My dog is terrorizing my kids

[Anonymous]

How much exercise is your dog getting? Are you walking him/her daily? That can make a HUGE difference. The behaviors sound annoying rather than dangerous as I read it.
If the dog is good with other dogs, you might want to consider doggy day care because it sounds like you are frustrated and it would give you a break from the constant monitoring plus really wear your dog out (my dog sleeps the entire day after being there).
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

If you have any significant concern about having your or anyone else's child around your dog, I think that you are responsible for separating your dog from children immediately. Waiting for the first bite is not acceptable, nor is having children exposed to the dog while you attempt any training, etc. You say that your dog is "terrorizing" your children. Please, don't wait to mull this over and to organize training. Do whatever you have to do to separate kids from the dog. I am not saying this to be snide, but because I am concerned that you may love your dog so much that you may not be thinking of him as the animal that he is. And animals have instincts and aggressions that we cannot always predict. This seems to me to be an urgent matter. I hope that you are able to resolve things so that you are able to keep your dog.

[Anonymous]

may sound crueil, but a shock collar works wonders. We bought one for our cocker spaniel. Worked like a charm, Now all I have to do is show him the remote. They make them for small breeds and sell them at petco. good luck.

[Anonymous]

OH MY!!!!!!!!!! I am absolutely horrified after reading most of these posts! I am the owner of 2 CKCS's that I had prebaby. Yes, they have their individual personalities (one is outgoing and one is a momma's gal), but overall, they are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC with my daughter and any and all playmates that come over for playgroup. These dogs are family dogs. Please spend some quality time on training (as a family) and you'll see a big improvement. You know you love your pooch, so do what can to make him a better dog. Good dogs deserve training, bad dogs need it!

[Anonymous]

I also was given a recommendation from our vet to see Dr. Meyer - but our dog bit our child (very badly), so I was too nervous to trust him. Please see a behaviorist before anything bad happens!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, it's the people who say stuff like "change dogs" who I worry about. Like it's a piece of furniture or something. So sad. And as an aside, I volunteer with Lab Rescue and these people are the ones who buy a puppy from a breeder (because ironically they "don't want to deal with someone else's mistakes"), don't train it, are shocked that it didn't train itself, and then call a rescue league (best case) to come get it because they're leaving on holiday and cannot possibly deal with it any more. The dog is then shuffled around and scared and usually stuck in a kennel for a while before having to get used to a new home. So PLEASE - the posters who think OP should change dogs or get rid of the dogs, PLEASE NEVER OBTAIN ANY SORT OF LIVING BEING. Rescue leagues would really appreciate it. So OP, I applaud you for looking for solutions (and they are out there!) instead of just casting off your furry companion when it's no longer convenient. South Paws in VA had a behavioralist that we consulted with, but it's possible any good trainer would be able to help you. These are "normal" doggy problems. Hang in there.

My thoughts exactly! I knew a lady at work that had a 12 year dog, adopted a new puppy, and then ended up "getting rid" of the older dog because she couldn't handle them both! My beloved dog is only 3 years old, and while she can be trying at times, I am devastated at the thought that she will die EVER!!

[Anonymous]

OP again -- wow, I think I hit one of those controversial subjects without knowing it. Thank you, thank you to everyone who had supportive things to say and helpful suggestions to offer. I will definitely start researching behaviorists this week and will make a phonecall to our vet as well. We love our dog, as I've stated, and I really think the "terrorizing" behavior is exactly what a PP stated -- he thinks he's head of the pack and that the kids are dogs just like him. But in no way has he ever bitten either child (and my 2 1/2 year old son is totally in love with him). So I think the situation is workable. I felt very, very sad after reading the posts from people who suggested I get rid of him --- there is so much cruelty and heartache in the world, children and pets, innocent living creatures who are abused, abandoned, or neglected -- let's not encourage those behaviors on forums such as this one. It's just not appropriate -- all of us are loving parents (hopefully) and if anyone in the world is going to be compassionate and tolerant, it should be US. Again, thanks everyone...

[Anonymous]

If it's not really that bad maybe "terrorizing" wasn't the best choice of words.
I hope you can find the time/assistance to work it out.

[Anonymous]

WE had a 5 year old dog - very well behaved. But when we moved to a new house it was also the same time our toddler started waliking. The combination of the new environment and the new threat of the child - made him ver nervous. To top it off we had a neighbor with very irritating wind chimes that drove our dog crazy. We spent so much money on a behaviorist, hired a dog walker so he'd get more excersize and also put him on medication which was supposed to calm his nerves. Then one day he bit my son's face - we had to rush him to the ER and he had stitches along the side of his head and ear. It was not fun. Our dog now has been adopted by a family freind with no children - living at the beach. Better for us - better for him. Sorry to the PP he says that people who think that if you consider giving a pet away you are a horrible person or should never have a pet again, ever. My advice would be if you are planning to have children - maybe the dog should join the family after the children - not vice versa......not always possible - I know. Buut sometimes these situations are unavoidable. I would not take the risk - dogs are animals and they are unpredicatable - no matter how much you love them.

[Anonymous]

If you are in the city, consider K-9 Devine (or Canine devine, I can't remember which). She'll come for 1 hour and give you some excellent training tips. Dogs can learn pretty fast with a clicker and the right treats. You can probably train the food stealing out of him in a day or two. The licking will be harder, but remember, no one ever died from dog spit.... I'm sure the mean mommies will have lots of nasty comments about that, but if you are really worried ask your Ped. we have a licky dog and our Ped just didn't think "dog germs" were worth worrying about.

Of course, don't leave kids and dogs alone together b/c dog bites are serious. But, licking is a sign of submission, so it does not sound like your pup is being agressive.

[Anonymous]

We had food and barking issues with our dog when our kids were little. It is in large part behavioral, with it more/less difficult to defuse depending on breed.

With our dog, we had a rule that kids had to eat all food at the table. Period. The dog was fed her own meal before humans and the dog was put in a down/stay for all meals/snacks and would get a food reward after all humans were finished, if she stayed down the whole meal. I thought it was unreasonable to expect that the dog would not try to sneak the food away from the baby if they were both at the same level. Our dog had a very strong food/prey instinct. Of course, when baby was in the stage of throwing food off the high chair, it was a challenge for our dog to maintain the down/stay, so we made sure that it was a fair distance away from the table. It takes some time to establish & you must be very consistent, but in the end it works.

As for barking, we also taught our dog not to bark on command w/ verbal and hand signals. Initially you choose a command word (quiet or no bark or some other), and say the word and firmly but gently put your hand around the muzzle and gently shake the dog's head once when you give the command in a low voice. This is similar to the way a mother dog disciplines/asserts herself over her young pup, by putting her mouth over theirs and giving a shake. Some people also teach a "speak" command as a trick or safety device (the dog learns to bark on command).

I agree w/ another posting re: licking. While a little conceptually gross (I didn't like it when my dog licked me let alone the kids), it's really not dangerous for the kids. Just stop it gently when you see it, the same way you do with the bark (shake muzzle and say no). You can also provide a chew toy instead when you interrupt the unwanted licking. It will diminish.

You are the leader of the pack, so you have to set the rules or the dog will see itself as leader of your pack of kids. If you can't figure out how to, a good dog trainer can help, but it really shouldn't require a shock collar.

Also, our personal rule was that the dog and the kids were never alone on the floor together unsupervised. Neither one were dependable enough. Our kids could grab a hunk of fur or tail easily, even up until age 4 or so. And the dog, sweet as she was, could only be expected to endure so much!

[Anonymous]

We had our dog for two years before baby. He was about a year and a half when we got him. He is a very sweet-natured lab that was rescued by a friend of ours and he gave him to us for adoption. Pre-baby, he was great. Very good natured - lots of fun to be with. After the baby, he started going crazy. He seemed to be jealous of the attention she was getting and food. We may also try a behaviorist (great idea PPs!), but some things that seem to have helped are that we spend some special time with him after baby goes to sleep and give him a dog treat before she gets fed. He seems to react well to this - still knows he is loved. We also noticed that he seems to act out more when he is not exercised enough. It can be really hard when you have kids to walk the dog, but the more he gets exercised, the better.

I love the NPR radio show "Calling All Pets". Don't know if they have a website, but I love the behaviorist's tips. I would bet she has it in her archives.

Good luck! I am so glad to hear you are not giving up on your "first born". People who do not have a dog don't understand that they are part of your family!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So - my beloved family dog, a beautiful cavalier king charles spaniel - has become a complete nightmare. He's terrorizing our kids, a toddler and a baby. Biggest issues are barking -- he barks all the time, which scares (or wakes up the baby) and constantly licks everything that belongs to the kids (toys, laundry, playmats, etc). He lunges into the air to eat food right out of my son's hand while he's having a meal at the kitchen table (if we put him in a crate or a different room, he barks again) and if I turn my back for 2 seconds while the baby is playing on her mat, he'll run over and lick her head!! Yuck. We can't have any friends over because of his behavior - if we put him in a different room he barks again. Often I'll put him in the car if we're hosting a playdate, but if the weather is cold it's not an option. I find myself constantly monitoring his behavior - which makes me completely on edge. I know it's my fault for not better training him, but I just don't know what to do at this point. Any suggestions? Ackkk!!

he doesn't sound so bad. at least he isn't aggressive with the children. my "perfect" dog now has become more bold as well. totally loves the kids but eats food off of their plates if they are having a snack in the playroom or something....things he never did before. who knows? i guess he is sick of being second fiddle around here and i guess i don't blame him. get your dog some training and make sure he has lots of exercise. buy him his own special toys and give treats on good behavior.

[Anonymous]

We ignored barking, and during meal times, we constantly intervened, and no more food snatching.

We do have licking issues, and theft of toys from their rooms.

My dog now hardly barks at all, rings a bell to go outside, and leaves food in little hands, in their hands. Food that falls, or is left unattended on the coffee table is fair game though.

Because your children don't sound like they are in harm, I suggest training the dog. If at any time you feel your children may be in danger, than by all means I would suggest getting rid of the dog. While I don't think pets are disposable, I don't think we need to keep them in a situation that doesn't work for us, or for them.