We have recently inherited my late mother in laws two dogs. The larger of which is a cross terrier. He's always been a nervous dog as he was a rescue. But he's always been fine with my wife and I and his owners.
We have two small children, one which is 2 nearly 3 and the other 10 months old just learning to walk. We have kept the dogs and the children apart really because we've been trying to get help in Ramsbottom where we live but the caring dog community there have literally just not helped at all!
This morning the larger dog, with no provocation whatsoever, growled at my eldest and snapped at him, scratching the back of his hand. He had hold of the baby gate to the kitchen and although he does this while we're in the kitchen all the time, this morning the dog clearly didn't like it.
It's worrying because we have small children and while they need to get used to the dogs as much as the dogs need to get used to the kids, we can't have him randomly snapping at them... and we can't even begin to figure out how to stop leaving them in the kitchen while we're home as it's just not fair on the dogs and perhaps one of the reasons behind him snapping this morning!?
We promised my mother in law we'd take them in and we really do want to integrate them to our family but this is a set back that has really worried us. If anyone on here can help with some advice we'd be grateful.
P.S. We have had dogs before, our boxer passed away last summer and she was amazing with our little boy, so gentle for a big dog, we never had any worries with her around him even we he started to crawl and learned to walk and was always making a bee line for her!
We have two small children, one which is 2 nearly 3 and the other 10 months old just learning to walk. We have kept the dogs and the children apart really because we've been trying to get help in Ramsbottom where we live but the caring dog community there have literally just not helped at all!
This morning the larger dog, with no provocation whatsoever, growled at my eldest and snapped at him, scratching the back of his hand. He had hold of the baby gate to the kitchen and although he does this while we're in the kitchen all the time, this morning the dog clearly didn't like it.
It's worrying because we have small children and while they need to get used to the dogs as much as the dogs need to get used to the kids, we can't have him randomly snapping at them... and we can't even begin to figure out how to stop leaving them in the kitchen while we're home as it's just not fair on the dogs and perhaps one of the reasons behind him snapping this morning!?
We promised my mother in law we'd take them in and we really do want to integrate them to our family but this is a set back that has really worried us. If anyone on here can help with some advice we'd be grateful.
P.S. We have had dogs before, our boxer passed away last summer and she was amazing with our little boy, so gentle for a big dog, we never had any worries with her around him even we he started to crawl and learned to walk and was always making a bee line for her!
