@macattack Mku and Kito are delighted to hear it !
Please help…Tosca nipped at my 8 wk old!
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It only takes one time, what Tosca did is an indication that something is not right. This is the time to get someone to assist, not wait until the problem is so bad you may never resolved the issue. I would venture to bet this is NOT an isolated incident because she has done it before… and also it would give you the resources to know how to handle the situation, as the response in this situation was not the correct one.
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In light of your husband's attitude and apparent "no strike" policy - I think the problem is very, very severe. Tosca's future hangs in the balance, IMO. She has not shown much trouble in the past because she has never had her immediate world rocked until now.
The trainer is there to give you ideas on how to keep problems from arising and/or escalating to the point that your husband kicks her to the curb. They will teach you how to manage, how to redirect, diffuse, how to keep her safe et al. They do not need to see aggressive acts to know what the potential is when pampered petchildren meet their replacement, and much more special, human children. It's a given!
Here are places I would start calling and researching in your area:
http://www.4paws-training.com/
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Just one question though about the trainer thing…do you think the problem is severe enough to warrant that?
In a word: YES.
The problem in the present may or may not be "severe" enough, the problem in the future could be too severe to safely keep everyone in the same house. As wonderful and experienced as the people on this forum are, we are not there to see the interaction. Seeing everything going on is invaluable information. Again, you may be doing something problematic without even knowing it. I would guess one to three visits (maybe an additional one later when Colton is a toddler) from a professional is all it is going to take to put everyone on the right path to a happy healthy home.
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I agree with the other posters. NOW is the time to get training, NOT later when the problem has worsened. I see it too often where people say their dog is great has no problems, then a few months/years later with no training, there is now a problem of some sort.
Why wait? Even basic commands like sit, wait, down etc can all help.
I do hope you and the human/furry family will have lots of fun times together in the future.
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Here Buana
We have a 5 months old son Ryan, we worked very hard to get our results with the Basenji's and Ryan.
The other reply's are very good I think,I think it's vey important Tosca will see the baby as a nice thing and not as somebody that will get more attention than see will get.
A lot of people play with their dogs when the baby is asleep and let them aside when they are busy with their baby.
When you have dogs and kids, you have a LOT of extra work..
We give the dogs a lot of attention when Ryan is arount, so they know when Ryan is awake, they get attention (of course they get attention too when he is asleep)
Sometimes it is very hard, when I nurse Ryan and one of the boys want to hug Ryan at the same time (lick his ears for example) it isn't easyI agree with the fact you have to train right away, it's a small problem now but when you don't react to it maybe it will grow larger..
It really is great when the dog(s) like the baby so much..Good luck, and congrats with you little boy
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And while I know that many on here follow the path of "just not moving" them if they growl when sleeping…. in my home, growl when being moved, you will find yourself on the floor. It is not tolerated. Obviously there is a difference between growling and "complaining" when being moved and "complaining is acceptable"... growling is not. My house, my rules
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Great advice above. Linda and Pat are right.
I will be interested to see if the parents like Kim and others with b's can give you
advice that will help.
BUT honestly, hubby has set a line..you need to find a way to make sure your b doesn't cross it. -
I totally agree with pat - I do not allow my dogs to growl just because they are being moved.
Please take the previous advice to get professional help.
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Just one question though about the trainer thing…do you think the problem is severe enough to warrant that? Not that nipping at my baby isn't severe, but since Tosca normally doesn't do things like that (see post above about being able to take food away, etc) and is usually completely comfortable around kids (minus the one time she growled at my nephew when he tried to take the rawhide, but that was yrs ago), I don't know if it would be effective? She is usually very well-behaved. My fear is that the trainer would come, see Tosca being her normal self, and wonder "Why am I here again?" Would he/she still be able to help if Tosca doesn't display the aggressive behavior? I am not saying it would be a bad idea, and I'll definitely look into it if you think it might help, I just don't know how trainers work...what do you think?? I am still hoping that this was an isolated incident, but like I said, will be willing to do what it takes to make sure this doesn't happen again, trainer or not. Thanks again
Being a trainer, I can tell you…no trainer is going to question why you would seek help in this situation. You need someone to give you suggestions and guidance to keep this from happening again. Linda is right that it will most likely get worse when the baby is toddling around, and grabbing at the dog and her stuff. But that doesn't mean it is an impossible situation, nor that the child is in imminent danger.
It may be an isolated incident (probably not)...but it does give you some insight into what she might be thinking (baby, stay away). Best to take steps to correct it now.
Most importantly, don't panic...lots of us have gone through this same situation and had everything turn out fine...and don't let your husband panic
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And while I know that many on here follow the path of "just not moving" them if they growl when sleeping…. in my home, growl when being moved, you will find yourself on the floor. It is not tolerated. Obviously there is a difference between growling and "complaining" when being moved and "complaining is acceptable"... growling is not. My house, my rules
Same here, Pat. And even complaining will ensure that I move you! We don't ingore the complaining…we still say "too bad, I am sitting down here"..or "too bad, you are going outside"...we never let a complaining dog have its way
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Same here, Pat. And even complaining will ensure that I move you! We don't ingore the complaining…we still say "too bad, I am sitting down here"..or "too bad, you are going outside"...we never let a complaining dog have its way
Exactly Andrea…. and while I said "complaining is acceptable" I did still mean, you need to do what I am asking... But rarely will "complaining" lead to a nip/bite as it is a different type of warning/reaction
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Hi again everyone
Thank you for taking the time to respond and help us with our problem. I am going to at least call and speak with a trainer, and go from there. However, I have some questions, as I have no ideas how trainers work, Tosca is my first dog, and we have never had reason to consider a trainer before. I know several people with other dogs, but none that have used trainers, so when it comes to them, I am pretty ignorant on the subject.1.) How do you know a trainer is reputable? I don't have anyone to go to for references in this area.
2.) I doubt any of them in Sheboygan have experience with Basenjis, do you think this will be a problem?
3.) What will a trainer do? Will he/she teach me how to manage Tosca, or will he/she work with Tosca and try to fix the problem for us?
4.) What if Tosca doesn't display the aggressive behavior/problem when the trainer is here? That is most likely to be the case, since we have had her 3 years and she's growled a total of 3 times ever.
Thanks again for your help…I agree with most of what everyone had to say, and to hear it now it seems very obvious we need to do something now, not when a problem gets worse. There are simple things I can now see to do, like not letting Tosca near when we are nursing. They are obvious, but I never had the need to worry about it before, which is why I allowed it to happen. That will change now, though. There are, however, a few things I want to respond to...not that they matter so much, but things I want to clarify, because I feel they are misunderstood. I am not trying to be snarky, but just want to be able to defend myself a bit
"you don't want to scold a dog for growling." We did not scold Tosca for growling. I did make the mistake of ignoring her growl, as she makes a similar noise when she is happy, and I misread that. I completely agree that it is not good to scold a dog for growling, and I am glad she displayed that warning sign, I just regret not reading it correctly.
"Certainly if you, or your husband continue to handle it in the manner you did (scold her (well after the fact I might add) then put her outside) you will actually increase the odds that this will continue and will probably escalate to a bite which breaks skin." He did scold her, and put her outside for about 20 min, but it was immediately after the incident occured. Tosca nipped, I grabbed Colton away, and he came right over and dealt with Tosca.
Also, while he may not have acted completely appropriately, this has worked with Tosca in the past. I disagree with negative reinforcement also, and we have argued about this when we first got her, but I have to admit it gets him results. Tosca respects him, listens to him, and does not get into mischief when he is around, therefore he rarely has to do that with her. She is also not afraid of him a bit, loves him, cuddles with him all the time, and has never growled at him once. It's hard for me to argue when it worked so well for him, even if I choose not to behave the same way"The question begs - why was the dog put at risk? By that I mean - why do you have a prized possession (a rawhide) accessible to a toddling nephew who has no respect and certainly no concept of boundaries in the same room, or area, as the dog whose prized possession it is? You are asking for trouble." The reason we allowed this was because we had done it in the past before with no problems…however, I agree it was not a smart move, and we have never allowed anything like it since..I agree we need to make sure we don't set Tosca up for failure
Thanks again everyone for your input, I greatly appreciate it!
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I also just wanted to quickly add that Tosca has only growled at people 3 times, and this is in 3 years that we've had her. Once, when we first got her and I tried to move her while sleeping, the time with my nephew and the rawhide (probably 2 yrs ago), and then last night. This includes many times where my nieces/nephews (4 of them under the age of 6) have run around with her, touching her, and getting in her space. She always wags her tail, licks them, and loves the attention. Adults are watching the entire time, but since we have had no problems (other than the rawhide, but that was our fault for allowing my nephew to go near her while she had a valued treat), I didn't anticipate her growling at us last night. However, I know growling of any kind is not ok, and I don't want more incidences to happen as Colton gets older, so I do know the issue needs to be addressed and taken care of
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You can also try this website to look for a trainer. There are some in NE WI but I didn't see many really close to your area.
I found a trainer for my brother in another state on this site. They were having some issues as well with their dog when they brought the new baby home. I was able to get some references for this trainer which helped my confidence in the choice.
Good luck! Doing something now will definitely help.
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The site that Clay posted is a good one. The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers is a good organization with well defined requirements for certification. I would definately second the recommendation to start your search there.
1.) How do you know a trainer is reputable? I don't have anyone to go to for references in this area.
See above, finding a trainer with CPDT certification is a good start in finding a knowledgable, experienced dog trainer.
2.) I doubt any of them in Sheboygan have experience with Basenjis, do you think this will be a problem?
I don't think it is a problem. What you really want to find is a trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques and hopefully has experience working with families.
3.) What will a trainer do? Will he/she teach me how to manage Tosca, or will he/she work with Tosca and try to fix the problem for us?
A good trainer will work with you to design a plan to help you and Tosca make this adjustment. It will probably have several parts to it, like working on specific skills and making modifications to your behavior and Tosca's to set everyone up for success.
4.) What if Tosca doesn't display the aggressive behavior/problem when the trainer is here? That is most likely to be the case, since we have had her 3 years and she's growled a total of 3 times ever.
That is okay, a trainer should still be able to help you develop a plan to help Tosca feel more comfortable.
I also want to add that growling isn't inherently bad, it is just information.
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I agree, growling should neither be rewarded or punished, it is telling you that she is not happy and distressed, especially as she is not a regular growler. It gives you the chance to de-escalate the situation and be sure everyone is safe and comfortable.
A good trainer will teach you, they won't have to necessarily see it.
