Ollie growling and barking at kids..

xwilliamjohnsx

Alright guys, I know stuff like this has been posted before but.. 

So everyday me and my bud Ollie walk for about an hour in the morning, an hour right when I get off work and about 30 minutes before bedtime. During these walks we meet and see lots of people, Ollie is about 6 1/2 months right now and usually is very friendly and welcoming to most people and most dogs we encounter.  Lately though, he has been barking and growling at kids.. Id say from age 2-12. In our neighborhood there are lots of them. Normally when we see a kid coming up I can tell he is tensing up so I make him sit, keep a firm hold on this collar and rub his back and allow them to pass and for him to see that they are no harm. Every time they pass (they are not running or yelling) he still growls and tries to get away from me to get to them. I'm looking for a proper way to correct this action. I know he is still very young and somethings in the world are still new to him, but we have encountered enough people that I don't feel he should be acting out like this. Also, with a little one on the way it's kind of throwing up red flags. 

Thanks you guys! Looking forward to hearing some responses. 

bigbear

Hello im tracey ive only had my first bully two weeks but have always had dogs all I would say is by petting him u r renforceing this behaviour or him feeling wound up, stay calm and redirect his attention to u either with a treat once u have got him to sit when they have gone past and he has sat there calmy and not reacted give him another treat and then praise him I think its because he fills they r coming into his space how is he if u walk past kids ie u walking towards them if they standing still.

BulliesofNC

During the early adolscent stages of a Bull Terriers life they can often display negative behavior for no apparent reason at all other than the fact they are still young and learning their ways. It always seems as though this behavior occurs right around the 5 -7 month period of time. Not all BT's go through this phase but for those that due it always creates a concern for the owners.

Bull Terriers and many other canine breeds often get a little nervous around kids especially when they aren't raised around them and socializing with them on a daily basis. Kids have this natural way of making some dogs nervous especially with younger dogs who have yet to get used to the common behavior and movements of a child. I truly think the nervousness comes from the fact that the particular dog can't figure out the character and predictability of a child like they can with an adult. The quick movements and louder noises only escalate the nervousness the dog senses when a child is around.

On a good note, it is almost always just a phase some dogs go through while they are maturing and learning how to adjust their temperament to match the personalities of all those that they come in contact with. It is important that Ollie is made aware how displeased you are at him during the times he acts out inappropriately. The discipline during these times needs to be harsh enough for him to understand the consequences of his derogatory actions will not be tolerated and future outbursts aren't worth the punishment that's due to come. This will speed up the process of him learning how to react appropriately to kids and people of all kinds. The older he gets and further he matures the more he will learn the proper social skills that's acceptable. The biggest influence on his behavior is YOU. If you start feeling stressed because a child is in his area that you're worried about it will only escalate the nervousness within Ollie. the next time you run into a situation where a child comes I close proximity to Ollie instead of worrying about his reactions present yourself with stern confidence and if he even slightly reacts inappropriately let him know you're angered and disappointed. Immediately discipline him so he realizes right away what he did that made you upset. Bull Terriers want to please their owners and any form of discipline from their owner will effect them.

Zerlett

Any kind of praise, love or affection during the time Ollie is reacting negatively to children will only increase this behavior because the affection (petting him) is like saying "good boy" when he is acting this way. You need to disagree with this behavior, not try to soothe him. Bull terriers can go through a gnarly fear faze that if its not carefully worked with can have lasting effects on the dog.

When Bowzer was a young dog (i dont remember his age) maybe 5 months or so he had an episode with a child. A small little girl saw him in a pet store, she shrieked and said "DOGGIE!' and bolted towards Bowzer, she startled him, and he let out a blood curling growl and lunged at her, I yanked him back, the mother grabbed her daughter, and scolded her for doing that. But the image burnt in my head, he continued to have strong issues with children after that. From that point on I made it a point to work with him. I also had a pit mix who was rock solid with children, so I frequented many children parks with the both of them. I remember one time I was at a very big park with lots of children. The children would ask to pet the dogs, and I told them to go ahead and pet Zahra my pit mix, and not the black one. I kept Bowzer between my legs and his mouth or face away from any children. As time went on I let children pet Bowzer, on the back with him facing away. With lots of work put into it Bowzer became accustomed to children and never had another incident, he loved kids and would play with my neighbors children who would come over and play with him. He would go to parks and go down slides with children and kiss them, it was a very big success.

The only way Ollie is going to improve is if he is going to have direct contact with children and see them as not a scary thing. But this may be hard, if he is already exhibiting such a strong negative affect on children. He needs to be walked by children, fed treats by children, have children throw a toy for him. If you have family members or friends with children that may help you with this you should get on it ASAP. Especially if you are expecting one of your own soon.


This may not be how you choose to handle things but if Ollie was my dog I would put him on a prong and snap his leash when he reacted this way. Than I would find children and bring treats and ask children to toss him the treat from a safe distance. Than I would either pick up Ollie or hold him in a nicely retrained way and ask children to pet him on the back, not the head, and repeat and repeat, I would have him around children so much he wouldn't know what hit him. Hell, if you can rent a child for a few days I would have the child be the one to walk him, and put his food down for him while he sits and waits appropriately. 

BulliesofNC

You may wish for some time to go by while your Bullie matures before "baiting" a child to help train the stress and aggression out of him. Despite the loving behavior he displays to you if he isn't accustomed to being around small children it isn't uncommon to see this behavior amongst Bull Terriers. The current concern is the fact that he could inflict harm to a child out of nervousness and stress vice pure aggression. With this said, allow him grow and develop both physically and mentally. Many others will concur to the aspect of your dog going through a phase that will pass even with little training. The Bull Terrier breed is NOT a mean dog by nature especially with people but during youth stages they can become intolerable to the actions of a child especially when it's unfamiliar behavior projected from a subject of statue size that presents no dominating intimidation. If you were to ask most Bull Terrier owners to articulate the temperament of their Bull Terrier at 7 months old compared to that of the same dog as a grown adult you'd swear it was two different dogs. At around 14 months old it's like a light switch went on and they become better listeners, more obedient, easier to train, less hyper, and over all better psychologically balanced. Take head to my recommendations from my initial reply and I'm confident you'll see quick improvement in his behavior and as he matures you'll notice all his anxiety and unnatural aggression to children dissipate.

Leslie

I have to agree with Tracey. Your petting is a reward. I would snap the lead with a firm No!! He needs to know growling isn't an appropriate reaction. I would subject him to children from afar and as his reaction disipates gradually move closer. Once he is fairly close to them with no reaction then I would start greeting the kids and so on so he sees you like them and are comfortable. Your calmness is key as he will read your nervousness.