pulled the dog's leg while it lay sleeping on the parent's bed with mother, husband, child and 2-month old infant. An older Golden Retriever, spayed bitch, was on the floor at the time. All the 'ear marks' were in place well before the Chow's overt biting, though.

Background:

The mother got the Chow when it was a little more than 3 weeks old, bottle and hand feeding it until weaning. The dog showed signs of over-protectiveness of the mother from 8-10 weeks of age. When the first baby was brought home the Chow tended to avoid contact with it. The Golden, however, showed interest. When the baby started ambulating the Chow would go into a bedroom or bathroom. The Golden allowed the baby every sort of mis-handling liberty, including jumping on her, tail and ear-pulling, eye-gouging, etc. The Chow growled and tried to move away when the child approached. With the new infant's arrival, the mother was unable to supervise adequately and several times the child, now 2 years old, cornered the chow or jumped him while he drowsed or slept. The Chow responded with an angry snap, a couple of times raising a welt on the girl's face. The husband had punished or scolded the Chow for growling. The mother did not, saying it was not the dog's fault. The face-nip occurred when the child jumped the dog while it was sleeping in the bathroom.

Earmarks:

The fact that the parents tolerated the girl's jumping the Golden Retriever indicated a generally permissive parental attitude. However, the inconsistency relative to the Chow was not understood by the youngster, who persisted in her efforts to get at the dog whenever the mother was not paying attention.

A Program and Its History

Child-biting dogs have always proved to be a thorny ethical issue. If a professional consultant advises a remedial program, he or she must specifically place the responsibility for the safety of all concerned with the dog's owners. We have been working with such cases successfully since 1967. In 1988 we published the program called 'Babies, New Pets and Dogs' as a BehavioRx Client Education Brochure. The plan also appears in "Owner's Guide To Better Behavior In Dogs" and "Behavior Problems in Dogs, 2nd Edition" dealing with treatment of established and new Babies or Pets. It has been extremely popular with veterinarians who dispense the brochures. The preventive program also forms the basis for a remedial regime.

Prevention

Most dogs are great score-keepers regarding the amount of time and the quality, or nature, of the attention their owners give them. A dog (or cat, too) that demands and receives petting and attention will be especially sensitive to any lessening in the quantity or quality of attention it gets after the arrival of a new baby, pet or even visitors who may remain for a few hours in the household. To avoid this problem, two actions are necessary.

1. The dog must be asked to perform some simple act, such as "Sit," before it is petted and praised. This has to be performed whenever the dog solicits attention, or whenever the owner(s) get the urge to pet it. (This step is not used with cats.)

2. At least 4 days before the arrival of the newcomer the owner(s) must cut down the amount and intensity of attention paid to the dog (or cat) to a level below that which will be possible after the arrival. In this way the pet will associate the newcomer's arrival with an increase in both the amount and intensity of attention it receives.

Special care should be taken to schedule any play sessions, feeding, etc., so they will not interfere with the schedule of the new baby, puppy, etc. In this way the established pet will not experience and schedule changes.

The Arrival

When the new baby, pup, etc., is brought home the owners should happily fuss over the established pet. If the owners have any reservations about letting the pet investigate the newcomer, they should obey these feelings and place the new arrival in a position where the pet cannot make contact with it, but can gain its scent. Owners must be made aware that if they, themselves, are 'walking on eggs', so will their pet. However, the pet should not be restrained, if possible. Rather, the baby or puppy should be placed in a crib or other enclosure where the pet can see and smell it. In our experience, even with the most fearful owners, these steps have led to a positive primary introduction of the newcomer while establishing confidence in the concerned owners. More intimate contact between the pet and newcomers should be allowed at the owners' discretion.

As Time Goes By

As babies mature and begin crawling and walking, they undergo a transformation that unnerves some dogs. If the dog (seldom a cat) shows any signs of anxiety about it, the owners must apply the Jolly Routine to the dog and show it how to adjust. For instance, if the baby starts to crawl toward the dog and it appears uneasy, the owner should clap once and jolly-talk the dog, moving to its (the dog's) side and then moving away from the infant. This shows the dog how to avoid contact when it does not want it. Later, when the owners and dog are more comfortable, closer, supervised contact can be allowed.

No-Nos

Here are some 'natural' parental responses that have been found to create problems between new babies or puppies and established dogs.

-Rushing over and picking up a child or pup as it approaches the dog. This makes the dog think something is wrong and puts it en-garde when future approaches occur. After enough of this, the dog itself will try to keep the baby or pup away by growling, or even trying to grab the baby or puppy, if the owners are not there to do it. This can also reinforce the baby's approaches to the dog, since it receives the owner's attention by 'bugging' the dog.

-Scolding or punishing the baby or pup when it is approaching or otherwise interacting with the dog. Once again, this primes the dog for independent action if the owners are not around. Scolding, even though aimed at the baby or puppy, tends to be interpreted 'subjectively' by pets. They think they are the target of the owner's anger.

Both of these canine responses are quite 'natural' since they obey allelomimetic principles of behavior and learning. However, most owners jump to the conclusion that their dog is 'jealous', or a 'dangerous animal'. Often this leads to scolding, physical punishment and/or social isolation for the dog, which only induces more negative associations between the dog and the newcomer. Result; the dog's anxiety about the baby will heighten and its efforts to keep the child at bay will reflect increased physical intensity, sometimes even biting.

Do's

-Just as a humane cat or dog owner will hang a bell on the pet to warn birds and other natural prey animals of their presence, we have had great success with owners who will place a 'belled' anklet or bracelet on the child or puppy. This helps to assure the dog will be aroused from sleep or a drowsy state is the newcomer approaches.

-Make a 'tattle-tale' out of the dog by showing how to get away from the baby or puppy, as described earlier. It is quite interesting to note how many dogs soon start seeking out the owner when the baby or pup approaches and the owner is not present!

When The Bite Has Already Occurred

During the fact-finding phase in hundreds of interviews spanning 25 years, the 'no-no's' mentioned earlier are almost always present. Many parents violate them and do not have bitten babies, but these usually involve dogs with 'passive defense reflexes'. Pets with either of the two active expressions of defense reflexes (flight or fight) will usually initiate some sort of defensive action to avoid contact. This, of course, is when the bite finally erupts.

While we cannot ignore the explanation that the dogs perceive the baby or puppy as a 'sibling' and will behave as they might toward a litter-mate, we have not found this to be a deciding factor in baby-biters.

Steps To Rehabilitation

1. The owners must make sure the baby and dog are never left in a position where the child can get at the dog and vice versa.

2. The dog must be put on the learn-to-earn (no free lunch) praise and petting program until the dog is eagerly sitting for its pets and praise. If the dog is an independent type, it must be ignored except for feeding and other necessary care until it starts to seek attention. Then the 'earned pets' program is started.

3. The owners should continue step 2 until the dog starts wagging its tail when they tell it "Good dog." Then, the Jolly Routine (starting with the single hand-clap and then "Good Dogs") can be instituted in controlled set-ups until the dog spontaneously wags its tail when the baby appears, before the hand-clap and 'jollies' begin. At this stage the dog has started to 'internalize' the up-beat emotions first induced by the owners' Jolly Routines. When the dog's happy responses to the child persist over several days and in varying situations, most owners start to gain confidence and allow closer contact between them.

4. As mentioned earlier, the owners must make sure that they are always in a position to control the child and the dog, during every phase of the correction program. Owners in our experience readily recognize that they are the only ones who can realistically interpret their dog's moods and predict their actions and, thus, they invariably accept, and express, responsibility for their remedial programs.

Food Rewards?

We do not include tidbit rewards as part of this program because of the danger that owners may use them as a substitute for establishing a positive emotional leadership role with the dog, which is gained through the 'earned praise and petting' and Jolly Routines. Tidbits, while a potent reinforcing agent, do not reliably induce a positive emotional association between the baby and the dog.

Further, as the child matures and begins dropping food while eating, problems can occur if the child tries to retrieve a crumb, etc. The Chow case took nine weeks to resolve with this plan. The parents also succeeded in teaching their daughter to respect the Golden Retriever's need for personal space.

Previous Cases

November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996

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