Shih Tzu being mean at 5 year old?

[EhJsNe 0]

Ive got a 2 month old male shih tzu who acts meanly towards my 5 year old neice. For expample---he bites and growls and whatnot. Not fun....

Its getting to the point he growls when she walks by him and if she goes to pet him he tries to bite her.

Now why does Shammy do this?

:hysterical:

[borzoimom 24]

Sounds like he is intimidated.... Can she do for the puppy? ie give treats... Maybe teh puppy is just not use to the noise of a young child. In that case you need to take one step at a time...

[kcsheperd 13]

Little kids scare puppies...remember Shammy is still VERY small, and is probably SCARED TO DEATH of a giant 5 year old kid coming at him that wants to hold..pet..carry..etc.. A 3 year old girl came after Payslee when she was about 12 weeks old, and at first Payslee let her pet her and carry her..but after awhile, when the kid would not leave her alone Payslee tried to get down and run away..of course the toddler chased after her and that scared Payslee to the point of her crying and cowering away. I don't think the kiddo's should be around the puppy for long amounts of time. Shammy is still pretty new to the world, and that could be very inimidating. Shih-tzu's do great with Kids once they get older, so for now I would suggest letting him get to know her for awhile without forcing him to be nice to her, or it might end up ugly..He will come around if you just give him some time and space.

Edited January 18, 2009 by kcsheperd

[borzoimom 24]

Plus children dont mean to be but their voices are usually louder, higher in pitch, activities quicker, and not as gentle in petting.. Combination of teaching the child and have the puppy have positive experiences with the child. If you cant watch both- child and puppy- either sit the child or put the puppy up. Sounds like a defensive reaction here..

[Stacey 7]

I agree.... My maci is 5 years old... and loves all people even kids, BUT when you get one who continously wants to grab, hold, prod etc Maci nabs at them. Its her instinct of "this is your warning, get away now" She even does it to the pups when they wont leave her alone.

If I know there are younger kids who want to do maci this way, I crate her because I know what can happen, as some peoples kids really dont have manners and ask... they just say oooooooooh puppy and run after her. My pups dont seem to mind the kids as much cause they like to play.

So its not the puppies fault all the time.

In these situations you must teach both child and puppy. Or either put puppy out of childs reach until child can learn "be nice" to puppy. They both puppy and childs experience can be a loving one.

[chacha 1]

Puppies growling and biting is how they play. Maybe you are misreading the pup? Besides that he could hurt your niece even if the pup was play biting. Or like the rest have said he is small and could be afraid of her and biting and growling out of fear. I agree with KC, let the pup decide when its ready to play.

[mel 251]

I remember when Buddy was a puppy & thats how he played. I had to get him a bunch of "chew toys" because he wanted to continuously bite my hands & he had those little sharp teeth and it hurt. He would bite (play bite) all the time. I remember my sister-in-law getting down on the floor with him to play and he ran up to her and started biting on the sleeve of her shirt. She said OUCH Buddy and I gave her some toys and a cold teething ring to put in his mouth. Hopefully that is all it is or as someone else said sometimes kids scare puppies.

[tzuhouse 4]

I agree with training the child also....maybe having the child give some treats and really praising Shammy could help. I think that was a great suggestion. If it were me and the puppy is REALLY threatening, I don't mean the play biting like Chacha suggested, I would "pin" the puppy. I have used the method Cesar uses when they get threatening...this shows them who is the pack leader. It does not hurt the puppy, but gives them order and teaches respect. I have done that on both Josie and Maddy when they have growled or were really angry. Never when they were play growling though. Just my :D

[mi_ku 1]

Neither of my dogs like small children. Poor Bailey is cursed, Maltese look like toys and kids are drawn to him. He tolerates it (no growling) but it makes him anxious. Harley, who heals perfectly on the leash, once pulled me across a four lane road, when a 2 or 3 year old little girl came running at us. He was scared to death! I'm much more observant now, when we're out walking and I take up the slack in the leash before we get close to any kids. Harley's still not crazy about toddlers, but he will let kids pet him. I keep his attention on me and put him in a sit/stay. I also make sure the kids don't overwhelm him. "Don't pet him on top of the head, don't move too quickly, let him sniff you first." So far every kid we've come across asks if they can pet him first. I'm always pleasantly surprised. One little girl told me she had "a fake one at home." She meant she has a plush Rottweiler, LOL. It was cute!

Letting your neice give treats is a good idea. Making him do tricks before hand is even better. NILIF. Also don't make a fuss. If he acts up, pick him up and put him in his crate/pen/bedroom, without saying a word. If he can't be nice, he won't be included. Maybe it's b/c the only puppy I've raised is a Rottie, but I wouldn't tolerate mouthiness or growling. You don't have to punish them, just give a stern no. If it doesn't work, go to time out (crate,etc) or ignore them. The few times Harley mouthed, I said ouch quite loudly and he immediatley stopped. It also helped that he was 10 weeks when I picked him up. I'm sure he learned a lot of bite inhibition from his mom, older sister and remaining littermates.

Edited January 19, 2009 by mi_ku