Problem:
Nipping the children
Hi
Shannon,
I
gave my friend one of our Miniature Dachshund puppies
3 years ago. (He was 6 weeks old). His name is Ciro
and he really is a lovely and lively little dog. He
lives with a 6 year old Pug named George. Both are males
and have been sterilised. George is a very quiet and
loving dog - not at all aggressive, not even to kids.
Ciro grew up with his new mom and dad without any children
around. They both love their dogs as their own children
and might even be seen as spoiling their dogs a little
bit. On two occasions he bit my daughters, aged 5 and
7 (both grew up with dogs and love animals). The first
time, they were playing outside (in his back yard) and
he suddenly without warning bit them on their ankles
- first the one child and a few minutes later the other
child.
The
second time, my 5 year old was playing with him while
sitting down and when she stood up he bit her in her
thigh, while wagging his tail. I can not understand
this, as all our previous litters did not have this
problem. (I made a few phonecalls to check)
My
friend is now expecting her first born and I am really
concerned as to how he will react to the new baby in
the house. What do you suggest we do?
Thank
you
CONCERNED MUM
--------------------------------------------------
Dear
Concerned Mum,
The
information you have provided is fairly limited with
regard to the biting incidents, but from what I can
gather it would appear that there are three elements
at work here:
1.
Underdeveloped interaction skills (with specific reference
to bite inhibition)
It
would appear that the first incident was as a result
of heightened excitement and the Dachshund being unable
to control himself. The fact that the children were
bitten on the ankles suggest that it would have also
had a prey drive trigger - the feet are the fastest
moving and easiest part of the body to reach. I would
assume that the children were trying to run away at
the time thus triggering another aspect of the prey
drive. Any dog can be triggered in such a manner, but
a dog with underdeveloped bite inhibition can cause
serious damage.
One
of the reasons for underdeveloped bite inhibition is
a puppy that was removed from his mother and littermates
too early. A puppy learns invaluable social skills,
including how to play and how to inhibit bites, between
the ages of five to eight weeks. This puppy had this
learning period cut in half. Many dogs have this phase
shortened due to ignorance on the part of the breeder.
It's either by pure luck or an excellent canine role
model in the new household that we see far fewer problems
than one would expect.
2.
Undersocialisation to children with possible fear aggression
Although
this puppy was raised in a household with children,
it would appear that he has never been properly habituated.
Young children have erratic movements, they shriek in
high-pitched voices and they have a different chemical
signature to adults. In effect to a dog they are not
humans, but some strange species that seems to fascinate
their owners.
Although
the commonly-accepted socialisation phase ends at around
16 weeks, new research suggests that a puppy should
be positively exposed to stimuli throughout puberty
to ensure a level of habituation suitable for the demands
of a contemporary lifestyle.
If
a dog is not socialised or habituated to a particular
stimuli (in this case children) he will automatically
revert to one of the 3 F's (fight, flight or freeze)
when in doubt. Perhaps the second biting incident was
a result of fear as the child stood up? Please note
that a wagging tail is not always an indication of a
happy dog. A tail tucked between the legs with the tip
wagging is often a display of extreme submission.
3.
Possible hierarchy issues
If these dogs have been "spoilt" as you say,
they may have hierarchy issues with any newcomers or
guests in their home, be it human or animal. It is hard
to say and I am not one for putting everything down
to hierarchy, but perhaps the dogs need to be brought
down a peg or two in terms of seeing themselves as high-ranking
individuals who are tasked with disciplining the children?
As
with any case involving aggression, you need to contact
an accredited behaviour consultant in your area. While
I can certainly give you generic guidelines, this problem
needs intensive hands-on help. The fact that your friends
are expecting a baby makes this all the more imperative.
Please visit the ABC
website for a nationwide listing of accredited behaviour
consultants.
Best
of luck.
Shannon