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Dog growls and shows teeth to my kids - help?
I've got at 10 year old shihtsu - he's never been a very nice dog and could quite possibly give Ceasar Milan a run for his money. He was never properly house-trained (due to location and cultural differences where we were) but we've eventually worked through this and it's much less of a problem.
He's never been great with people and has always been a nervous dog - lunges at people if he doesn't know them and they move too suddenly and he's even nipped at men before.
He gets very nervous around kids of any age and absolutely hates our friend's 4 year old daughter, no idea why. So we put him in a room when she comes over.
We've got 1.5 year old twins and though he's fiercely protective OF them, he doesn't actually LIKE them and now that they're all over the place they LOVE the dog and want to pet him and be around him all the time. He's never bitten them or nipped at them, but he starts a low growl whenever they come into the room or anywhere remotely near him. We've taught them to be "nice nice" when petting the dog or cat and when he's calm (because DH or I are petting him) and the girls start petting him he loves it, rolls over and enjoys the pets they're giving him.
We've started giving him "chill pills" from over the counter at Pets At Home which have made him a bit sleepy but we haven't noticed any other differences. I worry that he's either going to bite one of the twins at some point and or that the poor guy is just miserable.
Any advice for dealing with a nervous dog and getting him better adjusted to the kids?
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Re: Dog growls and shows teeth to my kids - help?
My only thought is that he's simply not a confident dog; he seems nervous and scared, which to us can often look like aggression or meanness.
Look in the FAQs (or Google) for information on NILIF training (Nothing In Life Is Free). It places all the responsibility on you, his people, in any scenario. It teaches him that you're in charge, so he doesn't have to try to figure out what to do in a given situation; you'll let him know what to do.
Lots of positive reinforcement with praise and treats is good in building relationships. Any positive action by him toward your twins gets rewarded; if he shows a negative behavior, you either ignore him or redirect him to something appropriate.
Giving him a place to go that is 100% off limits to your twins might help, too. He'll learn that it's his safe spot where he cannot be bothered. The trick is teaching your children this, too.
It's a lot of training of both the dog and the children. The dog has to learn that you're in charge and will let him know what to do and also that he has someplace to "escape" should he need to. Your children need to learn to leave the dog alone if he's in his safe spot and to be quiet and gentle around him.
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The growls and teeth are a warning from your dog that he isn't comfortable around the kids. Don't discourage the dog from growling because he could move straight to biting if he doesn't have a way to warn you. Toddlers can be very scary to dogs since they are so unpredictable- random shrieks and movement. It is very important to teach your kids how to properly treat the dog, but just as important to make sure the dog can get away from them when he feels uncomfortable.
This blog has some tips for dogs and kids, look at the baby-related tags. http://babiesandbeasts.blogspot.com/
You could look for a dog behaviorist in your area to help you work w/ your pup and also how to learn for yourself and teach your children how to appropriately interact w/ your pup.
This is all fantastic, thank you very much! I'll be reading up on this with the keywords you guys provided tonight!
Doglove, we did have a session with a behaviouralist before the twins were born, and since we've been able to take him off leash at dog parks which we've been thrilled with - he's much better toward other dogs after that. Unfortunately, the guy doesn't make house calls to our area of London, so we'll have to find someone else if this stuff doesn't work out.
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you need a behaviorist, preferably a veterinary behaviorist that can prescribe anti-anxiety meds if necessary. the "chill pills" are simply a bandaid that won't fix the problem.
a nervous, growly dog is a very stressed dog. its not fair to him, you, or your kids. until you find another behaviorist, i HIGHLY recommend reading up on dog body language. dogs express their feelings in their body language and facial expression, but most people either miss the signals completely, or misunderstand them.
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