Our question this week was:

My son has a lhasa apso and the dog has started snapping at his 14-month-old daughter and showing his teeth when she gets near him he is considering getting rid of the dog for fear of biting the baby is there anything he could possibly do to prevent the dog from biting maybe put a muzzle when the baby is around the dog and if so how long should you leave the muzzle on for?

Linda Macias


Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You emailed that your son's dog is snapping at his daughter. This is a problem and I'd be very concerned. But a muzzle is NOT the answer. I'd recommend taking the dog to a trainer and working on the aggression. It is not appropriate to use a muzzle for any length of time, especially on a regular basis.

I think it would be prudent to discuss this with your veterinarian and potentially seek counseling with a veterinary behaviorist.

An article that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com is " Dominance Aggression in Dogs."


Best of luck!


Dr. Jon


PS – For those of you reading this...do you have any great pet tips? I love learning from pet owners and have been looking for some pet tips. I might try to share some of these with other PetPlace users! Send me your pet tips!




Best of Luck

Dr. Jon



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