Recently adopted dog showing minor aggression towards kids

[apollyx]

My husband and two kids (6 y/o M & 8 y/o F) and I recently adopted a 5 year old mutt from a well know rescue. We’ve had him for a little over 2 months. We had met him at an event he did and his calm temperament really appealed to us.

The first day we had him home, he gave a “warning” snip to our neighbor kid (3 y/o M). We chalked it up to him being stressed and overwhelmed since it was his first day at a new home.

However, we have seen it a few more times, always with young boys. never with adults or girls. I am confident my son would not have done something cruel to the dog to cause this behavior. The dog is not afraid of my son and hasn’t snapped at him at all.

What are the best ways to change this behavior?

 

[saram]

@apollyx That's a tricky one. Getting training might be a good solution. However, given the dogs age, and not knowing the source of it's trauma, you might never be able to fully resolve the aggression, and if you are not careful, it could escalate. So it might come down to making the best decision for the well-being of the dog and your children.

A lot of shelters don't let adult dogs be adopted into homes with kids under 12, and one of the reasons for this is the situation you just gave. Younger children might not know how to be safe around a dog (respecting it's space, needs, knowing the warnings it gives etc.), And might not be able to defend themselves if attacked.

So, I would definitely recommend talking to a trainer, and in the mean time, the dog and your kids are never left alone unsupervised, even for a moment. That's a good rule with ANY dog actually, aggressive or not.

We have a rescue and have been dealing with issues (not aggression related, but still concerning) and we have her going through obedience training currently, and after than we will be doing one or two sessions with a behavioral therapist: this not just important training for the dog, but for us as the owners as well.

 

[sammy28]

@apollyx When I was 2 years old I was bitten by a dog I went to pet. Although the bite itself (forearm) was not particularly bad I was definitely traumatized. I don't really blame the dog or my little self. It just happened. But,This can definitely be serious and have life long impact , I hope you find a great solution.

 

[mavis1950]

@apollyx What's going on immediately before the aggressive behavior happens?

 

[apollyx]

@mavis1950 The child is walking up to him to pet him. The first time we saw it, there were a few kids in his space and it was his first day home. So I 100% understood that one.

The most recent one, the dog was sitting in the backseat of the car (he loves car rides, so I don’t think he was stressed) and the kid came into the van to pet him. Not wild, loud or aggressive at all.

 

[takecare8990]

@apollyx Sounds like kids around this dog need to be monitored and told not to pet him. Not all dogs like pets from everyone and that’s okay. Now you know and can more forward with preventing this from happening again. Also work with a doggy behaviorist to help address and curb his fearfulness

 

[melody523_]

@apollyx It sounds like he is being approached and has no way to back out of the meeting. The car is his space and the kid uninvited by the dog, invaded and wanted to touch him. It sounds like he is trying to keep his space and didn't want it invaded by either the neighbor kid or the car kid. You say He hasn't snipped at your son. It may be that your son approaches him with respect and your dog trusts him where as strange children make him uneasy. They pet hard or painful and he might have a bad history with kids being cruel or mean. I would watch his body language and see if he is trying to find an out before he nips. Remember that nipping and barking are the last response by a dog, the non verbal responses need to be respected too. If his ears are back, his tail low, his mouth tight, he is stressed and unhappy, this is not a time for a strange child to pet him. Is his tail neutral? Or wagging? Ears up? Mouth relaxed? Good time for a respectful pet, if he stays in that body language. If he gets markers of stressed, tell the child, he's not feeling like being petted. It's our job to advocate for our pets and their feelings. We need to set them up for success and pushing him past a threshold of comfort will backfire.

 

[holly]

@apollyx Consult with your vet. It takes 6 mionths for a rescue dog to decompress. The dog is probably scared. We used some vet recommended anti anxiety meds and gradually weaned our dog off of them. It helped a lot. I would keep a very close eye on your new friend around children. You have been warned. There does not have to be a bad outcome.