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I think my dog may be jealous of my daughter.

Posted: Dec 7, 2010

We adopted a dog about three months ago. She was six months when we got her. She's a chihuahua/rat terrier mix. She is as sweet as she can be and has basically become "my" dog in that we have bonded and love each other, but recently she's started snapping at my daughter. At night, I let the dog up on the bed with me while I watch TV and my daughter usually cuddles with me. Lately, the dog has taken to growling at my daughter when she gets in bed. And if my daughter comes anywhere near, reaches out to touch me, etc., the dog will snap at her.

I immediately say "no no" and put the dog on the floor as her punishment, but it doesn't seem to be curbing the behavior. What else can I do? She needs to learn that she is not above my daughter in the family echelon. I love this little dog immensely. She's my little baby and I don't want to have to spank her or give her away, but I can't have her biting my daughter.

;

Sounds territorial to me. Are their other - family members SM

[ In Reply To ..]
living there as well? Does she act this way with them? How old is your daughter? If she is old enough to understand what might be happening, I would suggest she spend one-on-one time with the dog so she can develop a bond as well. If she is too little to understand what might be going on, you will need to work with the dog. I would hate for you to have to find another home for her, that would be so sad, not only for you but for your dog as well. She has obviously found her "person" and to be given away would be horrible. She seems very protective of you. I am sure there are websites that deal with how to handle this kind of thing and other issues. Has anything at all happened which may not seem important to you but which may have changed the perception of your dog that she needs to be protective? Was there possibly an argument that got heated (not physical) where she got upset but you were not even aware she was upset? My daughter once had a dog who was very territorial just in her bedroom but anywhere else in the house she was fine. Dogs can pick up on anxiety and fear in people, even when they try to hide it. Just some thoughts. Hope you can work it out.

seek training/professional help - momofjacks

[ In Reply To ..]
Seriously, I have 2 terriers and had a problem with one being aggressive toward my husband any time my husband would come near me. The first thing I was told by each and every trainer I spoke with was to get the dog out of our bed; something to do with when dogs are allowed in/on the bed they feel they are pretty high up on the totem pole in the family, i.e., alpha status. I had a dog trainer come out to the house a few times and she worked with both the dog and me/my husband and things have been so much better since. It wasn't tremendously expensive to do (she charged 60 an hour for house calls) and well worth it in the end to be able to keep the dog and the husband ;)

JMO, but you will probably have to decide which - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
is more important--keeping the dog or keeping your daughter safe. If it cannot be trained to quit snapping at her, then it is time for it to go before someone gets hurt.

there are a couple of things you can do - AARPMom

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm going through the phase with my dog where she is trying to find out where she is in the family pack. She is now 7-8 months old. She is starting to think more like a dog, but her maturity level is still that of a puppy. My daughter (age 7) interacts like a puppy would, so that confuses my dog.

My nephew visited from out of town this weekend with his 2 dogs and what an eye opener for my dog! I have a medium-sized terrier known for its gentle disposition with kids. He brought a shepard/husky mix and a chihauhau/shihtzu mix. My dog rolled over onto her back at the site of the big dog, but after a few hours tried to make friends with the smaller dog, then later tried to get a little bossy with the smaller dog (testing the waters of where she would fit in their pack). The smaller dog got tired of it finally and unleashed a torrent of growls, bits, snarls...basically attacking my dog...and my nephew separated them. I knew my dog was not being physically hurt, but she was yelping the way a spolied child would who gets a harsh introduction to reality. My daughter got her eyes opened to the way dogs interact and why it is important for her to play calmly and not get too frenzied when playing with this young dog.

My dog has not been socialized with other dogs, so my advice to you is for two things. First, find a training class for your dog. That will give you the benefits of soclization and of training so your dog gets a clearer picture of its place in your family pack. Try to find a park where a lot of dogs are walked to give your dog opportunities to meet other dogs successfully to give it confidence in itself. Also, while you are going through this phase, don't allow it on your bed at all. You are giving mixed messages by letting it be an equal on the bed then punishing it for trying to do what a dog does naturally (exerting dominance over your daughter). This will avoid letting your dog see your daughter as a rival or equal. Once training classes are over, keep using the techniques to help remind your dog if its place in the pack.

I know you love your dog, but you are creating the problem by setting it up to fail with the bed issue at this age. You can keep loving your dog, just at the appropriate level so it doesn't get confused.

puppy love - pet owner

[ In Reply To ..]
As much as you may love this pet and have bonded with it she does not love your daughter. I was told by a vet that this behavior was not going to be able to be broken with one of my dogs. Was also advised that the better breeds of dogs with children were smaller breeds but not too small a breed if that makes sense. A rat terrier has a pension for being a little snippy anyway and if you have a chih. cross they are small and afraid of the fast moevments a child will make and not necessarily mean just a skittish dog for smaller children. The terrier will usually only bond to one person and become protective of the person. While they are showing they love you, they are not a wise choice to have around children.

I think my dog may ber jealous of my daughter - Dog Lover

[ In Reply To ..]
I saw something exactly like this on the Dog Whisperer show once. He said to put the dog on the floor as punishment everytime he/she is aggressive towards the person she is jealous of. It seemed to work for them, but the dog had to stay on the floor. Good Luck

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