Dog growling at granddaughter

[StaggeringOn]

Our 13 year old cocker spaniel has always loved our 6 year old granddaughter when she visited. She followed her around, and was very well behaved with her. DGD’s family came to live with us 5 months ago, while in process of buying a house nearby. Since they came to stay our dog gets very agitated whenever DGD comes near us. She growls and barks, and obviously we have to keep a very close eye on her. The dog has never been like this before, and is not like this with 2 year old grandson - or anyone else. Does anyone have any suggestions dealing with this?

Keep the dog away from the children. Sadly dogs do get grumpier as hey get older, but she's just as capable of scarring a child with a nip. Does she have somewhere she can retreat to, somewhere the children know they must leave her alone?

We do keep the dog separated from our DGD, but she is very vocal about being excluded from the family. The children never annoy her or get in her way.

Has she had a check up at the vet since the behaviour started? If not that would be a good idea as unusual shortness of temper can be a sign of pain or discomfort. Dogs can also be a bit growly if their sight or hearing is going a bit which isn’t unusual in older dogs.

If she gets the all clear physically then separation is the way to go. You could try using a puppy pen rather than shutting her away in another room so she’s still around the family but everyone can be kept safe and happy.

There are some good resources on managing dogs and children on this thread which you might find useful.