Dog snapping :(

[whyffs]

So my 1 year old cockerpoo is snapping when my kids are carrying on with each other.

I'm very worried about this behaviour.

He's fine with strangers, doesn't bark unless he's playing (even then just the odd bark). Kids can play outside and he's fine but when it's indoors he tries to nip them 😩

Has anyone had any experience of this?

Thanks

[pigsDOfly]

Sounds like he might be getting over excited and perhaps a be worried by their behaviour and is trying to join in and put in his twopenny worth.

I'm not sure quite what you mean by 'carrying on with each other', are they arguing, playing noisily, fighting?

He's a young dog, I'd be removing him from the room if they're playing roughly so he doesn't get wound up.

[aweedropofsancerre]

My dog did the same when it was little. Would get excited around the DC then nip at there ankles. We had to remove him from the situation. He still tries to join in now if there running around so part of it is wanting to join in and getting excitable

[whyffs]

Carrying on as in running about, tickling each other, not physically fighting.

When I try to take him away from the situation he then snaps at me. I always approach him calmly and tbh in any other situation he responds very well to me (drop, bed, whistle etc).

[missyB1]

What do you mean by snapping? Is it over excited puppy nipping type behaviour? Or full on aggressive behaviour? You need to look at the dog’s body language as you might be misreading him.
Either way you don’t want this happening so warn the kids to be calm around the dog indoors and do some training with the dog to sit or lie on command.

[sillysmiles]

Sounds more like being over exited and trying to play with them than aggression. What age kids? Maybe when you see this happening correct the kids and get them to calm the situation down.

[missbattenburg]

Around the same age Battendog was VERY easily over excited. Just a new person talking excitedly to him made him all jumpy, bouncy and - being a spaniel - he would try to play with his mouth.

Could it be something like this?

If so, the answer was to keep all interactions very low key so he did not get into a state in which he would do something silly out of frustration or excitement.

He's a bit steadier now (2 years old) but I still would be very wary about anyone new trying to play with him and watch them closely, just in case he got over the top.

[whyffs]

I would definitely say there is aggression there. :(

[Nesssie]

Its more than likely over excitement which can look very aggressive.

When you try and take him away, don't pick him or pull him by his collar. Either ask the children to stop for a second, and then recall him away with a treat/toy or have as slip lead handy and just loop it round him and walk him away.

[Ylvamoon]

Do you tell everyone (that is kids and dog) to stop?? And then remove the dog. Or do you "join in" by and chasing and grabbing the dog?
If it's the first, you need to be very firm with "No" or "leave" command. To teach that it's not ok to snapp. (Think of snapping as a protest for stopping all the fun!)
If the latter, give your dog & children a warning, indication that playtime is over before removing the dog to a calmer part of your home.

[Teacakeandalatte]

Yes jumping about, wrestling and shouting etc is very like rough dog play so no wonder he wants to join in. I'm sure that's all it is but dogs get quite rough when they play this way and he could easily get carried away and hurt your young dc so its important to calm him down as pp said.

[Jouska]

Get professional advice. One session with a good qualified behaviourist will show you why he is reacting like this, what to do to prevent it and how to change his emotional state so he will not react.

You do need RL input to help you with this- there will be a straightforward solution. However if you leave it and let it become learnt behavior it will be harder to rectify.

[Booboostwo]

As above, get RL help. You need a professional to assess the behaviour and help you manage it.

[whyffs]

Thanks everyone.

I do get everyone to stop and calm down. I try to give it a minute before I approach the dog but sometimes I'm just worried about who is close to him.

I'm so relieved that no one has said I need to remove the dog from the house. Tonight I've spoken with the kids and said boisterous play needs to be outside.

I've phoned a dog trainer who specialises in behaviour so we'll meet him on Friday next week.

I definitely feel better and positive with the help from you all.

Thank you!

[whatareyoudoing]

Yeah tell the kids they can't play evasive you've got an aggressive animal in the house. That should sort the problem! How about sort the bloody dog out! Your poor kids can't even play without being attacked in their own home.

[Costacoffeeplease]

whatareyoudoing

Don’t be so fucking ridiculous

[pigsDOfly]

Some stupid over reactions on here.

The dog is a young dog, effectively a teenager, lively play is going to wind him up. It's not aggression, he's not attacking anyone, he's joining in the wild play and getting a bit carried away.

It very probably doesn't need professional help OP, it just needs you to make sure the children and the dog are not around one another when the children are playing roughly.

Getting a professional in so you have a better idea of how to do that is probably a good idea if you're unsure though.

Dogs need to learn how to be calm, a one year old it isn't going to come naturally.

[chergar]

Your dog could be getting over excited and wants to join in or it could be trying to 'protect' one of the children.

The behaviour specialist sounds like a good idea.

[whyffs]

whatareyoudoing

I'd hate to be growing up in your house!!

[Moondust001]

Your kids are playing. Your dog is playing. Unfortunately, dogs play with their teeth, as they are also "hands" for a dog. This isn't really a "behavioural" problem. If you watch dogs play, by our standards they can often be very rough and use their teeth a lot - but they don't understand that isn't ok with humans. My adult border collie understands that the command "teeth" means that he's using his teeth to play and that must stop - but he's smart enough to be taught that and not all dogs are. Really, the answer is, as others have said, to have clear boundaries - rough and exciting play between the kids should not include the dog. Equally, the children need to understand that if the dog gets excited then they need to tone it down or take it somewhere else. That way everyone can be happy.

[Moondust001]

How about sort the bloody dog out! Your poor kids can't even play without being attacked in their own home.

Overreaction or what?

[whyffs]

Thanks @Moondust001

You are right. I totally understand it is a training issue - the dog and the kids!

In the past few months he is getting very good responding to commands, less chewing and being off the lead on certain walks. He even picks his own toys from his basket.

:)

[Jouska]

PigsDofFly needing professional help is not an indicator of the serious of a problem more the impact of the issue. This issue is having a major impact on family life but can be easily solved with the correct training.

The op DOES need help and the best place to get that is from a RL professional not from randoms on the internet

[pigsDOfly]

@Jouska If you read what I've written that's exactly what I said: i.e if getting a professional in to help the OP understand how to deal with the situation then it's a good idea.

I don't think anyone on here is trying to dissuade the OP from seeking professional RL help. However, she did start the thread with, I imagine, the express purpose of 'asking randoms on the internet' for help and didn't mention that she was thinking of getting a professional in to help, which from the tone of her OP I suspect she wasn't.

Perhaps you should take that up with her and ask her what she thinks she's doing coming on here and seeking help from 'randoms on the internet'.

The seriousness or otherwise of the situation is not at issue, and yes I agree the dog does need the correct training.

However, some of the post on here telling the OP her dog is aggressive are ridiculous.

[whyffs]

Hey,

I just wanted to make sure my dog wasn't a bad one and normal people didn't expect me to put him to sleep

When I was young our dog was pts for getting his teeth around our neighbours cardigan so maybe I'm extra cautious because of that.

He is a great dog and 99% of the time he is perfect.

[missbattenburg]

If your 1 year old dog is perfect 99% of the the time then I'd say he is doing pretty well.

Battendog is 2 years old and is perfect maybe 50% of the day - which includes when he's asleep