I need your help

[Brusmom]

:( Hello
i have a mixed breed dog he is Boxer< shep <husky i have had him since he was 6 weeks old he is 6 now and he has never growled or bitten anyone he kind of reminds me of scooby doo . but my son who is 7 has taken a liking to picking on him even though i have told him many times not to do that :mad: this weekend while i was away the kids were with the baby sitter and Brutis bit my son and now all he does is growl at him, i scolded Brutis this morning and he growled at me too. i dont want to get ride of him but i dont know what to do \
please please hlep me

[That_girl]

First of all, you should NOT be scolding Brutis as this is not his fault. You need to teach your son what is and isn't appropriate around your dog.

Now that you've scolded Brutis, he is scared because he was just doing what he need to do to let your son know he didn't like what was going on. He is confused and scared because his humans are mad at him and he did nothing wrong.

You need to sit down with your son and tell him that his rough behavior is unacceptable and Brutis can't tell him to stop other than by growling - which can escalate to biting if the warning is not followed.

Then you need to work on making peace again. You and your son should take Brutis for a walk, play with him, give him treats, etc. Play with Brutis in acceptable manners and if your son starts getting too rough or whatever, then tell him to back off. This is a good lesson for your son. He needs to learn how to read people and dogs and know when too much is too much.

[Brusmom]

i will take my son and Brutis out and play with them and see if that helps
ihave scolded Chet(son) many times for picking on the dog and told him that brutis is getting to old and that he cannot play with him the way that he used to. like laying on him and stuff like that

[squashynose]

Are you sure Brutus isn't in pain? If he's getting stiff or sore now he's getting a bit older (sheps are prone to hip problems, dunno about the other breeds), your son could have hurt him while playing. If this is the case, your Vet can provide pain meds

[Brusmom]

i will contact the vet and see if there is anything that i can do for him
i was thinking the same thing because his hips are getting kind of bad
but i did not think that would come to growling and biting

[squashynose]

We don't know how much pain he's in, dogs can be stoic. It's a reflex to him to do whatever he needs to to stop it hurting.

[Brusmom]

what would you guys suggest to have my son and my Dogson
make friends again :) sorry i should have mentioned earlier
my son is 7

[Brusmom]

he is 7 sorry about that
and my Dog is 6

[That_girl]

Brusmom - You could have asked your question in the same thread where you posted about the dog biting your son. It helps cut down on the confusion. Also, when you ask for advice, always remember to be as detailed as possible about the situation. That way you can get specific, detailed advice in return.

Here's a link to it: http://forums.petlovers.com/vb/showthread.php?t=35502

[Brusmom]

im sorry i am very new to this and very frustrated
my dog has never even thought about growling at anyone
and i never thought i would have to worry about it so i am kind of distraught i think

[That_girl]

That's alright, having a dog that can be dangerous is cause for concern. There are some people here with dangerous dogs that should be able to help you find ways to make both of them safe. I grew up with a dangerous dog, but it was different for me because as he aged, he mellowed out.

Is your dog neutered? If he is, at what age was he neutered?

[Brusmom]

well what is so weird about it is the fact that i have had him since he was 6 weeks old
and he is 6 years old now my son and him have grown up together
and Brutis have never growled at him or anyone else he is very Gental and very happy
just a playful puppy at heart and all of a sudden this weekend he starts in with the growling thing. i am going to sit down with my son tonight and we are going to have a heart to heart and hopefully that will help becuase i know that it was nothing to do with
Brutis, Chet had to have done somthing to him to make him turn like that

[That_girl]

i am going to sit down with my son tonight and we are going to have a heart to heart and hopefully that will help becuase i know that it was nothing to do with
Brutis, Chet had to have done somthing to him to make him turn like that

I would also suggest calling your vet and maybe scheduling an appointment like others have suggested just to make sure Brutis isn't in any pain. Sudden aggression can be a result of not feeling well.

I think sitting down with your son is a great idea. Hopefully he will understand that while Brutis is his friend, he needs to respect his space. Let him know that at age 7, dogs are considered geriatric and his friend is getting older and may not have the same energy as he used to.

Also if you can find out exactly what your son did before the bite, I think that may help give us more clues as to why a seemingly gentle friend would react so violently.

[Macawpower58]

If I'm remembering correctly, you also said he growled at you soon after for a light scolding.

I'd do a vet checkup because these actions are not normal for this dog from your answers.

[dlaura]

Great advice Krystal! You pretty much said all I was going to say - especially about having Brutis checked out by the vet as a change in personality could certainly indicate the dog is in pain and showing the symptoms of being in pain.

Most of all - have an in depth discussion with your son and find out if he or maybe even a friend he had over were in any way teasing the dog.


Edit - I have merged the two threads so there is less confusion. Hope that helps.