Question: We rescued a 4-year-old French mastiff, Maggie. She had severe heartworms, was treated by her foster home for six months and has now tested negative. She was abused and left outside her whole life. She was supposed to be good with kids, but now I am seeing she doesn’t have much experience with them. I have a 2-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. She has growled a few times at them when they have done “normal” kid stuff. I really like her, but don’t want to put the kids in danger. Any suggestions? ? Denise
Answer: Your dog is most likely showing fear-related aggression. Her background of neglect is consistent with being predisposed to fearful behavior in the future. In addition, growling at the children when they are simply running around and doing normal kid stuff, as opposed to taking her toys or climbing on top of her fits with a fear reaction.
You are right to be worried about your kids. French mastiffs are big dogs, so their ability to injure a child will be greater than a smaller dog. When a dog is showing aggression toward a child, you have to act fast to find professional help. Go to www.dacvb.org and find a board certified veterinary behaviorist near you.
Until your appointment, keep Maggie separated from your children when you cannot directly monitor her. Directly monitoring the dog means you can keep your eyes on her and get to her before your children do, not that you are in the same room, but occupied with a different task.
Don’t fall into the trap of exposing the dog to your children no matter what they are doing and hoping that your dog will adjust. This is a common pitfall that leads to bites. Once Maggie learns that biting is an effective coping tool for getting your children to move away from her, she will use it again and again. You have to make sure she never learns that lesson and avoidance is the best way to do that.
Teach your children to leave Maggie alone if she is lying down, eating or hiding so that they can start to learn to respect her personal space. This will be a necessary tool for them in order to live with her safely in the future.
Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2012/10/24/new-mastiff-is-growling-at-children/
No comments:
Post a Comment