Aggression towards children

Had enough of your Schnauzer for one day. Then sit back, relax and put your feet up. You can let off a little steam here about things unrelated to your four-legged schnauzer.
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Chausie
Posts: 1
Joined: 08 Jun 2021, 15:44
First Name: Andrew

Aggression towards children

Post by Chausie »

I have a cheerful, kind, sweet, and very obedient Schnauzer. However, a recent situation has unsettled me. A friend with children came to me, and my Caesar became extremely aggressive. He tried to bite kids. I was completely shocked. I tried positive reinforcement training, but it didn't work. What should I do?
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zeta1454
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Re: Aggression towards children

Post by zeta1454 »

Hello Andrew and welcome to the Forum :)

It is unusual for any dog to use aggression and biting as a first resort reaction unless they have been been badly treated in the past or had traumatic experiences which have led them to be aggressive. So if you can explain in more detail about your schnauzer and the circumstances of when and why he acted aggressively to the children, it may be possible to offer some general advice.

How old is your schnauzer? Is he still a puppy?

Is this the first time that your schnauzer has met children ? If it is then you will need over time to gradually introduce him to children in a way that he doesn’t feel threatened or afraid and so he can learn to trust and enjoy their company.

If he has met children before without any problem, then did these children with your friend do anything that scared or hurt him even by accident?

When you say you tried positive reinforcement training what exactly did you do and how long have you been training your schnauzer to accept and enjoy the company of children?

Other than lack of socialisation or being frightened or hurt by a child in the past or the present, the other main reason why a dog will react aggressively can be due to illness so, if your schnauzer is showing unusual behaviour of this kind, I would suggest you have him checked first by a vet to rule out any health issues. Then, if you are really struggling with the training, it may be worth finding a good behaviourist local to you who can make an individual assessment of your dog as the issue may need advice specific to your schnauzer rather than general comments from the Forum :)
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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