Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi - I am the happy owner of an Alsation (George) that we bought from a local pet resceue. He is presumed to be 4-5 years old but may be older. We have had him for a little over 2 months, and in general he has a great temprement. He hasnt attacked or bitten anybody or other dogs, but for the last month or so he has started grumbling/grunting at my 2 and a half year old son. Sometimes he snarles a bit as well (shows him his teath). It appears to happen mainly when my son approaches George to make a fuss of him.- and the laugh of it is that my son is at present oblivious to any threat of danger, and stands with his finger pointed at George and shouts "NO!" Whilst nothing has happened yet, I dont want things to progress further. At the same time I dont want to have to alienate the dog in any way. Having said all this, when my son was recently ill, George sat by him as though he was gaurding him. it appears to me that when the above mentioned occurs, that George appears to be crouded by my young son, and is trying to get out of the way - like he is wary of him for some reason.

I would greatly appreciate any advice that could be given to ease the situation.

Appart from what I mention, George is a lovely cudly affectionate and loyal dog.

Thanks in advance for any help provided - Andy

that can be answered over the internet. You need to have a trainer watch and evaluate and show you how to work with your new boy. I would be sure to find a trainer that uses positive rewards. You might find one over at www.apdt.com

I agree with Lisa

George may have been hurt by a youngster or his previous masters may have hurt him in some manner when he was around young children. Please do not let George and the baby alone together and get some expert advise as soon as possible. This is not a good situation

That scares me. Both of the GSD's I've had didn't seem to know what children were for while. They loved the heck out of them once they figured it out but it took awhile. The GSD I have now seems to be figuring it out. I finally let the neighbor kid come over and play with her and the first time she wouldn't get within fifteen feet of him. She just followed him around and looked at him like he was from another planet. She likes him now. Last week when he jumped over the fence she really did not like him coming over that fence. She has made friends with children on our walks so I think she's figuring it out, but I'm very careful.
Good Luck.
Craig

It is always unwise to allow any child be alone with a dog but esp. at your son's age. That said, I do NOT believe that yor son is in as much danger as others do. What George is doig is giving your son "warning" signals. The growl, lifting his lip and so on are ways of telling him to just "back off, please, you are crowding my space." It is very astute of you to notice that this happens when George feels crowded! This is very unsafe position from a dog's point of view. If they feel they cannot get away then they respond by warning the agressor. Many dogs will be much more reactive to anintrusion of their space when they are on lead-- cuz they can't get away from the situation. This is instinct- self preservation. Plus some dogs beome quite indignant when someone is pointing a finger at them!! Also, as you pointed out, George stayed close by your son when he was sick- another good observation, imo.
So (after all that! LOL!) I think you need to teach your son not to "crowd" George and make him feel that he is vulnerable and unable to escape. At the same time you needd to teach George that he must be more tolerant of the child's behavior. It works both ways! If George is in a corner or otherwise crowded I ould sit on the floor next to him but still a bit in front- like you are between the 2 but not blocking them-so they can still interact directly. This way you can deal with both at the same time. If George gives one of the warning signals, tell him "no growl" or"it's ok- it's 'your son's name." Tell your son not to bother George when he is lying in the corner cuz he gets scared- or whatever you feel yor son will understand. You could have treats for George readily available (as in instantaneously) and if he stops his signals give him a treat and praise. Have your son give him some treats and tell George he's a good dog- pat his head. Or, you could teach George to move to a spot (like in the middle of the floor) where he doesn't feel trapped- and teach your son how to tell George to move to a specific area (without ponting his finger- LOL).
Naturaly, if George's responses or "wearnings" become more severe then you might have to consider other alternatives-- I would absolutely never advise someone to do this if it appeared a dog might be a threat to a child, but it sounds like you are savvyy enough to evaluate the give situation appropriately and respond in an appropriate manner. I would give them both a chance to learn as it is quite obvious that George is very fond of your son and is protective of him.
Just imo!
Nancy