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Dogs growl when they are scared about a situation or person, and when they are punished for offering the warning growl, your punishing behavior confirms the dog was right.
Many dogs are fearful of children. Children poke at them, pull their hair, run swinging arms and legs and act erratically. A dog’s natural tendency is to give a warning growl, letting everyone around know they are uncomfortable in the situation. Then – Bam! Someone smacks, spanks the dog and yells “BAD DOG!” Proving to the dog he was right, when children are around, bad things happen.
The Veterinarian’s office can be another scary place for dogs. Most people become a bit nervous when visiting their Doctor’s office. When the dog visits the vet, something bad usually happens as well. He gets a shot or two, poked and prodded, has surgery and worst of all, his nails are trimmed. So a dog’s natural reaction is to warn people to leave them alone and what happens? Someone grabs them by the scruff and yells “knock it off!” Again, proving to the dog bad things happen when on the table at the veterinarian’s office.
So, what should you do when your dog growls at the grandkids? First realize your dog is doing so out of fear, not because he is a bad or mean dog. Next, make sure the kids learn how to behave properly around the dog. Do not expect the dog to take everything that kids can dish out.
Finally, begin to change the dog’s child association from: Kids equal bad things to kids equal good things. Good things for dog would be special tasty treats such as cheese, hot dogs, bologna etc… If the kids are old enough, have them offer the dog some of these tasty things by gentle tossing the treats in the dog’s direction from a safe distance. If the children are young, have an adult offer the treats with the child in the dog’s view. When the kids disappear, so do the good things. Direct the children to go in and out of the room, tossing treats to the dog, which again equals good things. When the children are out of the room, there are no treats given. This should begin to change your dog’s association about children, but only if done gradually, systematically and under proper guidance of a canine knowledgeable adult.
Knowing how to truly read canine behavior requires higher education in that area of expertise. If you find yourself thinking, the dog is trying to protect me, or is jealous, he’s
stubborn, etc., etc. then you are not properly educated in the field of canine behavior and therefore not qualified to work with your fear-based dog around children. Call in a positive reinforcement trainer who is certified with the Certificated Pet Dog Trainer association. This association requires all trainers to take and pass a four hour exam unlike other associations who only require an annual fee.
At the veterinarian, your dog may not be willing to eat hard and dry treats staff offer him, instead take those extra special treats along with you and see if he will relax enough to eat them while on the table. Treats are a wonderful way of measuring your dog’s stress level. In addition, make social calls to the veterinarian, where the only thing your dog receives at the animal hospital is treats from you and the staff. Do this by going to your veterinarian’s office, sit in the waiting room for a few minutes while giving your dog some tasty treats, then leave. A day or two later, go again and ask the receptionist to give him some of your treats, then leave. Make several visits to the office where nothing bad happens, only good, positive experiences.
Scary things associated with great things can change a dog’s associations. Imagine If I am holding a large snake and I ask you to touch it. You’re afraid of snakes and quickly decline. Then I start offering you money to touch the snake – Eventually you would be inclined to touch the snake. Some may touch the snake for $100.00, but others may require more. Maybe you would touch the snake for $1000.00?; $50.000.00?; $100,000.00? If I go high enough, you would find the price that caused you to yield and touch the snake.
This is why people need to use really good treats when exposing their dog to scary things or situations. Some dogs would willingly allow you to trim their nails for a few bites of kibble, but most require a higher valued return.
When dog’s growl, find out why and then work on changing the dog’s mental thought process, not just the behavior. If you change the dog’s behavior by punishing the dog for the unwanted behavior, you are forcing the dog to jump to his next level of defense, which in time is the bite! Then those truly educated in canine behavior hear the following, “he bit without warning”. The truth is your dog gave multiple warnings, but you failed to recognize them.
If you have problems with your dog growling, snapping or biting at people, find a trainer with the initials C.P.D.T. after their name by visiting www.apdt.com these specially educated trainers work on changing the dogs thought process which truly changes his behavior!
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Author:
Susan Sharpe, creator of the Anxiety Wrap, the Face Wrap and co-owner of Canine Companion by Certified Trainers
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