Concerned Owners Advise Quora User Against Trusting Dog With Biting History To Be Around Newborn
A Quora user just asked for comfort, but the comments turned into a reality check fast. The original post was basically a promise that the dog would be watched closely, yet multiple owners still weren’t buying it.
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Here’s the messy part: the user is talking about bringing a dog with a biting history around a newborn, and the people responding are saying that even “good” dogs can flip when kids are involved. One commenter straight up mentions having five dogs, including two pit bulls, and still draws a hard line at leaving any dog alone with an infant. Another pushes back on the idea that you can judge safety by cute videos, pointing out how quickly a dog’s mouth can reach a baby’s face and how arthritis or resource tension can change everything.
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And once you’ve seen how fast things can go wrong, “supervised” starts to sound less like reassurance and more like a bet.
Most people wouldn't trust dogs around a newborn, including those that don't have a history of aggression.
I am a long-time dog owner (we currently have five; two are pit bulls). I would not trust a dog that has bitten and attacked another dog.
As a mother and dog lover, I would be cautious with all dogs around my newborn. While the majority of dogs would give their lives for you and your family, I would always be very careful not to leave my infant alone with the dogs.
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A vicious dog cannot be trusted at all.
As so many answers have told you, you should not allow ANY dog unsupervised with a tiny baby. Many people are very clueless about dog body language.
I've seen videos on YouTube that purport to show a dog cutely engaging with a newborn human, tiny kitten, or what have you, when the dog is clearly much too interested in the small, helpless, squeaky creature. Your dog has infinitely faster reflexes than you do and can pounce on and administer a shake designed to break prey’s neck before you could even react.
Dogs don't conceive of the world like you do and can't be expected to understand the consequences of their actions. Even a generally very good-natured dog can be cranky due to something like arthritis and could snap out of character.
Dogs’ mouths are right at child face level, so even a mild snap could cause a serious injury.
Dogs can get into scraps over space, bones, or many other things. I wouldn't use that criterion as a rule of danger of aggression toward humans or babies.
I have a dog, an Akbash (a livestock guardian breed), who has often disciplined other dogs for trespassing on her resources, but she's quite trustworthy around kids. A vicious dog, however, is another matter and shouldn't be trusted at all.
Every interaction will be supervised, according to this user.
I wouldn't trust anybody else's dog around my newborn, much less a dog known for attacking other dogs.
And I would be very, very careful with interactions between my own dogs and my newborn child until I was comfortable that the dogs accepted the baby.
And I would never leave my baby with a person who anthropomorphizes their pets and assigns their dogs magical, mystical qualities (Oh, but Rex knows she's a helpless baby and would never hurt her). Or is quick to create excuses and blame the victim.
A baby having her face torn off because she pulled the dog’s ears is inexcusable. And the blame sits squarely on the shoulders of the pet owner who claimed, “Oh, but Rex knows she's a baby…”
Dogs that get too excited shouldn't be around newborns too much.
It all depends on the relationship that you have with your dog. If the dog is easily excited, you should probably be wary of too much ado in any situation.
Better safe than sorry. That being said, I’ve never had this type of trouble with any of my pets, but I do know some people who have had poor encounters with their children interacting with pets.
A pro trainer's take:
I trained dogs professionally for 20 years. I would trust NO DOG around a new baby.
Small children/infants and pets should be supervised, and you need to be especially vigilant when a new baby is brought in and the dog is not familiar with the sounds and scents it makes, which will demand attention from the humans that might have previously gone to the dog. I have two dogs, but as far as I know, neither has ever been around an infant.
They may or may not be good with one. Dogs can kill little kids, so do not leave a kid alone with one.
Never leave the baby alone with a dog.
I wouldn't trust ANY dog around a newborn, let alone one that's already bitten and attacked another dog.
However well you think you know your dog, you don't know how they might react upon seeing a newborn baby, who seems to them to be getting all your attention now.
Not all dogs become jealous, but you cannot take the risk.
The golden rule is to NEVER leave your baby and dog in the room together while you're not there, not even for a minute.
This reminds me of the online fight over whether to put down a dog after it bit a child.
Even dog lovers wouldn't easily trust a dog around a newborn.
Dog fanatic here. I wouldn’t trust a dog around any newborn, baby, or toddler.
It only takes a millisecond for something to go badly wrong.
A crying infant might trigger a dog's prey drive.
That doesn’t matter, very much at least. What do you mean “trust”?
You NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LEAVE AN INFANT/SMALL CHILD ALONE WITH A DOG! The crying and squirming of an infant can trigger prey drive in ANY dog.
All interactions between small children—I don’t mean 17-year-olds—must be supervised by a responsible adult. Since you asked this question, which any adult with a triple-digit IQ would know the answer to, I don’t think you are responsible enough to have either a child or a dog.
In such a situation, even well-behaved dogs can't be trusted.
I wouldn’t trust a dog of any sort around newborns. There is always an occasion when some set of circumstances don’t conform to expectations…
A user believes that a dog could get jealous of the baby.
Animals can get jealous when attention is shared. Keep the baby away. Hold your baby and let the dog see you do not leave him out. Let him sniff the baby stuff.
Get a professional dog trainer to train the dog so he does not bite other dogs or use a muzzle in the house.
Having a dog with a biting history around a newborn is just too risky.
You would have to be a moron to trust your newborn with ANY dog, period, never mind one that has attacked another dog.
The dog should always be supervised around a newborn.
No, I would keep the dog separate from the newborn unless you are supervising the visitation with the dog and the baby!
Accidents could happen, so it's better to be safe than sorry.
“Hello!” That's the main reason; because you were close to giving birth, that's why your dog bit another dog.
Your dog was protecting you, HIS FAMILY. Yes, you can definitely trust your dog around your infant.
Though that doesn't mean your dog is aware of tiny babies.
You have to observe your dog's behavior around your infant. For example: make sure your dog doesn't roll over on the baby or jump up on the bed without looking first.
Some dogs are more aware and gentle than others. I had a girlfriend whose dog actually tiptoed when the baby was sleeping.
It was the sweetest thing, and it was so funny too! You don't have to worry about your dog biting your infant.
Just make sure your dog senses and knows where the baby is at all times. If you observe your dog not knowing where the baby is, then you need to pay attention to that.
For reasons like stepping on the baby's hand, knocking the baby accidentally off of something, or sitting on the infant, etc…
As your infant grows and becomes a toddler, make sure you are teaching your child how to respect animals, including dogs, and how we treat them.
If you have a baby that constantly hurts, pulls hair, kicks the dog, or throws toys at the dog, these kinds of behaviors can only go on for so long until the dog can't take it anymore.
You should NEVER ALLOW ANY OF THOSE BEHAVIORS FROM YOUR CHILD TO CONTINUE! Now, if your child was doing this, then I would definitely say do not leave your child alone with the dog. The thing is, in these particular situations, the parent ALWAYS blames the dog for hurting or biting the child.
Biting is bad, and the child was hurting the dog every day in some form. So who's to blame?
The parent is at fault! If the parent taught her child to RESPECT the dog, it would have a better ending.
Respect is a two-way street, and dogs too NEED TO BE RESPECTED. Just because they are dogs doesn't mean they don't deserve it.
Plus, dogs understand and know what respect looks like. They actually know how to respect a human better than humans do.
So if you want respect, then you have to be able to show your dog that you respect him or her. Hope everyone gives a little respect; it's a good thing. Take care!
Then someone drops the YouTube argument, calling out those “cute” newborn clips because the dog’s interest can be way too intense long before anyone can react.
By the end, the thread circles back to the same hard conclusion, a vicious dog is not a “maybe,” especially not next to a baby whose face is right at mouth level.
Whether it's a well-behaved dog or a canine with a biting history, parents shouldn't just leave their pet alone with their newborn. It's just too much of a risk.
You can always have the dog bond with your baby, but it should always be supervised. And if the dog gets too excited, it's best to keep it away at all times.
Nobody wants to gamble with a newborn, not when a dog has already shown it can bite.
Wondering how another family handled a child bite, see the debate over keeping or rehoming a dog after biting their kid.
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