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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

How to stop my ***** children from winding the puppy up so he bites them?

31 replies

grafit · 14/12/2011 14:24

He is 10 weeks old and is a sweet little chap, but whenever the children play with him they wind him into a frenzy and he growls and bites them Sad

He doesn't do it to me, he seems quite submissive to me and I think that is because I have been strict from the start.

No matter how often I tell them to play fetch games and STOP when he starts to get manic, the puppy ends up growling, snarling and biting. The vet said it is normal puppy behaviour but I am worried he is going to end up being aggressive Sad

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 14/12/2011 14:28

How old are your kids? If they are old/responsible enough to be with the pup unsupervised, they are jolly well old enough to just bloody well stop it!

You'll have to keep pup away from kids until they can behave responsibly, I think. He is not a toy. Perhaps you can explain that while they may think they are playing, his response suggests that actually they are bullying him - he can't cope so growls and bits.

Original poster
grafit · 14/12/2011 14:33

They are old! Well, the WORST offender is my 12 year old! My 5 year old is actually brilliant with him. The 9 year old is a bit scared of him Sad

OP posts:
Lizcat · 14/12/2011 15:33

I am vet and said it to my DD till I'm blue in the face. My dog trainer told DD in no uncertain terms and she fixed it.

silentcatastrophe · 14/12/2011 16:04

You, as an adult in the house, are the only one who is allowed to growl and snarl and snap. If my dcs are making the dogs upset, they get bollocked, and the dogs go in a different room. Does your 12 year old understand that if the dog learns to be afraid of him/her, the dog will bite someone else and be put to sleep. Everyone suffers because of the 12 yo's behaviour.
Sorry to sound so harsh. If a child or anyone else is causing one of my dogs to be upset, I do get very cross on the basis that it is probably safer if I get cross than a dog does! I have been bollocked too, by a dog trainer, for approaching a dog who was tied to a fence.

Elibean · 14/12/2011 16:18

If I had an easy answer to that one I'd be over the moon! My main source of stress Hmm

Mine are 8 and 5. The older one does understand cause and effect, and doesn't want anything to jeopardize the dog - so although she'll forget and start playing too wildly sometimes, she just needs reminding. The 5 year old is a different kettle of fish - she's rarely wild with the dog, but follows him around, puts on squeaky voices, generally winds him up till he jumps up to lick her face (he's 8 months old, lab cross, usually scratches her face in the process) then cries. Infuriating.

They are NEVER unsupervised - unless you count me being in the other room for 2 mins, where I can still hear them. I crate the dog if he gets too manic, with a treat. I crate the dog if the kids are too manic, for his own peace, with a treat.

I have told the dds that I shall crate them (in the front room, which the dog doens't go in unsupervised) if they get too wild with the dog or each other.

The only time I focus on the dog's behaviour is when he growls at dd2, if she comes too near him when he has a chew/treat. He only does it to her, probably because she's the littlest and most puppy-like. Those times dd2 knows to go away (and she does), and I do a bit of training taking the treat away and giving it back, sometimes with dd2 by my side.

Actually, dog is remarkably well behaved considering the dds-end-of-term-exhausted-monster-state. I am the one who ends up snapping and snarling most of the time Blush

Elibean · 14/12/2011 16:18

Lizcat, what did your dog trainer say that worked? Was it what she said or the fact that she wasn't Mum?

Original poster
grafit · 14/12/2011 16:31

dd is great with him generally to be honest but she does play with him a lot. Just playing is enough to send him into a frenzy. When he gets absolutely mental we either distract him with a chew toy or crate him.

OP posts:
Original poster
grafit · 14/12/2011 16:32

I have said if anyone touches or disturbs him when he is in his crate I will take all their pocket money away for the month -seems to be workin so far...

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GrimmaTheNome · 14/12/2011 16:40

Can you redirect the 'playing' into something more constructive - could the older ones do some actual training so they're interacting but the dog stays calm? My 12 year old does some of that with our dog.

scrappydoodah · 14/12/2011 16:49

Poor dog. Mess him up now, and you have 14 years of a dog with issues to deal with.
Just lay down the law with your kids. Frankly the 12 year old is old enough to know better. A severe bollocking from mum, and a very long winded lecture about the implications might be a start. Sod being nice and PC about it, the dog is not a toy.

SpaghettiTwirlerPrancerVixen · 14/12/2011 20:51

My MILs dog is the most aggressive dog I have ever come across due to 2 teenage boys goading him and winding him up constantly. He can't be around children, strangers or any other animals at all. They walk him down the street on an extendable lead with no muzzle. He is an adorable spaniel who looks so friendly. I'm convinced it's only a matter of time before he really injures someone.

You have to nip this in the bud now.

SpaghettiTwirlerPrancerVixen · 14/12/2011 20:55

Oh and MIL got rid of their previous dog for worse behaviour as their current one. Their 2nd current dog is starting to become aggressive now too.

Can you see a pattern forming here?

nooka · 15/12/2011 04:16

My ds plays games like this with our dog. We've told him not to, but to be honest he only really stops when the dog hurts him or we really yell and send him to his room. However our dog never plays games like this with anyone else and I don't think it is aggressive play just too wild. He is a friendly sociable dog and does not appear to have been scarred in any way that we can tell (he is two now and loves everyone).

I'm sure it is a bad idea mind, and did also lecture ds about potential consequences for his friends and of course the dog, but thinking through the consequences of his actions is not ds's strong point.

I do recall that it was much more painful when our pup was little as puppy teeth and very sharp, and ds did get quite upset on being nipped, but it didn't really make very much difference.

Lizcat · 15/12/2011 15:45

Elibean my lovely dog trainer said exactly what I had been saying, but wasn't Mummy and therefore was listened too. Plus DD thinks that the dog trainer is the Bees Knees and would probably jump under a bus if she told her too and I'm just Mummy boring.

CalamityKate · 15/12/2011 15:52

What sanctions do you usually use if your 12 year old disobeys you?

Get tougher.

Original poster
grafit · 15/12/2011 17:38

oh okay, I think I might have made it sound worse than it was. She's been great with him today. I don't think he is very well though :-(

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scrappydoodah · 15/12/2011 19:26

Oh poor pup, hope he's ok. Great news about your DD though.

coccyx · 15/12/2011 19:43

You are the adult, please get tough

Original poster
grafit · 16/12/2011 11:17

Wow. Must be great to be the perfect parent!

Thanks to those who gave such helpful advice. I guess it is a learning curve for all of us. Puppy is also going to have to learn to fit into our family as well as us adapting to having him.

OP posts:
Willowisp · 16/12/2011 11:38

Get over it & sort your kids out....don't crate the dog, crate the kids.

coccyx · 18/12/2011 16:05

Yes the puppy will learn to be scared of your unruly kids, great. No doubt as soon as it does a 'proper' bite it will be got rid of.

rainbowinthesky · 18/12/2011 16:10

I am sure I am going to be flamed but I think you made a mistake getting a puppy if your children are so badly behaved. Very unfair on the dog.

Original poster
grafit · 18/12/2011 19:19

what a strangely aggressive load of unhelpful replies! My kids are fine thanks, they needed some boundaries with the puppy yes, which they now have and things have improved hugely in the last few days. He's a lovely dog and we are all enjoying having him.

My children have much better manners than most of the posters on this thread, I'd heard Mumsnet was aggressive and now I know!

OP posts:
Original poster
grafit · 18/12/2011 19:19

what a strangely aggressive load of unhelpful replies! My kids are fine thanks, they needed some boundaries with the puppy yes, which they now have and things have improved hugely in the last few days. He's a lovely dog and we are all enjoying having him.

My children have much better manners than most of the posters on this thread, I'd heard Mumsnet was aggressive and now I know!

OP posts:
talkingnonsense · 18/12/2011 19:23

Graffit, the dog house section is very much on the side of the dog, for many good reasons. For more neutral advice, try posting in chat.