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What do I do about a Shih Tzu puppy that shows aggression towards children for no reason?

He will growl or more recently bite if a child gets near his face. We adopted him and he is very lovable but this is a big problem.

Everyone will tell you to give that dog to someone without children, however, you KNOW that he does not like kids, you know he tries to bite them, if he does in the future, you will be at fault because you knew it…can you live with that?
Dogs that do not like kids have faulty temperaments in my opinion and need to be put down, period!!

I will not accept crap from breeders and excuses about that fact…breed better tempered dogs that can handle real life and everything in it.
I have dogs that will engage any human, anytime, under any conditions, but, they will all accept a child touching them anywhere on their body, anytime as well.
Hope I helped!!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Shih Tzu Puppy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • dmg1969

    Either seek help from a professional trainer or rehome him to someone without children and make them aware of the problem.
    References :

  • Stacey Z

    teach him kids are good have the kids pet him give him treats supervised he will come around
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  • greekman

    Everyone will tell you to give that dog to someone without children, however, you KNOW that he does not like kids, you know he tries to bite them, if he does in the future, you will be at fault because you knew it…can you live with that?
    Dogs that do not like kids have faulty temperaments in my opinion and need to be put down, period!!
    I will not accept crap from breeders and excuses about that fact…breed better tempered dogs that can handle real life and everything in it.
    I have dogs that will engage any human, anytime, under any conditions, but, they will all accept a child touching them anywhere on their body, anytime as well.
    Hope I helped!!
    References :

  • ncisrocks498

    okay when I was a kid we had a Shih Tzu who was agressive toward children and it got really bad it started with occaisional biting then grew to attacking. Do you know anything about this dogs past? Could he have been mistreated by a child. We had to give our dog up by the time he turned 3 because he couldn't be trusted around kids. I don't know what happened to him, i know a lady at the humane shelter took him home and tried to help him.

    In my opinion I would find a behaviorist or trainer, your dog will need this.

    Also just to let you know Shih Tzus are typically not real good with kids, they can tolerate a child but they don't tend to do well.

    I also want to add that my shih tzu developed a seizure problem at age 2 and a half and that made his aggression much worse
    References :
    experience

  • One Sailors Lady

    Signs of aggression in dogs OFTEN comes from fear. Adopted animals may not have been properly socialized. The kids may be too loud for the puppy, too hands on, or many even just moving around too fast so that puppy doesn't feel safe. Obviously this is a huge deal, so get to training right away. I ABSOLUTELY reccomend checking out http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/ if you do not have the means to hire a trainer.
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  • Patient Paws

    There is NEVER "no reason" for an aggressive dog to be the way they are.

    The dog may exert fear, have a medical problem, or just be so badly socialized with children that they don't understand whats appropriate to react with (aggression or happiness).

    You need to have the dog professionally looked over, both by behaviorist and veterinarian. If the dogs behavior problem stems from lack of socialization, it can be helped. If its medical, depending on the issue, can be fixed with medication and training, or surgery and training.

    Whatever the issue is, it needs attention.
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  • lily.

    put it down.
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  • Fishqueen101

    Thats a hard situation to be in you could either train him to be nice around children, put him in a seprate area when they are around or give him away.
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  • yorkielove2

    Dogs are often afraid of the quick movements and loud noises that children make. He could also have been hurt by a child in his former life. I am certain that there is a "reason" and a valid one at that. His aggression is the only way that he can communicate the message of "leave me alone"!

    He may never get over being afraid of children and you need to avoid them for his sake, and the sake of the child.

    That said, it is possible to modify his behavior – sort of like the desensitization training people undergo to overcome phobias. Because that is what he has – a phobia – an irrational (seemingly) fear of children.

    Get some professional help to re-socialize him to kids, or keep him away from them altogether. Pick him up when they are around. Protect them from one another.
    References :

The Shih Tzu Manual