Help...upset again...Chewie incident.

[Laura & Chewie]

As you all know, I have posted about Chewie and our problems with resource guarding and some handling issues.  We consulted with a behavioral vet a few months ago who explained if this is his tendency, it can't be cured, but definitely decreased and controlled with practicing avoidance and desensitization.   For the most part we know his triggers and have been respecting them and behavior has improved.  98% of the time he is absolutely wonderful, funny, loving, smart and is a hugh part of our family.  We love him dearly!

 

With this being said, he is a "mouthy" dog.  At almost 15 months old, he still uses his mouth a lot to play.  He loves running around with something in his mouth, etc.  My granddaughters are here daily (7 and 8-1/2) and have a number of little friends they play with on my street.  Chewie absolutely loves the girls and is very good with them, but I think he thinks he's one of the kids and when they get wild, he gets wild too.  When he gets real wild, he gets nippy.

 

A little while ago, he was outside and the kids were pushing a toy wagon up and down the drive.  They did it faster and faster and he got wild and grabbed at the leg of the little girl next door.  He did not break the skin, but did leave a mark and it bruised.  This happened very quickly.  I am so, so upset this happened.  Her mother, remarkably, isn't upset...in her words, he's still a puppy and gets riled up.  I appreciate her not freaking out, but I am.  Even though he didn't do this to hurt her, it is still unacceptable.  Another thing worth noting...when I wheel the garbage can out to the curb weekly (and back again) he carries on then also.  Something about that garbage can moving (or me pushing it) really upsets him.  Now compare this with the kids pushing the wagon and acting crazy too...I just don't know.  He is very reactive...don't know if this is something that mellows with age?

 

I just don't know what to think...what if that has been her face not her leg.  I won't make excuses for this incident, I don't want to be in denial.  Just not quite sure what to do now.

 

As always, all opinions and/or advice welcome.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I guess I'm a really big fan of taking the "easy way out". When my grandkids get a little too "energized" (usually over a game of hide and seek), I bring the Doodles in. If they're inside and and the kids are playing a little too excitedly, I leash the Doodles and keep them with me. I find the excitement of the kids is contagious, and my I don't expect my guys to be mature enough at this point to resist. I just eliminate the possibility that they will make a "bad choice" and nip. I'm sure this is a really "wimpy" approach, and there are probably lots of training techniques that can be suggested. Once my Doods are older and much more reliable I would take that route. For now, I just prevent the opportunity for them to "make a mistake".

[Adina P]

I think what Jane is saying is important. To me, he's just not ready to make the right decision in those circumstances and needs to be removed before it gets 'wild' or needs to be trained enough in obedience so you can tell him what his decision should be (down stay, for instance).

[BG and Gavin]

I agree with Jane and Adina. Perhaps your can do training in a controlled environment, for example outside the fence of a school yard during recess. He can gain exposure and practice his commands with no fear of bringing harm (even though unintentional) to anyone.

[Kyoko]

I think these are great suggestions here. Prevention approach prior to intervention.....
Charlie is pretty reactive, too. I have been working diligently on obedience and desensitazation with a wonderful trainer.
But I have to consiously make sure and pay attention that I would not set her up for failure.
Her trainer also did tell me that her nervousness/reactiveness is pretty much hard wired, just like us human, some people are more laid back and relaxed and others are more up tight. But we can teach her to be more confident and relaxed by desensitization, etc...

[Michelle]

I just posted something similar myself, my boys get very hyper & too playful around active children & do the same thing. I had a lot of great advice given to me & my family's main priority right now is getting very strict with obedience training. My boys are not even close to goal, but what I've learned from this is -the more training they have will be shown in the respect they will give you by following your command. Good luck and don't feel bad, there are others like us in the same boat!

[Laura & Chewie]

I just went and read your post, Michelle. I had started to read it the other day and had to leave for an appointment and forgot to go back to it. I also will admit to being a little too "easy" on the obedience training...he has had training classes and does very well...I'm the one who needs to be more consistent...a little more of a drill sargent...LOL. Perhaps some dogs can get by with a little less, but Chewie, I suspect, needs a little more. Like I said, the hugh majority of the time, he is a very good boy...just need to "nip" those other incidents in the bud...I could resist the pun on words...I must be feeling better about it today.

Good luck as you progress with your two...I'll look forward to hearing how they do.

[Pat & "Tucker"]

I think these doodles just love kids. When my grandchildren come over Tucker is as excited as ever from the moment the car pulls up. He knows its playtime and they get wild with him- the normal things like running, chasing, ball playing. Tucker doesn't nip anymore (he is 2) but he does knock the little one down sometimes. I gate him off in the kitchen or bring him inside if they are in the yard to calm down when things start getting wild.
He often needs periods of calming just like the kids do. Then I let him out again to play and this does work.So maybe short periods of play alternated with time outs would work better for you.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I'm with Jane (and everyone who agreed with Jane) on this one. I have a niece who comes over who just turned 6 and my girls are now just under 2.5. We have some rough times until my niece learned that if you run and scream they will chase you and if they chase you chances are they will jump on you and scratch you. She absolutely loves them, but it took a while to teach her how to behave around them so as to have a normal environment. There were many days Lucy and Sophie spent in their room when Emma was over because neither L&S or my niece knew how to behave around each other. So, in addition to Chewie learning appropriate behavior, and maturing some as well, the girls need to learn how to help Chewie succeed by not setting him up for failure!

[L.M.]

I'm so glad you said this about teaching the KIDS how to behave as well. My nieces, and their mother, seem to think that it is only my pup that is at fault when he chases the girls as they run up and down my steps. Like you said, if you run a puppy will undoubtedly chase you! This has been such a sensitive subject here and unfortunately has resulted in me not inviting certain friends/family over as often as I'd like to.

[L.M.]

I have the same experience as all of you that are posting here...and I have to say that while I know it is a pain for all of us dealing with jumping doodles and running children, I am relieved that I am not the only one experiencing this. My doodle is also just about 15 months and while he is gentle and loving, he can get crazy when we are outside running around. He jumps and nips and it seems like, at this age, he just can't control it. Like many other people say, we take preventative measures. We will not run with him on the lawn unless he is holding something like a tug toy in his mouth. He knows this now and immediately grabs a tug if he wants to run and play with us. If I have my little nieces over (9 months and 3 years old) Seamus is leashed until he settles down with a new bone that we always give him when company comes as a distraction. I truly think that until the age of 2 or maybe even older, these pups just can't control their big bodies and their occasional mouthy habits. I agree with everyone else that prevention is definitely key. As I'm saying this I'm preparing for a BBQ that young kids are attending so I'm praying that my boy behaves today LOL.

[Laura & Chewie]

Thank you so much, everyone! Your comments (combined with a good night's sleep) has made me feel much better and able to put the incident into perspective. The kids running definitely is a trigger for him at times and combining that with the wagon being pushed back and forth was looking for trouble. The wagon is not ours...belongs down the street, and Chewie has never seen it before, so I suspect there was some apprehension on his part that this "thing" was running around his driveway..LOL. He knows his commands, but that becomes useless when he gets that wild and it happened so fast. I hope the mouthiness (is that a word?) continues to improve with age...when I think back over the time he's been with us since he was 8 weeks old, I can appreciate the improvement. Goodness, at the beginning, the girls couldn't even walk across the room without wild nipping at their ankles.

Again, thanks for all the advice...I will be using it to hopefully avoid incidents like this one and setting Chewie up for success. Thank goodness, this was an isolated incident...it just really upset me when I saw the mark/bruise on her leg.

[Elaine]

Leo, turned 3 July 1st. In the last 3 months I have noticed a huge change in his ability to stay much calmer around children. He to would get overly excited, a bit with the mouthing but mostly an excitabilty state that sort of would take him off his feet at times, almost a jump and then panting, pushing etc. You could tell he was just escalating...He is a therapy dog who visits nursing homes, eventually I wanted to read with children. Up until about 6 months ago I didn't think he would ever be able to stay calm around children....now what a change and a very calm dog. I also removed him from the times I couldn't completely feel he was in control....I am thrilled with the progress and feel he is ready to be more trusted around children. Still we are working at this slowly