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Dog Aggression, Kids and Harmony in Your Home

8/27/2012

5 Comments

 
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A calm and assertive nature puts you in charge.
Dog Aggression, Kids, and Harmony in Your Home

Expert Advice We Can Never Hear Too Often

Even the seemingly best-behaved and submissive dogs can surprise their owners at times, and the surprise is not always welcome.  This is the case with unexpected aggression.  My son is home from college for the summer, and my normally quiet, uneventful home is temporarily turned into a summertime beach retreat for young adults stopping by to borrow a surfboard or looking for a turkey sandwich.  Friends know they are welcome, and sometimes just walk in unannounced, which was fine.  In the past.

Since last November, we have acquired two Saint Bernards, in addition to our 10-year-old aussie mix.  They have had to acclimate to my son coming home on occasional weekends, and now, during summer, anywhere from 1 to 15 kids stopping over to visit daily.  The dogs have done relatively well, and I’ve somewhat managed to shield them from the stress, but this week, Sunny Saint Beni had enough.  Jack, a very nice, polite, 19-year-old has been the target of Beni’s irritation and aggressive barking.  Not just once, but three times.  We know now this should have been nipped in the bud.  Behavior: unacceptable. This should have happened only once, but, alas, I am the de facto dog trainer in this house, and, not home to correct the behavior, no one else dealt with the situation immediately.  Bad move.

I’ve read that this form of aggression can be the dog trying to assert his place and prominence on the family totem pole.  We’ve all heard about the “packleader,” and how the rest of the family,  including dogs, have their spot in the pecking order.  This is so true.  If you want harmony and balance in your family with the dog, and to avoid a potentially dangerous situation, you must heed the experts’ advice.

I recommend an article, “My Dog is Dog Aggressive. What Can I Do About This Aggression?” by Ed Frawley. Mr. Frawley says one of the major reasons for aggression is “rank drive” within the dog pack. It gave me a lot to think about, in terms of how I rate as the packleader, and learning how to “read” my dog.  He says this natural instinct is extremely powerful, and affects how the dog interacts within the family structure. If the dog is aggressive toward a particular person, that dog should never be left alone in the home with that person, and should always be on a leash, even in the home. This is so the packleader is able to make an immediate correction, and let the dog know, that, under no circumstances, is aggression to be tolerated. This is a must for any household with smaller children as well.

It’s not easy knowing that my front door can’t be the always-revolving door as in the past, but I now have the know-how to deal with it. I thought I knew a lot about dogs, but I realize I’m still learning every day. Time to share this information with the rest of the family.

As always, Sunny Saints would love to hear your thoughts.

-Jen Geller

5 Comments
Amanda
9/1/2012 10:56:22 am

Thanks Jen!!!... it is so very important for us all to have the little reminders of making sure our pack is in order!! As cute and lovable as they are..they have to have manners! Just like my 2 legged kids, Lucy every now and then gets selectively deaf!! Little reminders for us all are good..

Reply
Jen Geller/Sunny Saints St. Bernard Rescue
9/5/2012 12:15:39 pm

I agree Amanda. This was a good reminder for me that our work is never done, and we all should be working with our fur babies on a regular basis, keeping them secure and knowing who's the packleader.

Reply
James Kaufman
9/24/2012 10:01:00 pm

Hi – Will you please post a link to your Blog at The Saint Bernard Community at vorts.com? Our members will love it.
Members include: Owners, Breeders, Rescues and Lovers.
It's easy to do, just cut and paste the link and it automatically links back to your website...
You can also add Photos, Videos, Rescues and Classifieds if you like. Post as much or as often as you like.
Email me if you need any help or would like me to do it for you.
The Saint Bernard Community: http://www.vorts.com/saint_bernards/
Thanks,
James Kaufman, Editor

Reply
Dhruv
3/14/2015 05:42:20 am

My 2 month old St bernard puppy somtimes gets aggressive like pulling pants and somtimes biting but very lightly ........is this because of teething?

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jane stoll
8/19/2015 11:06:44 pm

My beautiful 7 mo. Old Saint is a bit hyper at times. jumping and clawing when outside, is the worst part. This includes random adults and children. Definitely dog aggressive. Bites with humans are not mean, but still hurt. I know that he is going thru puberty. I love him but..! HELP!

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