Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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Sigh Jan 2023 10:24am, 9 Jan 2023 18,584 posts	0 Sigh Such a cute picture. Are there more bowls of food available than there are puppies or have two of them not quite worked out what to do yet? Ha, I wondered that! Presumably the owner just filled them all up, in case any were very hungry!
BaronessBL Jan 2023 10:30am, 9 Jan 2023 10,089 posts	0 BaronessBL Tricky one - we are in the same position not helped by kids next door at our previous house embarking on a serious campaign of teasing/baiting her. With Wanda being a Staffie X it's even more difficult. We just try to give lots of reassurance and praise when we are near children but do not let any get close enough to touch her. It is still difficult for visiting children (fortunately any children we need to visit we go to them without Wanda rather than they come to our house - or if they do she is crated and in a quiet room!) We also find muzzling her when going anywhere that we expect to be busy with children means that parents are much more thoughtful about keeping their kids out of her way - I firmly believe that a staffie in a muzzle is the quickest way to get as much space as you want with the least dialogue with anyone else!
BaronessBL Jan 2023 10:32am, 9 Jan 2023 10,090 posts	0 BaronessBL My answer above was to Roberto on the previous page. Sigh - they are labs. There is no 'in case' any were very hungry about it
GimmeMedals Jan 2023 11:49am, 9 Jan 2023 24,061 posts	0 GimmeMedals Sigh - they are labs. There is no 'in case' any were very hungry about it 😂😂
halfpint Jan 2023 12:13pm, 9 Jan 2023 38,869 posts	0 halfpint Is that a baking tin they’re eating out of?
Dave A Jan 2023 12:16pm, 9 Jan 2023 23,695 posts	0 Dave A Roberto: If Arlo is at the stage of snapping, growling, being nervous etc then there is little can be done to ‘desensitise’. What you have to do is try your best to remove all of the triggers that cause his behaviour in the 1st place.
Roberto Jan 2023 4:07pm, 9 Jan 2023 2,318 posts	0 Roberto Thanks Baroness, we don’t often have children visit and we don’t take him when we visit other children. We did on Boxing Day and I didn’t let him off lead at all in the house and he was generally calm with the 2 year old charging about. But he was sat on me. He was off lead for around 20 mins when she was sat at the table and he was snifffing around under the table and at her feet but was fine. Dave A I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. The snap was a one off and in an enclosed space in a new house after 6 hours in the car so his stress bucket may have just been too full. He does normally just ignore kids when it’s on walks and lots of space. I’ll get back in touch with our behaviourist as well I think.
Irontubs Jan 2023 4:29pm, 9 Jan 2023 3,770 posts	0 Irontubs when it comes to dogs and children, I think it is as much about educating the children as it is about training the dog. Most dogs will give you a warning that they aren't happy, usual initial signs are quick lip/nose licking, if these are ignored the next stage is a growl, which is pretty much saying back off or else. I think kids need to be taught to be aware of these signs and give the dog some space
Dave A Jan 2023 5:21pm, 9 Jan 2023 23,696 posts	0 Dave A I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. The snap was a one off and in an enclosed space in a new house after 6 hours in the car so his stress bucket may have just been too full. He does normally just ignore kids when it’s on walks and lots of space. I’ll get back in touch with our behaviourist as well I think. If that’s the case then hopefully he was reacting to the situation, not the child behaviour. What Irontubs mentioned, nose licks etc, is all in the canine ladder of aggression. Usually once a dog has got to a certain behaviour point on the ladder and have used something, eg a snap, to resolve the situation, they will go back to that behaviour immediately, rather than slowly give off signs and build up the behaviour. Ultimately it’s a case of keeping Arlo under your control, and educating the person, beit a child or anyone else, about their behaviour. We have 3 bright nieces, but have to reiterate all the time about where to stroke our two, when they can and can’t do it etc.
RooA Jan 2023 6:47pm, 9 Jan 2023 2,083 posts	0 RooA It is worth remembering where the blame will land if Arlo bit a child. No matter how badly the child was acting and fairly or unfairly it would land firmly on the dog and the dog owner. I would be very, very strict about his interactions with children to protect him and yourself as much as any children he might encounter. I would tell all unknown children immediately and clearly "no you cannot pat the dog" if they even look like approaching. (Preferably loud enough for anyone else nearby to hear.) I would consider muzzle training if only as an extra layer of protection. I don't think you can be too careful with a dog that has shown he is willing to bite to protect himself. Yes you can do counter-conditioning work around children to work on Arlo's emotional response to their noise and movements, and that would be a worthwhile intervention for Arlo's overall happiness, but I would not move on to any work involving him interacting with children unless under the supervision of a VERY Good behaviourist. I would crate in a seperate room for any visiting children as well. It's not fair on him and the children to try and let them interact. You have a duty of care to both. Even if the snap was due to other factors causing trigger stacking, it still shows that children are a trigger for him and can you really be sure that the bucket won't ever be full in the same situation again? You'd have to really understand every trigger he had encountered in the previous 72 hours and how much each one had filled the bucket to be really confident there was room for interaction with children in there too. Do not excuse or minimise a dog snapping at a child. It's not worth it.