Dog is too rough with us, what should I do?
We have a puppy that is a lab mix. She’s a good dog, but she plays way too rough. Her eyes even seem to change. They get...I guess the word would be beady...and it’s really hard to get her back to under control. I don’t want to get rid of her but I also don’t want something really bad to happen. I have kids and she seems to be worse with them. Please help, i don’t know what to do so please give me tips to try, or should I just get rid of her? It breaks my heart. We can’t afford a dog trainer. Edit: I said I need helpful tips, not to get guilt tripped for thinking we aren’t a good mix for her. We sit and stand and do our best to train her and she still changes, nothing sets her off she just does it and she hurts us no matter what. I personally can get her to calm down if it’s just me and her but that isn’t ideal because we have kids and other animals. I don’t want to remove her from the family but I do want what’s best for her and everyone else involved. I know she is part of the family...why I have been trying to work with her!
Is there a trigger when this behavior occurs-maybe a noise or certain toy or type of playing ?
Hello Rachael. My first recommendation, based on your concern for your children's safety, is observed playtime between your dog and children by an adult. For now, only play with the dog with dog toys, do not wrestle with it, keep the pup on the floor and the humans on the couch or standing up.
It sounds like playtime is going a little too far and the dog is trying to establish its limits. Unfortunately, the way its doing so is not okay. It doesn't sound like you have a bad case, but more info about it's behavior would be welcome (does it bite, is it possessive of food, does it run a lot)?
Thanks Jennifer for your response. She does bite and it really hurts and breaks skin sometimes, she kind of is possessive of her food but she will let me pet her a little bit. She loves to run. She loves to pull us too and can make us fall. She knows how to sit and learning lay down. But when she
Seems to act different, it’s as if she won’t listen at all and just wants to hurt us