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Home: Behavioral Problems: Aggresive Dogs and Puppies:
St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!?







antony83
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Feb 25, 2009, 1:17 PM

Post #1 of 7 (7304 views)
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St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? Can't Post

My 10 month old St. Bernard pup is great in everyway but one. When he is sleeping in a deep sleep at night, three times now(two 7 yr olds, and my 2 yrd daughter), the kids got into his face trying to play and it woke him up and startled him, and he growled and snapped at them. The last two were bad. He scratched the one boy a little, but he cut my daughters eye and she had to get 3 stitches.

Like I said, he is great with the kids every other time but when he is sleeping. My wife is terrified that he will do something when he is just "walking around", but I don't think he is aggressive. I really don't want to get rid of him, but my kids and other kids saftey is priority.

Any suggestions? Any experiences? Please help soon!



thanks


acsyen
Ultra ALPHA


Feb 25, 2009, 4:32 PM

Post #2 of 7 (7300 views)
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Re: [antony83] St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? [In reply to] Can't Post

He could be protective of his sleeping place and of cos if somebody would shock me like that I would also shout or even hit the person that does it. I would suggest you to consult Cheng See 012-2584315. She's a behavior correction specialist for dogs. She can assist you in correcting this behavior and I don't think it is necessary to give up your dog as I can see that it is not aggressive or harming your family members by intention.

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ai_ney
Ultra ALPHA


Feb 25, 2009, 11:21 PM

Post #3 of 7 (7285 views)
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Re: [antony83] St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? [In reply to] Can't Post

hi antony,

i think it is very important for u and ur kids to know and practise this rule: NEVER disturb a dog when he is sleeping or eating.

a dog will be startled when someone tries to wake him up when he's peacefully dozing off, so he may growl n snap trying to protect himself because he may think he's in danger...

some dogs are protective of food, so if someone tries to pat him on the head while he's chowing down his meal, the person puts himself at risk of losing 1 or 2 fingers...

also do not catch the dog unaware, like suddenly jumping onto him from behind... ur kids may mean well n only want to play, but to the dog, it's instinct telling him to protect himself...

pls do not 'get rid' of ur dog becoz i agree with u, ur dog is not aggressive, he's just acting on instinct... Smile


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mum2jude
Enthusiast


Feb 25, 2009, 11:33 PM

Post #4 of 7 (7282 views)
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Re: [antony83] St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? [In reply to] Can't Post

Teach your kids to let sleeping dogs lie... and your dog and kids should be safe.

Regardless of breed of dog, it's never wise to leave a young child unsupervised with any dog, docile or otherwise. Like humans, dogs can have bad days and lose patience with an annoying child. We humans would just smack the annoying child but a dog's only protection is to snap away the irritation.
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antony83
New User

Feb 26, 2009, 7:48 AM

Post #5 of 7 (7267 views)
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Re: [antony83] St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? [In reply to] Can't Post

Thank you guys. I don't want to get rid of him at all. My wife is just worried that it might lead to a tempermant issue. I didn't think so, but I wanted to hear someone elses opinion.

I try to tell the kids not to bother him while he is sleeping and eating, but I think they see this big cuddly dog laying down, and they just want to hug on him. I think I will just keep the kids and dog seperated during his sleeping time until the kids are old enough to really understand not to disturb him.


ai_ney
Ultra ALPHA


Feb 27, 2009, 9:45 PM

Post #6 of 7 (7206 views)
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Re: [antony83] St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? [In reply to] Can't Post

yeah, separating ur kids and the dog during sleep n eat time may be a good idea at this point, and continue to teach ur kids abt the 'do not disturb' rule...

every dog is different, some dogs may have no problem if u disturb them when they r sleeping, etc, but some, like ur dog, would react to it... Smile


Sookie's Photo Gallery
DON'T BREED AND BUY, WHILE HOMELESS ANIMALS DIE.
EVERY DOG SHOULD HAVE A HOME.


nikemax
Novice


Mar 1, 2009, 1:29 PM

Post #7 of 7 (7180 views)
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Re: [ai_ney] St. Bernard pup "snaps" at kids when he is sleeping!? [In reply to] Can't Post

it is true in fact which i assume your Bernard was terrified. Well, I would say this is a reflective action, but just that your Bernard react in a protective mean

 
 




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