Our 6 month old Vizsla is growling at our children

JJ · Jun 20, 2012

Our 6 month old Vizsla growls at our children (who are 4 years and 20 months old) - it is normally when she has one of her toys, or bedding.

We have had Bella since she was 8 weeks old and have always made sure that the children have been involved with her training, and also one of them will normally feed her every day.

For the last 2 months (approximately) she has started growling at them when she has one of her toys, or sometimes her bedding. We encourage the kids to give her space, but equally feel that it is important that she is used to them being around her.

They both absolutely adore her, but we cannot trust her with them as on a couple of occasions it looks like she has been on the verge of snapping at them.

I am really hoping that the behaviour that she is displaying can be corrected, but what ever we have tried does not seem to make an impact.

Also, if my son sits on my lap Bella will try and get in between us - I know this is an obvious case of jealousy but I'm not sure what can be done to correct it.

Bella is well exercised, and also when she started displaying the behavior I took her to the vet for a check up to ensure she did not have any health probems.

Any advice that can be offered would be gratefully received.

Thank you.

threefsh · Jun 20, 2012

Have you taught her "drop it" or "leave it"? Both are very important commands. If Riley is being possessive with an item (she's started doing this with our cat) I will either make her drop the item (toys, bully stick, etc.) or I will make her leave it (food, treats, etc.). The best way to train these commands is with positive reinforcement.

Here are some helpful links:

http://dogs.about.com/od/basiccommands/a/leaveitcommand.htm

http://dogs.about.com/od/basiccommands/ht/dropitcommand.htm

I would recommend *training* the command yourself (for your children's safety), but once the pup knows what "drop it" and "leave it" means, you can have the children get involved.

You may need to see a behavioral specialist if the problems continue or worsen. I definitely would not allow her to have any high-value chew toys such as bully sticks or raw bones until you have the growling under control.

Good luck!

adrino · Jun 20, 2012

I wish I could help you but we do not have children yet. But I'm curious to see any answers you get. It's good to know what to do in this situation.
I think when you have your child on your lap you have to make sure you do not let her push between you. You're in charge and tell her to give you more space. Make her sit or lay down a bit further from you.
You might need to get a trainer's help, someone who knows what and how to do it.
Maybe a daily activity with her when you give the toy to her then take it away continuosly, try to desensitise her. Somebody wrote about this before. I wish I could remember. :-[

Hope someone will give you some good advice. Keep us posted!
Good luck

flynnandlunasmom · Jun 20, 2012

I took a class through our local maternity center (Isis Maternity in MA) that taught some amazing things about dogs adjusting to kids/babies. (we don't have kids yet but came very close).

One tip was to spray all of the dog toys with a scent (almond extract) so the dog knows their toys from the kids toys so the dog won't take the kids toys.

Also, your pup needs to know that the kids are above her in the pack. We were told to let the kids sit on the dogs bed (with us there/supervising) and to let the kids handle the dogs toys. If the dog growls, discipline her. Tell her No and make her stay in a down. It's not good for her to be so possessive of her bed and her things.

If i were you I would look into some classes or time with a trainer to work on this. You don't want it to escalate. With some hard work you will be able to make it work. Sounds like Bella just needs to be reminded that the kids are above her, she's not above them.

With the 4 month old coming into your home, that upset Bella's apple cart. A trainer told us that whenever there's a new pack member, a dog's natural instinct is to try to raise their own status so you need to make sure she knows her place.

You may try getting stricter with Bella. Not as much sofa and bed time, more crating etc. Kind of remind her who's the boss.

We plan to have kids and know we're going to have some issues like this with one of our dogs given how he is towards children in general. Best of luck to you!

jjohnson · Jun 20, 2012

I would definitely recommend working with a professional, since there are little kids involved:

http://www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com/

This is a good place to find a behaviorist in your area. These people aren't just "trainers" (which anybody can claim to be). They have advanced degrees and specialized training in animal behavior. We worked with one, and it helped, but more importantly , gave us the understanding to work on some problems ourselves and helped us feel like we had help to turn to. I think the problem you're having is very common - google " resource guarding", and there should be a ton of articles online that offer advice. Try finding Dr. Sophia Yin's website too...she is a nationally-recognized vet AND behaviorist with some good articles on her blog. Good luck!

Our 6 month old Vizsla is growling at our children

JJ

threefsh

adrino

flynnandlunasmom

jjohnson

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