any suggestions?

[MissAbbyRosesMamma]

now i know your all going to say shes sooo young! BUT i know she knows what she is doing is wrong SO today my daughter was playing with the ball that she has-its like a web of rubber so that she can get a really good grip on it-its actually the dogs but she never looked at it so now its abbys-ANYWHO the dog comes over and lays next to me as im playing with dd. she turns and starts hitting the dog with the ball, over and over. ill interject here that shes 10 months.

i took the ball away from her and said "no, no, we dont hit our poodles, we pet them like this" as i was petting the dog. after she finished her mini-tantrum (shell be fun at 2! ) she started to pet the dog like i was so i gave her the ball back at which point she slammed the ball into the dogs back, looked at me and giggled.

its not so much as the hitting the dog as it is the giggling that accompanies it, as shes looking right at me. i took her up stairs away from the dog, and the ball at this point and the incident was forgotten, but are there any other ideas out there or do i just keep reinforcing that we dont hit the dog and moving her away?

[cmb123]

Originally Posted by MissAbbyRosesMamma

are there any other ideas out there or do i just keep reinforcing that we dont hit the dog and moving her away?

I would just keep doing what you are doing at her age. She's just a baby. I would tell the dog is not for hitting (or what ever it is you say) and remove her from the situation so the dog doesn't get hurt.

[lactivist]

We had the same problem (and still do sometimes) and the thing I found that works better than saying "no hitting the dog" is to say "Gentle, gentle" and then model how to touch the dog. Whenever I say No .... anything all my toddler hears is the .... anything and does that exact thing. I try to come up with things that will point him in the right direction from my first words. If he is standing on the couch I say "sit please, the couch is for sitting". I also watch very carefully when he is around our dog (she is little) and I want him to never get away with being mean to the dog so I am really vigilant. Consistency is the main thing. Good luck!
Wendi

[Diane B]

Originally Posted by MissAbbyRosesMamma

now i know your all going to say shes sooo young! BUT i know she knows what she is doing is wrong...

Nope. She doesn't. Not yet. She is learning that when she does X that Y happens, but that's about it. She doesn't yet have a conscience, or a clear grasp of rules and limits, or impulse control (which was clear when you gave the ball back - she just couldn't handle it.) Have you considered just putting the ball away for a while? Also, the advice to tell my daughter what TO do, rather than what NOT to do was really helpful when it came to the pets. We started on "gentle hands" at about 9 months of age, and after a few months, we didn't have any more trouble with rough pet treatment.

Please don't be worried about what lies ahead. I LOVE having a two year old - it's a wonderful age full of exploration and language and learning about the world. I think if you can see your daughter developing her will and intelligence and sense of self as a very positive thing, it will help you problem-solve the day to day challenges.

[MissAbbyRosesMamma]

thank you all!

Originally Posted by Diane B

Please don't be worried about what lies ahead. I LOVE having a two year old - it's a wonderful age full of exploration and language and learning about the world. I think if you can see your daughter developing her will and intelligence and sense of self as a very positive thing, it will help you problem-solve the day to day challenges.

i already love watching her as she figures things out! i just worry that she has her daddys temper! i suppose we will deal with those times when they come. other than that shes perfect (im not biased!!!) :