Hello! We’re on a trip atm (See last post for context) and my dog (1.5 year old Dachshund rescue) has been doing spectacularly so far! We stayed at the first house with the other dog and he was so well-behaved - around both the other dog and the child living there. Now, we’re staying at the second house and the hyper child has been triggering him.
At the first house, the introduction with the family and the other dog (cavoodle) went well. The two dogs played together a lot, however, I noticed that sometimes the cavoodle would invade his space so I would separate them and give my dog some alone time in another room. He would whine a bit but would eventually settle down and rest. He was also really well-behaved around the child in the house, however this child is rather quiet and shy.
Yesterday, we arrived at the second house and I thought it would be good that he would finally get his space from the other dog. However, the child (C) at this house is a huuuge issue. C is suuuuper hyperactive - I’m talking running, screaming, and jumping. I don’t trust my dog around C so he’s constantly leashed up next to me (he is leash-reactive but I believe this is safer). Once we arrived last night, I let him rest in his crate and he slept peacefully the whole night.
This morning, C went to school so he was fine and relaxed around everyone. However, once C came back home I could tell C was extremely hyper as they were running around and screaming a lot. My dog usually barks when someone arrives at the house so I let him rest in a room with my sister for 2-3 hours to calm down. I only let him out once C was chilling in front of the TV. While this was happening, I helped with dinner so my dog was on a leash and following me around but later on C started to bother him. Some examples are:
- C would get toys and try to balance them on my dog’s back
- C would try to walk over the dog (like make the dog go between their legs) and cause my dog to freak out
- C would touch my dog’s back and run away to provoke the dog to follow them. Then C will scream in delight when the leash keeps my dog from running after them and laugh as the dog barks in frustration.
As you can imagine, this made me very uncomfortable knowing how reactive my dog is. I tried to explain to C that they have to be relaxed around the dog, not to run around him, not to do the things he’s doing, to leave him alone etc. C’s parents would also tell them to just be calm but C doesn’t really understand and is having too much fun.
Tonight, the dog kept lunging at him so I would give the dog space and timeouts in a separate room. Eventually, things had calmed down so I leashed the dog to a chair in the dining area so that at least he can see me (he feels more calm in my presence). However, C happened to run past him and the dog bit his thigh (no wound but there was bruising). I let the dog calm down in another room then let him out 30 minutes later but held him on a short leash. However, C came close and he bit C on the foot (no visible marks) and lunged at C’s face.
Now, even just the sight of C triggers him. Please help!!!!! We’re here for a few more days. Should I just keep him in a room alone while C is around? What can I do? I’m at a loss…
UPDATE: Hey all!!! Thank you for all your thoughts, feedback, and advice I appreciate the time taken to read and comment! A few things:
- We’ll only be staying for 1.5 more days so I wont be buying a gate BUT I will be keeping my dog separate from the children for the rest of the trip (as best as I can anyway). I believe I did become complacent seeing as my dog was fine with C when they visited our house last year, but all the new and unfamiliar experiences are most likely driving up his stress levels.
- C is starting to understand that they won’t be allowed to interact with the dog at all and C’s parents are on board with explaining this also. A bit of context about why C acts this way is because their family dog recently passed away and C misses it (hence the obsession with my dog). C grew up around this dog and loved its gentle and tolerant nature. C is now learning all dogs aren’t like this.
- I’ll be driving my dog up to a nearby park to make sure he gets some exercise and will be buying him new toys for mental stimulation as he stays in the room. I know he’s comfortable in there as I’ve seen him retreat to it to sleep so I know he’ll be ok. Ill be sure to check on him too and let him out (on leash) for toilet breaks.
- We will be going out tomorrow so my dog will have some peace and quiet. I know he’s a little frustrated that he can’t play with all of us and be in our presence but that’s a necessary sacrifice. I’ll only let him out to play with everyone once C goes to bed.
Thanks all!!!! Fingers crossed the rest of the trip goes well and already can’t wait to get home so my dog can chillax and get back to our routine.
At the first house, the introduction with the family and the other dog (cavoodle) went well. The two dogs played together a lot, however, I noticed that sometimes the cavoodle would invade his space so I would separate them and give my dog some alone time in another room. He would whine a bit but would eventually settle down and rest. He was also really well-behaved around the child in the house, however this child is rather quiet and shy.
Yesterday, we arrived at the second house and I thought it would be good that he would finally get his space from the other dog. However, the child (C) at this house is a huuuge issue. C is suuuuper hyperactive - I’m talking running, screaming, and jumping. I don’t trust my dog around C so he’s constantly leashed up next to me (he is leash-reactive but I believe this is safer). Once we arrived last night, I let him rest in his crate and he slept peacefully the whole night.
This morning, C went to school so he was fine and relaxed around everyone. However, once C came back home I could tell C was extremely hyper as they were running around and screaming a lot. My dog usually barks when someone arrives at the house so I let him rest in a room with my sister for 2-3 hours to calm down. I only let him out once C was chilling in front of the TV. While this was happening, I helped with dinner so my dog was on a leash and following me around but later on C started to bother him. Some examples are:
- C would get toys and try to balance them on my dog’s back
- C would try to walk over the dog (like make the dog go between their legs) and cause my dog to freak out
- C would touch my dog’s back and run away to provoke the dog to follow them. Then C will scream in delight when the leash keeps my dog from running after them and laugh as the dog barks in frustration.
As you can imagine, this made me very uncomfortable knowing how reactive my dog is. I tried to explain to C that they have to be relaxed around the dog, not to run around him, not to do the things he’s doing, to leave him alone etc. C’s parents would also tell them to just be calm but C doesn’t really understand and is having too much fun.
Tonight, the dog kept lunging at him so I would give the dog space and timeouts in a separate room. Eventually, things had calmed down so I leashed the dog to a chair in the dining area so that at least he can see me (he feels more calm in my presence). However, C happened to run past him and the dog bit his thigh (no wound but there was bruising). I let the dog calm down in another room then let him out 30 minutes later but held him on a short leash. However, C came close and he bit C on the foot (no visible marks) and lunged at C’s face.
Now, even just the sight of C triggers him. Please help!!!!! We’re here for a few more days. Should I just keep him in a room alone while C is around? What can I do? I’m at a loss…
UPDATE: Hey all!!! Thank you for all your thoughts, feedback, and advice I appreciate the time taken to read and comment! A few things:
- We’ll only be staying for 1.5 more days so I wont be buying a gate BUT I will be keeping my dog separate from the children for the rest of the trip (as best as I can anyway). I believe I did become complacent seeing as my dog was fine with C when they visited our house last year, but all the new and unfamiliar experiences are most likely driving up his stress levels.
- C is starting to understand that they won’t be allowed to interact with the dog at all and C’s parents are on board with explaining this also. A bit of context about why C acts this way is because their family dog recently passed away and C misses it (hence the obsession with my dog). C grew up around this dog and loved its gentle and tolerant nature. C is now learning all dogs aren’t like this.
- I’ll be driving my dog up to a nearby park to make sure he gets some exercise and will be buying him new toys for mental stimulation as he stays in the room. I know he’s comfortable in there as I’ve seen him retreat to it to sleep so I know he’ll be ok. Ill be sure to check on him too and let him out (on leash) for toilet breaks.
- We will be going out tomorrow so my dog will have some peace and quiet. I know he’s a little frustrated that he can’t play with all of us and be in our presence but that’s a necessary sacrifice. I’ll only let him out to play with everyone once C goes to bed.
Thanks all!!!! Fingers crossed the rest of the trip goes well and already can’t wait to get home so my dog can chillax and get back to our routine.