My German Sheppard attacked my Pug

[ilovemygermansheperd]

I left home Saturday and returned Sunday finding that my 12 month old German Sheppard killed my 10 month small pug. The Pug would always growl and played rough with the Sheppard, take away treats or food from him. The two dogs would sleep and play together all the time; however two weeks ago everything started to change the Sheppard would attack the pug this of course without hurting him and the pug would freeze. My husband told me that the pug had bites by his arm which he thinks it might have been close to his heart. My question and concern is that I’m scared for my 3 year old son, since he would always pull on both of my dogs tails, ears and they never did anything to him but with this happening I don’t know what to expect…

[wildo]

Originally Posted by ilovemygermansheperd

I’m scared for my 3 year old son, since he would always pull on both of my dogs tails, ears and they never did anything to him but with this happening I don’t know what to expect…

Just an FYI- because you will get called out on it- it's spelled "Shepherd." More importantly- teach your kid some dog manners. That would help ensure his safety.

[Elaine]

Your dog gave you every warning that something was going to happen to the pug and you didn't pay attention to him. That's why this tragic accident happened.

There's no reason to think anything is going to happen to your son especially as you should never leave him alone with your dog in the first place. You should be teaching your son how to behave around the dog and that includes not pulling on his ears and tail.

[blehmannwa]

Did you leave the dogs loose? Were they being supervised? Who was in charge? If you left two pups alone overnight with the run of the house, there is no way to know what happened. Was it an attack, was it play gone wrong, was it stress from outside stimuli?

I don't have enough info. to make any helpful comments, judgements or suggestions.

[Castlemaid]

Normally dog aggression does not translate to people aggression. Your Shepherd has been giving signals to the pug for a while now that he is not willing to accept his treatment of him, but the pug continued, and, probably without meaning to kill him, the shepherd wanted to put him in his place. Too late now, but for future reference, when you see the pack dynamics changing this way as a younger dog starts getting older, time to separate them and always supervise them.

Same with your child - Shepherds are big and strong and can easily hurt a small child without meaning to do it. Your dog should not be forced to put up with having his ears and tail pulled, and your child should be always supervised to prevent any unfortunate accident.

So I wouldn't worry that your dog will "turn" on the child for no reason. I would worry of an accident happening because of lack of supervision. Never have the two together without someone watching them, and start teaching the toddler what is okay dog interaction, and what is not.

[JakodaCD OA]

dogs that attack/kill other dogs are not necessarily going to transfer that behavior to a human.

I'm really sorry this happened, but it sounds like you had some previous warning signals and should have taken them more seriously. Leaving a BIG dog like a gsd and a small dog like a pug together unsupervised is not a good idea at all.

You should also try to teach your 3 year old it's not nice to pull dogs tails, ears..while YOUR dog may be tolerant of the behavior, what if he (your child) did this to another dog and they weren't so tolerant?

Honestly, it sounds like a terrible thing to have happened, but there is a difference in dog to dog relations vs dog to human relations.

I'm sorry for your loss

[Lilie]

I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your pug. However it is never a good idea to allow a 10 month old dog and a 12 month old dog alone unsupervised for any amount of time. I have a 5 or 6 year old mini doxie and a 20 month old German Shepherd. They never play unsupervised. My GSD is far too large to play unsupervised. He can fit the entire mini doxie's head in his mouth. It just takes play to get too rough and something awful can happen - just as in your case.

You should never ever leave your 3 year old child alone with any pet.

[cshepherd9]

I agree, the dogs gave you signs there were problems. If you couldn't be there to supervise then they should have been separated while you were away. I am sorry about your pug.
Also, do not leave your dog, or any dog, with a child unsupervised. Kids need to be taught how to behave around dogs. Although some dogs can handle a kid jumping on it, pulling ears, tails, etc., most dogs don't like it.

[MarleyGSD]

i'm very sorry for the loss of your pug. Hugs going out to you and your family.

With your pug always growling, taking treats and food from the shepherd, it seems he was displaying dominant (and maybe even aggressive) behavior, just my opinion. I think the issue should have been addressed when those things started going on. Things were allowed to go too far. I'm trying to tread lightly because i'm sure you are very upset right now...

I would not under any circumstances let you child tug on ears, tails, etc. I think the shepherd was provoked and probably gave his fair share of warnings to the pug to stop with all the shenanigans. Not too sure more advice as far as for your kid, others can help with that.

Again, im sorry for the situation you are in.

[Stevenzachsmom]

I am very sorry this happened to your pug. It is too late now to say that the dogs should not have been left alone together - especially since there were signs of problems. Not being there, it is impossible to know exactly what happened. The pug could have been the aggressor and the shepherd took up for himself, or it could have been rough play that got out of hand.

Even if it was determined that your shepherd is dog aggressive, that does not translate to people aggression. My German Shepherd has been dog aggressive her entire life, but adores people - especially children. She has no aggression whatsoever towards kids.

That being said - You should never leave a young child and dog together unattended. ALWAYS supervise. Also - Teach your child not to pull the dogs' tail. He needs to learn to be gentle and respectful of the dog. My dog would tolerate the tail pulling, but I still would not allow it.

I am very sorry for your loss. If you do not have a crate, please invest in one. Keep the shepherd crated when you are unable to supervise.