Desensitization training

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Now that our little person Sophie (11 months) is pulling up on things and Luna is no longer "safe" on the couch... we've started some more intensive desensitization training with Luna.  It probably should have started earlier, but to be honest we just didn't think of it being first time parents.  

Up until this point Luna had never bared her teeth at anyone, has no resource guarding issues and is generally an extremely gentle dog.  A couple times in the last week she has growled at the baby, bared her teeth and snapped in her direction (scary!). 

Anyhow.. we found some literature on the ASPCA website with some good advice (I think):

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/...

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/...

So this is the plan:

- For now, keep baby from approaching Luna if Luna is resting on the couch or floor (this is the only time she's shown any signs of fear/nervousness.. when she's walking around she brushes past the baby all the time and doesn't care).

- If Luna approaches baby and baby reaches out to her, immediately reward Luna (partly to distract her from the looming baby and to get them separated).  Hopefully this will mean more positive associations.

- Teach Luna about a "safe" spot that Sophie can't reach (the landing on the stairs) and reward her for going there

- A few sessions a day of "annoying" pokes and pulls from me and DH (ie. pull on her ears, hold her paws a little too long, pull her hair a bit), say "it's okay!" and reward

- Once Luna has mastered going to her spot and is very tolerant of our pokes and prods she will be slowly re-introduced to baby.  

Any thoughts to share on this?  We would really like the two of them to be great friends when Sophie is a bit older.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah we'll be able to do that when she's a bit older - the controlled petting and treats.  For now I think it just has to be a clear "don't touch the dog".  

It's tough because 99% of the time Luna is a very calm, submissive, non-reactive dog.  She does get scared of some situations, but her general reaction is to avoid things.  It's just this one particular situation where she's trying to relax and the baby approaches when she feels the need to defend herself.

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyo90IqLAr0&feature=kp

We should ask the owners of this dog how they desensitized him!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Haha.  That's a Great Pyrenees - they are hard wired to protect small fluffy things like goats ;)  Not sure how they'd deal with a human baby but they may react the same way.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Great Pyrenees, St. Bernards and Newfoundlands are natural babysitters for human kids, too. If you wanted a dog solely "for the kids", those would be the breeds to get. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Sorry just now seeing this!  J, I have been there - it really is hardest (I think) when the babies are getting mobile, but not yet walking (and they cannot really understand NO - don't scare Peri, NO, don't do that!).

 

I had two problems with the dogs when C was Sophie's age:

1. Food/high value treat/toy:  they should not be out when baby/kid is out. Period.  Peri is awesome with C but NOT if one of these toys/treats/foods are around.  I only feed dogs in laundry room while C is eating dinner (and cannot bother them).  She knows not to approach them anyway when they are eating.

2. Growling, etc...: What dog is going to like a surprise little human running into them/coming out of nowhere?  Had a major issue with Taquito on this.  We worked hard with the "Nothing in life is free" approach - please visit the Training Group for details. I will try to find a link to that discussion. But basically, it's time to make Luna low man on the totem pole.  For a long time, we fed Tacky last, he went outside last. He couldn't get on furniture, etc...  He really caught on quickly that he doesn't run our house.  When we reestablished pack order, the growling lessened GREATLY. 

And my other advice:

3. Are you working hard with Sophie NOW on how to approach Luna?  It's really important.  we work on it DAILY with Charlotte - have since she was probably too young to even grasp.  She is excellent with the dogs and always approaches them slowly. This morning I said "let's give both dogs a nice pet before we leave" and she went up to Peri and said "bye Peri and gently stroked her back.  Same with Tacky - she approaches him very carefully and I am there saying "Tacky, can Charlotte give you a nice pet?". 

We do have things under control and in harmony now. The dogs are allowed on furniture again - heck, T climbs in our laps and sits by Charlotte while we read to her now.  Peri alerts us when she is upset.  I do think the dogs understand that they are at the bottom of the pack now - I know that sounds harsh, but they are simply not on par with our human child.  They do however, get so much love, sleep with us, are spoiled rotten, etc.. So bottom of the pack is heaven for our dogs :)

We have had two biting incidents before getting items 1-3 down: 1) Peri had an antler and C crawled up to her and 2) Tacky was on my lap and C approached  - around 1 years old.  Don't want to jinx myself but that was 10 months ago.

And we still have occasional warning growls is C is running and Tacky gets scared. But that's fine. It's a warning.

please reach out to me if you need more advice.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Thanks Allyson!  Super helpful.

Thankfully for us #1 isn't an issue since Luna isn't really attached to any of her possessions.  

I am working on teaching Sophie how to pet Luna nicely and she is doing really well at it.  She is too enthusiastic about her newfound cruising skills for me to teach her a calm approach to getting close  just yet.  If I'm holding her and we are sitting beside Luna she pets very gently.

I don't think we would be able to keep Luna off the furniture, but it is easy to get her off if baby is around.  That will hopefully give the message that baby had first dibs on touching the furniture.

[Shari Becker]

Thanks for all this info, Allyson!  It's hard to change habits, for sure, but reassuring to know that many parents struggle with the same issues. I will say we had a really bad week last week. Lexi nipped our daughter who tried to hug her when she was hot and then she growled at her sitting on her tail (by accident) when climbing on the couch. We are working on getting the dog off the furniture now. We hadn't had any issues in months, so I definitely think issues can reappear when the dog is stressed / hot / under the weather, etc... 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hugs, especially around the neck, are seen as a threatening and aggressive act in dog language, and can trigger a "fight or flight" instinct. Human kids naturally express affection with hugs, and parents are often loathe to correct a behavior that seems loving to us, but most dog behaviorists will tell you that children should never be allowed to hug a dog, especially around the neck or head. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Really good article on this: http://doggonesafe.blogspot.com/2010/12/dogs-dont-like-hugs-and-kis...

[Shari Becker]

Thanks Karen. I know ... it's hard to train a really stubborn child who views the dog as a personal comfort source. Really, really hard. We are training two pups at once! I'm starting with the concept that she simply can't approach a dog who is lying down period. She has to call her name or throw a toy and see if the dog is interested in engaging. The dog has to get up and then come to her before she can touch her. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Best advice is to teach kids to ONLY pet dogs on their back/side area. NO HEAD, NO NECK, NO TAIL, etc... Charlotte really has it down and the dogs handle her MUCH better because of this.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah I've noticed that if I ask kids to pet Luna only on the back/sides she is much calmer.  Good thing to keep in mind once Sophie actually understands some more of what I'm saying ;)