The other day i bought my neice to my boyfriends house and as she walked through the door his puppy doberman who is 11 months nearly was grumbling at her like sort of growling but not if u know what i mean lol, anyway i was telling her to stop and trying to tell my neice who is only two and a half years old to tell her no too. I gave my neice some treats to give her and my neice was getting her to sit before giving them to her, the puppy was sniffing her and also licking her hands. But still every now and then she would grumble at her, She is not around children much but i just dont want her to be aggressive around children!!! Could anyone give me any advice please any info is helpful. Thanks, Rachel x

Sounds like she was unsure and defensive.

The pup needs to be socialized around children more with pleasant experiences associated with them, the treats were a good idea.

Depending on the kind of vocalization it could also be suppressed excitement etc.

Mmm... CLEVER puppy to communicate that she was worried/felt a bit nervous - far FAR better this than a dog who has been taught never to growl!

Dogs who dont growl because they have had it punished out of them are dogs who end up biting someone 'without warning' (there IS warning but its beyond most people to read it, especially in heavily coated/drop eared/odd tail carriage breeds, but even in 'normal' shape/design dogs).

If this happens again, have the child sit down and not look at the dog and gently throw treats towards her, rather than offering them from the hand. Offering treats to a nervous dog can cause them to get out of their depth... step in too close, and once the treat is gone suddenly they realise EEK.... Im too close!.. and that sort of panic can lead to a reaction such as a snap or bite (especially in a dog who has learned that growling = punishment).

Agree, no point in saying No really as the dog is showing fear almost certainly - to dogs, children are odd things unless the dog is used to them!

Take it steady and get the dog to associate the child with good things happening such as food as advised. Really good special food will help. This is classical
conditioning.

Lindsay
x

Okie dokie thanks for the advice, i never really thought of it like that as in i never thought about her just expressing how she feels by growling and of course it is far better her showing her emotions in this way than biting or snapping. I will update and let you know how i get on. Thankyou all again.

was your puppy excited at the same time as growling? i ask because i boxer makes these noises but it's not aggression as he is really excited and jumps around with a few barks and growls. he's 9 years old and has always made these noises when someone comes to the house but he's the friendliest dog you could meet and is just trying to get their attention.  

Unlikely Bear...and anyway, who's going to suggest the OP taking that risk?

Hi bear no i wouldnt say she was particularly excited more curious i would say. I dont think she would ever bite or snap i just think it is something she is unsure of as she is not around children very much. But i will now make a concious effort for her to be around them more, Thanks for your post.

Thats what i was thinking we have a very vocal BC and he gets so excited he "talks" as he is throwing himself on the floor at your feet for a rubbed tummy.
Jake hates horses and we have to make him sit and be quiet or he barks.
When my cocker was a pup we meet a lovely lady leading her horse, she let the v.small pup sniff the horse who blew down his nose at him. Result a dog that totally ignors horses he pigeon holed the horse as a) big, b0 non threatening, Jake was not acclimatised and he is a pain he has to be put on a lead if I hear any, Im worried he may upset the horse and cause it to unseat its rider.
I think the advice re treats ect is the right way, we have about 9 children under 6 that ours are with and the cocker will ignor them and sit on my lap and the BC wants to play but both dogs know that the children are non threatening and often mean treats!

Caught Rubin age 1 and Jake (BC) drinking from the same dog bowl about a month ago YUCKKK his Mum says he often does it with her dog at home, I did draw the line at that one.

Hi Rachie

Dogs and children both benefit from being socialised around each other but ideally you'd try and match a very young child who has little experience of dogs with an older bombproof dog and vice versa.

I must admit I'm in favour of ignore with very young children.  My dogs are introduced to the room when the littlies are completely occupied doing something else.  I've never really encouraged my nieces and nephews to interract with the dogs either.  I've found that both kids and dogs settle down very quickly in each others company and don't need formal introductions.

I would also not introduce treats from children either.  I don't want my dogs to see the kids as a source of food, particularly as any food they carry is at nose height and easily snatchable.  Feeding the dogs brings a level of responsibility the children just aren't capable of and an excited, food motivated, dog is a hazard.  Visions of baby skittles comes to mind!!

Your doberman is communicating discomfort and that's completely ok.  A tottery 2.5 yr old heading towards him might look a bit alarming so I'd concentrate on no touching, no talking, no eye contact.  Distract your neice and keep her busy, and away from the dog and he'll probably potter over for a look sooner or later.  If you want to introduce him to the sight, sound and smell of kids he can sit by the play areas in the park for a non threatening, non interactive look-see.  Proper meetings can come later :)

As a general point it's worth mentioning that children should learn to be wary of dogs - not frightened, but cautious, and careful.  Not all dogs are ok to touch and many dogs can be unsettled by children.  Better that she learns to respect unknown dogs and luckily she'll have you to teach her how to behave around them.

This is very useful information thankyou so much and i will definitely take into account theinformation you have provided, thanks for your time. Rachie.