Hello Dogs Today,
I hope you can help. We are the owners of a 11 month male yellow Labrador puppy Harvey, who we absolutely adore.
He is from excellent working stock but just a much loved pet for my husband and I and two children (age nine and four).
In last couple of weeks we have noticed a change in his behaviour mostly towards other children who approach him nervously. He tends to growl when stroked, but does not do this with children who are confident with him.
This is making life a little difficult as he is a big part of the family and we want to be able to take him on days out and camping over the summer months, as well as having our children's friends in the house to visit.
We have spoken to the vet about this who (although he said he is not an expert in dog behaviour), there is no aggression in him, but he seems nervous and protective of the family. Harvey barked at the vet when he approached him, but when he took the lead Harvey trotted after him like a lamb.
It would be really appreciated if you had any tips or advice to ensure Harvey feels confident enough to not try and be 'top dog' with children when he feels he can, and to make meeting different people not a stressful experience for us!!
Many thanks
Tracey Perrin, Northampton
Tracey, this sounds the sort of problem that needs a behaviourist on-the-spot to work out what's going on before things get any worse. You can ask your vet to refer you after he's decided there's no physical explanation for the problems. This might be just a bad habit he's got into but the sooner you get an expert on the case the sooner you can start turning this situation around.
Anyone got any recommendations for good behaviourists in Tracey's area?
Hi Tracey
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with my previous dog. I bet it happens when he feels a bit cornered, or when people are "looming" over him, or when someone is holding him to be stroked by a child and he feels trapped.
It took a bit of time and patience but I cured my dog by making him feel confident enough not to feel the need to growl.
The first thing to realise is that he is only growling because he feels uneasy about the situation he is in and you can tell he is not a vicious dog because it only happens with certain people.
He should not be punished in any way.
I found just like you that my dog was absolutely fine with children and people who were at ease with dogs.
Children who are nervous of dogs present a problem because without realising it they are continually staring at the dog, and some dogs really fear this kind of eye contact.
Or they make jerky movements, or wave their arms like a windmill over the dogs head, usually trying to stroke a "safe" bit quickly without getting bitten.
I would explain to such children that your dog he is a bit frightened of children he doesn't know well. Don't let them stroke him unless they call him over to give him a treat. Don't let the children go to him. Whatever you do, don't hold him still while being stroked, and for the moment only let strange children, or nervous children, stroke him briefly, if at all, and then get them to leave him alone. (Continual stroking often spooks a dog).
Give him space and if the children cannot do what you ask, then tell them to ignore him or take the puppy away from them.
A nervous dog gains confidence if it is left to its own devices in social situations and not forced to meet people.
To start with, you have to not care what people think and intervene when some strange child or person is approaching. You will get to know by your dog's body language when you need to do so.
My dog used to growl at tall men who used to look him in the eye and loom over him, so I used to stop them in their tracks and get them to offer him a treat (I always had some in my pocket).
Always keep the lead loose but short, as a tight lead makes dogs defensive.
The other thing I did was to get my dog used to being handled quite roughly and playfully all over (by me), so that he did not fear it. My dread was that a child, thinking him so cute, would rush up and hug him, so I wanted him to be used to being hugged.
I also practised looking him in the eyes, giving him a treat, as I did so.
We'd go to Wimbledon Common every day for a walk where he met lots of children and dogs and afterwards I'd have coffee in the outdoor cafe so he would get used to children running around.
I was very influenced by Ian Dunbar and suggest you read his book Before and After Getting Your Puppy because he has so many excellent tips about confidence building, socialisation and handling tips, such as getting them used to having their mouths and paws handled.
One excellent thing he suggests is to deliberately grab your puppy's collar, at the same time giving him a treat, which makes the puppy see collar grabbing as something to be welcomed rather than a reason to snap.
My old dog turned into a very sociable fellow, happy to greet anyone, even tall men.
Then one day day at the cafe, when I was walking back to my table outside with a cup of coffee, there was a little boy hugging him - his face buried in my dog's furry chest.
My dog was loving the attention.
The thing to remember is that lots of dogs are like your dog and they just need to be helped to gain confidence.
You need to set your dog an example by being calm and relaxed yourself.
Julia Lewis