[bolo]

Hi, 3 weeks ago we adopted a 7 year old male Jack Russell from a rescue place.
He was a lovely well trained dog for the first 2 weeks, but unfortunately he has decided
That he is further up the food chain than my 4 year old and started getting
Quite aggressive towards her. He tries to stop her coming to me and today he has bruised her leg biting her, it did nt break the skin.
We have decided that he will have to go back to the rescue place tomorrow but I
Was wondering if anyone had any last minute ideas we could try or is it too risky, we obviously
Don't want DD to be bitten again ! (we have tried to get him to realise that she is higher than him - getting her to walk him on the lead and feed him etc, but no luck yet) I just feel very sad and we didn't take him on with the idea of giving up on him but we can't take a chance

[babychacha]

I just googled it for you.... perhaps its your answer. I googled it because to me it sounded like the dog was herding however they don't seem to do well with young children.

http://www.therealjackrussell.com/wwwboard/faq/children.htm

[*Greenbag*]

Our rescued terrier used to snap (but not bite) at kids, and we assumed she must have been teased by kids at her previous home. The thing that worked was to, if she starte growling at the kids, to stand over her, dominate and 'growl' at her to protect your own 'pups'. Took a while but she got there in the end. I don't know if that will help your situation.

[excellence01]

have you spoken to your local vet about the problem?

Best of luck!

[Ehill]

No advice but just letting you know that some are not great with small kids. My parents have one and they have nipped all the grandkids at least once. All the kids know not to 'corner' him and never touch him with their feet as they will get a nip. We never leave him alone with the little kids.

Sorry it isnt working out, they are lovely dogs but maybe he is just not right for your family. Hope someone else rescues him.

[BlueUnicorn]

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Our rescued terrier used to snap (but not bite) at kids, and we assumed she must have been teased by kids at her previous home. The thing that worked was to, if she starte growling at the kids, to stand over her, dominate and 'growl' at her to protect your own 'pups'. Took a while but she got there in the end. I don't know if that will help your situation.

I agree that who ever is the 'top dog' ( you or your husband?) needs to let the dog know it's not on to harrass the kids . Not sure exactly how you would do that.

I have an 8 yo JR who has never nipped or been aggressive to anyone (well it did play fight with our other dog) even my 2 & 4 year olds. He gets sick of the kids and trots off to sit in the sun and watch us, but happily plays bikes, chasey and 'dolls horse' for a while. I don't think it's the breed, I think it's the situation.

Although 3 weeks isn't very long to establish its 'place' Im not sure I could keep a dog who nipped my kids. It's a tough call OP, perhaps you could take the dog to training to clearly establish a pack leader for the dog? Or maybe ring the rescue place, tell them the situation and see what they recommend? GL.

Eta I'd never leave any dog alone with the kids, but I'm comfy working in the yard while the kids and dog play.

This post has been edited by BlueUnicorn: 17/06/2012, 10:01 PM

[bolo]

Thanks for the advice, it's so hard, he is the loveliest dog, he doesnt beg for food, he doesnt Bark,
sits when asks, walks perfectly on the lead but it's my daughter we're talking about. He is perfect with
my 6 year old. And It's not because my 4 year old gets in his way or is too rough with him, in fact he gets no attention from her at all unless we encourage her as she has been nervous of him from the start.

[LeChatNinjah]

I've got a Jack Russell who has been brought up with 3 kids and he's now 14 and we've been blessed that he's never nipped once, but I have heard it can be an issue with the breed.

We let the breeder choose which pup she thought would be best, and she gave us the runt, who put up with pretty much total crap from his siblings and just loled and licked them in return. He has stayed that way - been a total sook since the day we got him until now. Puts up with absolutely anything, not that we abuse him, lol, but he's been dressed up, hugged, snuggled and had a cat take over his food bowl without question. He's just a li'l love muffin - will do anything for a cuddle.

If yours is really good with the 6 year old and not the 4 year old, though, I'd say there's hope for training him out of it. As others have said, he clearly seems to see the younger one as below him in the pecking order, and they can be trained out of that.

Ker on here is great for tips on how to deal with rescue dogs (crazy dog lady, as she called herself, lol) and hopefully she'll see this and have some ideas for you.

The fact that your DD is nervous with him may well be contributing to his behaviour - if she's acting all timid with him that could very well reinforce his thought that he's somehow "above" her. If you could manage to get her to be a bit more assertive with him that may help.

As a total JR fan, I truly hope you can find a way to make this work for you, him and your family.

[*Ker*]

Ok, crazy dog lady here. Thanks NA

I'm not a Jack fan, so I've never taken one in, but I do know this is a common problem. I also know if you have a Jack that doesn't bark, that's rare!

I agree that your daughters nervousness is contributing to it. He knows she's wary of him, so he's establishing that he's above her. My kids have never been nervous around any dogs, so they've never had a problem. Your daughter needs to become more assertive and boss the dog around. Have her feed him, but also have her holding the bowl, with you next to her and wait for him to sit nicely and no bossy behaviour before she gives it to him.

I also agree with protecting your "pups" from him, and the growling at him does work. Watch them interact and the moment he growls, stand over him and growl threateningly. Or use a big gruff "man's voice" and say "Bahhhh". Also, reestablish his place in the pecking order. Your daughter in the house first, your daughter fed first...everything that lets him know he is below her and always will be.

It's totally possible to cure this - he's new to the house, he just needs to have his boundaries reestablished.

Good luck! And Kudos to you for taking in a rescue!