How To Train Your Dog Without Touching It!

Teaching Your Dog to Tolerate and Love Children

May 30th, 2011

Posted By:
Minette

Kids Love Dogs!

We live in a world full of children. It always surprises me when child aggressive dogs at shelters are placed in “child-free” homes. Even for those of us who don’t have children…we have children in our lives. Nieces, nephews, friend’s children, step children they are everywhere and cannot be constantly avoided. Dogs that are seriously child aggressive should be seen by a Veterinary Animal Behaviorist so that they can be controlled safely and under the watchful eye of a veterinarian/behaviorist.

Dogs must be taught first to tolerate children, and then hopefully to love children! Socialization should begin early and lots of time should be spent with good kids to help endear them to your dog.

Children are loud, they move fast, they make strange noises and sometimes they engage in behavior that dogs classify as rude and obnoxious. Unfortunately, that is just how children behave and it is difficult to control all the children that your dog will meet so although I do recommend educating and arming children with good doggy social skills, it is also imperative that dogs are subjected to the world of children in a fun and positive way.

I spent 34 years of my life without children under my roof, but there was always the occasional child that made an entrance into my house. My dogs had to be taught to enjoy the company of children despite the fact that sometimes dogs think kids are a little scary.

I have always used early socialization, with good children as a crucial tool. Poorly behaved children and those with no dog social skills can scare a puppy and therefore affect how it feels about children for a long time, if not for life. So I would never recommend taking your dog to Chucky Cheese for a free for all, but I do recommend visiting friends and family who have good, well mannered kids.

Early interaction and respect is essential for both children and dogs in order to have successful life relationships.

I also desensitize my dogs to the rude things that children do in order to prepare for the day they meet a poorly behaved, uneducated child. Although, you may think you can keep these children from your dog, you are probably wrong! There are hyper, naughty children in this world that don’t listen to anyone and I would rather give my dog the tools to deal with them, than deal with the ramifications of a bite!

I use positive reinforcement to teach my dog’s tolerance with a little rough handling and what dogs consider rude behavior.

My background is working with Service Dogs for people with disabilities and therefore taking them into public all of the time. Service/Assistance Dogs get grabbed, stepped on, kicked, yelled at, poked and prodded almost constantly. They must be understanding about all the negative things that happen to them to be successful in their field.

I learned early on to teach my dogs that when bad or painful things happen they would be rewarded by me for good behavior instead of reverting to their instincts to nip, growl or bite. And, I continue to raise my dogs to be tolerant of uncomfortable touch.

Getting Started

What You Need

Make sure you have excellent treats! You want your dog to enjoy this!
Clicker
A fun and positive attitude

How to Train Your Dog to Accept Uncomfortable Touch

First you have to begin by starting small! I don’t want to hurt or scare my dogs that would defeat the purpose! I want to start by being slightly irritating and reward my dog for a correct response.
Gently I touch their ears, feet, snout etc. and click. Touch should equal something good.
As long as I see no signs of aversion I move to the next step of adding more pressure or irritancy.
This time I hold the ears and paws just a little too long. I poke a little harder but I click and jack pot a good response.
Use lots of praise and rewards, this should actually be a game and should be fun for you and your dog.
Don’t do this for long periods of time; this type of training should be done in short positive bouts.
Next, add a little more pulling and/or pressure, click and treat.
Work up slowly by increasing the level of discomfort and increasing the praise and rewards. Think of a three year old grabbing your dog’s ear or fur, you want your dog to be use to this sensation and understand that a wonderful reinforcement for good behavior is on its way!

Once while I was out training a Service Dog at a flea market in Denver, CO I experienced the exact reason I desensitize all of my dogs. We were meandering through the flea market shopping and enjoying ourselves when my Service Dog started to act a little weird. He never broke heel position, but the look on his face was odd, and for a moment it didn’t go away.

I turned around to see a 4 year old boy pulling and what almost looked like water skiing from his tail. I could tell the pressure was uncomfortable if not painful. I couldn’t even see the youngster’s parents and he ran off never to be seen from again.

Kids and Dogs can Form Wonderful Bonds Together!

My dog simply looked up at me with wanting eyes as if to say “I SOOOOO deserve a treat for that!!”, and I had to agree! He was showered with treats for such a tolerant response, and for the next several training sessions he was rewarded anytime children were around so that he would not hold any resentment.

I wish we lived in a world where all children treated all dogs with kindness and respect, but that doesn’t always happen. Kids grab ears, fur, paws, they pull tails, step on, kick, and trip over dogs and I am a firm believer that dogs should be taught to accept these behaviors to the best of their abilities and then expect praise and a treat for a job well done. Instead of wanting to bite, they should want to run to you to get their “cookie”!

This desensitization dog training keeps your children and your dogs safe!

Posted in Biting Dogs, Clicker Training, Dog Aggression, Dog Training, Manners | 28 comments

28 responses to “Teaching Your Dog to Tolerate and Love Children”

Pat Emmerson writes:

Chet,

I agree 100%. I have two dogs that I have worked hard with to help them tolerate all kinds of touching. They seem to tolerate that just fine. One of my dogs (has a lot of Border Collie in him)gets over stimulated when kids run and scream in the yard. I have have small grandkids who do that. This particular dog has a good recall, so I have been able to call him off, but I would prefer it if he were not so stimulated by the site of a running screaming kid. This dog has been through CU and lots of training classes that emphasize positive reinforcement and clicker training. We are now doing your emotion training course (which echoes CU in many ways). Any other suggestions?

Pat

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
May 31st, 2011 at 11:31 am
Yes, over stimulation is a problem for herding dogs! You need to desensitize him to it by finding a playground or area where there are constantly kids running and screaming. Take him there and train with him. If he can’t focus on you, you are too close back up and work with him until kids running and screaming is like a normal part of life and he could care less!

Use that clicker and click when he pays attention to you, gives you eye contact or can complete a command (sit, down, stay etc.)

[Reply]
Jeanne Reply:
June 1st, 2011 at 10:04 pm
I have a herding dog which was injured before he was weaned and we did not think he would make it. He did survive and as a puppy was very good although our vet said that he has some neurological problems. He is now almost 1 year old and although he learns most things very fast he cannot seem to adjust to people or other dogs anymore. He did go to obediance school but they said he never learned how to great another dog and since most of the time it is just him and me we do fine but when my son comes home or anyone else is around he just goes nuts. He snaps, growls and nips. He was leash trained and did well as a puppy but as he got older he gets so upset that I seldom take him out of our home anymore. I don’t know what is normal behavior and what is the disorder.

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
June 2nd, 2011 at 8:15 am
I would recommend seeking the advice of a veterinary behaviorist to help you, they can tell you what is more “normal” for his condition and they can prescribe medications that could possibly help him feel better.

Since I cannot see him I don’t feel comfortable giving you advice, especially since his behaviors sound aggressive. Good luck, I know a veterinary behaviorist can help you both feel better!

@ May 31st, 2011 at 07:29
PENNT SIEMENS writes:

I would like help with the dog jumping up on people as well not getting in the way and lisTENNING better to come when called and all the other basic commands.

PENNY

[Reply]
Silverwolf Reply:
May 31st, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Let the dog drag a leather 6′ leash and put a foot on the leash when you anticipate he may want to jump. Also tell him to sit or heel to help distract the excitement and direct a response to the command. When the dog complies be sure to reward the correct modified behavior verbally, then treat and short pat or rub (not on the top of the head) will get the message across to the dog to relax. The real key is for you to anticipate and divert the dog’s attention consistently about 100 times before deciding if this method is worthwhile or it needs tweeking.

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@ May 31st, 2011 at 08:15
MARTHA writes:

I need to know how to keep my dogs from going crazy anytime anyone is around? They were all around people outside as puppies, etc..and now if I take them out..they bark, growl, and act a fool. Any suggestions?

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
May 31st, 2011 at 11:29 am
Go back to your puppy training and socializing routine! Training and socializing is a lifetime commitment and needs to be constantly worked on, otherwise they regress and these problems start to arise!

[Reply]
@ May 31st, 2011 at 08:41
Gayle Kubat writes:

Chet,
I have tried to work with training my dog to tolerate my two grandkids. Overall he is pretty good, but one behavior I need some help with–is he tries to hump them when he gets the chance. I do stop him and usually send him to his kennel so he knows he gets no reward. What ideas do you have with stopping this behavior. Would appreciate your imput.

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
May 31st, 2011 at 11:27 am
Have your grandkids teach your dog a few tricks and work on obedience. The dog needs to see the kids as small humans not as other dogs or something to be dominated! Simply having them work with him and feed him will probably really help you with this problem!

[Reply]
@ May 31st, 2011 at 09:57
Erika writes:

Two month ago I got a German Shepherd Dog from the resque and there is one problem: the dog don’t likes man, just man. May be he was mistreaded, I don’t know. He attacks and gets in the red zone in seconds.
Otherwise he is a very nice playful and friendly dog. He was never socialised or trained and he is four years old always in a Kennel. Now I have him in the house and give him lots of exercise. We are also in a obediens classe, he does very well.
What would be the the best way to get this agression against man out of him?

[Reply]
JOSEPHINE MC GEE Reply:
June 1st, 2011 at 2:15 pm
I would agree with the notion that animals remember if they get badly treated. I seen this in pigs, dogs and horses. I have witnessed a race horse that was hit by a jocky he remembered and the following day the same horse went for that man the first chance he got. We rescued pigs from the Donegal pet rescue all 3 of them were terified of men because they were chased by neighbours because of there unsecure inclosure . Once we looked after them for a while they soon calmed down it took a while for them to trust my partner, I used to take turns to feed them ,did the trick.

[Reply]
@ May 31st, 2011 at 21:44
Teela writes:

My dream is to train service dogs. Does anyone know of how to receive training to do this? Schools, training facilities, organizations, ect.? I live in Texas and am a high school teacher & coach. I would change occupations in a heart beat to work with dogs so deserving people have a better quality of life. I do not know of dog service training institute in Texas. Do you? Thanks for any help or direction.

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
June 1st, 2011 at 4:47 pm
I don’t know of anyone in TX but I can tell you that training Service Dogs is not usually a career choice, it is something you do “along” with your other career.

I have been training Service Dogs for about 15 years and if you work for a good nonprofit there isn’t a lot of money in it. I ran my own organization in CO and I had to work full time just in order to pay the bills associated with the organization. But, I also placed my dogs for free with my clients and got them all from shelters.

I also use to work for Assistance Dogs International, you can look them up on the web, but I remember Texas Hearing and Handi Dogs well, you can see if they are still around

The one place I know of that trains people is http://www.assistancedog.org/ you can look into it, but again it is very hard to make a career out of training service dogs. Good luck to you.

[Reply]
@ June 1st, 2011 at 15:16
karen writes:

I agree that all dogs and children need to learn to respect each other.unfortunatly we cannot ensure that will happen. I have a 2 1/2 year old chihuahua. I have had her 6 monts. She has been really good so far. She will growl quietly when she is cornered and kids come around but hasn’t even attempted to bite. She likes to bark and adct ferousious but runs as soon as some one lookes at her. there was one time athat a little girl was playing and I was holding my dog. the little girls kept putting thing on my lap. the dog snapped at her but didn’t really try to bite. even so I always worry that she just might one time. I will deffinatly work on strecthing her tolerance zone. Thanks

[Reply]
@ June 3rd, 2011 at 11:24
mo zein writes:

i have a Germain Shepard almost 7 months old and im having new children moving in soon..how will that effect my dog and might he hurt the kids?if so,how can i get my dog used to my children in the shortest time possible?

[Reply]
@ June 4th, 2011 at 20:29
Noel Petter writes:

I have a desperate need to stop my dogs from trying to escape our property every time they get a chance and run into a busy boulevard one city lot away. This has happened often and it is only a matter of time till they will be killed! Two are 1 1/2 year old male, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. The third is a well behaved, approximately 11 year old, female, rescued, Golden Lab. mix. Please advise as soon as possible, URGENT !

[Reply]
@ June 5th, 2011 at 22:22
Kerri Lovell writes:

Hello,

I just recently adopted a 10 month old heeler/border collie cross. I am a little concerned with children & herders after reading a lot of sites. (Your site actually isn’t horribly negative about herders. =)

I suppose I should have always known about the dangers of a herder with children, I grew up with a collie/german sheppard mix. But I didn’t bother looking more into herders since my experience with our family dog was pretty much positive for the most part. Come to think of it, I remember that dog nipping and chasing our legs… but never did it escalate to biting. He is such a lovable dog, so that’s why this new puppy we adopted didn’t quite scare me….. until now and reading about people’s experiences.

And to be clear, the collie/german sheppard is my parents dog and don’t live with me. We’re also not having children for another few years.

My husband and I are truly committed to raising our puppy. It definitely has been challenging so far. But we’re working on it. We have the nipping more controlled now. She still jumps and lunges at me sometimes. But the improvements we made have been huge. (We have now had the pup for 1 month). We have also been able to control playtime and our puppy will drop the toy for us and not lunge for it when it is in our hands. Yay. =)

How has your experiences been with having small children and herders? Did you have any major problems? I know I can’t get rid of the instinct. But is it controllable? How do I know if my dog has a Really strong urge to herd?

Thanks for any info!

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
June 10th, 2011 at 2:51 am
Read my article on herding dogs it might help some. http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/cohabitating-herding-dog/

Also go back through and search the blog. There is a search button on the left side of the page. Help for your Land Shark would probably be another good read.

I have 3 herders and many children coming and going, it is about controlling the herding instinct and using it and exercise to control my dogs!

[Reply]
@ June 8th, 2011 at 21:39
Richard writes:

Thanks for this good post! It is best to teach dogs to tolerate and love children! Let your dogs socialize with children or let them spend time with kids so they get used to interacting with them.

[Reply]
@ June 17th, 2011 at 02:08
Kamessa La Rue writes:

I need help. I rescued two dogs from a shelter when they were puppies. They were 12 weeks old and already slated to be euthinized. Long sotry short one of the puppies were always more timid than the other. I had a wonderful family that was going to take both dogs. They were 6 months old at the time. When the family came Stormy nipped at the man. Since they had children I did not fell comfterble with rehoming her with them. They did take her sister. She is now almost 2 years old, and still does not like children, sort of. (she is completly fine with my son) and some what okay with my neice and nephew. We do have to watch her because she will occasionally growl if they bother her and she is tired. I am well aware of that, so I noramlly put her in the other room if I know she is tired and wants to be left alone.

The big problem is if any other child comes in the house she contantly barks (which she does with any staranger until they are at the house for 5 minutes and she knows it okay). or if she is not barking its like she has a dual personality. he is fine on minute, but then the next minute she will nip at them. I CANNOT have this in my house. I love her to death but I do not know how to help her any more. I want to have a dog I can take places with us, but I DO NOT TRUST her with children. I dont want to have to put her down, but not sure what my other options are.

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
July 19th, 2011 at 8:32 am
I am a person that believes in has seen the devastation of bites to children and the liability that so often follows for both dog and owner.

Trust is the issue and I would not trust her either, probably ever. Even if you work on her behavior, I would never trust her with children.

That being said if you decide to keep her (and that really is a personal issue only you can decide on) you must keep her on a leash and work on her behaviors.

You say that she acts this way with any stranger at first, so they are the first people to work on behavior modification with; Don’t start with children.

Keep her on a leash, reward her good behaviors with praise and food. Keep her away from the stranger and teach her to lay quietly at your feet. The goal is not for people to pet her, they may never be able to pet her the goal is to control her emotions and let her know she does not have to protect you or herself.

Give her something else to do, like a good bone to chew on when someone comes over (unless she is aggressive or possessive with it).

Invite people only solely for the reason of training! And, keep doing it until you have a handle on the behavior and she is much better. Only then can you add children you can trust to the equation and begin to work on her relationship and how she feels about children.

DO NOT allow children that you do not have control of to work with her. A fast movement or a squeal could ruin your work and get a child bitten. So work your way up and your trust will slowly increase with her.

But all in all be careful, know you have a potential biter and keep it from happening at all cost.

Good luck to you! I have been there and with a lot of work you can get where you want to go, but the road is hard and you can NEVER slack in your training and control of your dog.

[Reply]
@ July 19th, 2011 at 07:27
Hayley writes:

Thanks for posting this it’s a great help as i have a little sister that anoys my dog so much he barks when ever she makes a noise so this will really help. Does this take longer to train a almost 2yr old dog?

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@ October 1st, 2011 at 01:40
Lois writes:

I have a foster beagle who 6 years old. He the sweetest dog every. Loves his rides, walks and belly rubs. He does not like small children and will growl . I think it more fear of not knowing what going to happen and he was hurt once a while ago before I got him.

I would love to keep him but cannot if he growls especially at children as I have a 3, 5 and 8 year grandsons. Plus a little one coming in December./ Is there anything I can do to train him to relax.

Please advise as I ust cannot have a dog that growls. He such a good boy other then that.

LOIS

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 7:16 am
In an effort to keep your grandchildren safe and since I cannot see the direct behaviors, I cannot give you much advice except to get a veterinary behaviorist involved! Not just any dog trainer find someone that can possibly prescribe medication and one that has a lot of experience with positive reinforcement. http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/time-seek-professional-dog-training-aggression/

[Reply]
@ March 11th, 2012 at 13:44
karla writes:

Hello I have a german shepherd mixed and he is now going on his 3rd year with me. I got him when he was just 6 weeks old…was very small dog. I love him so much but recently, he has gotten kennel aggression. I took him to get groomed and nails grinded and he got in trouble and was banned from the location for biting the lady on the thumb. It didn’t break the skin it seemed like he just nipped her but no bruise or blood. I think he just scared them. Then they couldn’t even take him out of the kennel when I went to pick him up. I had to go in the back and take him out myself. I was really upset at them but also at my dog. He had never done that before. He had previously been there a couple of times so he wasn’t new to the place. Then he also barks and pulls himself while on the leash when he sees small children run. I don’t want to get rid of him because I know he will have the same problem with other people as well. I never did train him for lack of time and money. He is nice and gentle and playful with my husband and I and even my little sisters who are 10 and 14 years old. But not toddlers and certainly not other dogs. I would love to train him proffesionally but I cannot afford it. When are some things I could do myself? I would love for him to like children and get along with other dogs and people. I don’t want people to be scared of him. what should I do?

[Reply]
Minette Reply:
March 12th, 2012 at 7:04 am
Don’t use that groomer again. Some groomers use unfriendly tactics to do their grooming, and others just have to deal with sometimes aggressive dogs. I recommend taking your dog to the vet if you can’t trim their nails, as most vet clinics and fast and quite proficient at it.

You need to start training!!! Time is no excuse as you obviously walk him and probably do other things like watch TV and such He is a commitment and something so large with some aggressive tendencies needs training. He is also an investment and may be worth the investment to get a few private lessons to make sure he is not going to bite anyone especially children. http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/time-seek-professional-dog-training-aggression/ If he bites it will be a lot more costly than a few training sessions.

If you want to conquer some of the training and basics on your own use our blog and search button in the left hand corner, you can also utilize our video vault. http://www.dogtrainingvideovault.com for a small fee.

And I would definitely recommend a gentle leader when you work with him or even a basket muzzle when you are out in public to ensure everyone’s safety. http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/utilize-gentle-leader-similar-head-halters-dog-training/

[Reply]
@ March 11th, 2012 at 21:22
mr bigglesworth writes:

I need some advice, I have a German Shepherd/Collie Cross Male Dog who’s 15 months old, he tolerates my children and my niece and nephew, but if any of my friend’s children come around he gets very defensive to the point of me having to lock him in the Garage, the same goes for other dogs.

We are having him neutered which we are hoping will calm him down but I’m finding his issues with other children extremely worrying as the last thing I want is for my dog hurting a child.

I really need some advice on this matter much as I love that dog to pieces, being a responsible dog owner I will have no choice but to make hard decisions.

[Reply]
@ April 6th, 2012 at 07:34