I've got a 15 week old boxer puppy called beau, came from a lovely home parents not aggressive at all, but they had no children, everytime my children try handle her she instantly starts growling then barks and snaps, she actually growled at me last night when I tried to move her to her bed, I also have another puppy 9 weeks boxer also who was with children from the day he was born and no aggression at all when my children handle him, question is how do I make her realise she can't growl and snap at my children!
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Puppy showing aggression to children
- Thread starter Emmagx
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I think in this instance, with her being so young, I'd suggest getting a behaviourist in if you can afford to consult one, because if you can put a stop to this behaviour now you'll have a whole lifetime to reinforce the good behaviours and she's learning faster than she ever will again. My answer below is generic advice if you'd rather try yourself before consulting a behaviourist.
With a really small pup like Beau I'd suggest that you keep her on a lead in the house and any time she does something inappropriate like reacting towards the children, she gets walked silently into another room and left for 1 minute, then brought back out again and try the interaction again.
At the same time, you need to be absolutely sure that the children are doing things in a way that isn't hurting Beau or ignoring her avoidance body language so she feels that making threats is the only way forwards, so please watch the interaction very carefully for signs that Beau is actually giving out signs of discomfort or avoidance before she starts growling. Many dog owners miss the cues for this one, and your children also need educating on exactly what to do when the pup starts growling at them (i.e. taking hands, arms and faces away from Beau's immediate area and then turning their back on her and calmly walking away).
The other part of this action would be to start making the children appear a lot less threatening and a lot more like good people to know to Beau. First have a few sessions where Beau starts off in another room while you get the children sat down and calm, but armed with good treats and toys. When the children are sat down and calm (so there's no loud voices or big movements happening) get them to get some treats in their hands and bring in Beau. If Beau doesn't want to approach the children then they gently throw some yummy treats near her on the ground, thus training puppy that children are the source of good things, If she does want to approach them then the children don't make eye contact with her but just gently feed Beau treats one by one.
If Beau shows signs of nerves or reaction when the children move around, that's when the toys come into play. If a child wishes to move then they throw the toy near Beau but taking her away from the direction of where they want to move, then when her attention is on the toy they can move without her being there to mug them.
The aim of this mix of actions is to firstly educate Beau that she can't react without you removing her from the situation (and it should be an adult that removes her to another room BTW, not a child), that you'll pay attention to any cues she gives that she's not happy with what's going on, and that the children are a source of good things. Gradually these lessons should turn the situation around.
Good luck
With a really small pup like Beau I'd suggest that you keep her on a lead in the house and any time she does something inappropriate like reacting towards the children, she gets walked silently into another room and left for 1 minute, then brought back out again and try the interaction again.
At the same time, you need to be absolutely sure that the children are doing things in a way that isn't hurting Beau or ignoring her avoidance body language so she feels that making threats is the only way forwards, so please watch the interaction very carefully for signs that Beau is actually giving out signs of discomfort or avoidance before she starts growling. Many dog owners miss the cues for this one, and your children also need educating on exactly what to do when the pup starts growling at them (i.e. taking hands, arms and faces away from Beau's immediate area and then turning their back on her and calmly walking away).
The other part of this action would be to start making the children appear a lot less threatening and a lot more like good people to know to Beau. First have a few sessions where Beau starts off in another room while you get the children sat down and calm, but armed with good treats and toys. When the children are sat down and calm (so there's no loud voices or big movements happening) get them to get some treats in their hands and bring in Beau. If Beau doesn't want to approach the children then they gently throw some yummy treats near her on the ground, thus training puppy that children are the source of good things, If she does want to approach them then the children don't make eye contact with her but just gently feed Beau treats one by one.
If Beau shows signs of nerves or reaction when the children move around, that's when the toys come into play. If a child wishes to move then they throw the toy near Beau but taking her away from the direction of where they want to move, then when her attention is on the toy they can move without her being there to mug them.
The aim of this mix of actions is to firstly educate Beau that she can't react without you removing her from the situation (and it should be an adult that removes her to another room BTW, not a child), that you'll pay attention to any cues she gives that she's not happy with what's going on, and that the children are a source of good things. Gradually these lessons should turn the situation around.
Good luck
