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I wrote a story a while back about an incident that happened with my 6-year-old niece and my boy, Mac. Mac was 7 months old at the time and nipped my niece's bottom enough to draw blood. At the time, my niece was running away from him because he was barking at her. So he ran toward her and nicked her. This was my fault. I didn't have a good grip on the leash and he was able to get out of my hold. It was also in a new environment that my dogs were not familiar with. Add to that that my dogs were very young, and it was a recipe for disaster.
My niece is OK and my sister (her mother) was understanding and nothing was permanently damaged. Honestly, I believe I was more scarred by the incident than anybody.
My dogs are 2 years old now, but haven't been around kids since then. We just never have the opportunity. I would like to invite my sister and her children to our new house sometime in the next few months, but I'm scared of what Mac might do. Are there training methods to use to help our dogs become more comfortable around children? Is there a way I can do this myself without getting a professional trainer?
Thanks for your help!
My niece is OK and my sister (her mother) was understanding and nothing was permanently damaged. Honestly, I believe I was more scarred by the incident than anybody.
My dogs are 2 years old now, but haven't been around kids since then. We just never have the opportunity. I would like to invite my sister and her children to our new house sometime in the next few months, but I'm scared of what Mac might do. Are there training methods to use to help our dogs become more comfortable around children? Is there a way I can do this myself without getting a professional trainer?
Thanks for your help!