Dodger: Child Aggression Case Study 

Toward the end of the calendar year, I get a lot of calls from people who just adopted a new puppy or dog into the family. A majority of these dogs were brought into their home specifically for children in the family. It’s no surprise – dogs and kids go wonderfully together!

But when dogs growl, snap, or show any aggression toward a child, that’s when red flags start flying and everyone wonders if this dog is going to be able to stick around much longer. There are dogs that suffer from extreme aggression, toward other animals AND humans. What perplexes a lot of people is a dog that is human aggressive, but the aggression is ONLY directed to children or babies.

My most recent child aggression case was a dog named Dodger. His owners Beth and Stan had their first baby (named Emma) five months ago. When Emma first left the hospital to be brought into her new home, Dodger seemed confused, but there were never any signs of aggression. It was not until a month ago, when for no apparent reason, Dodger staringted growling and bark at Emma whenever she was in her crib. Beth and Stan made the call to me after Dodger actually tried to stick his nose in the crib, while baring his teeth and growling at the baby. There was never any aggression toward Beth and Stan…for some reason, Dodger was just set on Emma.

Being a professional dog trainer here in Indianapolis for many years, I have met many dog owners who were also parents, current or expecting. Not all of them had issues like Beth and Stan, but many of them, especially the expecting parents, wanted tips on how to acclimate both new baby and family dog to great inevitable change that was due in nine months. There’s no question about it – a new baby WILL bring many changes into the household, and these changes will also affect the dog.

It’s not necessarily negative changes, but the huge shift when it comes to the dog’s schedules and routines can cause great confusion and anxiety for the dog. Maybe the dog was accustomed to receiving all the attention, but now that has decreased dramatically because there’s a new baby. Maybe the dog is put up in his/her’s crate more because the parents don’t want the dog to potentially step on the baby while they watch the little tyke crawl on the floor. There are so many possibilities when it comes to a new baby, and for some dogs, they just might not know how to handle these changes.

This is why I established and also entered Dodger and his family into the Canines and Cribs training program here at Circle City Dog Training. While geared more to expecting parents, I was still able to show Beth and Stan how to teach Dodger better behavior when it came to baby Emma. It was important as owners that Beth and Stan created a feasible schedule that they and Dodger could consistently follow together. Most importantly, Beth and Stan had to remind Dodger that THEY were the leaders of this family and pack, not him. Once we set Dodger up for success, establish leadership, and maintain trust, we show Dodger the difference between appropriate versus inappropriate behavior when it came to Emma.

Through careful setup and utilizing reward-based methods, we are showing Dodger more and more how to accept and behave calmly with his new pack member. Dodger is remembering how to be obedient, and now learning how to be happy with this new family addition! Aggression of any form is always tough, but it does not mean your dog is doomed for failure and possible death! Any dog can overcome aggression, with the knowledge, the proper tools, and the consistent reinforcement!

For any questions or to sign your dog up for any of my training programs, call 800-649-7297 or email me at training@circlecitydogtraining.com!