Beagle snapped at one year-old daughter

Question
Hi,

About 8 months ago we adopted a 4 year-old beagle. Overall, she is a good dog. She has her antics and stubborness around food. We have been tolerating it. However, last week while I was making dinner and she was at my feet waiting for food to drop, she snapped at my one year-old and got her on the cheek. She did not break the skin, but left a few scratches and a small bruise. My daughter was only near her for a few seconds tops. I'm not sure what my daughter did to the dog but I am sure the dog felt like she was a threat to the opportunity of getting food. The other concern is that she growls at my little girl when she gets the dog's face.

Does this warrant a big concern? Do you think it would be better for her to be in a home without small children? We are torn as to what to do.

Please respond quickly. We need to make a decision ASAP.

Thanks,
Amber

Answer
Hi Amber, thanks for writing to me. So yes, this is a big concern, but not maybe as you think. Your dog has been ALLOWED to develop this type of behavior. She may have come with food aggressive behavior but she has been ALLOWED to continue it...you said you have been "tolerating it" which means you have perpetuated it.... so the bad part of this is that it can and most likely will progress and your daughter may get more seriously bit, the good part is that it is changable and hopefully you will do the right thing and not get rid of the dog instead get it taken care of with training.

In the wild dogs are in a pack and there is a ranking. The ALPHA (which should be you) makes the decision on who eats first and who gets what. When there is no ALPHA it becomes a free for all, no one knows who is in charge and this makes for anxious and skittish animals. Someone will step up if needed because in a dog's world SOMEONE HAS TO BE IN CHARGE. So the bottom line is that your dog is in a higher ranking than your child and yes she feels threatened by her that she may get the food first. It is also possible that the dog has had issues from before where food was scarce, one never knows with a rescue what has gone on before, but most likely she was just never taught any different.

Another concern I have is that you said the dog growls at your daughter when she gets the dog's face... not to be rude, but why the heck does your one year old have access to getting her face to begin with? Most likley your daughter is crawling but she, just like the dog, must be trained to leave the dog alone. Think about how it would feel to be the dog with a little creature coming up and grabbing you and pinching you or getting in your personal space. The only thing a dog has to warn things off is growling, which is the equivalent of saying "Get out of my face and my space". After that the only defense a dog has is to bite, they don't have hands to push someone away and they figure, Hey I already warned you! Your dog and your daughter sitting at your feet in the kitchen while you make dinner? You might as well just serve up your baby for dinner with the current circumstances....something is bound to happen and since your baby is less capable guess who will make the move?

So all that being sad, what to do? Beagles are loving and are know to be great family dogs but lack of training or the wrong training can turn ANY dog into a badly behaved dog or even a vicious one. My suggestion, since it would be impossible for me to explain in an email how to achieve all this is to immediately call a trainer who has experience in food aggression. You need to get them to come over for a few visits ASAP to get things on the right track. They will also need to teach you how to become the ALPHA. This is a completely repairable situation if you are willing to invest the time and the money. In the meantime, the dog should not be allowed in the kitchen when you are cooking, gate it off and put the baby on the floor in there if you want but don't put them in there together. As well, keep the baby away from the dog and allow the dog to feel safe while keeping your daughter safe. The way things are going is not the way to introduce a baby to a dog, the trainer can help with that as well.

I totally get that your baby's safety is number one priority but PLEASE don't make the dog pay for lack of training or not knowing any better and giving it away, it is our jobs as the humans who domesticate them to teach them the appropriate behaviors.