Dog growling at kids

[kmartin]

My friend wrote:
>> Trixie (Malinios) occasionally tells the boys (age 3 &5) "enough" with a short little growl. I
>> am
>> conflicted about this. It seems like she should be allowed to tell them
>> to
>> knock it off - usually it is something like Evan is rubbing his face
>> against
>> hers loving on her and it just goes on too long - but on the other hand,
>> if
>> she's had enough should it be her job to leave the situation?
>> Let's overlook the fact that I should be on top of things enough to make
>> sure they aren't bothering her.
>>
>> Any thoughts?


Other than more parental supervision, and having the boys stop getting in Trixie's face, any other suggestions?
thx

Kathy

[thomas]

Hi,

I am not a professional dog trainer, but as a parent I had the same situation and this is what worked for me.

After the first time it happened my wife and I were really scared. The "psst" with a light touch on the neck [yes directly copied from Ceaser Milan] has worked greatly. At a different time I set it up directly so the kids would be around the dog and watched closely, when it happened again I did the same thing.

I also have a really comfortable crate which the kids are not allowed to get close to the door to pet her. I taught them that when Bella goes into the crate she wants time to herself and they should leave her alone.

Now when she has had enough play time she doesn't growl she goes to her crate and everyone lets her be.

I also let the kids walk her and feed her from time to time, hopefully to show that she is at the bottom of the pack.

Again I am not a professional dog trainer, and if anyone has any constructive criticism for me it is appreciated, I am here to learn. I do sometimes wonder if this technique has dropped the confidence of Bella. She is timid not with us but with groups of strangers. You can read my entry in the fear section of the forum.

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

Definitely without a doubt a knowledge and management issue mostly. We are talking about a Malinois and Children that were not taught or not able to comply yet with the fact that dogs, particularly ones that were bred to stand up to humans do not like hugs, but will sometimes tolerate them if they have the correct relationship.

This is a potential disaster and it wont be the dog's fault.

Not to discourage Thomas, since we are all here to keep an open mind and learn, but one of the many reasons why cesar milan style neck jabs (level 3 - attitude) are not used in the standard of this style is that it may trigger a bite from the dog - especially if a 5 year old that the dog doesnt respect trys to mimic mom and dad.

Even if the dog is taught to fear a correction from mom or dad if she growls at the kids - it wont do much good if mom or dad is out of site.

This dog's owners have to look at pack structure and boundries first, then educate the children, and then have strict management criteria in place such as not leaving children unsupervised with the dog.

It is not a bad dog if she is giving plenty of warning, but may be a bad situation for her. Malinois are great dogs, but there is a reason that almost all of them are working dogs and owned by experienced working dog/ sport people.

I like Thomas's suggestion of having the children be involved with some of the dog's daily routines. This has helped a lot for me with some of my client's dogs, but usually the children were a few years older.

[LouCerbone]

I just read this and it reminded me of my issues with Eddie in the beginning. I have heard him growl at the kids on numerous occassions. It wouldnt be from them teasing Eddie but from some of their movements around him or when they shoved him to move out of the way. I have the kids give Eddie commands, and then treats, have the kids do short training lessons, puppy pushups, sit and down commands etc. Most of all to this day they are not allowed to interact with him unsupervised, no hugs or try to wake him up to play while hes sleeping, no cuddling with him while hes curled. In the beginning Eddie wouldnt even play with my kids, now he cant wait to. My children are 4 and 7.