Caught a Kid Harassing my Dog!

[MamaAllNatural]

When it's a nice day we leave our front door open with our metal screen door closed. My girl loves laying in front of that and watching people and birds pass.

Today I was just outside the room and I could hear her kind of making a really low under her breath angry sounding bark. When I looked at her she looked upset. I looked outside and didn't see anyone or anything. I noticed it again. I felt that someone was out there doing something to bother her purposely. I heard something hit the door right where her head was. So I tiptoed over and quietly looked on for a moment only to see one of the neighborhood kids (that my ds hangs out with!) creeping in a really scary way from behind a bush and then coming at her with a huge five foot long thick branch! I was SO irritated! : I can't believe how calm and collected I stayed though when I confronted him. He couldn't see me so he was surprised to be caught. I told him don't *ever* do that. I said that is just about the best way to get attacked by a dog. I asked him if he had heard about all the dog attacks around the country and even right in our city? I told him he was putting himself in so much danger by doing that and that dogs can do so much damage, it is nothing to joke about. I said that even a little dog would bite him right in the face for doing that and he'd have a scar the rest of his life. Then I told him it is also *not nice* at all and makes me extremely sad and upset that he was doing that to my dog. I asked him how does he think that made her feel to be teasing her and scaring her like that? He seemed to get the message. If he ever does anything like it again I'm talking to his parents.

I'm so irritated though! My poor girl. She should at least feel comfortable in her own home, kwim? I won't let him around her at all now. I'm sure she'll remember what he did. She already felt weird about him before, and so did I. He acts very innappropriately with the dogs and doesn't know when to just leave them alone. I have to tell him all the time how to behave with both her and the puppy and much of the time I just say, "Now is not a good time. Sometimes dogs just need to be left alone." Before this ever happened today, months ago I told my dh that he is a prime candidate for getting attacked by a dog b/c of the way he acts around them. He also has that edge to where he would be mean to them. Anyway...I hope he thinks twice before trying anything w/anyone's dog next time. He really should know better. He's ten.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

[Sailor]

I would go after that kid with a branch myself! : What is it with certain kids and bothering, even hurting, other people's pets? I would be really upset ... that kid would be praying to get to his house before I got to him ... ahem, sometimes I get carried away in terms of animals.

This hasn't happened to me with my current dog. Mostly, people who see Roark ask if it's safe to pass, and parents make their children cross the street when they see us coming. I guess, objectively, he does look fierce, but since I've raised him since he was a furball ... I just see a whole lotta cuteness.

However, what DOES happen to me is that we'll be on a walk or a hike where dogs are allowed. And someone will be on a hike with their small, yapppy dog (I have nothing against small, yappy dogs ... just describing). Their 8 pound dog will be completely and utterly untrained and will bark and try to bite MY 90 pound dog. The owner, instead of doing something about it, will laugh and say "oh isn't that cute?" At which point, I want to Because if MY dog acted the way that 8 pound dog did, other owners would have a problem with it. I always have this image in my mind of my 90 pound dog, gobbling up that 8 pounder and me rejoining with "awwww, isn't that cute?"

This is a big pet peeve of mine. That apparently, some owners of small dogs don't feel it necessary to teach them any manners whatsoever. What they don't understand is that every encounter like that (depending what stage of life/training my dog is in) has the power to undue all the work I put into him. Fortunately, because I'm anal about where I go with my dog in terms of exercise ... we've only encountered this problem once. And, thankfully, no harm was done.

So, yea, I definitely understand how you feel. I'd go to the parents immedietly. Wouldn't even wait for a second time.

[roomformore]

I would talk to the parents as soon as possible. We had neighbor kids harassing our dog once. I went to the parents and they did not believe that their children would do this even though I caught them in the act! : Regardless, it is important that they know this has happened! I would not let that child near or in your home again (I would consider keeping him away from your ds too...).

[shannon0218]

hehe, my guys are trained that the word "Attack" means go bark at that guy, he'll give you your ball.
The 11 mos (I couldn't make it a year) that I lived in a city I had a 12 yr old boy that CONSTANTLY teased Havoc. I warned him several times that Havoc was trained to bite and if he pushed him too far, he'd KNOW he'd been bitten.
Finally I'd had enough, I was walking Havoc and I could see this kid behind me and he was throwing little pebbles at Havoc!! I stopped and said "Damn it kid, I WARNED YOU!", looked down and said "Havoc, attack!" Havoc charged at him barking his fool head off. Kid froze and peed his pants. I called Havoc back to me (and gave him a ball) We never had that problem again. But I was well known as that bitchy dog lady.

[tayndrewsmama]

Good one Shannon! That's funny and accomplished a goal!

As for the OP's situation, I would defintely tell the kids parents asap. If not your dog, he could likely be doing this to other dogs as well and be attacked by one of them too.

[shannon0218]

yeah, you know the more I thought on this, I'd go speak with his parents. let them know you're concerned that if he's pulling this with your dogs that he may be doing the same with other dogs and you'd hate to see him get bitten badly. Make it more out of concern for the child than your dog (cause I'm gonna guess his folks aren't "dog people")

[familylove]

Originally Posted by shannon0218

yeah, you know the more I thought on this, I'd go speak with his parents. let them know you're concerned that if he's pulling this with your dogs that he may be doing the same with other dogs and you'd hate to see him get bitten badly. Make it more out of concern for the child than your dog (cause I'm gonna guess his folks aren't "dog people")

I also think this would be the most effective route. Frame everything in terms of the kid, "I'm just afraid that my dog will see your kid as a threat and I would hate to have anything happen to your dear, sweet little boy." Perhaps you could suggest to the parents that they educate junior in the ways of dogs, ie: you bash one with a branch, it will bite you. You throw rocks at a dog, it will bite you. You tease a dog mercilessly, it will bite you." Again, "I would just really hate to see junior get bit over something that can easily be prevented (mainly his violent behavior.) Maybe even follow all this up with a suggestion that junior stay away from your house for a while until the dogs grow to trust him again...which may never happen (can you say, "taking care of two problems at once.")

BTW, way to keep a level head when you confronted him! I think I would have blown a gasket and yelled a few choice words about staying away from my dog.

Good Luck!

[MamaAllNatural]

Well, my ds yesterday went over and told his dad. Then apparently his dad confronted him about it and he lied about how it went down so his dad came over here to confront us about it. My dh has a history of making situations worse by not just keeping his trap shut. I explained to the dad what happened. I told him what I told his kid. Then dh says "Well, he really should be careful with our dog. She's *pretty* good but you know she has that edge where..." : I had to say right in front of the guy to dh, "That has nothing to do with anything. No matter what the size or temperment of the dog is they will attack you for doing something like that to them." Then dh takes it upon himself to tell him that he really needs to watch out for that kind of behavior of harming animals because it really says something else about... and *again* I had to cut him off. The dad started saying how his kid loves animals and he just wants to give them kisses all day and "I guarantee you that my kid's not no psycho, ok?" Alcohol on his breath, as usual. I realized yesterday that one time he (he drinks a lot) was drunk and I was driving by w/my dog in the passenger seat and window down and he says hi to her in a teasing, weird way and just two feet away from her open window does that loose lip shake your face real quck, make that funny bloblobloblo noise w/your mouth thing. I can't really describe it but if I did it you'd know what I meant. Yeah, I don't think they're dog people at all. And the situation is now tense. God, I love my neighborhood. (there is always some kind of drama going on here)

[roomformore]

Originally Posted by shannon0218

hehe, my guys are trained that the word "Attack" means go bark at that guy, he'll give you your ball.
The 11 mos (I couldn't make it a year) that I lived in a city I had a 12 yr old boy that CONSTANTLY teased Havoc. I warned him several times that Havoc was trained to bite and if he pushed him too far, he'd KNOW he'd been bitten.
Finally I'd had enough, I was walking Havoc and I could see this kid behind me and he was throwing little pebbles at Havoc!! I stopped and said "Damn it kid, I WARNED YOU!", looked down and said "Havoc, attack!" Havoc charged at him barking his fool head off. Kid froze and peed his pants. I called Havoc back to me (and gave him a ball) We never had that problem again. But I was well known as that bitchy dog lady.

How can I train my dog to do this too?

[shannon0218]

Actually it's not hard to do at all. If you can teach your dog to "speak" you can teach him this nifty little trick.
Start out by using something that motivates the dog a LOT, so for us a ball works best. Get them to "speak" but use the command "ATTACK", at first even a tiny bark gets the ball, gradually extend it out. Once they will reliably bark for a good 30 seconds for the ball (or whatever) to the command ATTACK, then give the ball to someone else, let him see it. Say Attack, when the dog barks at the other person, have them throw him the ball, the more you practice the more perfect it becomes.
I use this technique when training protection dogs for people who've been abused. Because of their history they could mistakenly set the dog on someone who doesn't deserve it, but this command gives a safe option to actual protection training.