i adopted a 5 month old lab terrier mix from a neighbors family member. they could not keep the pup, and they were passing her around to different relatives, who kept her outside alone, locked in a barn for a week etc. she is wonderful with my husband, 2 teen daughters, and myself, but we also have 3 grandsons under the age of 4.the other day she growled and snapped at the 1 yr old, and today the 2 yr old reached towards her and she growled and tried to bite him. i dont want to give up on her, she is a wonderful girl, but my grandsons safety comes first. ideas??
2007-06-02 15:15:57 · 6 answers · asked by kndi_59 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
This can be worked out - she has aggression issues that are probably from what she has experienced. She needs to be worked with so that she learns that she's safe. You mentioned that she tried to bite but I don't believe that dogs miss so she was warning him. I don't believe that you'll have to give her up though.
2007-06-02 15:21:59 · answer #1 · answered by CUrias 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The dog sees the small children as "puppies" and is trying to show dominance over them. Also, very small children are often loud and unpredictable in their behavior, and dogs can get very upset by their sudden actions.
Barking and growling is a behavior you are going to have to train the dog out of immediately. (Never accept a behavior from a puppy that you wouldn't accept from an adult dog.)
For the dog: Whenever the dog attempts to growl at ANYONE, give a firm but calm "no growling" or "quiet" command. When it complies, tell it "yes!" so it knows it did the right thing, and then give it lots of praise and a treat. If it growls during playitme, STOP playing, give a firm but calm "no growling" or "quiet" command. When it complies, tell it "yes!" so it knows it did the right thing, and then give it lots of praise and a treat... You have to be consistent in your instruction or the dog won't "get it".
NEVER hit, slap, yell at or kick at a growling puppy. This teaches it nothing except to fear your approach -- and may make it more vicious (as it tries to defend itself from your attack.)
For the kids: KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE DOG until they can be taught to recognize the dog's body language and postures. Dogs usually give a lot of body signals before they growl, bark or snap... and once you recognize those it's easier to re-direct the dog's attention to something less stressful for it.
Keep children away from the dog's toy and food, and if you're crate training the dog, keep the kids out of and away from its crate, too. Teach your children that these things are the dog's property, and they're not to touch or go near them. That will help to avoid any "resource guarding" propensities your dog may have.
Never allow the kids to corner the dog, slap at it, or pull tis tail. It will defend itself -- and it has teeth.
Never leave small children and dogs alone unsupervised.
If you are unsuccessful at training the dog to be quiet yourself after about a month, seek out a professional trainer who has experience with "aggressive" dogs.
As an aside,many humane societies are warning people to NOT watch "The Dog Whisperer" on TV because he uses some archiac, brutal and potentially dangerous techniques on the dogs. In one episode, for example, he got control over a dog by kneeling on its neck until it passed out from blood loss to the brain... an exceedingly inhumane and dangerous way to subdue any animal. If he'd done that to a human being he would have been arrested for assault.
2007-06-02 15:35:04 · answer #2 · answered by Fetch 11 Humane Society 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sounds like food aggression or territorial behavior. I would recommend professional training and keeping the pup in a kennel when the grand kids are present until the behavior is addressed and treated.
2007-06-02 15:20:49 · answer #3 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try catching some episodes of The Dog Whisperer on cable... he has plenty of ideas that you'll be able to use with your dog. One thing you have to do is take control and teach your grandkids the same... if they can say NO and point, they can be in control. You'll have to see the program to believe me, but it really works. I once saw an episode where an infant was considered the pack leader by dogs big enough to take down a buffalo! No lie!
2007-06-02 15:21:48 · answer #4 · answered by Mike S 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
keep the young children a safe distance away from the pup until he gets used to the babies. Don't allow the children to play with the puppy's toys or food.
2007-06-02 15:21:27 · answer #5 · answered by zenithxana 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My grandmother's dog first did this when she got him...not used to being around children.
2007-06-02 15:20:19 · answer #6 · answered by Drakona 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋