Progressive raise of rank of the child

After some time, our baby will present changes (among them a greater mobility) that could induce our dog to show himself a bit more serious with him, as it sees that the baby is growing to become a youngster.

The child may have to access to things that the dog feels are his. Don't forget that the sense of property, especially in the main breeds and mainly in those that stand out as watchdogs, is very fixed in them. The child might even touch its blanket, eating and drinking receptacles, be in his favorite corner of the couch, and even ask his masters to take him on arms.

If the dog would show a negative conduct over these changes the superior elements of the family will have to be whom will make him understand that determined attitudes will not be tolerated. Before the not yet logic for the dog, impossibility for the child to do it. For this reason, it is of vital importance that there exists a general consent in all the members of the family group, not only about the kind of conducts that deserve a reprehension to the dog. (or to the child being this the case), but also of how, when and who is going to apply it.

The behavior shown by the dog that are worth punishing will vary with the passing of time, but the moment and the way to apply the reprehension must always be the same.

The time to reprehend or punish has to be immediately after the action occurred. If not so, we run the risk that the dog won't plainly relate it with the act committed, which would make useless any reprehension against the dog and is almost best to forget the deed before applying a punishment out of time.

Except these extreme cases, as of aggression, the way must never change; only the intensity that will always have to be consistent with the bad deed done.

We are not exceptions to a direct aggression, and if this happens within the family's environment, it could be due to a lack of authority from the injured element with respect to the dog. The numerous inconsiderate acts that we can be object of by the animal, in a personal or collective way, will be sufficiently sanctioned with a verbal reprehension. Forget the ancient and ineffective ways, as to tying the animal, hitting or putting a muzzle on him, etc.

If this conduct is done to someone not belonging to the family's environment, the punishment should be the same, although it is not usually manifested because the guest is not part of the pack, and his presence doesn't imply any kind of rank loss for the dog. He might try to call the attention for the intruder is taking away the affection that should be expressed to him; he will do it by showing different kinds of attitudes like barking, growling, running wild, and many others.

As being logical for him to show this kind of behavior, you won't verbally reprehend him, unless that it is as part of this behavior he would manifest any type of aggressive reaction towards the guest. Lastly, and without entering in a contradiction with all the above exposed remember that a dog's behavior will never condition that of a human being farther than the logical and reasonable.