This is a disaster waiting to happen.

[u/GhostofTinky]

The dog isn’t allowed to be around a toddler because he growls at her. I don’t get it. A family dog is supposed to get along with the whole family. Why are the parents concerned about why the dog “doesn’t like her”? What about the child’s safety?

[u/Designer_Study_8219]

I agree, the problem is he just didn't like little kids. I don't think he could be trained to, because he was raised right alongside us and a very trained dog. We owned a farm and all of our dogs were highly trained. We never stopped working with any dog we had. He had perfect recall, could round up animals, did all your basic tricks, stayed on property without a fense, walked leash well. This was a dog who could "do it all". Sometimes the dog just isn't a good fit and is beyond anything you can train. I explained it in another comment, but I think the reason I had no warning is because he started to get in trouble for growling at me. Which was a bad dog training move on their part. But they taught him he would get in trouble for growling so he stopped warning me to get away. And I was a kid so I thought that met he was okay with me.

[u/macguini → u/Designer_Study_8219]

Yeah. Some cant be trained. That's an honest training mistake your parents made though. Still, it's gotta be rough for you. I'm sorry.

I had a rotty as a kid that was well trained with me easily but my sister we couldn't get him to like. I think it was easier back when we got him cause he was new to the family and fairly young. Still big enough to tear my head off. We got him before my sister was born. The training to respect me was part of his upbringing. He was our first and the easiest we've had to train. He was taught to protect us. He had some aggression, but we were able to control it real easily. He knew the property line as well. And knew when people crossed it. He would only allow people to enter the house if one of the family opened the door. You couldn't just open the door and walk in. But he would be your best friend once we let you in. Our neighbors and family were able to walk right in though. He might get overly excited and knock them down and lick their face off. He never had to protect us but he made sure you were aware he would. He never charged anyone though. He only ever gave warning signs. Off property, we only had him on a leash just in case. We rarely needed it. He stayed close. But he'd try to play with anyone who came nearby. Then we'd use the leash and he'd let anyone pet him and lick them to death. We trained him really well to know when and where to be aggressive. But when my sister was born. We couldn't get him to stop making threatening gestures towards her. Staring, growling, stances, etc. I don't know if he was jealous or just never seen a baby before. My parents eventually decided to find someone to give him to. My sister was far too young to be apart of his training like I was and he was too old to learn new tricks. We also didn't want to risk any training ideas with her being so young. My parents were planning on asking one of our neighbors temporarily until my sister got old enough to train with him and we would visit and see him still. Unfortunately, (and coincidentally I suppose) he passed away shortly after that plan was made.

[u/Designer_Study_8219 → u/macguini]

Rotties can be such bug sweeties. Sometimes they just don't adjust to change well. When I first got married my dog hated my spouse for a while. It was a big change. Now she likes him just fine. I am glad your parents paid attention but sorry the dog passed away. You definitely never want to risk training when a small kid is involved. Especially since kids are just as unpredictable as dogs.

[u/Expert_Slip7543 → u/macguini]

Did your dog die from sickness or something else? The timing makes me wonder whether coincidentally a fatal malady started making him uncomfortable right when your sister arrived, causing him to associate her with his pain.

[u/macguini → u/Expert_Slip7543]

He was accidentally strangled while playing with our other Rottie while on leads. We originally just put him in the backyard. But he escaped a few times. Never attacked anyone. But still, we tied him and the other to trees. It was supposed to only be temporary until we found a new home. So it was some what related to the situation. Because we wouldn't have left him outside if it wasn't for my sister's safety. I unfortunately was the one who found him.

[u/SashimiX → u/macguini]

It is so wrong to leave dogs tied up outdoors on leashes

[u/Expert_Slip7543 → u/SashimiX]

Know what's worse? Shaming someone who was tying them up just on a temporary basis, until they would move,thinking she was doing the best thing for the safety of her dogs.

[u/macguini → u/Expert_Slip7543]

Thank you. We didn't have any other options. Inside, my sister was in danger. Outside, the male kept escaping and people were afraid of him. If we didn't tie them up, either my sister would be eaten or the male would have been shot.

[u/14yearsandcounting → u/SashimiX]

I was just thinking that. Where are the dog lovers at? 😞

[u/macguini → u/14yearsandcounting]

It was temporary. It was either let them inside and eat my sister or let the one keep escaping until he got shot or hit by a car.

[u/Asti_WhiteWhiskers → u/Designer_Study_8219]

Agreed, I think people who've never had a dog or only been blessed with chill pets have a hard time understanding not everything can be fixed with enough training. Sometimes dogs just don't like kids, cats, men, etc and no amount of training will change that.