[Melissap777]

My one year old Papillon just started biting my kids for no reason. She has always been so friendly to them since the day we got her (she was 4 months). When ever my kids start to run around she will run at them and bite there arms....meanly not playing. She has also done it a couple times when they are just standing there. I dont know what to do! I tell her no and put a muzzle on her and put her in the kennel but then as soon as I take her out and take the muzzle off she strikes again. She bites hard enough to leave marks and to even puncture the skin and bruise it.

The kids have always played fairly nice with her and at times have bugged her some but she has very seemed to care. she would just join in and play with them and lick there faces. And its not like she is always being mean either, she still plays with them all the time. Its when she isnt playing with them, sleeping or just laying arround that she seems to lung and bite the most.

Does anyone know what I should do!? I really dont want to give her away but I dont know what to do and I cant have my kids getting hurt. PLEASE HELP!

[Lunareclipse]

For some reason your dog thinks your household is out of control when your kids are running around and making noise and it is trying to restore some order. When it does that, I would put it in it's crate for a time-out. If you don't have a crate, I would get one. That kind of behavior can be dangerous for your children and the dog. When your kids get rough in the house and start running around, it isn't "for no reason" to the dog. As a little dog, I would be freaked out by it too and I would want it to stop. I don't allow my children to run in the house because that's outdoor behavior, but if you are going to allow it, then find a quiet room to put your dog and it's crate so it can go there when the kids get rough in the house. I don't understand what you mean when you say "the kids have been fairly nice to her." My children aren't allowed to be only "fairly nice" to our dogs. They better be nice all the time or they get their butts fired up. I do not allow any teasing of the pets in my home at any time. All it takes is one time of your kids being mean and then your dog will bite them really bad. You say your kids are just standing there sometimes when your dog snaps at them. A papillon is a very small dog. What YOU perceive as a threat and what your tiny dog perceives as a threat is two different things.

When your dog is around your children, have your children give it treats. Maybe it thinks if the kids come around, you are going to throw a muzzle on it and stick it in it's cage, so it snaps at them to make them go away.

I would also take your dog to the vet and see if there isn't any thyroid problems or other health problems you don't know about. Have a thyroid panel done. If your dog's thyroid is acting up, it can make your dog have aggressive moments and be cranky a lot more.

[reeskujo]

First off you should NEVER put a dog in it's crate as punishment!..Their crate is supossed to be their safe place and sooner or later they'll associate going in their crate with being in trouble..Secondly your dog obviously think he rules the house and acts accordingly..If your kids ever teased your dog in the past then she/he sees them as a threat and that's why your dog targets them.

As a trainer my suggestion would be to not only get the puppy in training classes but that you and your kids participate as well..It's obvious that canine education and training is essential in this situaton!!!

[cigwyllt]

To me the answer lies in your post

The kids have always played fairly nice with her and at times have bugged her some

You don't say how old your children are but whatever age they are your responsibility and you need to teach them how to act around your dog. As it is the dog is teaching them. You have a whole range of ways to communicate with them and to tell them how and what to do -your dog has only one.

It is also your responsibility to protect your dog and clearly if the children have been bugging her you have not done that.

[Melissap777]

My kids are 2 and 4. when i say they are running around I dont mean they are going crazy running all over the place. They can even just be walking fast. And when I said they have been fairley nice I didnt mean they were being mean to her or teasing her, my daughter is a little over affectionate with her at times and loves to give her hugs and kisses all the time which may bug her some. If my kids were being mean to her they know they would be in trouble. I also dont throw a muzzle on her and put her in her cage every time the kids go near her....i just started doing that when she bites them because I didnt know what else to do. We didnt even own a muzzle until she started biting. She has never cared before when the kids have been playing she would always join in with them. She loves attention and has always been great with the kids. She has also never acted like she is the boss...she knows I am the boss and listens when she is told to do something, other than not to bite.
She did have her leg broken in 3 different spots and her elbow shattered when she was 4 months old. She had been running and fell and popped her elbow out and when the vet tried to pop it back into place he shattered her elbow as well as broke her leg in 3 other spots. She spent a month in a different vertanary hospital and had 2 surgeries. Her leg healed up very well but she has always favoured it some. Could she be having problems with it and be in pain and that be a reason for biting? She dosnt seem to be in any pain though.
And for the person who is worried about wether or not dogs are spayed or nutured, to ease your concern, we had her spayed while she was in the hospital for her leg when she was 4 months old.

[cigwyllt]

Your kids are not intentionally hurting your dog but most small dogs really hate being kissed and hugged. My youngest was one and her brother was 4 when we had a pup and I made it clear from day 1 that they did not hug her or kiss her and that if they wanted to hold her they should sit on the floor and call her to them. Then when my youngest was 4 we got another pup - we have 3 dogs altogether - and again noone is allowed to pick him up or put their face close to him. It is intimidating and scares them. Has she ever growled at the children before?

[Melissap777]

We always tell them to be gentle and not squeeze her and they are not aloud to pick her up at all. We are scared they would drop her. She has never seemed to care that my daughter is hugging and kissing her she would just lick her back. I just assume it would be annoying sometimes. She has never growled at them before or anything. All she ever did was lick them. Hasnt even barked at them. She would growl and bark at straingers though until they would get close and then she would just lick them. My kids called her Lily the licker because of how much she would lick. Now she growels and barks at everyone except me. And she dosnt even lick very much. The groweling, barking and biting all started about 2 weeks ago. Before she was the most loving dog I have ever seen! She was almost over loving with all her licking, lol.

[lange]

A puppys temperament is going to constantly change until it completely matures. At 1 year old it is changing. I wonder if your dog is going through or recently went through a fear stage. Read about it here: <> DIAMONDS in the RUFF - Barking <>

If this is the case, your pup may have always been a little uneasy with the hugging and is now just plain old scared. And has learned if it bites they little people will leave it alone. So you need to teach it what it should do instead of biting. You'll still need to teach your kids not to hug the dog or do other threatening things to it. We all realize they don't do it out of maliciousness but the dog doesn't understand. That's why it's best to give our kids stricter boundaries from the get go, especially with little dogs. It'll take time but you can retrain both the pup and the kids with patience and time.

Anytime we've owned a puppy, I've only let the dog/kid interact in my presence so that I can correct either in something they may not be doing right. With smaller dogs and smaller kids, you just need to have a more hands on approach for a longer period of time until both get accustomed to how they're supposed to interact.

Good luck! And please reconsider giving up your dog, especially to a shelter. If you just don't want to help fix the problem please at least place the puppy into a good home instead of a shelter.

[JoyJoy]

being a new owner - I realize that they grow, like us all, testing times ... good luck and love and best wishes sent your way
xxxxx

[threenorns]

you really need to read up on DOGS.

cesar millan, tamar geller, ian dunbar, those are my picks.

you have a wee little dog - i know it's not something owners of the little yappers think about, but what you have is a pitbull/huskey/german shepherd/newfoundland/etc in a mini-sized suit.

the outside doesn't count - cute and adorable or not, they're all Great Dane in the brain.

YOU might think your kids weren't being bad - humans think hugging and kissing is adorable.

in dog language, hugging is a prey/mating move - canines seize prey (or the males seize the female) with their forelegs and then come down on the back of the neck with a bite or tooth-grip. kissing, also, if anywhere near their supersensitive ears, is *painful*.

your dog is just reaching full sexual maturity - she may have developed to the point that the hugging and kissing is seen as forced interaction and she's just defending herself.

get your dog into a good obedience class and then make the rest of the family follow suit.

i would also recommend you get your dog a job - it'll do wonders to settle her down.