Barking and Chasing Behavior

[ernstlaurie]

Can anyone recommend a good book for training? I have a 4 year old bouv who is barking and chasing children as they enter my yard. Last night a neighborhood boy ran through our yard and my dog nipped him hard - it was not aggressive - more like the nipping you see in herding. It did not break the skin, but scared the poor kid. I have to get a hold of this behavior - any suggestions, please help

[Mike]

I think if you crate the kids so they don't run through your yard, problem solved.

This is going to be tough for several reasons. One, it's his yard and responsibility to protect what he considers his domain. Two, kids running really bring out the herding and prey instinct in some Bouviers. If you were there, you would be able to control the behavior better... but then if you were there, the kids probably wouldn't be running through your yard. Hopefully Sue or someone else will have some tips for you on how to modify the tendencies that running kids bring out in many breeds of dogs, not just a Bouvier.

Oh, and welcome to the forum if I didn't welcome you back when you joined.

Mike

[Sue]

Laurie, it's likely going to be a case of managing your dog and providing more supervision. Ideally you need to limit kids from running into your yard without being invited, but this is not necessarily possible in all situations unless you have an adequate fence with a lock on the gate.

I would not leave the dog loose in the yard because the liability is just too great now that you have experienced one nipping incident.

You mentioned in another post that you have children, and I know how tough it can be to deal with friends of kids coming and going. It's vital that you take the time to introduce your dog to each kid who comes to your home to play. Keep the dog on a leash that you control and have each kid give the dog treats for sitting and lying down so they have a leg up on the dog. Most of all teach each kid to interact responsibly and respectfully with the dog. My grandchildren learned from very early to "Don't be a bunny." This meant no squealing, no running, no waving their arms around when they are with the dogs because these are the behaviors most likely to incite the dog.

Most Bouviers are not going to accept non family members coming into the house without being invited and most are not going to put up with kids yelling and running without making attempts to control their behavior. You really need to supervise both the kids and the dog before there are further incidents.

Cheers,
Sue

Thanks admin for your help it also help me great