SOS! Need puppy help

[ate1cropy]

My wife and I have a 5 month old lab that runs after small children in a very aggressive

way. He also some times does this to his sister playing fetch. She is much faster than him so he goes after her legs to slow her down. We are looking for any help to fix this huge problem. Thanks!

[drewevans]

maybe if you had a child spend time with him and you kept a close watch and prevent him from chasing or being a agressive with them maybe he will grow out of it, he probly sees them as a play mate that he can be ruff with he just needs to be learned to be less aggressive it will probly not be an easy task..... good luck, maybe somebody else has some better ideas.

[nelsonnw5530]

Not knowing the age of your children, either you sit with your child on the floor or just them and hold the puppy on there back. This helps shows dominance over the pup.

[abcnerdd]

Having your child pin down your pup will help. Best thing to do is, have your child YELP loudly when your pup nibble at their feet when running. Maybe, when your pup starts to chase, ignore him and leave him alone; when your pup calms down, go back. Repeat.

[pureinsanity]

keep in mind having a child do this might make the dog attack them in later years.

My lab dislikes one of my cousins for this reason. My cousin wouldn't let the dog go when it was trying to get away when he was just a wee little pup. To this day almost 11 years later, if the dog smells him he will growl, charge, and attempt to attack him. He has never followed through 100% but he does it enough to make my cousin need a change of shorts.... If I wasn't around or someone else that the dog is familiar with I bet you the dog would attack him. My dog likes everyone, except for him and it was from that one day when he was a pup.

[mamohr686]

Is the puppy leash trained yet? My advice is get the puppy accustomed to a leash first and walking at heel. Then, try to replicate the situation where the puppy wants to chase. When the puppy chases, jerk on the check cord to startle the pup and get him to stop. The puppy will quickly associate the jerk with the check cord, and not the people doing the training.

[Rick]

You need to walk your puppy EVERYDAY and ensure the puppy is at heel on a leash. Once you are comfortable the puppy is leash trained (does not pull and sits on command) then introduce your puppy to children and then progress to children running.

Whenever he gets distracted and wants to chase it's your job to correct the puppy and not allow it. Basically a quick jerk on the leash or anything that gets the dog calmed down. Do not allow the puppy to move until it is in calm and submissive. Once the puppy is in this state keep repeating the process until the puppy learns it is not allowed to chase small children.

There is normally no need to roll a puppy on its back or to pin it. Many times, when you are in a confined area just claiming space it is in by occupying it yourself and repeating this process until the puppy is calm and submissive helps establish dominance. Be patient and persistent. As the dog becomes cornered they always give in IF you are calm, slow and assertive about it (not aggressive). Match your pace to the dog. If you have a child that can do this you will be well ahead on the chasing game.

Much of it is in your own attitude...you must be calm and assertive when taking control of your dogs behavior.

Good Luck.

Be sure to consult a professional if your dog is a biter or dangerous.

[RustySasquatch]

Excellent topic! You are not the first or the last to deal with this issue. I have heard that the shock collar is the last thing you want to use on an aggressive dog, as they will associate the shock negatively with the child.

Does this have anything to do with the dog thinking they are higher int he pack or maybe looking at the child as prey or as a threat?

[ate1cropy]

Thanks for all of the help.

[hawgchaser]

I had labs for 30 years. I always picked the most aggressive pups in the litter as that complimented my personality and the way I hunted. I presume when you say aggressive you mean in a playful, knock-the-kid down sort of way. All my dogs went through that, and my cure was to put a 50 ft. check cord on the dog, work with him for about 10 minutes, and then have my wife & children (later grandchildren) come out and start running and playing. When the dog would break for the kids, I'd let him get just about to the end of the cord, yell "whoa", and really lean back on the cord...sometimes literally flipping the dog over. Usually once or twice was enough to have the lesson learned.

As for taking the dog down and establishing dominance, I had one dog I'd have to do that with at least once a year...at the suggestion of a grizzled old trainer who worked strictly with labs. I never had the kids do that as I wasn't sure they could hold the dog down until he quit fighting and accepted their dominance.

If the aggressiveness is of a hostile nature, it seems you have a more important decision to make. I worked with a guy (when I was in my 20's) whose 2 yr. old son lost his eye from an attack by his own lab. I vowed that any dog I had would have to be able to tolerate or retreat from anything a child did. The kids had to be safe. I put a great-working 5 yr. old female down because I couldn't trust her around my grandchildren.

In my mind, the single most important training aspect for a hunting dog is obedience. For those like me who hunt (with) and don't field trial dogs, most of the important stuff is a matter of obedience rather than training specifics. Assuming the dog has the inbred instincts and talent, He has to know that he hunts for and with me...I don't hunt for him. He learns that in the day to day routine of life.

Good luck!! Few outdoor experiences have given me more pleasure than hunting with a good, well-trained dog.

[whitebassman]

you gotta correct the pup while he is in the act, thats the only way they'll learn right/wrong behavior. and be consistent with your style! so as to not confuse the pup.

since all this may happen quickly, how about using a shock collar? Just one little shock, and your pup will know about dominance. and then you can just use the beep function on the collar, and your pup will heed you without having to use the shock.

it might sound cruel, but it does the job fantastically, and your dog will not love you less, as long as you use it responsibly. I have a beagle, and they are stubborn at times when they have their nose to the ground! and notorious for running away after a rabbit/chipmunk. Now i can let him outside without a leash (which he just tangles up anyways, around me or a tree, or whatever he's leashed too).

But key is to catch him in the act and correct him, whether a shock/beep, yell, or spank on the behind. I will grab his muzzle with my hand and close it firmly until you see in his eyes that he gives up and understands. Another thing they don't like is to tug his ear, like when grandma twists your ear for being a bad boy! But that's easier for beagles then labs I suppose, due to shorter ears in labs.

[Todd Caswell]

Quote:

since all this may happen quickly, how about using a shock collar? Just one little shock, and your pup will know about dominance. and then you can just use the beep function on the collar, and your pup will heed you without having to use the shock.

No disrespect but honestly, " a little" shock to a pup that is not collar conditioned properly is the reason there are so many messed up dogs out there, and it certainly doesn't have any thing to do with enforcing or being dominant. Im a collar guy all the way, its a great tool but only a toll and is never used to teach.

Best advise given so far was two post above, it all boils down to basic OB and following a solid basics program, with the puppys and the kids, my puppy's bahave alot better than most of my friends kids.