Well the problem is , is that our dog, is getting growly around other children who come over, and has growled at our kids. He is a black lab and for some reason, when other kids that he does not know come over he takes one look at them and growls. Ever since he started this, if a child is here, he is out side, and if the kids are outside he is in. My daughters can be petting him, and he is wagging his tail, and looks happy then he will growl, which is strange, my dh sister says oh he is just saying hello, but I think she is wrong. Dh and I are discussing putting him down, he is 7 years old now, is that old for a dog? he does have grey hair, but it does not seem like we have had him all that long. My parents say put him down before something happens, and we are in agreement, but it is so dam hard. Our kids adore him, and when we moved to the city we did not think it was fair for him, as their was not much room, we gave him away and he ended up running away we went to find him and he was hiding in the bush and when he heard our truck he came running out and was shaking he was so excited to see us. But it is better we do something now about it, before something bad happens. Now to tell the girls

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 06:02 am:

Let me ask my son, who worked at the School of Vet at the Univ. of PA and still works with animals. It may be that this is not a growl, but a growl-sound. I know Scott's dog, who is an absolute sweetheart, will sometimes make a sound that comes out sounding like a growl but isn't, when she wants attention or thinks it is time to get fed or go out. If nothing happens, after a while she will bark, but this in her throat growl sound is the first communication.

7 is really getting on there for labs, and you may well be right, but let me check, and do talk to your vet. This is such a hard decision, and your kids (as well as you and dh) will be devastated, so it wouldn't hurt to take a few days to check things out.

By Jackie on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 07:52 am:

Well here is my 2 cents. Putting him down is the easy way out.. It may be for the fact that he is getting older. But, maybe he just needs to go to a family with no children. Sometimes dogs do get grumpy as they age. 7 yrs old is NOT that old. Granted in bigger dogs they dont live is long as other dogs.
Im talking from experience. Ive had dogs all of my life. Right now I own 2 dogs. One dog is a black lab mix who is about 70 pounds. She just turned 9yrs old, and has never growled at anybody her whole life. Ok, I lied, if another dog tries to eat her dogfood, she does growl, but thats about the only time I hear that dog growl.
I always have been watching other peoples dogs in my house (for a petsitting service)for over 8 yrs. I know some of the older dogs can get a little "grumpy" with my 4 yr old, if she is in their face.
Its your dog, you have to do whats right for your family. Of course nobody wants a dog biting their children.
But, if you put your dog down just for that reason, its a poor excuse.

By Jackie on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 07:53 am:

Oops wanted to add,it would make more sense to give the dog away, then to just kill it.

By Sue3 on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 08:05 am:

What a hard decision . Have you discussed any of this with your vet?
Maybe he or she would have an explanation.
7 does not seem old to me either.

By Trisa on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 08:35 am:

I hope you dont have to put him down.
You could always try to give him away but I once worked in a shelter and the larger dogs were very hard to place in another home. Good luck. I know how hard this is. When you have a dog its such a part of the family.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 09:34 am:

Scott says: is the dog raising its hackles (hair on the back of the neck and back), laying its ears back, raising the lips to show teeth or gums? If so, you may have a problem, as these are hostile signs. If the ears are up, the mouth open and tongue maybe lolling out but not baring teeth or gums, these are friendly signs

He also suggests, since 7 is just middle-age for labs, that you take the dog to the vet and have him checked for any painful spots, arthritis, etc. It may be that there is something wrong that you can't see, and the dog is indicating it wants to not play vigorously but just be petted and/or left alone.

Maybe the dog needs to be in another room when strangers come in, and meet them gradually, one at a time, so that they are not strangers. How old are your kids and their friends? Are they noise, quick moving, likely to play a bit roughly with the dog?

These are all things Scott suggests you observe and consider. He also suggests you tell your kids that maybe the dog is not feeling really well right now and that it would be a good idea to be gentle with the dog and not have their friends play with the dog for a while.

In the end, if you believe the dog is a risk, I would either contact a Labrador rescue group or try to find a shelter that does not put animals to sleep unless they are hopeless but really tries to find good homes for them (not the SPCA or county dog pound) and, if you have no other option, then talk to the vet about having the dog put to sleep. Certainly you don't want to risk your child or another child being bitten, and that is really the bottom line.

By Mrse on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 12:02 pm:

Well, my kids are 17, 15, 12, and no one really "plays" with him since he started all this. If a child enters the house, he kind of grouches down slightly and hair goes up a bit and he growls. When my daughter was petting him the other day, he was loving it, tail wagging etc then he growled.
I don't feel that putting him down because he is getting grumpy is a poor excuse, because the way I see it, if we did give him away to a family with no kids, and thier just happen to be a child come into their yard, or another relative of the person who took him, came to visit, and the dog bit a child, I would be sick. He also does this to adults, myself a few times ( I was giving him a hug). I think in the mean time, I am going to see if their is some sort of head gear I can get for him, so their is no chance of him biting anyone. I think I would be more irrisponsible, if I did not do anything. OH ginny, my youngest dh told me when her friend was coming in the front gate with her bike he went at her with the hair up and the teeth showing. When we first noticed the attitude change was when we moved to town, smaller yard, and my youngest dd, and friends were running around the yard playing tag, he ( the dog) started running around with the confustion, and growling at that point.
My parents had a collie Lassie was her name, she was so gentle, but when she got older same thing happened, and she actually went after my dad and would not let him in the house, she just did not recognize my dad anymore. They put her down, which was the best thing in that situation, sad but it had to be done. I think their is a difference between being grumpy, and being dangerous, and I think we are right on the fence. We will take him to the vet , to see what he thinks about the whole thing, thanks for the advice, I will keep it in mind.

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 01:01 pm:

The last time I had book discussion at my house, I put Honey in my bedroom when the non-dog people came to the house. Honey is very "in-your-face" when people come because she wants to be sniffing them. They are a bit put-off by this, so I thought it would be better for them to get in the house and then let Honey out of the bedroom.

It worked magnificently. She didn't even acknowledge their presence in our house. She just found a rawhide bone and laid down to start chewing it. I couldn't believe it. No barking or anything. So, I will do that the next time it is my turn to have books.

By Boxzgrl on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 01:34 pm:

Ditto Jackie, I agree all the way. But then again I dont know your situation Mrse so I wont be quick to judge.

Just make sure that if it comes to him being put down that you have tried everything. Vet visits to make sure its nothing medical, TRAINING!! I worked at a vet and i'll tell you it works wonders. If you have tried everything and nothing works then what more could I defend your dog about? I would just feel good knowing that putting him down was the absolute last resort.

It seems like by your 1st post that maybe having him put down was your first resort which is maybe why Jackie took it that way too.

Regardless, good luck and keep us updated. Labradors are one of the best breeds and family oriented so I think theres a good chance of fixing the problem

By Bea on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 03:42 pm:

I'll bet this guy is getting some arthritis. Labs are prone to it, and to hip displasia problems. It could be that one of the kids has hurt him un knowingly, and he's now afraid. That would also account for the happy being petted, and suddenly growling. If someone hits a sore spot he growls. I think he needs to be seen by a vet and get some medication for his pain. Or at least find out if pain is causing his behavior. Even humans will smack your hand away if you hurt them. This shouldn't be a reason to kill a family pet.

By Newbabysarah on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 05:52 pm:

I agree with Bea on this one. It seems reasonable to me that if the dog has never shown signs of aggresion before then maybe he has been injured without it being obvious. He may be frightened around strangers and I think Dawns advice is good...to put him in another room when strangers enter your home. I just think every dog deserves a chance for life and it would be a shame to put him down if it's something that can be remedied.jmho.

By Yjja123 on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 08:23 pm:

I wish I lived near you. I would take your dog in a heartbeat. My Chow started acting "grouchy" in her olden years and we learned that she is suffering from arthritis. She does not bite but will growl if anyone is being too rough with her. That lets us know she is hurting. After-all animals have no other way of communicating they are in pain.
PLEASE please please have your vet look over your dog before you make any rash decision. There are several animal rescue areas that will likely take the dog off your hands if you decide it will not work out any longer for your family.

By Juliem on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 08:41 pm:

Hello. I am such a dog person. I have three dogs all under the age of one, two Scottish Terriers and a Boxer, so of course I believe putting him down would definitely be a last resort. My previous dog, another Scottie, had to be put down at 13 years old. It was a horrible experience for the entire family. She also had arthritic problems her entire life, and also didn't like children. I was always very careful just to keep her away from children, and she never bit one. She was 11 years old when my daughter was born and I had to keep them separated also, but it worked out. You might try giving him glucosamine. That seemed to help my dog, that is if you find out he is having some pain. You also might try buying a large crate to keep him in at times when children are around. Your children seem to be old enough to understand to leave him alone. That's just my two cents. I can also understand your feelings, too. But coming from a huge dog lover, putting him to sleep just seems a little harsh to me.

By Annie2 on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 10:38 pm:

Make sure you cover all bases before doing something so drastic.
Have him checked by the vet. He could have the fore-mentioned ailments, an ear infection, etc. Maybe he needs some special training.
I went through something similar with our German Shepard last spring. I was NOT comfortable with him around anyone outside of the family. I couldn't live that way. I was worried a child would open the door to the house without knocking and surprise him, I was worried my kids would open the door for someone and he would be surprised by someone standing on the other side of the door, etc. I was not going to live that way. It was too draining on me.
I took him for one-on-one training, had him fixed and kept him segrated until I felt comfortable that he could be around other people.
I am rambling...just make sure you consider ever option before you put him to sleep.
You do have a reason for concern. He shouldn't be growling around kids. Try to found out why he has started doing this.
Good luck and keep us posted