[dr.jaimie]

I thought Parker didn't have a mean bone in his body until xmas eve came along. my husband's 8yr old cousin had been carrying parker all over the house...kinda smothering him w/ love. i didn't tell her to put him down b/c i figured it was good for him to be socialized around kids. well she picked him up one last time and must have hurt him (he's pretty sensitive) and he snapped and bit her in the face.

she wasn't hurt, just a little red...more scared than anything. i quickly took parker away and asked her if she was ok. i didn't fuss at parker (i know i probably should have) i was in shock. he has never done n e thing to show aggressiveness before. this child is a little heathen...the reason i never want to have kids. my FIL thought she got what she deserved, and even told me I should give parker a treat. but i do feel bad even if she is the spawn of satan(she is the type of child that tells her grandmother to shut up, and makes grossed out faces as her mother is hugging her). so what should I have done in this situation, and what can I do in the future? Please help before my angel permanently becomes a little devil!

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

Aww, he probably was just protecting himself...he thought girl, enough is enough, haha.

 

[ButterCloudandNoriko]

Put a cross around Parker's neck! LOL

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Yeah, sounds like Brink when he has had enough of my kids lovin him too...I have to remind them often that he is not a baby doll, nor a sumo wrestler

I would bite them too if I was him sometimes. LOL
Anyway-I do understand your concern, but if Parker is not used to being around kids, he probably did better than expected under the circumstances. I wouldn't let it bother you...maybe just watch out next time and limit her smothering time. I am sure it will not be a big problem.

 

[Sylphide and Shrek's Mom]

Parker probably felt that his life was threatened by this "strange little wild person" who was toting him around and squeezing him too tight. I don't really think it's fair for us to expect our babies to be comfortable with kids when they aren't used to them (Sylphide is hardly ever around kids...gosh, I don't think we've even had one in our home since we've had her. All my son's friends are in their late teens).

I'd just not let kids pick him up and only let them pet him when you are holding him.

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[kodie]

Thats why most breeders do not sell their dogs to familys with children... they are toooooooooo rough and mean! Hope Parker is okay!

 

[Ladysmom]

Originally posted by Kodie@Dec 28 2004, 08:57 AM
Thats why most breeders do not sell their dogs to familys with children... they are toooooooooo rough and mean!  Hope Parker is okay!

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Exactly. Maltese are too small and delicate to be handled unsupervised by children. I'm sure Parker was probably terrified and was just protecting himself. The best place for a Maltese during a holiday party is safely in his crate or shut in an off limits bedroom. As the hostess, you are too busy to keep a watchful eye on him.

Lucky the child wasn't hurt or the parents didn't make a big fuss. Dogs are always considered the guilty ones in a biting situation even when they were provoked. And yes, those little teeth can do some damage to a child's face. A friend's newly rescued Maltese got mad when her husband rolled into "her" space in their bed and bit him in the face. He needed stitches.

To socialize any dog to children, never leave them alone. They need to be carefully supervised so that it is a positive experience. Quite likely Parker will be understandably leery of children in the future after this.

 

[suzanne]

whenever canaille is around children, i have a 'meeting' with them first. i explain how fragile and delicate canaille is and how she does not tolerate loud noises, does not like her paws touched or being picked up. i tell them to pet her under the chin rather than on top of her head and to leave her tail alone. i speak to them as adults and ask them to be responsible and sensitive to this little baby. so far, they have never disappointed me, au contraire. they put a cushion underneath her and watch each other so no one injures the little dog.
children can be educated if given the chance.

 

[Maxismom]

Originally posted by LadyMontava@Dec 27 2004, 11:26 PM

I thought Parker didn't have a mean bone in his body until xmas eve came along.  my husband's 8yr old cousin had been carrying parker all over the house...kinda smothering him w/ love.  i didn't tell her to put him down b/c i figured it was good for him to be socialized around kids.  well  she picked him up one last time and must have hurt him (he's pretty sensitive) and he snapped and bit her in the face.

she wasn't hurt, just a little red...more scared than anything.  i quickly took parker away and asked her if she was ok.  i didn't fuss at parker (i know i probably should have) i was in shock.  he has never done n e thing to show aggressiveness before. this child is a little heathen...the reason i never want to have kids.  my FIL thought she got what she deserved, and even told me I should give parker a treat.  but i do feel bad even if she is the spawn of satan(she is the type of child that tells her grandmother to shut up, and makes grossed out faces as her mother is hugging her).  so what should I have done in this situation, and what can I do in the future?  Please help before my angel permanently becomes a little devil! 

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something like that happened to my friends uncle with her little toy poodle he bit him it was the way he went to grab his face to kiss him diggy got scared
people have to understand that when you dont handle these babies the proper way thats the only way they can express themselves
i went to a party on sunday and i didnt bring maxi they all wanted me to bring him reason was that there were too many kids there and the last time one of those kids pulled on maxis tail not going to subject my baby to that kind of behavior
in the end our babies get blamed and that doesnt wash with me if you mis handle maxi than he will come back at you so i rather avoid the situation

 

[saltymalty]

I have to say that people are idiots when it comes to small dogs. Sorry to be so blunt, but my BIL's girlfriend was holding our puppy on Christmas day...well, to make a long story short, she almost dropped her twice onto my tiled kitchen floor. I took the poor thing away from the nasty woman and told her that she couldn't hold the puppy any more. My BIL threw a fit. He thought I was being insensetive toward his girlfriend. He was right...I was so worried that she was going to injure our precious little puppy. I really don't care if she was ofended...she had no clue how to properly hold her, nor did she pay any attention when I tried to show her how to do it. She's really lucky Valletta didn't bite her nose off because she kept trying to smush the dog into her face to kiss her. And now his girlfriend is begging my BIL to get her a puppy just like ours. Lord help the poor creature if she does get one.

 

[Ladysmom]

I am terrified of dropping also. Years ago a friend of mine had a playmate viisting her 8 year old daughter and they were playing unsupervised with the new puppy. The little friend dropped the puppy and broke it's back. The poor thing had to be put to sleep.

I'd scream at any idiot holding Lady wrong, too.

 

[jami]

I would just watch your little one around children. Lacey is not around children at all. When I take her out the kids in the neighborhood just want to love poor Lacey to death. I have had to take Lacey from some of them. Now when I see certain kids (aka...devils, brats) I pick Lacey up. I don't let them have the chance to get to her. There are some kids that when they are around Lacey she shakes. I figure she is telling me something...like mom don't let these little brats near me! Some kids she is alright with, but I figure she isn't use to kids and it is my job to protect her.

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by LadysMom@Dec 28 2004, 02:06 PM
I am terrified of dropping also. Years ago a friend of mine had a playmate viisting her 8 year old daughter and they were playing unsupervised with the new puppy. The little friend dropped the puppy and broke it's back. The poor thing had to be put to sleep.

I'd scream at any idiot holding Lady wrong, too.
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I won't let anyone hold mine unless the person is sitting on the floor.

One time I had Catcher at work to show him off when I first got him and our freelance artist happened to come in to my office with her 3-year-old daughter. I thought it was so neat that she reminded her daughter to watch where she was walking and when the child wanted to hold Catcher she reminded her to sit on the floor in order to do so. Her in-laws have two Dachshunds so I guess that is how she knows how to handle small dogs... it's refreshing to be around someone who is educated in that regard.

 

[Ladysmom]

From the Bhei Jei Maltese website:

Not A Playmate For Small Children

Maltese are definitely entertaining little characters and with their love of people and small size many children are naturally drawn to them. While they may look like a stuffed toy they are not. Maltese can break -- if you have children that wish a dog to ruff house with, to roll and play with on the floor you may wish to consider a different breed. Because of their delicate bone structure they can easily break bones falling off chairs, tables and when caught in the middle of pile of overly zealous children. Many reputable Maltese breeders will not sell puppies to families with children under six or seven years of age.

 

[jmm]

You are just lucky Parker is okay. Children under 10 should not be carrying small dogs and older children should only carry a dog when under direct adult supervision and not carrying them to play. If the child wants to interact with the dog, they need to sit still on the floor.

For Parker's safety, keep him by you or out of the way in his crate when children and lots of guests are around.

 

[dr.jaimie]

i wasnt worried about parker getting hurt...she just had him in her lap...they own a 4lb toy poodle themselves so i felt her was safe. i don't think i have to worry about her wanting to hold him n e more...she was pretty scared. she came by at patted him on the head later on that evening...i think thats as close as she will get. i wont be letting her hold him after this incident. thank you all for your replies.

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by LadyMontava@Dec 28 2004, 04:02 PM
i wasnt worried about parker getting hurt...she just had him in her lap...they own a 4lb toy poodle themselves so i felt her was safe.  i don't think i have to worry about her wanting to hold him n e more...she was pretty scared.  she came by at patted him on the head later on that evening...i think thats as close as she will get.  i wont be letting her hold him after this incident.  thank you all for your replies.
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I think we got the impression that she was carrying him around the house . . .

If she was just holding him then I do wonder why he would snap at her... could he perhaps not be feeling well or have some sensitivity in an area that she may have touched? I don't think he necessarily does have any "mean bones in his body" but felt uncomfortable in the situation for some reason... and I do agree with DMZ that if he had wanted to hurt her, he could have... I think he was giving her fair warning.....

 

[dr.jaimie]

i just think when she lifted him up she might have jabbed him in the abdomen...he is very sensitive..if u r walking and bump him with ur foot he screams...i always tell people if he screams once hes fine and not hurt...if he continues to scream then u have a prob. i guess he is just scared of getting hurt. i wont be letting her hold him again...i can promise that. i just feel sorry for thier dog at home.

 

[jmm]

Any handling by children of a small dog can be very scarey for the dog. It might be better to start him off a bit more slowly, like having children sit on the floor and toss him treats for a short while. If you have any kids in the neighborhood, enlist them. Get him use to just little people being around. Then have them trade treat for a pet on the chest. No matter the size, the best place to pet a strange dog is the chest, not on the back or over their head. Make kids a positive experience for him, but introduce them slowly and have them practice non-threatening body language with him.