We have a 7 month old lab bitch, over the weekend she reacted aggressivley towards both my children aged 5 & 8. They both approached her when she was playing with a toy or chewing her chew bone. The first occassion she grabbed my sons arm as he approached her basket, the following day whilst the dog lay at my wife's feet with a chew  bone my daughter approched her to stroke her and the dog proceeded to growl at her aggresivley. This was most distessing for all of us and we are concerned with the agression she is displaying towards the children. Has anyone any advice as the dog has become part of the family and we would hate to have to get rid of her if this agression towards the kids does not stop. Thanks

I would suggest that you don't allow her to have toys or bones until and unless you desensitise her to resource guarding.  If you remove them she will have nothing to guard.  This is perfectly normal behaviour she is not actually being aggressive to your children per se but worried about her "possessions" being taken away or competed for.  However I appreciate the outcome is the same at the moment.

This requires careful handling but is very easy to sort.

Could I suggest you get in touch with the http://www.apdt.co.uk and there will be a trainer there you will be able to give you advice or your vet can refer you to a qualified pet behaviourist.

In the meantime I would feed her only at meal times and not allow her to have anything which could make her anxious about an approach from your children.

HTH

Hi Guest

Have a word with your vet and see if they can recommend an experienced dog person that could come to your home and observe the interaction between your pup and children.  It is not something that is safe for us to advise on without seeing what is going on.

There could be many causes and as you have probably read on this board "resource guarding" is natural for dogs.  Her season is probably coming up and this can cause unusual reactions in bitches and it may be that your children have taken her treats away from her or teased her with them when you have not been present.  There are so many potential causes and remedies that it is best if someone actually observes what is going on to give you the best advice.

If you go the route of a behaviourist please make sure they have a lot (years) of experience with dogs and not just a piece of paper that says they have passed an exam with no practical learning to put with it :)

In any instance of a sudden change in behaviour your vet should be the first port of call a) to ensure there is no medical problem causing it and b) to refer you to a recognised member of either the APDT with an interest in behavioural issues, or a member of the UKRCB.......

or APBC....................

Can I make a general suggestion :-) I have found with any dog it is better if the child calls the dog to IT rather than the child approaching the dog..lots of praise when she comes and the 8 year old is big enough to give a titbit. That way you are not 'cornering ' the dog so she is less likely to be defensive.
I think dogs find children 'scary' they are unpridictable and make fast movements, dog thinks is it going to hurt me?  You also said the dog on one occasion was at your wife's feet?  She may have been guarding wife as well as the toy. May I venture to say both dog and children need training  :-D

>>>>This is perfectly normal behaviour she is not actually being aggressive to your children per se but worried about her "possessions" being taken away or competed for.<<<<

Whilst it may be normal for some breeds it is not normal for a labrador and  to the original poster,you are right to be worried.
When you bought the puppy what kind of home was she in was she from a kennels or private breeder?
I am worried that there are more and more aggressive labradors cropping up something which would have been unknown at one time.we have lots of calls from people now saying their lab is showing aggression :(
Why are people always so quick to advise behaviourist on this forum? its a pretty sad situation when our dogs need therapists am I alone in wondering why? Im not knocking behaviourist at all by the way , im sure they do a good job
I have a great friend who is a trainer and she is very good and will advise people free of charge over the phone etc.. and in her small non profit training sessions which a well attended,but some of these people charge exstortionate amounts

Actually I agree with you Mattie re the "behaviourists" some are good, a few excellent(John Rogerson for one) & a lot a downright ripoff

Mattie said:

"I am worried that there are more and more aggressive labradors cropping up something which would have been unknown at one time.we have lots of calls from people now saying their lab is showing aggression."

Yes this does seem to be on the increase these days and it is a disturbing development in what has been until now a breed known for it's gentle manner. :( 

I suggest vet, then a 'behaviourist' because without seeing the  dog it would be irresponsible to advise anything in the training dept.

I agree totally with what mattie etc have said, but i remember my daisy being a bit tetchy just before her first season.I wouldn't say she was aggressive but just not her normal laid back self.This isn't to dismiss any of the above suggestions., just something to consider for a 7month bitch!

The fact that a dog resource guards does not, necessarily, mean it is aggressive per se.  All dogs are hard wired to resource guard.

Those who are experienced in dogs will probably never need behaviourists mostly however those who have not been brought up with dogs may not realise the importance of training your dog to prevent such issues. 

A correctly qualified, accredited and experienced behaviourist who belongs to a professional body will be able to give correct advice in order to assist in these cases.

Not all advice that is given from anyone is good, accurate or helpful no matter what the situation, as we have seen on this board; better that someone goes to the best source for information in order to achieve the best result. 

It is not, as digger said, always pertinent, or safe to advise on some problems via the net as we are not in a position to see all the factors in the equation.

It makes you wonder if the children are always taking the poor dogs things of it,a dog will only put up with so much it doesnt matter what the breed,Ive got 2 + 4 children and ive always told the children to respect them and in return the dogs will ask you to play,feed,walk and cuddle them,they are the most docile things but you should never trust your dog 100%.Julia

I agree with what you said Julia. I would never trust a dog 100%. I would also never leave a dog and a child in a room alone together. Some dogs can be extremely dominant and can use a situation to dominate a child. The mother who is concerned about her Lab and children should listen to what advice has been given but if I put myself in her position, I have to admit I wouldn't keep a dog if it were repeatadly(sp?) aggresive. You have to be certain about why the dog is reacting the way that it is before making any judgments. When I was 17, my mum was attending a wedding and asked if I would sit in her house to watch the dog ( GSD). I new this dog all of its life and it was never aggressive. I was sitting eating and watching TV when Duke came over to me and was being really 'pushy'. I gave him a bit of what I was eating and for absolutely no reason at all he lunged at me and his teeth were an inch from my face. I raised my arm to protect myself and he grabbed me, there was blood everywhere. I got him out of the house and phoned my mum. She came home to find the dog outside, me inside and blood everywhere. I was taken to hospital and received stitches.

The dog was taken to the vets. I made it clear that I did nothing to provoke the attack and that he never did anything like this before. I didn't want him put down, there had to be something wrong with him. The vet did loads of tests and within a couple of days the results came back that he had cancer. He was in pain, was frustrated, and probably angry. Dogs cant talk, however much they can communicate and we can understand some of what they say but somethings they cant tell you and they express it in this kind of way. Unfortunately I was on the receiving end, I was extremely shocked by this experience and it made me look at dogs in a new light. Duke was put on a good course of medication that controlled the pain, we made up and he lived out his last few years relatively happy. It didn't put me off dogs, just learned a new respect for them. Its easy to make all kinds of judgements about a dogs behaviour but it takes teamwork from different sources (vets, behaviourists, and of course owners) to find out why the dog reacts to things the way that they do. Hope you find a solution to your problem sometimes its more simple than first appears, maybe its training or her first season thats causing her to react this way. Good luck

kat

That is so awful Kmc, so sad for you and the dog :-(  I too would never trust any dog 100% with children ..or children with a dog. As I posted earlier in this thread I do think children also need training as well as the dog, it makes my blood boil when I see small children left unsupervised with a puppy often attatched to the end of a lead ... No offence intended to Guest :-D

I agree totally. Children and dogs are a good mix but they both need careful supervision. I too get annoyed when children are left to walk the dog. Across the road from me is a very nice rottie but its the children who walk her. Next door to me is a staffy cross that is left in the garden all day being tormented by their 7year old son. This dog has taken hold of the boy and its only a matter of time when he bites him. These parents dont care as long as the dog isn't bothering them. I dont know why they even bother keeping him. This dog has become very aggressive due to this child. He used to be very friendly but now its like he is always on the defensive. I have a new dachie pup (9wks) my husband had him in the back garden for a wee when the staffy jumped the 5ft fence to get to the pup. My husband ( he's 6ft 2) quickly picked up the pup and held him at arms length above his head because the staffy was jumping and trying to attack the pup. The owners came out and were 'surprised' by this and they tried to capture him. The man was bitten on the arm and leg. They got him out of my garden eventually. I am not taking any chances and have told them that if he is in my garden again then I am going to report them.

I have told them countless times about the way their son treats the dog. But surely this is their fault too. Children have to be 'taught' about respect and treatment for all animals. I have 4 children and none of them would behave this way, I wouldnt allow it. Aswell as the 2 dogs I have guinea pigs and rabbits. The children take a lot of responsability for them with some supervision. They know that especially small animals need very gentle handling. Children need to be taught how to 'read' a dog of when its had enough of play, when its tired and wants to be left alone. Its down to the parents to teach their children about these things after all its for their own safety and that of the animal.

kat