why is my dog doing this?

Question

He is a good dog, he's not quite a year old. He plays well, don't jump on peope (most of the time) and is trained to go to his crate and do some simple tricks. BUT he has bitten my 4 year old daughter twice on the hand. Both times he was chewing on a toy or rawhide. I don't know if he don't trust her that close or what. And since it is her hand, we think she's putting it out there to him, petting or something. I don't really want to get rid of my dog. He's a boxer mix if that makes a difference and weighes around 45 pounds, I think.

Answer 1

he is tell her that she has no right to touch his toy or food. because he considers her beneath him in the pack order. please do not him be alone with when he has food. you have to be able to correct him for any signs of aggression toward the child. you might have to muzzle him while you work with him. also find a dog trainer in you area.

Answer 2

The dog has food/toy protection issues. Keep the dog away from your daughter when he has a treat (in his kennel), and teach your daughter to leave the dog alone when he is chewing things, or eating. This is very important. Your dog is young and has to learn better manners. Young children and dogs should always be supervised!

You have to start training him that it is OK for you (and later others) to touch his food bowl or toys. Start by going to his bowl when he is eating and putting an extra special treat in his bowl. Do that for a couple of days. He will learn to like it when you get near his bowl. Slowly start moving his bowl a bit before you put the treat in. Do that for a couple of days. Once he's happy with that pick up the bowl, put the treat in and put it down. Slowly progress until he is totally comfortable with you around his food dish. Then start other family members (but not very young children) on the same program. With rawhides and toys, play the 'exchange' game. He has a toy, offer him a good treat, he will let go of the toy, you give him the treat. Always give him his toy back until he is very comfortable giving you his toy. Practice ten to twenty times a day use lots of praise. DO NOT punish him for defending what he thinks is 'his' stuff. It will increase aggression and may escalate things. Practice exchanges until you can start taking the toy without offering the treats.
It will take a bit of time and effort, but the great majority of dogs learn it well.
If you continue to have problems, talk to a good trainer (preferably one who does positive reinforcement training) about it.

Answer 3

The dog is protecting his toy or rawhide..and he will do the same if your daughter goes near him when he is eating....other things that help are to firmly say "no" when he does something you don't want him to..he has to learn "no"...and boundries have to be established with your daughter..after all the dog has his own thoughts and has a right to his food and toys..if the dog came up to your daughter and grabbed her toy or bothered her while she was playing..she would object also..remember..a child's size puts their face alot closer to the dog's face and it may make the dog feel like it's personal space is being violated..for your child's safety, it would be a good idea to supervise her at all times around your dog or any other since 4 yr old's faces are easily bitten and they are easily knocked down..boxers can be a bit aggressive..my cousin had one and hers went thru the storm door to get the mailman..the glass didn't stop him!

Answer 4

Maybe your dog is NOT a well-behaved dog.But whatever your reasons are,It is NOT your dog' fault.In fact,dogs are very very clever.They just need to be trained correctly.But, dog training method could not be expressed clearly just by single sentence.It requires some basic professional knowledges.Well, to gain those knowledges is not that difficult.SO you do NOT need those professional dog trainer and you do NOT need some 12–week dog obedience training plan where you do almost the same thing each week.Yourself can also become an excellent dog trainer in several hours.So If you want to learn what it really takes to transform your dog’s behavior problems,understand and communicate with your dog now,you can visit the site listed below.It provide you with the most popular and easiest dog training Guide.There is the easiest method to make your dog to listen to you in the shortest period of time.

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Answer 5

this is a test that dogs from the shelter have to pass before they can be put up for adoption. It is called an aggression test. I dog should be able to allow a person to touch there food with out biting. I have a 4 year old too so I know how hard it can be. You need to test your dog. Will he let you take food away from him? If he does than we just need to keep your 4 year old away until They can grow together. but if he is snarling and snapping at you then he does need training. It is a must and has to be done.

Answer 6

Both the dog and your little girl are still young and there needs to be rules put in place to protect both from each other.Its normal for a dog to want to protect whats his so don't let any child near any dog while he is eating.I certainly don't think you will need to get rid of him,also I have been led to believe that boxers are really good with kids.Maybe there is a dog training club you can all go to .You will all learn heaps about each other and have a great time while your at it.!!!!

Answer 7

A dog will protect it's food/toys until taught not to. You have to take the time to teach your dog not to be protective over these things. Teach your daughter that she must not go near him while he is chewing on something until he has learned how to no be aggressive. The easiest way to do this is to give him his food/toy and then take it away from him. If he snaps, tell him no and then do it again. If he snaps again, tell him no more firmly and do it again. If he snaps a third time, grab him with both hands on either side of his head using the scruff of his neck to secure him and then lift him and pin him on his back until he submits. This is called an alpha roll. You have to show him that he is not the alpha male in your pack. By keeping your hands on his neck this way, he will be unable to bite you. Watch yourself with his paws as he can still scratch you. It's best to do this wearing something durable like a jean jacket. Eventually, you want to try and get him to bite, but even then, if he takes the bait and actually snaps, you have to respond the same way. Eventually, he will stop doing it even if you bait him. I'd suggest keeping an eye on your daughter until you teach him this as he may still snap at her.

Answer 8

He's probably mistaken her hand for food, or just nipped accidentally. You must teach your daughter how to behave around the dog, and I don't want to be rude, but you are obviously not always supervising her (you say "We THINK she's putting it out there") and you must absolutely not leave child and dog alone together while they are both so young.

However, if it does turn out that he is deliberately biting her because she is pulling away a treat or toy, the dog needs to be taught to give up treats/toys on demand. Ask your vet for a dog trainer's details.

Answer 9

Your daughter is "intruding" on his area/stuff. She needs to be taught not to do this when the dog has something it is enjoying or has in it's mouth. Again...my daughter was bitten in the mouth by a supposedly non-agressive lab..and has had to endure many plastic surgeries to correct the damage done. Although this dog didn't have anything like that, she just bent down to pet the dog and he attacked. Please be very careful and watch your child and dog carefully. I would hate to have anyone go through what my daughter went through. It took about 6 yrs of surgeries to correct the damage.

Answer 10

From what I can tell you were not in the room when these bites took place right. I have to say put the dog in the crate with his chew stick. If you can't be in the same room when he has it keep the kids with you. Don't leave them together unattended.

Answer 11

he may be defending his food. if you got him from a shelter or the pound, he may have been neglected by a previous owner who did not feed him. dogs in that situation may not trust anyone near their possessions and defend them well. if the little girl was trying to take his toy or putting her hand near his mouth as if to take the toy, the instinctual response is to bite and make that threat to his meal go away. try and see if he will do the same to you if you try to take something away from him.