Scared/aggressive towards children
Long time reader, first time poster. I have an almost 1 year male. He turns one on new years day actually and he is scared/weary of kids. Namely my nieces who are 4 and 3 years old. He loves older kids and has never had an issue with them. But he has lunged at the 4 year old and scraped her with his tooth. He know has to wear a muzzle around them and is very sweet with them. But as the night has gone on, he has started getting between the girls and me, not letting them approach. I hate it for everyone involved. He is a great dog but I am nervous when we have to be around the girls. Any ideas? Is it because they are the same height? Should we seek help? What can I do to help the situation? Thanks in advance |
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I think you need someone there to help you get past this. His sitting between you and the kids I think is showing that he's guarding, protecting or possessing you. Little kids often move different than older kids... he may not like their level of energy. Maybe higher pitched voices and noises coming from them too? Just remembering what normal little kids are like.  Just my opinion... This is so hard to do with such young children but encouraging them to be calm around your boy might help. Possibly have them sit down and offer special treats he only gets when they are around. So he might come to look at their presence as something good. Something I would be careful of though... I wouldn't allow the dog to see you giving his treats to the kids. He might think they are getting what he should have. Markster wrote: But as the night has gone on, I think that's the key... he had reached his limit. I would put him up if he's had enough, if the situation becomes too stressful for him. Actually, I would do so long before the situation becomes so. Keep him WANTING to be out with the kids. "Put him up"= behind a closed door so he can relax. And supervise 100% of the time... for now, I think the muzzle is a good idea if he's tolerating it well. But again, it's best to get advice from the humane professionals! Good luck to you all. |
| I too think he had reached his limit, he was probably getting anxious and tired. He is at the ideal age to start training, I would strongly suggest enrolling in a puppy training class, this will teach him to tolerate other dogs and people. Also get a personal trainer into your house for a few sessions, primarily to teach your dog to be comfortable being 'put up' or put away in an area away from everyone else for a while. This is NOT punishment, just a space for him to relax and sometimes is absolutely the ideal thing to do when you have guests. Try to get a trainer who works with positive reinforcement techniques  |
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