# Please Help! - New Puppy Growled and Snapped at Toddler



## jlsses (Oct 17, 2013)

We brought home our 12-week-old male Standard pup (yet to settle on his name) last Sunday. He so sweet and gentle and seems to be a real people lover. He's had contact with our family - my hubby, myself, my mother who lives with us, our next door neighbor, and our daughter, son-in-law, and 20-month-old grandson so far, and he's happily greeted everyone. We introduced Pup to our grandson Elliot outdoors on 2 separate occasions, and Elliot did follow Pup around, trying to pet and pick him up several times. Of course, we were right there with them, attempting to show Elliot how to be more gentle and not to pick up Pup. There was no indication of Pup being in discomfort, and Pup just wriggled away from Elliot. Of course Elliot is too young to really listen and understand how important it is to be gentle with Pup.

Yesterday, I took my mom and Pup over to my daughter's to puppysit while I had a dr. appointment. Evidently Pup was lying on a chair next to my mom, while Elliot and my daughter approached, Elliot standing in front of the chair, my daughter kneeling. As the situation was described to me, Elliot reached to touch Pup and he growled. My daughter thought it was likely in play, but when Elliot reached to touch Pup again, he growled once more and snapped at Elliot's face. 

When I returned from my appointment, my daughter relayed the scenario to me. Shocked to hear of Pup's behavior and unsure of how to handle this, we thought we should make sure the incident was not a "fluke". So I sat down on the sofa next to Pup, and again Pup growled as Elliot approached. A little later, we all got down on the floor, and Pup happily accepted pets and treats from my daughter and Elliot. 

Of course we want Pup to love everyone and I am seeking your advice on specifically how to deal with the growling/snapping issue, and whether or not you feel it's typical of puppy behavior. Or is this some indication that Pup won't take a liking to kids in general? What should we do to encourage and develop Pup's socialization, especially with kids? Should we keep Elliot from interacting with Pup at all until he's older, or how would you suggest building a relationship between Pup and Elliot? We also have 2 grandkids, ages 3 and 5, that live overseas and come for 2-week-long visits a few times a year. So we'll need advice for their visit a few months from now. 

I would truly appreciate any suggestions, or direction to resources such as websites, books, or positive reinforcement training methods you could share. We want so much to have success in raising our puppy, one that enjoys the company of everyone, and obviously need training for ourselves along with Pup. We are quite worried about starting off on the wrong foot with Pup, and really need some help. 

Regards, Judy


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think this is one of those situations where I would go straight to a professional - a fully qualified, experienced behaviourist (not simply a trainer, or a self styled expert). You will almost certainly need a referral from your vet. There are so many possible factors involved, and it is so extremely important to get it right, that I would call in expert help immediately. Many dogs are anxious or over excited around small children, or there could have been an element of resource guarding going on, or he could have been feeling unsure away from his own home, or any number of other things. The key issue is that you need ways of changing his behaviour, and of managing any interactions safely in the meantime - for that you need someone who can observe and work with you, and provide advice tailored to your specific situation. I am sure some of the US PF members will be able to advise on the qualifications etc that you should look for in an animal behaviourist.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

One thing you'll want to do is make sure that ALL of your puppy's interactions with small children are 100% positive right now. That means you'll need to be able to exercise a level of control over the situation. Puppy and toddler should never be running loose together - if toddler is around, then puppy is on a leash or someone is available to grab and restrain the toddler. They should never be near each other unless an adult is capable of removing one or the other of them from the situation at a moment's notice.

In service of this, it's a good idea to keep interactions between them short. Both puppy and toddler are so young that neither can be expected to behave perfectly for long. So Toddler gets to say hi to Puppy one time, just for a minute or two, while they are both calm and there are adults there who can move them away from each other when the time is up. Always leave them happy and wanting more - don't push it.

One thing you can do is put up a baby gate between them. That way they can see each other, but they're kept separate. Maybe have the toddler approach the baby gate now and then and just toss some treats over to the other side. At other times, have the puppy leashed next to you and start raining treats when the child is in the same room (don't have them interact - you just want Puppy to get the idea that the presence of a child means good things are about to happen).

Another thing that really helps with kids is crate training. Make the crate into a happy, safe space for your puppy. Reserve special treats and chews for crate time that can't be had anywhere else. Then, for all children, give them a very hard and fast rule that they are NEVER to interact with your dog while he's in his crate. His crate is his private space, and when he chooses to go there he is to be left alone - small children shouldn't even approach it. If they're dying to interact with the puppy and he's in his crate, then they have to ask an adult to suss out the situation. But they never, ever reach into the crate or bother the dog while he's in there. That gives your dog a place he can escape to if he's ever feeling overwhelmed, so he has an alternative before he starts growling.

I would also teach your toddler to never chase the puppy, under any circumstances. If Puppy walks away, Toddler has to let him go. Again, you should make sure there's an adult on hand to intervene when Toddler can't follow that rule. Most of the time, Puppy is probably fine with Toddler following him around, but since it's so hard to pick up on those times when he isn't OK with it, your priority should be preserving Puppy's ability to escape.

As for growling and snapping, that's dog language. There are a variety of physical cues that dogs give to indicate that they're uncomfortable (look up "calming signals" or "stress signals" if you want details). When those don't work, they give a growl. A growl is a dog's version of saying "Stop that right now!" If they're still uncomfortable, they move up to a snap. That's like if someone was bothering you, you asked them to stop, and they still didn't so maybe you gave them a shove. It's saying, "Keep this up and I might have to bite you!" If that's not heeded, then they might move up to an actual bite, which of course no one wants.

For this reason, you don't want to punish your dog for growling if you can help it. A growl is information for you. It's telling you that Puppy is uncomfortable. As for WHY Puppy is so uncomfortable around Toddler, it's a little hard to say. As fjm said, it could be a resource issue, or it could be general fear of the way toddlers act and move, or it could be many things. Puppy could also be stressed or uncomfortable in general (for example, from being in a different house without his usual people) and not have any patience left over for Toddler anymore. It's hard to say.

Hopefully a general plan of making sure Puppy has only short, happy experiences with Toddler for a while, and Puppy always has ways to escape Toddler if he wants to, will clear up that feeling of discomfort and teach Puppy that Toddler is a good presence who brings good things. However, a qualified trainer or behaviorist who can visit in person will be able to be more specific about what's bothering Puppy and how to fix it. I would definitely go that route if this behavior persists.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Lisa's advice is right on! Toddlers just have no sense of harm when trying to play with a puppy and those pats and pokes can hurt!! A baby gate works!!!! My son had a wrought iron baby gate/fence that actually divided his family room from his kitchen (bolted to the walls) it had a locking gate and was nice looking too. It went up when my G-Son started crawling ......and stayed up until they were sure my G-Son understood "Gentle!" and was no longer tempted to grab ears and tail on the pup, or bop it on the head with his plastic baseball bat!!LOL!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

You've already gotten really good advice. What I'm worried about...deep down is your puppy's temperament. It doesn't sound like the baby pushed the pup too much at all and the pup seems _very_ intolerant. I've raised a few puppies with my children. Our first, was a GSD and my daughter was one. He was amazingly tolerant with her and my next baby. So was our lab. You need a temperament with a high threshold of tolerance imo if you have puppies and kids. I would be concerned, as you are. Was the puppy able to get away if he wanted to? Or was he trapped while the child was patting him? Were they hard pats? I missed that...just saw the last post and edited this. Maybe I didn't get just how rough the baby was with the pup. 

But like is was said, go straight for a _certified behaviorist._ It is possible that the puppy is so young and so inexperienced that his fear and defensiveness was an over reaction and will later settle down once he has more positive associations. In the meantime, keep some distance between the puppy and the child. If the child is in a high chair, let him drop some pieces of meat around for puppy. But otherwise, do prevent unpleasant associations between child and dog. I sure do wish you the best. Keep us posted. Let us know what the behaviorist thinks. 

Do you mind sharing the breeder you got your pup from?



eta: Okay, I re-read your post op...and I still don't see anything so bad that the baby did. I don't like the sound of this puppy's temperament. But I'm not there. I can't see. But he sounds a little sketchy to me. I never had a puppy act like that with so little provocation. Well...what do I know? See what a really reputable behaviorist thinks. I hope it will all work out.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I would be concerned about the puppie's temperament also. He seems to have very low tolerance for babies. Young children are unpredictable and not all dogs do well with them. Some of them are just too anxious or nervous.

The only thing that I would have done differently in the event that you describe is not let the baby pick up the dog and remove the baby at the first growl. But maybe it's better it happened, because no harm was done and at least now you know how careful you have to be when your pup is around young kids.

I would have the dog evaluated by a behaviorist and I would also think really hard about the fact that maybe this little pup would be better off not being around young children. Some dogs don't tolerate toddlers but will do fine with older kids. Most of all ou don't want to feel scared everytime your precious grand-son comes home, or any other kid. 

I wish you the best, this is a really hard situation.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

You've gotten some very good advice. I would try every one of Lisa's suggestions. Love the idea of the toddler making it rain treats from a safe distance. I would have been more concerned if the puppy snapped with no warning. The puppy is brand new, get him out and about with safe socializing and find the best trainer you can if you are not experienced. You don't get poodle perfect from the jump, babies either, lol. That's the journey but make it as safe for the G-kids and as fair to the puppy as you can.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I would go straight to a professional as well.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

jlsses said:


> We introduced Pup to our grandson Elliot outdoors on 2 separate occasions, and Elliot did follow Pup around, trying to pet and *pick him up several times*.


.
I defer to those here who are more knowledgeable on what to do. I do echo that the best resource for help is a vet who is specialized as a behaviorist - think of it as a psychiatrist for dogs. Not all parts of the country have them but if you do, it may well be worth a visit for an evaluation. 

I did highlight something that you posted - most dogs intensely hate being picked up by children and even adults. It's extremely scary for them when done by a toddler who is unsteady and not providing the dog with a secure and comfortable grip for the lift. It could very well be that your puppy was seriously afraid that your grandson was coming to pick him up again and giving a warning not to do so. 

You'll get this sorted out soon - good luck.


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

Good advice from all. And let me preface my remarks with the very important caveat that I don't have children, and Pericles has had almost no exposure to little kids.

But, as Skylar pointed out, Puppy's first interaction with your grandson may not have been ideal -- from Puppy's point of view. He kept wriggling away, and was followed. Now, in the scenario when you were not there, puppy is next to mom and has no exit route when grandson approaches. Uh-oh, what to do, Puppy thinks? Send a warning signal to back off, since he can't wriggle away.

The idea of separating the two is a great one, including developing games where both your grandson and Puppy can appreciate each other from a safe distance.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would have a behaviorist evaluate the puppy to be on the safe side, but also think that given that the first interaction outside when your grandson tried picking the pup up may have made the pup wary of the child it may not be all that bad as an indication of a child unfriendly temperament. If the behaviorist evaluation is favorable then the next thing to do is everything that lisasgirl so articulately explained.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Raising a puppy around children is as much about training the children as the puppy. As others have said, your pup could simply have felt trapped, after a rather worrying experience with your grandson a few days before. I do think expert advice would be a good idea (apart from anything else it gives you leverage to get everyone's cooperation), but in the meantime I had a few rules for children when my dogs were puppies:
1 No you may not pick the puppy up. Nor grab. If you persist in trying, one or other of you leaves the room!
2 Never, ever chase the puppy - sit down on the ground and let the puppy come to you. This lets the puppy choose whether to interact, and means that if the child does try to hold the pup it is safely close to the ground. I enforced this rule so rigorously that all the dog-loving tots in the neighbourhood plonked their bottoms on the ground the moment they saw us!
3 If you run and flap, the puppy will chase you, and may even puppy nip in over excitement. Learn to be a statue (see the many excellent videos for children on Be a Tree when interacting with dogs). This can be turned into a fun game, with rewards for instantly freezing into position when you sing out Statue! or Tree!
4 Leave the puppy strictly alone when it is sleeping/in its crate/eating/snoozing/chewing. 
5 And please don't eat the puppy's food, either!

At first the puppy is like a wonderful new toy to a small child - an animated teddy bear. Most children quickly learn that it also has feelings and preferences, and to learn how these are communicated, but you need to protect both parties until the lessons sink in, and continue to watch for inappropriate behaviour on either side. Tug toys, rolling a ball, training hand signals for Sit, etc are all much safer games than chase and grab, and can be played with the toddler sitting on the floor so there is less risk of over excitement.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

I have little to add to that already said. The child was allowed to attempt to pick up a puppy who had to squirm away on more than one occasion. This was the puppies first experience with a child. The puppy has decided that he wants NO MORE of this. He has issued a threat to the child. "DON'T PICK ON ME" Grrr! 

Babies need to be separated from puppies, period. When they are allowed to interact they need constant supervision. The image of the NANNY dog who will take care of a baby is not valid. An older dog with child experience is a vastly different thing. A puppy and a baby are just learning how to interact with each other. they NEED supervision so that the interaction is a pleasant experience. This puppy has now decided that he does not wish to interact with the small human who frightens him.

Eric


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## sunfunartist (Mar 24, 2017)

Some dogs are just not good around kids. If you went to a reputable breeder. They should given you advice which puppy would be a good fit. As everyone said. No child should pick up a puppy. It sounds like he was growling because he wanted to be left alone. Depending on his upbringing he may not be used to it. My mini is not good with children. I always tell children not to come up to him. As everyone said see a behaviorist not a dog trainer. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

An addition, too late for an edit.

Two babies should never be left to play together under age 2-3 without close supervision. Babies poke out each others eyes. They hit each other with hard objects. They will bump heads together. One can lay on the other and suffocate the other.

Why then should a baby human and a baby dog be allowed to play together without CLOSE supervision. The dog will be ahead of the human in development. Dogs have a different social interaction as siblings. Dogs learn to interact with small humans, given time. Children learn to interact with dogs, given time. Dog age 2 years. Child age 3 years. With Care!

Eric.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm, well said as to rules for children around young puppies. One of the goals of having a family dog is that the children grow to love being with dogs, but also that they respect how to treat them wisely and humanely so that future dogs (read puppies) will grow up understanding the lives of humans of all sizes, shapes and odd characters. 

By way of example, Javelin is a pretty high energy dog and we don't have any young children in our family so his exposure to small people has been more limited than is ideal. My neighbor who watches our home and dogs has one young child. The family also has a dog, but she is incredibly mellow so Zeke doesn't have a good sense of how to deal with a bouncing puppy (or now a bouncing large dog). He gets excited and does want to run away and often makes exaggerated gestures with his arms (despite mom, BF and me all trying to convince him he needs to relax). This gets Javelin even more jazzed up. It isn't super pretty. Now that we will all be around during the day over the summer I will work with this boy and his mom and Javelin to get it all straightened out. It isn't all about the child and it isn't all about the dog. Both of them are good, but they aren't good together. On the other hand this little boy loves playing with Lily and Peeves and will run around our yard throwing balls and playing tug with them, even though Peeves outweighs him by probably 40 pounds. Even so all of that is closely supervised.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

The more I think about this, I'm not sure there is anything wrong with your puppy. Rather I think it's just inexperience on everyone's part.

My minipoo is the most friendliest of dogs - I got her when she was almost a year old so I have to give all the credit to the breeder for socializing her. She is so friendly that we have a reputation in local stores, the park, neighborhood and even the dog social that we attend weekly. People may not know any other names of dogs - but they know my dog's name and that she loves to be petted. She has to greet everyone including older children that she has met. 

But she is extremely wary of very young children. They are unpredictable, quick, and cruel - because they are babies and learning how to behave. When we were in the library a toddler in a stroller threw a hard toy and hit my dog who was sitting calmly next to me while we waited in line. I blame myself for not paying attention. We had been waiting in line for awhile when the mother with toddler came up behind us. I should have moved my dog further away from the child to make myself a wall between dog and child, but I didn't expect it would happen. This was the first time and now I'm aware of the need to protect my dog from very young children. I'm sure that toddler didn't mean to hurt my dog. The child probably was trying to interact with my dog and didn't know a how to do it in an appropriate way. It really doesn't matter what the toddler's intentions were - the end result was my dog got hit unexpectedly when my dog thought she was in a safe environment.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Skylar I also don't necessarily think there is a temperamental issue with this pup, but that the pup had an experience that he didn't enjoy and that he didn't want to repeat that experience. Let's face it growling and giving a snap in the bay's direction has worked for this pup as a way to make sure the little human isn't allowed near him. I do think it is a good idea to have a behaviorist though to make sure this is the case and to help the family get started on how to fix the situation so that baby dogs and baby humans are all safe and learn how to be happy together.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> Skylar I also don't necessarily think there is a temperamental issue with this pup, but that the pup had an experience that he didn't enjoy and that he didn't want to repeat that experience. Let's face it growling and giving a snap in the bay's direction has worked for this pup as a way to make sure the little human isn't allowed near him. I do think it is a good idea to have a behaviorist though to make sure this is the case and to help the family get started on how to fix the situation so that baby dogs and baby humans are all safe and learn how to be happy together.


Yes, I agree.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I had to smile just now - I took the dogs out, and there playing on our communal back field were two 9 year olds, one who has known the dogs since they were puppies and she was a toddler, the other a more recent arrival. "HI!" they said, and immediately sat down so the dogs would come to them! Early training sticks!


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

LOVE your rules, fjm--that's what we follow here. 

Maizie has always been bombproof with kids, but I think if Frosty had had negative early experiences with a child trying to pick him up, he could have growled. Fortunately, I was able to closely supervise all toddler/young children visits when he was little. By the time I had children in my home daycare, he was big enough and confident enough to handle himself. However, I still supervise all interactions with the toddlers and dogs, like a hawk!


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## jlsses (Oct 17, 2013)

*Thank you all so much for your advice!*



jlsses said:


> We brought home our 12-week-old male Standard pup (yet to settle on his name) last Sunday. He so sweet and gentle and seems to be a real people lover. He's had contact with our family - my hubby, myself, my mother who lives with us, our next door neighbor, and our daughter, son-in-law, and 20-month-old grandson so far, and he's happily greeted everyone. We introduced Pup to our grandson Elliot outdoors on 2 separate occasions, and Elliot did follow Pup around, trying to pet and pick him up several times. Of course, we were right there with them, attempting to show Elliot how to be more gentle and not to pick up Pup. There was no indication of Pup being in discomfort, and Pup just wriggled away from Elliot. Of course Elliot is too young to really listen and understand how important it is to be gentle with Pup.
> 
> Yesterday, I took my mom and Pup over to my daughter's to puppysit while I had a dr. appointment. Evidently Pup was lying on a chair next to my mom, while Elliot and my daughter approached, Elliot standing in front of the chair, my daughter kneeling. As the situation was described to me, Elliot reached to touch Pup and he growled. My daughter thought it was likely in play, but when Elliot reached to touch Pup again, he growled once more and snapped at Elliot's face.
> 
> ...


Thank you all so much for sharing your expertise and caring, insightful recommendations! The members of this forum are absolutely awesome resources, and I'm grateful that so many of you have responded to my post. I am rereading all of your comments, and have begun to search for a professional with whom to consult. 

I'd like to provide an update, since today, both my husband and I actually babysat our toddler grandson Elliot together, here at our home, with Pup (now to be known as Sullivan/Sully) here as well. We were extremely careful to keep Elliot and Sully at a safe distance from each other, and interaction was literally a few seconds at a time, at a distance, with no touching. Sully was happy with tail wagging and would have become the chaser instead of chasee, if he had not been restrained. We certainly do not want Elliot to become fearful of dogs, but today he was quite cautious and did not make any attempts whatsoever to chase, grab, or pick up Sully. 

Using many of your suggestions, I do believe we will work out a way to very slowly and carefully encourage a healthy and happy relationship between Elliot and Sully, always with strict supervision. And if anyone has a recommendation or contact info for a certified behaviorist, please let me know. I did come across a Susan Bulanda that appears to live fairly near us, but am not certain whether she consults with individuals, as it appears that her focus is Search and Rescue Training. Our zip code is 17329, by the way, and we are in York County, south central PA, near the town of Hanover.

I will keep checking for any new responses, and once again, thank you for your help!

~ Judy


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

More thoughts:

While your puppy is in training, make sure he does not develop resource guarding behaviors. This is a natural behavior that often has to be trained out. Always make your puppy wait for his food until you have eaten. When you do feed have him sit for you and make eye contact. do not allow him to eat immediately the food is put down. When he has waited sitting for a few seconds point to him and then the food and say "Sully eat" allowing him to eat the presented food. Occasionally take the food back, while he is eating, and make out you have eaten some. Then present the food again with the same method. He is to be taught that all food belongs to humans, is given to him and can be taken back. The same should apply to toys and any other dog possessions.

This is to prevent the possibility of aggressive action by the dog to guard his food. This can result in biting if a child tries to take the dogs food or if the dog thinks the child might do so.

Eric.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

While I would agree with Eric about the need to avoid resource guarding issues, I disagree on the method. Taking his food away could have exactly the opposite effect, and encourage him to guard it! For dogs possession is 101 points of the law, and even puppies are permitted to keep what they have under the rules of dog etiquette. For another dog to attempt to take it away is the heights of rudeness, and deserves rapid and vigorous retribution. Puppies can quickly learn that humans have different rules if you reward them generously for sharing.

Far better to drop something really good into his bowl as you pass, until he welcomes your presence, and then lift the bowl and add something to it. When Sully is enthusiastic about you taking his bowl, have one of the children do the adding of food, so that they too become welcome around his food. Have very clear rules that this is a game only to be played with you, and that otherwise the puppy must be left strictly alone when eating.

And play lots and lots of games of swapsies or trading - give him something not very exciting, offer something better, praise him for accepting the trade, then give him back the first thing as well. Start with something very dull - perhaps a plain dog biscuit or a boring toy, and swap for something really good, building up gradually until he is happy to let you take even high value stuff, like raw meat or used Kleenex! When he understands the game have the reward a little distance away, so that eventually you can ask him to give you the thing in his mouth, and then run together to the kitchen cupboard for the reward. This game not only helps avoid resource guarding, but can also be a life saver if he gets hold of something dangerous.

It sounds as if things are back on an even keel - well done to everyone!


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

fjm said:


> While I would agree with Eric about the need to avoid resource guarding issues, I disagree on the method. Taking his food away could have exactly the opposite effect, and encourage him to guard it! For dogs possession is 101 points of the law, and even puppies are permitted to keep what they have under the rules of dog etiquette. For another dog to attempt to take it away is the heights of rudeness, and deserves rapid and vigorous retribution. Puppies can quickly learn that humans have different rules if you reward them generously for sharing.
> 
> Far better to drop something really good into his bowl as you pass, until he welcomes your presence, and then lift the bowl and add something to it. When Sully is enthusiastic about you taking his bowl, have one of the children do the adding of food, so that they too become welcome around his food. Have very clear rules that this is a game only to be played with you, and that otherwise the puppy must be left strictly alone when eating.
> 
> ...


The method I advocated only works with puppies. It is exactly how adult dogs in a pack will train puppies. Older dogs will fight for their food. The method I have advocated is to prevent a young puppy from developing the problem in the first place. Once the behavior has developed fjm's method is the better way. Many domestic dogs do not develop the problem of resource guarding in the first place. The resources at their disposal are infinite and repeatable so why bother to guard them?
Eric.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I do not want to bring up the dreaded Dominance Debate again (it has been more than thoroughly thrashed out elsewhere!), but I would be interested to see your evidence. Wolf parents feed their cubs first when food is scarce: Mech, L. David. 1999. Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77(8):1196-1203. Wolves are not a good guide for instinctive canine behaviour, of course, but I have never seen research showing mother dogs routinely eat before their pups, once they are weaned.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I have a variation on feeding interruptions that teaches impulse control along with preventing resource guarding. I also make my dogs either do a sit or down stay while I put their food down. They also all have to offer (not on order) an eye contact look at me before I release them to eat. What I do differently (and partly because Javelin inhales his food) is to interrupt the eating with an order to sit or down in the middle of the meal. Again eye contact has to be offered before the dog in question is released to eat. It may be a small difference, but I don't try to "own the food" but to make access to it something that requires an interaction with me. I could pick up their bowls if I wanted to, but instead leave it out in reach for them. This way they have to acknowledge my part in meal time more than once if I expect it. Initially of course it is very hard for the dog to understand that staying away from the food is what gets access to the food, but as the dog gets better understanding you can add duration to the time waiting to be released and even add a chain of sits, downs, stands, etc. to what is required before the dog is released to eat.

ETA: My dogs all free fed kibble until early this year when I switched to home cooking and defined meals. None of them ever had a hint of guarding food since it was never a limited resource. BF was initally convinced they would not adapt well to eating meals, but they did since home cooked human grade food is a lot more appealing than kibble. We feed them in separate spaces so they don't try to scrounge from each other's bowls if one finishes faster (stop hoovering your dinner Javvy!), but we also take turns staying near them while they eat and if it is BF who is watching he will talk to and pet the dog in question while they eat as opposed to interrupting the meal. In other words, they get different kinds of interactions during meals designed to remind them where it comes from.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I absolutely and emphatically disagree with taking a dog's food away from him. This is just the recipe for causing nervousness and resource guarding. Dogs do _not_ take food away from other dogs, puppies or not. Without reading all of the posts, (I'm in a rush) I would have people, including the little guy drop food around the floor for him. He learns that humans are treat dispensers. And adults can drop pieces of something better into the dog's bowl while he's eating. Don't have the baby do this because he's so short and right at the pup's level. Maybe later...Do not harass the pup while he eats. A few passes with a dropped piece of steak or chicken is all that's needed generally to make sure the dog knows that humans bring food and do not take it away.

Teaching retrieving is another good way to show the dog that when he "gives" the object to your hand, he doesn't lose anything. He gets a super tasty treat in exchange AND he gets the object back again. "take." It's a game and it teaches puppy to think it's great to give his stuff to you. 

You can teach him to sit and wait for his food politely so he doesn't grow up bouncing around and knocking the bowl out of your hand. This is not to show dominance because that's ridiculous. But simply to teach some manners and a little self control. You can have him sit when he knows and set the bowl down, ready to lift it when he lunges forward. Ask him to sit again, repeat. Lift it quickly if he goes for it. After a few reps, he'll figure it out that he needs to stay put. Don't make him wait but for a couple seconds and insert your release word, "Free" or "release" or "Ok" which I use but probably isn't the best release word. Then he can get his food. Don't wait too long to get in that word or he'll fail. The idea isn't to frustrate him to death or to dominate him. It's merely to teach him manners and a little self control. I don't do this with my poodles, but have with past dogs. They're so naturally polite. They don't barge in for their food or get too excitable. Plus, they eat in their crates and precede me into their crates as I come with their bowls. I do not recommend free feeding _generally_, though it works for some people. In fact, we free fed out GSD, as he just didn't like to eat it all at once and it may be better for bloat...not sure on that. It's just one more place where you can show your pup that you control his resources. If it weren't for you, he'd be in deep doo doo. Of course, that can be shown in other ways too. But scheduling meal time is beneficial in many ways.

Anyhow, I am concerned with a 9 week old puppy being bothered by a child doing what I perceived by your description. I've raised babies and puppies and older dogs that put up with a whole lot worse. I even had day care and lots of little kids around our GSD. I supervised but not as carefully as they recommend these days. This was before Internet and no one thought about it that much. Kids and dogs...they go together. My son and his dog played in the yard together and I watched while I was at the kitchen sink...not constant supervision. My son, as a 2 year old fell on our GSD right off something he was climbing on. The dog got up and walked across the room and lay down again. There are worse things than that. Accidents happen with little kids and dogs, even if they are taught how to interact. Someone trips and falls into the dog, or steps on his tail or foot and I like to see a dog that can tolerate more than your puppy showed. But I wasn't there and didn't see the whole thing. And it is possible that the behavior specialist will show you some ways to work with this. But personally, I like to see a more stable, higher tolerance level in a dog intrinsically. But like it was said, you'll need to watch _very _closely always. It may be that everything will work out just fine...that puppy will have it proven to him that children are not a threat after all and maybe he'll develop more tolerance as he grows. Best wishes. 

If this person's specialty is search and rescue, she sounds like a trainer of some sort. Who you need is someone like an applied veterinary behaviorist. Or behaviorist. I am retired and was a behavior consultant. I did not have a degree in behavior but took a few years of animal behavior in school, went to numerous seminars, had a mentor for a time, read many books and trained dogs and horses for most of my life. I didn't do classes, but made house calls...private lessons for people whose dogs were having a variety of behavior problems. I do not know how to train obedience for the show ring specifically, as I was never very interested in all that formality, but more on a practical level for my life style, so don't know all the details for show, though I know the fundamentals of training obedience. I'm not very good at training agility, though we did it, my Doberman and I. lol. But I do know behavior and have been successful in turning things around for lots of dogs and their people. I got my business from word of mouth. If you get super recommendations, someone like that could help but you'd need to hear from others, what their problems were, how they were solved etc. It's better odds if you go with someone with a degree I guess. Anyhow, you could ask her. She may have such credentials. But whatever you do, do not let anyone use punishing or intimidating methods on your puppy. Always associate...pair good things for puppy with everything, especially little ones. Little kids = the most fantastic time, treats, toys, games, fun, affection...never fear, pain, discomfort, threats of losing anything etc.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

There are quite a few Certified Professional Dog Trainers near you. Check out the CPDT website and run a search using your zip code. I did a search, but I don't know if it will post correctly. Contact them and see who can come to your home.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Here is a link to American College of Veterinary Behaviorists ACVB and here is a link to find members by each state Member Directory « ACVB Are you close to Philadelphia?


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

My last dog was given to us due to snapping at a newborn. I was told she went up to their new baby and snarled an inch from her face. The aforementioned idea to prevent resource aggression is excellent advice. My dog had serious resource aggression with toys, food, treats. She is only possessive of her things around other animals ie cats and dogs but never with people but I am unsure she thought human newborn were the same as adults.
So here my advice: 
1. Resource aggression is something that needs to be curbed because it can cause serious problems in the future. Feed from your hands. I've consulted multiple behaviorists about this issue and they all seem to say to feed from one's hand because it builds trust.
2. separate and supervise at all time. Until we trusted her, we never left her unattended with strangers or other animals.
3. Introductions must be slow and in a controlled environment. You don't want to do things too fast. It seems like you are already doing this, which is wonderful.


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

You've gotten some good advice. Reading your original post, I don't think it's coincidental that the pup growled when he wasn't in a position to get away and the baby was looming in his face. That said, I'm uneasy at the idea of a 12 week old puppy growling. 

Given where you are, I would contact Pat Miller for a consultation and help. You can probably find some of her columns for Whole Dog Journal to get a sense of her approach. 

https://www.peaceablepaws.com/pat-miller.php


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Oh...12 week old puppy. Where did I get the idea this was a 9 week old? Hmm. Well, nevertheless...I never had any puppy or adult dog that would become that perturbed by something like that and even worse than that. Hopefully, there will be some kind of remedy. Pat Miller would be a great resource! She's wonderful!


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