My dog snaps at LITTLE kids?

Question

my shih tzu hates little kids like 3 yrs age range.. how do i break him out of this??? he's friendly with everything and everyone else????!! what gives!

Answer 1

The reason the dog hates little kids is because he has not been socialized around them, he may be fearful of them. The first thing you should do is enroll in an obedience class so you can better understand how to correct your dog and read his behavior. Talk to a professional trainer about the aggressive behavior towards small kids so you can work out a solution. You should also work on more socialization.

Answer 2

He may have been scared or hurt by a small child, so now he feels that all small children are the enemy.

If you know someone with small kids, have them come over. When they come in, have the dog in another part of the house. Have the child sit on the floor and let the dog come in. If the child can help you out, give the child some of the dogs favorite treats, and as the dog approaches him/her, have the child give the dog a treat, only one, then try to pet the dog under the chin. This is the "nuzzle" point, and the least threatening to the dog. If the dog allows the child to pet him, then a lot of soft, quiet praise from you, and the child give the dog another treat. Only do this 2 or 3 times in one sitting, or it will lose affect and the dog could gain weight.

Do this with as many children as you can trust to not scare or "hit" the dog. Often times a child's way of petting a dog is to actually hit it - they don't mean any harm, they just don't know any other way. A shih tzu, being a small dog, can be very initimidated and possible physically hurt by this.

Gradually he will see small kids not as a threat, but as a possible cookie connection.

Answer 3

well my heart is owned by a yorkie ! Yorkies see little kids as a large scary thing this little kid comes at it with little fat grubby fingers and want to pet it and sometimes those pets are not all nice. some little ones pull the dog's hair and no one likes that plus he is trying to protect you also from this intrusive creature (albiet an adorable toddler) when mine would do that I would immediately scoop him up and say NO and tap on his nose (lightly-that is a very sensitive area to them) to get him to snap out of his yapping It is NOT wierd kids sometimes come up to a cute dog any type and stick their hands out to touch it and dogs will sometimes shy away then kid backs off and it makes the dog nervous , dog does not know if this child is going to pet him or hurt him so they act protective. so this may be the reason but yes keep him away from kids until he learns introduce kids you know slowly to him and that might help be ready to snatch him at first snarl... you gotta be quick...I had my neighbor kid help me settle my yorkie down and then he got to the point he loved the kids at the bus stop and thought all should pet him every morning he did not like weekends as he could not understand there was no bus... If you can't do it some pet stores have in store training classes and you can try there which is a safe place and let trainer know what you are trying to correct. good luck

Answer 4

You won't ! Little dogs are fragile & little children are too rough; Keep the little dog away, for it could land you up in a law suit, if it bites. The little kids likes the tiny dogs, but most of the time, the feeling isn't mutual. Until children are properly taught how to handle animals, they should NOT be allowed to touch them; once the child has been taught well, the dog will usually sense it; if not, you then have to show the dog that the child isn't going to hurt it.

Answer 5

my dog went throught he same problem he is also a shih- tzu and it was because when he was little he was man handled by my little sister and he was at about the age of three i would see your local dog trainer or vet to get help!!! but for if he does it again just put him in room or cage and in tell him no in a stern voice and dnt reward him with any treats for the next hour or 2

hope i helpeddddd

Answer 6

YOu need obedience training, or behavioral therapy. In the meantime, make sure your dog is NOT in contact with toddlers or small children. If the dog bites a child, it will certainly end in a lawsuit, possibly a criminal conviction, and the destruction of the pet.

Answer 7

Your dog is probably afraid of the kids. It's not unusual. You need to learn about triggers, thresholds, counter conditioning and desensitization. You need to make sure that your dog knows that you understand that he's afraid and not let kids near him. If you don't he's more likely to try to protect himself. You need to change his association from "yikes! kids!" to "oh good! kids!" you do this by counter conditioning with good food treats, but you need to be aware of your dog's threshold to them.

visit www.fearfuldogs.com for more info on this

Do not punish your dog for being afraid of kids and letting you know.

Answer 8

My Jack Russle hates my 1 year old grandaughter he hates the attention she gets from me, he hates her looking at his toys let alone dare to touch one and if she ever crys he just barks loudly to upset her more. As you can guess I never allow him near her on his own and I make sure I am always in between them at all times,

Answer 9

Whatever problem your dog has with small children, it needs to understand that you disapprove.
Your disapproval will mean nothing unless it understands that you are "top dog" in its "pack". Take it on walks with a leash. On such "hunting expeditions" it learns you command.

Answer 10

A child has hurt him, I had a lovely Yorkie until a child hurt him and then I had to watch him with all kids. Short people are dangerous.

You can retrain him but it is difficult and you will need to watch all small children and keep them away from him. It is so quick that they can grab and hurt.

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