Well this week has been trying but I've learned so much. Cupar growled at a human this week for the first time, a small human.( Toddler)
After putting separation of child and dog in place for the week, the weekend has arrived.
Daughter with two step children 3 and 7 years old, son with his children,7 and 10years old, to add to my great nephew,2 year old have arrived to visit their cousin.
Dogs have been walked and children have all went to park with their parents but OMG, how to work around 4 adults and 5 children in a small house with an elderly dog and a dog that doesn't trust the toddler. I arrived back from our walk with the dogs into a house of bodies, they seemed to be everywhere, I had then to get Cupar and take him through the melee without putting any pressure on him and the silly sod just wanted to play with the bigger kids, in Cupars world kids = ball chuckers and food givers, so he follows them everywhere but of course this can't happen this weekend as he has growled at a visiting toddler earlier in the week.
So now I have to not only keep everyone safe, I have got to keep everyone happy and that includes the dogs. Of course Cupar is being his usual self around my grandchildren and my own grown up kids can't see the problem.
Anyway this week I have learned something very important, 'reward the growl', I have read so much stuff on dogs growling at children and I'm as proud as punch my dog growled and ran away from the toddler, he alerted me who wasn't paying proper attention to his body language and I'm now listening. My dog won't be required to tell the child to P off, I will do it for him.
After putting separation of child and dog in place for the week, the weekend has arrived.
Daughter with two step children 3 and 7 years old, son with his children,7 and 10years old, to add to my great nephew,2 year old have arrived to visit their cousin.
Dogs have been walked and children have all went to park with their parents but OMG, how to work around 4 adults and 5 children in a small house with an elderly dog and a dog that doesn't trust the toddler. I arrived back from our walk with the dogs into a house of bodies, they seemed to be everywhere, I had then to get Cupar and take him through the melee without putting any pressure on him and the silly sod just wanted to play with the bigger kids, in Cupars world kids = ball chuckers and food givers, so he follows them everywhere but of course this can't happen this weekend as he has growled at a visiting toddler earlier in the week.
So now I have to not only keep everyone safe, I have got to keep everyone happy and that includes the dogs. Of course Cupar is being his usual self around my grandchildren and my own grown up kids can't see the problem.
Anyway this week I have learned something very important, 'reward the growl', I have read so much stuff on dogs growling at children and I'm as proud as punch my dog growled and ran away from the toddler, he alerted me who wasn't paying proper attention to his body language and I'm now listening. My dog won't be required to tell the child to P off, I will do it for him.
