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GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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A really cute and very
sweet little dog was being chased by one of the family children. Finally, the little dog was trapped in a
corner and when the child grabbed her there was a scream and the child’s face
had bite marks in it. What is wrong with this
scene? Oh, let me count the ways! Children need to be very
carefully supervised when with the family dogs so that both are safe. Children also need to be very carefully
taught good manners when interacting with the family pet. No poking, grabbing, or carrying around in
ways that are unsafe or uncomfortable for the pup. And, yes, the dog needs to
be trained also. Sad to say, in this
case part of the “training” early on had been to punish the little dog for
growling when it was cornered and frightened.
The pup had been cornered by the bullying older family dog when it
arrived and it had been chased by the small children and growled to show that
it was afraid. A doggy way to
say: Please stop what you are
doing! In each case the adults
hollered at the pup and shook the little critter to show it how they felt
about that behavior. Big mistake on their part! Growling is a warning sign
and it must be treated as such. There
are many other warning signs that also say – Back off! Punish the warning signs and the dog may be
left with just a bite to protect itself.
Before saying that YOUR dog would never bite rest assured that there
probably is not a dog alive that cannot be pushed into biting. It could be fear, it could be pain, it
could be trying to protect her pups and it could be other things as well. The growl (just like the
actual aggression that may follow) is an indication of stress. Our job is to find out what the stressor is
and reduce it, desensitize the dog to it and/or sometimes simply manage the
situation. In the case mentioned above
the pup needed protection from the invasive behaviors of the child but it
needed other things as well. It needed
some lessons in life. Teaching a pup
to accept careful handling is a vitally important exercise. That results in less tension and fear when
it goes to the vet and to the groomer. Nail clipping is a breeze when the pup
has been properly conditioned to the process. It means being able to handle quick
movements on the part of family members and friends alike. And, it means not being
sent to the shelter for a new home or the very likely chance of euthanasia
because a dog that has bitten does not have a very promising future. Such problems CAN be worked with but it is
ever so much wiser and more humane to prevent the problem in the first place. Never punish a growl! B |