# New dog trouble



## mafioso9700 (May 13, 2008)

About a month and a half ago my black lab was killed. To ease my pain I went out and bought a new one. Instead of a pup I bought a 2 year black lab male. Drake is already trained and like most labs is very well behaved. I was in the middle of moving so he spent a lot of time in his kennell which I kept in the garage. A few days had passed and my girlfriends son is telling me that Drake hates him and is going to kill him. (he is eight) Telling me that whenever he goes around Drake that he growls, barks, and even snips at him. I had never seen it happen and whenever we went out together Drake was fine so I brushed it off as nothing. I always asked what he did to the dog to make him act this way. Come to find out he kicked his kennell while he was in it. I drilled him and he said thats all he did. Yesterday me and the dog were in the garage when he came around the corner. The hair on his back stood up and was very defensive. This only happens to the one child which leads me to beleive that he has done more than kick a kennell. I have two kids who play with him all the time and he loves it. Now my girlfriend is telling me to sell the dog and we can buy a pup. I dont want to do this. I was looking forward to not having to train another dog which takes a lot of time and thats something I dont have. I want to keep my dog but I also dont want anyone getting hurt. He is not allowed around the dog anymore. Any advice would be appreciated.


----------



## Dekashika (Oct 23, 2007)

Personally, I would not put up with a dog getting aggressive with an 8 year old boy. Just too scary for me. I would have put that dog in its place the second it showed any aggressive behavior when your girlfreinds boy came around the corner. 

Not knowing details of the dogs past two years makes it hard to determine just why the dog is acting this way towards the one boy. Howerver, I dont think it necessarily means that the boy did something to the dog to warrant the dog taking a dislike to him. It could have been someting else, and even if he did kick the kennel, think of the abuse that an individual in a pack receives from the other pack members. I think it boils down to the dog knowing its place in the pecking order, and this dogs appears to feel it is dominant over the young boy. 

Some folks on the forum probably have some ideas as to how you could correct the problem, but I can certainly understand your girlfreinds fear and desire to get rid of a dog that acts that way. Especially, if having enough time to spend with the dog is an issue as you stated. 

Any aggression from large dogs towards children just scares me. 

Hope you can work it out.


----------



## Tagen (May 14, 2008)

What's easier? Starting over with a new dog, or a new girlfriend? Seriously though, I'm not sure this is a situation where I would try to keep both. I don't know that I would be comfortable with a dog that is acting this way towards a child that is going to be living in the same home, even if said child is the instigator. Just not a safe situation, ya know? On the other hand, what's to keep this boy from reacting negatively towards any dog you bring home? Not all kids like dogs after all.

Hopefully this situation isn't beyond repair and you will be able to find some help with the issue. I hope you are able to come to a resolution that you can be satisfied with.


----------



## Ironman (Sep 7, 2007)

A bad situation made worse by poor timing. A new dog in a new environment, caged. Now enter kid who does something not so bright by acting aggressively towards the already stressed dog. I might be inclined to growl and bite a little too if I were in the dogs paws.

I have seen this type of aggression dealt with in Labs before (intact males). In fact, toward the same age group of kids (little kids, no problem - adults, no problem - 7-13 yrs, problem).
This is the way it was dealt with: In a low stress environment, under complete control of an adult, the kid, talking as if to a puppy, gives the dog its favorite treat...hotdog or something very tantalizing. The dog will be wary, so be on your toes ready with the leash to pull the dog away if needed...you should be talking in a calm, nice way to the dog too telling it "friend" which will later become a cue to accept any stranger. If it goes well and the dog is more interested in the treat then the perceived threat and takes the treat from the kid, praise the dog, you give it a treat and excuse the kid, then repeat. Once the dog is doing well with this for a few days and does not show fear or aggression to the kid then have every kid that age and size in your extended family/neighborhood give your dog its treats. Reinforce at every chance you get, keep it on a leash to maintain control always. If the dog ever shows aggression or snaps at a kid, YOU put it in its place immediately. This will instill the pack order, you and any other human on top, the dog on the bottom. The dog will quickly understand that the aggressive behavior results in punishment and no treat, whereas calmness around kids is rewarded with a treat, praise, and no punishment. This can only work if the kid does not revert to his foolish, threatening behavior around the dog. 
If the dog is intact it would help to "Fix" that too.


----------



## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

I agree with Ironman that with a little work with dog and boy, this situation could be easily remedied. You want to change the dog's behavior, but you also want to foster the relationship between dog and boy. Include the boy in working with the dog. Let the boy feed it, etc. We spend a lot of time training our dogs, but dogs are a valuable training tools for kids (and adults too). I know the time I spend walking my dogs with my kids is time well spent for dogs, kids, and dad.


----------



## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

Ironman said:


> A bad situation made worse by poor timing. A new dog in a new environment, caged. Now enter kid who does something not so bright by acting aggressively towards the already stressed dog. I might be inclined to growl and bite a little too if I were in the dogs paws.
> 
> I have seen this type of aggression dealt with in Labs before (intact males). In fact, toward the same age group of kids (little kids, no problem - adults, no problem - 7-13 yrs, problem).
> This is the way it was dealt with: In a low stress environment, under complete control of an adult, the kid, talking as if to a puppy, gives the dog its favorite treat...hotdog or something very tantalizing. The dog will be wary, so be on your toes ready with the leash to pull the dog away if needed...you should be talking in a calm, nice way to the dog too telling it "friend" which will later become a cue to accept any stranger. If it goes well and the dog is more interested in the treat then the perceived threat and takes the treat from the kid, praise the dog, you give it a treat and excuse the kid, then repeat. Once the dog is doing well with this for a few days and does not show fear or aggression to the kid then have every kid that age and size in your extended family/neighborhood give your dog its treats. Reinforce at every chance you get, keep it on a leash to maintain control always. If the dog ever shows aggression or snaps at a kid, YOU put it in its place immediately. This will instill the pack order, you and any other human on top, the dog on the bottom. The dog will quickly understand that the aggressive behavior results in punishment and no treat, whereas calmness around kids is rewarded with a treat, praise, and no punishment. This can only work if the kid does not revert to his foolish, threatening behavior around the dog.
> If the dog is intact it would help to "Fix" that too.


Great post. I think it would be wise to try something like this before giving up on the dog like some have suggested. That is just my opinion. Positive reinforcement while working with both of them together should go a long ways. If you don't see improvement after some time then maybe the only option would be to get rid of it, but I would personally try everything in my power to not let that happen. JMO


----------

