As I said, it’s normal for puppies to want to bite and chase. We’ve got five main steps to stop the puppy from nipping and chasing.
Teach the Five-Year-Old How to Calm the Puppy Down
Ideally, you should supervise your child and your dog at all times. But it’s also important to empower kids so that they can diffuse situations on their own.
My favorite way to diffuse situations is to throw food. While this doesn’t go over well in elementary school lunchrooms, it’s perfect for dog training.
Teach the child to throw dog treats on the ground, then walk calmly away if the puppy starts biting and chasing.
An adult can then come and put the puppy away with a Kong or other chewie (see step 1).
If you see the puppy chasing the child (or biting the child), intervene by asking the child to stand still, tossing treats, and putting ht epuppy away.
Remind the child not to yell, run, squeal, or scream.
Put tiny tupperwares of dog treats within reach around the home to make this tip easy!
Also identify what makes the puppy most excited and work to avoid those situations. Teach your child what “sets the puppy off” and get everyone to work together to keep the puppy calmer!
What is the impact of canine aggression toward a child?
Dogs are a wonderful part of many children’s lives. However, fearful or aggressive dogs pose an enormous risk to a child’s safety. Children can behave erratically, move in unpredictable ways and make a host of loud and sudden noises. Children are often very interested in dogs and may want to touch them even when they are showing signs of fear or aggression. Children are at greater risk because they are at the same level as the dogs due to their height and because they are often interested in similar things (toys, food). Children may behave inappropriately towards dogs by pulling their tails, hair or ears. Most dog aggression towards children is fear based, though many dogs will also show aspects of food, possessive and territorial aggression as well. According to the CDC, 800,000 people seek medical attention for dog bites each year, half of which are children. Dog bites are most prevalent among children ages 5 to 9 and are more prevalent among boys. Children under 4 years old are most likely bitten in the head or neck due to their height. As children grow older, extremities become the more likely target. Children are most likely bitten by dogs they know; children under 6 are often bitten in circumstances involving food or possessions, while older children when approaching or invading a dog’s territory. This risk increases when living in multiple dog households. Family pets inflict two thirds of dog bites to children. In a retrospective study by Dr. Ilana Reisner, 66% of dogs had never previously bitten a child and 19% had not bitten a human. This shows that any dog may bite and biting may be a normal canine response to perceived threatening situations. Dogs and children do not know how to behave around each other instinctively. Steps must be taken to teach both dogs and children how to interact with each other safely.
Dog Bite Prevention For Kids – Professional Dog Training Tips
