nipping at my grandson while hes sitting down

Question
Hello,
My dog nipped at my 11 mth. old grandson while he was sitting on the floor. This has happened with other small children under 5. For no reason she has jumped up and tried to nip. She is 7 years old , so I thought she would get better with age. She was a stray that we took in when she was 6 mths old, has been a wonderful dog, except for the nipping at children. We sit on a fenced acre so she has plenty of running room. Can you help? My grandson will be moving in with us soon and I dont want to take the chance that she may hurt him.  Thanks so much, Deb

Answer
Hello Debbie,

I'm sorry to hear about your grandson.  I believe you should never put this dog in the same room with your grandson again.  You need to set boundaries for this dog.  Getting near the baby is off limits.  She has proven that she cannot be trusted.

Definately do not allow the dog to be unattended with children or come within a certain distance from children when they are around.  You must take control of your dog.

If you need help with techniques in training your dog to respect you and other people, then by all means, get some help.  See my BorderCollieCoach.com website for over-the-phone training.

Thank you for your question.

Ann Jordan
Border Collie Coach