# Help



## Pawz's mama (Feb 12, 2011)

I just brought my Golden Retriever Marlie home 3 days ago. Everything seemed to be going great, but I'm a little concerned. There has been about 3 or 4 times since we brought her home, that my 4 year old son has came up to her to give her a little kiss or whatever, and she turns her head really fast, and growled/snapped at him  I have had a lot of experience with puppies/ dogs and it definitely was not a puppy being playful/nipping, it was nasty. She is 8 weeks old, and has been well socialized. Anybody have any feedback????


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## Pawz's mama (Feb 12, 2011)

Bump up for Marlie.


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## ebenjamin85 (Apr 13, 2008)

I'm glad she's had some socialization so far, but at 8 weeks old I'm thinking that "well socialized" is likely to come with a little more work. She may simply not be used to young children. Does she snap like that around adults or just your son?

If it's just your son I would first work with him on approaching the dog calmly (tough for a 4 year old, I know ). For such a young puppy I would (although it sounds like you may have already) ask that your son only pet her with supervision. 

Only other thing I can think of right now would be to pair lots of yummy treats with your son (you give treats when your son is near the dog- and the dog is behaving)... teaching Marlie that being nice around kids mean good things come your way.

Good luck that's a tough situation, although I wouldn't worry TOO much yet as Marlie's still a baby! 

I'm by no means an expert- just my thoughts!


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

Doggone Safe - Growling at the Kids

I think its best if you tell the kids to give her some room for now.. or for a long time... the growling is a warning telling you that she's not comfortable with the kids so close by.. so be sure to heed the warning and not "force" her to escalate.. 

Be very careful not to punish the puppy for growling or nipping.. she is showing that she is nervous in the situation. punishing her may eliminate the warning and she may go straight to a bite..

Dogs don't naturally enjoy hugs and kisses.. this may or may not change over time.. get her into a positive reinforcement puppy socialization class as soon as possible.. Make sure all her experiences with kids and the world are positive.. we don't want neutral or negative.. Perhaps for now, have the kids toss her yummy treats from a couple of feet away.. same with kids you may meet outside.. give them a handful of food to toss at her.. I know everyone wants to pet a puppy.. but letting her get touched when shes uncomfortable could make it worse..

Good luck!


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## Pawz's mama (Feb 12, 2011)

She has done it to an adult as well. I guess it's just hard for me to understand because I have a 10.5 month old male Golden, who has never, ever growled, or snapped at one of my kids, even if they are being too rough with him. He is so mild mannered, and trustworthy. I understand she is still very young, but I have never had a puppy do this. He is always supervised when petting her, I make sure of that.


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

Pawz's mama said:


> She has done it to an adult as well. I guess it's just hard for me to understand because I have a 10.5 month old male Golden, who has never, ever growled, or snapped at one of my kids, even if they are being too rough with him. He is so mild mannered, and trustworthy. I understand she is still very young, but I have never had a puppy do this. He is always supervised when petting her, I make sure of that.


Its possible that its just puppy behaviour.. inappropriate, but can be worked on.. getting into a puppy socialization class is super important for your special girl..

Also, if you think the problem may be bigger, getting a prompt consult with a vet behaviourist is a good idea.. scientifically you have until 12 weeks to "socialize" her ideally.. time is not on your side to wait!


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## wmag (Mar 17, 2011)

When we first brought our puppy home she was horrible with my 3 year old! She was worse with her then anybody else. My puppy is 4 months old and my daughter can finally play with her. I usually tried to keep them seperated as much as possible. I read some really great threads on here that helped so much! One of them said to walk out of the room for a minute when the puppy started to bite and get crazy. I picked my daugher up made her say ouch and we left the room. It took a little while but it did work. Now my puppy usually only gets that way with my daughter when she first wakes up in the morning. I make my daughter go back in her room and wait a minute and try again. It usually only takes once or twice of doing this and my puppy calms down. I never leave them alone because you never know when the puppy is going to get in one of her moods!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

8 weeks is an infant. She reacted to your son the way she would to a littermate, it's not aggression. the adult she growled at, what was the situation? Were they also trying to hug or kiss her? it's not natural for dogs to hug and kiss, some won't like it.

Definitely start doing things like giving treats when your child is near her, so that she associates good things with him being close. But also teach your children not to kiss, hug, or put their faces near the puppy.

But please don't label your puppy aggressive.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm with mylissyk (EDITED TO ADD: and Summer's mom... not sure how I missed her wonderful post!!)... this sounds like a dog that does not appreciate someone towering over her and moving in for a hug or kiss. That's actually really rude body language to a dog, and it is not uncommon for dogs to react in a way that will make the offender back off. This does not sound aggressive in the least. Start teaching your son more appropriate ways to interact with the dog and I have no doubt they'll be the best of friends in no time. Good luck!!

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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## Pawz's mama (Feb 12, 2011)

mylissyk said:


> 8 weeks is an infant. She reacted to your son the way she would to a littermate, it's not aggression. the adult she growled at, what was the situation? Were they also trying to hug or kiss her? it's not natural for dogs to hug and kiss, some won't like it.
> 
> Definitely start doing things like giving treats when your child is near her, so that she associates good things with him being close. But also teach your children not to kiss, hug, or put their faces near the puppy.
> 
> But please don't label your puppy aggressive.


 Would you like to show me where I said she was aggressive????? And for the record, my children are VERY gentle with my dogs. He approached her very calmly as I have taught him. Geesh.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Pawz's mama said:


> I just brought my Golden Retriever Marlie home 3 days ago. Everything seemed to be going great, but I'm a little concerned. There has been about 3 or 4 times since we brought her home, that my 4 year old son has came up to her to give her a little kiss or whatever, and she turns her head really fast, and growled/snapped at him  I have had a lot of experience with puppies/ dogs and it definitely was not a puppy being playful/nipping, it was nasty. She is 8 weeks old, and has been well socialized. Anybody have any feedback????





Pawz's mama said:


> Would you like to show me where I said she was aggressive????? And for the record, my children are VERY gentle with my dogs. He approached her very calmly as I have taught him. Geesh.


I supposed I inferred that from your description. I'm not sure why you were offended, you asked for feedback.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Pawz's mama said:


> Would you like to show me where I said she was aggressive????? And for the record, my children are VERY gentle with my dogs. He approached her very calmly as I have taught him. Geesh.


It doesn't matter how gently someone hugs or kisses a dog, in doggy language it's a completely different meaning. 

You asked for feedback... don't get offended when it's not what you wanted to hear.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Pawz's mama said:


> And for the record, my children are VERY gentle with my dogs. He approached her very calmly as I have taught him. Geesh.





Pawz's mama said:


> I have a 10.5 month old male Golden, who has never, ever growled, or snapped at one of my kids, even if they are being too rough with him.


?? Clearly not always. I'm sure your children are great with your dogs, don't get me wrong... but they are still kids. And hugging/kissing a dog is still interpreted as inappropriate behavior by many dogs, regardless of breed. Even if he does it calmly. This particular dog is doing everything in her power to communicate that this action makes her uncomfortable. So teaching your son different ways to interact with and show affection to the dog will not only help to improve the bond between your son and the puppy but it will also keep both of them safe. 

It seems like you're getting a bit frustrated. I don't think anyone meant to attack you in any way, shape or form. Please try not to take any of the member's posts or suggestions personally... they just want the best for you and your pup. Generally when people make a point of distinguishing their puppy's behavior from normal puppy nipping, the insinuation is made that they are concerned about aggressive behavior. You may not have technically used that word, but the word "nasty" certainly appeared to be a hint in that direction. Our fault for assuming rather than asking... but if you search the puppy section you'll see the frequency with which people are willing to label 8 to 10 week old puppies as aggressive... it's scary. Again, good luck with your pup!! 

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Poor puppy has been taken away from his mom and his brothers and sisters, plopped down in a totally strange place, and now this small creature who seems sorta like a puppy but isn't a puppy is touching and kissing and ewww yuck! Well, bitey face game made other litter mates go away, maybe it'll work with this one? Cuz poor puppy is probably pretty scared and stressed right now! 

I think in time, with patience, and supervision, things will be fine. Max was a snuggler from day one - his best friend Duke was never a snuggler, not till the day he went to the bridge. Every dog is different, just like people. You may just have to accept that Marlie will never cared for hugging and kissing from humans, but with time, he'll tolerate it. Good luck!


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## Christine315 (Aug 4, 2011)

Everyone gave you wonderful and helpful advice and suggestions. This is one of the reasons why I love this site so much. When you put all these heads together, you're eventually going to come up with something great. The trick is finding what works best for both you and Marlie and applying it. 

In my opinion, if you were a client of mine or I was in your situation, this is what I would recommend or do for myself. I would not get too concerned about it being aggression, Marlie is still a little baby. However don't completely dismiss it either. Just tuck in away in the back of your head somewhere. It does start somewhere and you don't want this turning into aggression down the road. To me it sounds more like dominance amoung littermates. The last thing I would do is stop any interaction between Marlie and your son. As long as nobody is in any danger of getting injured, then I would encourage it. Have your son play with Marlie as often as possible. Keep it fun and positive. Have him give her plenty of treats and praise for good behaviors. Just for now, eliminate any kind of play that Marlie could mistake for rough housing. If Marlie does act out with inappropriate behavior, there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving Marlie a firm verbal correction. Then have you son immediately get up and walk away from her. Have him come back a few minutes later and resume playtime. If she acts out again, then just repeat everything all over again. Eventually she'll make the association. For now I would curb interation with a lot of kids at one time. If you son has friends over, keep her present but limit physical interation. You can gradually increase more kids into the equation over time. For now just let her watch and hear them play. Have one of them come over once in awhile for a quick pet or to give her a treat and then walk away. 

I honestly don't feel that this is something that you'll be dealing with for a long time. My guess is that this is just Marlie learning what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in the human world. Definately work on it though before it becomes a problem. Good luck and keep us updated!!!


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

Pawz's mama said:


> because I have a 10.5 month old male Golden, who has never, ever growled, or snapped at one of my kids, even if they are being too rough with him. .


so apparently the kids aren't always that gentle with the dog. 

I agree with the others...


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

I know when Tucker came home he spent months trying to establish his place in our pack. The first few days he would nip and tug at everyone. Not aggressive, just being a puppy. Gradually he stopped doing this one by one. My youngest son, was nine at the time, got it the worst. Tucker would constantly nip at his pant leg, latch on, etc. My son would just want to pet Tucker, but was constantly greeted with little shark teeth. All of us going as a family together to puppy classes and obedience classes finally helped my son establish his place above Tucker, but it took awhile! Mar lie has only been home 3 days. Get her into a puppy class and get all of you involved in training. For now, all of your kids' interactions must be supervised. Each dog is different, just like kids. We are all sensitive here to puppies that get labeled as aggressive for just being puppies. I too took that away from your post as well. I remember that feeling too, I was like "what the heck have I done?" after the first few weeks. My hands were raw from all the nipping. It will get better. Promise.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

This is a subject near and dear to my heart both as a veterinarian and a dog owner who once had small children. Basic rules you already probably know, never leave a child under the age of 5 unattended with a dog. Because all dogs bite it's a question of when. Every dog has a threshold and obviously your 10.5 year old has a high one.

I see clients who come in and allow their small children to carry and hold the puppy. I never allowed my children to walk around with a puppy in their arms when they were little. When small children come to see my pups, they need to sit on the floor with the pup in their laps. The other thing I work with my clients on is not letting the child "hug the pup to death". What happens is that the child will hold the pup until it struggles because it has had enough. What the pup learns is to struggle to get freedom. I never want my own dogs to get to that point.

As everyone said, a growl is a warning. It means the pup is uncomfortable. Years ago, one of my own dogs would make an er when I picked her up. Her daddy's owner told me to "get after her", but my OTCH dog trainer friend and her mother's breeder told me to keep picking her up, but say nothing. I knew that if I made a big deal of it, I would turn it into something that it really wasn't. Nine years later do I have any questions about her temperament? Absolutely not. She is indifferent to other dogs(except loves puppies) and is great with kids and adults. Does she want to sit in my lap and cuddle like her 1/2 sister and niece? No. She is just not a cuddly dog.

I have had many litters of pups. One of the most interesting things I have observed is when hands go into the whelping box. When the adults put their hands in, the pups are calm and come over to check it out. Kids have much more kinetic energy. When they put their hands in, there is much more movement and it stimulates the pups. I see the pups get much bitier when kids' hands are involved.

And it is a constant check on the kids. My older son is learning disabled. He is 19 years old. His "job" when we have pups is to hold them on their backs and rub their tummies. He is a pup whisperer when it comes to this, he just puts them to sleep. We currently have 3 1/2 week old pups that he is working his magic on. However, one of our older dogs was sleeping on the couch yesterday(and having had many clients who have been bitten when they kiss their sleeping dog, I always tell my kids to be careful). And my older son started to hug sleeping Mick and get in his face. I had to remind him to leave the dog alone.... Mick has never growled or snapped, but I just think in general, it is best to let sleeping dogs lie....

And depending on how the pup was raised, there just may be too much new right now for it to be comfortable. I have seen pups thru the years that have to adjust to their new lives and others who come right in like they always lived there. Good luck(I start mine in training classes at 8 weeks!.


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## Pawz's mama (Feb 12, 2011)

Once again, I never said she was aggressive, I was simply asking for advice because I was concerned. Christine- thank you for your helpful post, however I will not be posting in here anymore.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

once again people come looking for advice and when they don't hear what they want to hear they get all huffy... what they want to hear is that they and their kids are perfect and it must be something wrong with the dog or the dog has a problem... my experience has been that most often when the dog has the problem, the problem is the people. It is almost never the dogs issue... it is almost always our issue... either misunderstanding their cues or language or not understand the basics about dog behavior and how they interpret the world. 

my one last comment which is neither here nor there is that it is no wonder that there are so many ill behaved children (not that hers are) ... as soon as anyone here mentioned that maybe the kids were to much for the dog... and that maybe they were moving to quickly or whatever... the hackles went right up and the OP no longer wanted to hear what anyone had to say.... what's that... everyone thinks they are a good driver and everyone thinks their kids can do no wrong....


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Pawz's mama said:


> Once again, I never said she was aggressive, I was simply asking for advice because I was concerned. Christine- thank you for your helpful post, however I will not be posting in here anymore.


Sorry you feel this way. Realize the form of communication you are using. Different people interpret and infer different things about the written word. Yes some of us inferred that you were worried about your puppy being aggressive with your child. Ok, she isn't. Get over it. You were offered many different views from different members, each based on their experiences. You should really be thankful that people took the time to post in your thread at all. You got a lot of good advice. No one attacked you. Seems like you are stressed with the new puppy being home.


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

Pawz's mama said:


> Once again, I never said she was aggressive, I was simply asking for advice because I was concerned. Christine- thank you for your helpful post, however I will not be posting in here anymore.


Well yea, people were giving you advice weren't they? 

I never mentioned she was aggressive, just that she didn't like the interactions going on.. I guess it just wasn't what you wanted to hear?


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## Christine315 (Aug 4, 2011)

Pawz's mama said:


> Once again, I never said she was aggressive, I was simply asking for advice because I was concerned. Christine- thank you for your helpful post, however I will not be posting in here anymore.


 
No, no, no...please don't go! You will be greatly missed! It's just a matter of miscommunication. Sometimes when things are typed or written, some things get lost in the communication or misunderstood. We're all here because we have a great love in common. Please don't let a misunderstanding or difference of opinion ruin that for you. This is a really great place to be and really hope you will reconsider, stay, and continue to be active on the forums. Besides, I've really been looking forward to hearing all about Marly's puppy antics and how's Pawz has been doing with all of this. See? So you can't go yet. :crossfing


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

You have a girl pup. Often that is a different mentality. Also, your pups will have different personalities. Max spoils me because I can do anything to him and know a. he likes it and b. he'd never hurt anyone. My Willow is a completely different personality in entirity. We have to respect what she is personally comfortable with and what she isn't. Your pup may grow up to have different boundaries. You can try to desensitize her but in the end, you'll just have to respect those boundaries.


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## kdel (Jul 26, 2011)

I would be concerned about this behaviour also. The puppy had been home 3 days and this happened 3-4 time with her child AND with an adult. Sorry but that's quite a bit for such a short period of time. 

Also this was not "just" a growl or nip - it was a quick head turn with a growl and snap. I think that's a little different than a "warning growl" and luckily good reflexes of the child to get out of the way. I have seen this happen and it's fast! I have also seen it result in a bite before the victim ever knew what hit. If it was only once in 3 days then ok maybe the pup was startled/nervous but 3-4 time in 3 days? And let's not forget the adult this happened with also. 
I know some of you are not going to like this post and that's fine but it's my opinion. This dog is going to need training sooner rather than later. Yes different dogs have different personalities, some are easier than others but to say that most of the time it is the people/parents does give the impression to the op that she is doing something wrong with her children when in fact sometime it IS the dog.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Dogs need to learn that our seemingly 'aggressive' actions to them are not intended to hurt - they are not born knowing it.The pup has only been in the home for three days, it likely hasn't even figured out where it has landed -- on another planet,maybe?? In all honesty I think the pup needs some room and time to settle in and get comfortable in it's new home before being 'loved on' by the child. It sound to me like a very highly stressed pup that is reacting out of fear. Too much too soon - give the pup some space!


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## Summer's Mom (Oct 20, 2010)

kdel said:


> I would be concerned about this behaviour also. The puppy had been home 3 days and this happened 3-4 time with her child AND with an adult. Sorry but that's quite a bit for such a short period of time.
> 
> Also this was not "just" a growl or nip - it was a quick head turn with a growl and snap. I think that's a little different than a "warning growl" and luckily good reflexes of the child to get out of the way. I have seen this happen and it's fast! I have also seen it result in a bite before the victim ever knew what hit. If it was only once in 3 days then ok maybe the pup was startled/nervous but 3-4 time in 3 days? And let's not forget the adult this happened with also.
> I know some of you are not going to like this post and that's fine but it's my opinion. This dog is going to need training sooner rather than later. Yes different dogs have different personalities, some are easier than others but to say that most of the time it is the people/parents does give the impression to the op that she is doing something wrong with her children when in fact sometime it IS the dog.


If you are managing the situation.. why in the world would you let the child approach the dog and hug/kiss it after the first snap?? If you think it may be something wrong with the dog, doesn't it make even more sense to give it some room?

Btw, I seriously doubt it was the kids reflexes that saved him from a bite.. if the dog meant to bite, it would bite.. they CAN deliberately "skin" you, or scare you.


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

The OP's attitude makes me afraid to offer help when asked, I see a lot of that here. If you can't stand the heat, don't even come into the kitchen.


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## kdel (Jul 26, 2011)

"my 4 year old son has came up to her to give her a little kiss or whatever, and she turns her head really fast, and growled/snapped at him"

The above is quoted from the original op - it does not say that the child hugged or kissed the dog everytime he approached and no, I don't see anything wrong with giving the dog some space nor did I say I did.

I'm also aware that a dog can deliberately scare or skin you AND good reflexes can certainly be beneficial and like I said I have seen this behaviour before and in one instance the child was able to get out of the way - in the other the child was bitten - same dog different occasion, no one can really say for sure if it was a scare tactic or an attempted bite. We were not in her home to see exactly what happened but as far as I'm concerned it's not acceptable and should be dealt with right away.


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

I am pretty curious how some one invisions a 8 week old untrained pup to act when it doesn't like something being done to it.

What would the natural reactions of the pup be?

What do people feel are the proper behaviors a pup should have in this situation at 8 weeks old? And how would an 8 week old puppy know how to act this way?

If the pup is turning it's head to growl and snap the child must be comming from behind or the side and it may actually be startling to the pup. How should an 8 week old untrained pup act when afraid?


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## Mirinde (Jun 8, 2011)

I can see how this would be really scary to someone who has never had a puppy react that way to being cuddled before. I personally have never seen/known a puppy to get growly and snappy when being cuddled and my current fluffball was a puppy-pile-on lover from the start--still is. Finding out that it's apparently normal for puppies to have a more negative response is actually news to me! I thought preventing this behavior is part of why it's so important that they receive consistent and positive touch/handling from the breeder? 

I would contact your breeder (if you have one)... generally that is the first recommendation given on the forums, normally... I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone else say it yet. After that, maybe a quick trip to the vet to make sure nothing is bothering her physically? If nothing turns up there then it probably is just a matter of puppy being overwhelmed and easily startled; space and structured desensitization with your little ones and the adult she reacted to should go a long way if that's the case.


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## Pawz's mama (Feb 12, 2011)

To those of you that responded respectfully. Thank you! It's appreciated.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Pawz's mama said:


> To those of you that responded respectfully. Thank you! It's appreciated.


It's a shame you can't see that every post in this thread contained advice offered with respect and sincere well wishes. Your loss.... and unfortunately, your puppy's as well.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

I REMEMBER, when my kids were small, 40 yrs ago, trying to talk to other moms, when kids got into dissagreements, some moms you could not talk to, their child did no wrong, this reminds me of that.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Pawz's mama said:


> Once again, I never said she was aggressive, I was simply asking for advice because I was concerned. Christine- thank you for your helpful post, however I will not be posting in here anymore.


I don't understand, I'm not seeing anything but helpful suggestions. What did you dislike so much in the advice offered that you won't be posting anymore?


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## cory (Aug 23, 2010)

I really don't think anyone meant any harm and was trying to offer advice but as a mother I can understand how it is easy to get defensive when we feel something is wrong or we are being attacked for our "parenting skills" I also wanted to say that I have an extremely mild-mannered dog who we can do anything to and have been able to from the time we brought her home but there have been a few times that we have surprised her and she has turned very quickly. She hasn't growled or snapped but if her temperment was a bit "rougher" then she may have. It is tough with puppies and kids because neither one completely understands. I have a 5 and a 6 year old and Dakota just turned a year and I have learned so much from this thread that it is amazing we haven't been bitten. I go up to Dakota all of the time and hug her from behind and I never realized that this wasn't a good idea. Thanks for all of the info!!!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Sally's Mom said:


> This is a subject near and dear to my heart both as a veterinarian and a dog owner who once had small children. Basic rules you already probably know, never leave a child under the age of 5 unattended with a dog. Because all dogs bite it's a question of when. Every dog has a threshold and obviously your 10.5 year old has a high one.
> 
> I see clients who come in and allow their small children to carry and hold the puppy. I never allowed my children to walk around with a puppy in their arms when they were little. When small children come to see my pups, they need to sit on the floor with the pup in their laps. The other thing I work with my clients on is not letting the child "hug the pup to death". What happens is that the child will hold the pup until it struggles because it has had enough. What the pup learns is to struggle to get freedom. I never want my own dogs to get to that point.
> 
> ...


^^^^^ Absolutely second this post. 

One thing I was thinking is that your puppy is in a new home with another young dog who probably is chasing her around and trying to figure out how she works and your kids might be swarming around the puppy as much as they can. 

All of that is going to raise her stress levels. As far as the growling or snapping, she's learning that it works to get people to back off. 

One thing I figured out with my last guy was letting him come to me for attention or play and giving him a little space otherwise. He is a cuddler, but even dogs who enjoy being held or kissed or walked around on leash by a kiddo or played with (hyped up with squeaky toy tossing, etc) have their limit. 

And I hug my dog. I kiss him to pieces when he's sleeping. And he is one of those dogs who feels safer and more comfortable being in contact or underfoot. But one thing is he has a time limit. If I have relatives who like just hugging and kissing dogs, I try to break things up after a few seconds to give my dog a little recovery space. So monitor the kids whether they are cuddling the puppy or just breathing down her neck too much. <- I would bet that in a couple weeks things will be better as the newness goes away and the kids aren't constantly puppy-herding - if that's what's going on.


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## MicheleKC87 (Feb 3, 2011)

Pawz's mama said:


> To those of you that responded respectfully. Thank you! It's appreciated.


I don't understand! I thought everyone on here responded respectfully. I have seen disrespectful and rude comments on this forum, but certainly not on this thread. 

Please don't take things personally or get offended when someone offers you good advice. 

Good luck with Marlie, she's beautiful!!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

So here is where I am coming from, now. I am tired and hot and have been at a soccer tournament most of today.... I say get over yourself. If you cannot accept the help others have to offer.. then you do not want help. I come from many places and if what I have to say offends you, get a thicker skin.


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