![]() After all, babies and toddlers can be quite scary and unpredictable for dogs. Please note that in this scenario, the dog wasn’t being “naughty” for growling at the child- he was just expressing that he didn’t like being cornered by a newly crawling child. Door closed means child can’t corner the dog and the dog won’t get put in this stressful situation again and feel the need to growl at the child. ![]() We bring the child into the bathroom and close the door so the dog can’t get in. So how do we make sure this situation doesn’t happen again? We manage the environment. The dog didn’t like having its space invaded and would growl. A client of mine had a scenario where she would go to the toilet and her dog would follow her in every time, then a few minutes later, her toddler would crawl in and get in the dog’s face. Really reflect on it and come up with a strategy to help ensure it doesn’t happen again. When you hear a growl, I need you to stop and think, what just happened and why did it happen? And how can I make sure that scenario never happens again. ![]() This can help to relax a dog who is feeling stressed out. Give your dog something to chew on or to lick, like a lickimat, a kong or a chew. Then, make sure to separate your dog and child so everyone can decompress and relax safely. ![]() For example, if the child is crawling over to the dog and getting too close, we redirect the dog away to give him distance from that “scary” child – by calling the dog in a happy tone “Cooper, come” and then rewarding the dog when they get to you or if the dog was sleeping or resting, we can redirect the child away. Give the dog distance from the scary thing.For example, if child is pulling the dogs fur, we stop this from happening or if the child is trying to pick up the dog, we stop this. Stop what you or your child is doing to the dog.What should you do when you hear the growl? However, in most cases, the dogs’ warning signals were punished and eliminated when people chastised them for “being bad.” Or the earlier warning signs were missed – and we will go through these in the body language section next. It’s quite common to hear about dogs who bit “without warning.” And this is something we hear often when children are involved. When this happens the dog’s communication tool is lost. If the dog is punished for giving warnings, the growling is suppressed, but the dog’s anxiety about the situation remains. Warnings are good! While we prefer a dog not feel the need to growl, it’s far better that the dog warn when there is a problem rather than simply going straight to a bite. So, it’s very important not to punish a dog for giving warnings. It is the last point before your dog will snap or bite. Quite literally your dog saying, “stop that now”. This is just generic advice, so getting tailored advice specific for your dog and family, is highly recommended.įirst off, I want you all to know that growls are important. However, before reading further, if your dog is growling at your child, we strongly recommend that you seek help from a qualified force-free professional immediately. So today, I am here to help give you some advice on what to do when this happens and what you can do to avoid this from happening again. I bet, hearing your dog growl at your child for the first time, must have been pretty scary.
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