Puppy Trying to dominate a child

[hoopygirl]

Hi there, I have had my new pup for 2 weeks now, he has just turned 12 weeks. He is doing really well at most things, however, our youngest child is having some difficulty with him, he seems to pick on her.

I have told her she must stand her ground with him, he is not aggressive toward her, but seems to bite her clothes and pull her around a bit, he will also nip her, she screams and runs away, so he thinks it's playtime!

I have to intervene a lot, and command him NO, he will stop on my command most of the time (he's still learning).

What else can I do? My daughter is 7, and she is beginning to get nervous around him.

Kind regards

[dweck]

No is too general a command. Use SPECIFIC words for SPECIFIC responses: OFF. No bite. Leave it. And give alternate behaviors: No biting, but kisses are okay. No chewing skin, but chewing toys (ever at the ready) is okay.


Your pup probably views your 7 y.o. as a littermate. You must 'lift' her in the pack, being very clear about what behaviors are okay and which are not. See the "Our BEst Advice" sticky @ the top of the page. I'm pretty sure there are other hints there.

Good luck!

[bett]

yup, the 7 yr. old is a littermate, who when she runs and screams ,is actually encouraging that poor behavior.

[BauersMom]

We had the same problem with Bauer and our youngest son. If Kaleb sat or laid on the floor he was attacked. Bauer was just trying to play with him, but it was rough. Aside from Kaleb staying off the floor, we also had him start feeding Bauer. He would put his kibble in the bowl, and pretend to eat some before putting it down for Bauer. The lowest dog in the pack eats last. It helped a lot, it wasn't a behavior that lasted very long. Bauer is now 3.5 and my son is almost 14; they are the best of friends. Good luck!

[CindersMyGirl]

You need to not only train your dog, but train your daughter as well. She's old enough to understand puppy rules, the first one being don't run around the puppy. I had my youngest son make the puppy sit and feed one kibble at a time. It's a ton of work but if you keep at it you'll have a dog that is a great companion.

[Spike's Mom]

Spike used to do that with my youngest especially when he came downstairs so he would keep some treats in his room and give one to Spike when he came down, before Spike had a chance to grasp on to his pants. Seemed to work pretty well

[hoopygirl]

Thanks everyone, the last couple of days my daughter has been feeding Buddy, and has been pretending to eat first, then she allows him to eat, don't want to get too excited but he already seems to be more chilled out around her rather than jumping and pulling at her clothes, shoes etc. Here's hoping! My daughter has been told not to scream or run around, but that in itself is difficult for her in general, but she is trying her best. We will keep up the work! Thanks again :0)

[Mely1015]

Good luck, I hope that your daughter learn to help Buddy be the dog that you dream off. I have a 2yr old son and I know what you mean, but in my case is my son that wont leave Roxy alone.