New Chow mommy with young children!

[tholladay]

I first decided to find a chow chow fan page because i was so fed up with hearing negative responses every time i mentioned I had a Chow. I bought my Chow a couple of weeks ago when she was 14 weeks old. I have 2 young children and everyone says, "oh did you do your research? they're horrible with kids." I am a firm believer in a dog's temperment depending on how it is raised, but i have to admit that all the negativity i'm getting is bothering me! I love my girl , Athena more than anything and I wouldn't trade her for the world, but i do worry about how rough she plays with the kids. It's not that i think she's being mean AT ALL, she is just really aggressive when she gets wound up! Is this a stage they grow out of?

[Tippsy'smom]

Welcome!

I know how you feel about the stereotyping. But when it comes to the rough play, you should step in and correct it. Teach her it's ok to play, but when she gets too rough, play stops. I had to do this with all 3 of my dogs(my chow, my chow mix, and my German Shepherd mix).

[BeckiHutton]

I have found exactly the same. I have an 8.5 month old son and got my chow about 3 weeks ago now (she is 4.5 months) and they are getting on really well. She is so gentle with him. When he is playing on the floor lily (my chow) will come and lay down next to him and watch him. She is never too rough. Jess is right, you MUST MUST MUST correct the bad behaviour AS SOON AS it happens. Send her out the room for a time out for 5 minutes. I also found that when lily would play nip, if I squealed very very loudly it stopped. I did this for little more than a day and it stopped completely. But this was only plating with lily, with your chow, are you sure it is proper ageression? If it is then you probably have dominance issues. There are lots of people on this site who can give you tips and pointers in controlling this

[tholladay]

Thanks for the advice! I was at a loss because when I tried to correct her she would just redirect her attention to me! Would you guys recommend putting her in her kennel for a few minutes when she gets overly rough?

are you sure it is proper ageression? If it is then you probably have dominance issues. There are lots of people on this site who can give you tips and pointers in controlling this

And I really hope she doesn't have dominance issues, how can you tell the difference between playing and not playing?

[Kiana197]

I do not know about chows, but I know with most breeds, they advise you NOT to put them in the kennel for punishment. That is, if this is where she spends her time at night or when you're not home/able to watch her. The reason for this is because the kennel should be a positive place, not a place for punishment. It will just make it harder for her to go in there for sleep ect. That's my two cents, but as I said, I don't know about chows.

[tholladay]

Thanks! I've heard that before too, but i've heard lots of different things so i never know! I'm looking around for a trainer so we can do some classes with her.

[Tippsy'smom]

Thanks for the advice! I was at a loss because when I tried to correct her she would just redirect her attention to me! Would you guys recommend putting her in her kennel for a few minutes when she gets overly rough?

are you sure it is proper ageression? If it is then you probably have dominance issues. There are lots of people on this site who can give you tips and pointers in controlling this

And I really hope she doesn't have dominance issues, how can you tell the difference between playing and not playing?

I would recommend putting her in a bathroom with the door closed as time out. That's what I do with my dogs.

Can you describe the "rough" behavior? If so, I think we could give you a better idea of if it's aggression or just rough play.

[tholladay]

Thanks, I will start trying the bathroom tommorrow! She always wants to be near us, so i think that will be a good "punishment". As far as the agressive behavior, she's really bad with play biting. With the kids, if they are playing on the floor she will tackle them and try to wrestle. I noticed some times too that she tries to bite at their heads alot. She has never done anything to indicate that she has any mean tendencies, even if the kids climb on her or take her bones. She has never growled, even when we had to hold her down and werestle with her in the bath! She just doesn't seem to get the concept that she needs to be more gentle with them!

[Tippsy'smom]

Okay, well, when your kids are playing and she gets rough, have them stand up(I assume they're old enough to be walking) and get to a place away from her. And you should take her and put her in time out. Or you can have whoever is being bitten/nipped let out a high pitched squeal and walk away from her. She should catch on quick that it's unacceptable.

[Sarahloo]

Your dog and your small children aren't suitable playmates! Athena needs to let off her steam with other dogs and with you, when you're walking her and playing with her. Make sure you spend enough time on tiring her out! Limit the interaction between your dog and your kids to friendly, pleasant experiences. Take the whole family out for Athena walkies and have fun together! Teach Athena how to gently take treats from your kids and accept their friendly petting! Dogs and children can't brawl on the floor, especially since your Athena doesn't know her limits yet. Constant supervision is obviously also very important.

[tholladay]

Thank you guys so much! I was really at a loss as to how to handle this. I didn't want to punish her for playing and have her grow to not want anything to do with the kids, but what you're saying makes sense! The kids are 2 and 4, so they are old enough to understand to leave her alone when she gets rough and give her lots of love when she calms down. Thanks again, i feel a lot better now!

[Boogie and Linda]

You may benefit from a family training class although 2 would be too young for that. The "problem" with children is they are not forceful enough when they give commands. They want the puppy to stop playing rough but they tend to run and either scream or whine which just gets the puppy more excited. They also talk in higher pitched voices which excites the puppy. When the puppy is being mouthy, they need to say a firm NO! or OUCH! and then they need to stand up and ignore the puppy until she settles. If they start to play and it happens again, do the same. My daughter was 10 when we got our first puppy and she had the same issue with not just saying NO! Now she is a rotten teenager and we can't get her to say anything else.

[Judy Fox]

You have been given some good advice - these people know what they are talking about.

However, you must also look at the behaviour of the children. Please believe I am not saying that the children are not behaving properly but you must ensure that they do not act roughly with the chow.

Remember that they are all young things together and you must create boundaries for both children and chow. chow must not be allowed to play bite - a definite no-no but on the other hand, children must not be allowed to tease, play rough or invade the chow's privacy. When chow chow is lying down having quiet time or having her food or whatever, she must be left in peace.

When we had our first chow puppy nearly 12 years ago, we had three young granddaughters in the house every day after school and the rule was if Milly fell asleep, she would be put in her box in the kitchen and she was not to be disturbed until she woke up. The outcome was that three young girls used to sit and wait until she woke up, then she was taken out to spend a penny then they could play.

Now we have two young chow chows aged 17 months old and a young great grandson walking around when he visits with his mum, the rules are basically the same. He loves them and they love him but he is not allowed to hit them or pull their fur or poke them but he is encouraged to talk to them and pet them and give them their toys etc. He isn't two years old yet but he is learning how to behave with them.

[BeckiHutton]

Very good advice there judy. This is very true. I can't really do any of this with my son and lily yet because he is only 8.5 and not mobile or talking or understanding yet but he is not allowed to pull her fur.

[tholladay]

Thanks Judy and Linda for more great advice! It is great to get feedback from people who have actually raised chows and know what works! I will definitely work with the dog and the children to make sure that both are behaving themselves! And after one day of saying "ouch!" in a high pitched voice and then putting her in the bathroom for a few minutes for a time out, I have already noticed a huge improvement with Athena's biting and rough playing!! I only had to put her in time out twice, once when she got rough with my daughter and the second when my husband came home from work (she gets so excited!) Thanks again for the great advice!

[BeckiHutton]

It works very well doesn't it stick at it though it will still probably happen again. Shouldn't take too long though, especially if she is already getting the idea x