Hi, Marilyn,
In my years of training animals I have rarely seen aggression that was
truly "unprovoked". (And that has usually involved physical pain; the
very first thing I would do with an animal who was exhibiting such
characteristics is a thorough vet exam to assure that there is no
injury! You cannot imagine how many horses I have seen who appear
"normal" but upon exam after behavior problems have back, shoulder, hock
pain).
The word begs questions. When a shark attack is deemed "provoked" it
includes such things as tying fish around one's waist when spear
fishing; not only intentional provocation of the shark. When a stallion
is "aggressive", it is usually hormonal stimulus or flight response. I
believe one can "provoke" a puppy by simply scooping it off the ground
too quickly or playing too hard. Every child who comes here to see our
puppies must hold them on the ground while sitting. If I let a puppy go
to a home with children I will spend up to two hours observing them with
the puppy first. Darlene Arden's book "The Irrepressible Toy Dog" has
some astute observations on playing toy dogs and problems.
So, then I wonder if the word "provoked" comes from you or the parents?
While the children may not be tormenting the dog, they may, indeed be
provoking a reaction that clearly states the pup wants to be left
alone.
My thoughts would be to first make sure the pup was in good physical
condition and not in pain. After that I would observe the children to
see what exactly produced the growling response.
I have twice seen (and once been badly bitten) dogs who had good reason
for aggression; one was a fear biter and the other (who badly injured
me) had a neurological problem. The one with the neurological problem
was put down by the organization who had offered him for rescue after
concluding there was a problem. The fear biter lived with us for four
years at the end of his life; we never could let him near what
frightened him. He was put in our bedroom when strangers came to
visit. (He was a rescue).
My guess is that you may find that this pup just need to be placed with
adults.
Suze
He does this unprovoked. He is
> > loving most the time, but has these moments.
>
>
--
Suze at Llawen Cavaliers
"...I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man
to depend simply upon himself." -Isna Ia-wica
"Thought comes before speech" Luther Standing Bear
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