Dog growling at little children

Question
I have a 7 y.o. Golden Retriever I recently acquired through a rescue agency. He is an inside dog, and gets a bit of attention as I am home most of the day. I have noticed that he growls at small children when they first approach him, after which he tends to act like any other Golden. The growling worries me though - it is usually accompanied by a high level of nervous energy, shaking and sometimes whimpering. He is fine in every other situation -occassionally growling or barking at other dogs who approach him, never at adults. I think he did not have much socialization growing up (just a guess since there was no information available on him, he was a stray) and am not sure if that would help at this point in his life. Please help - not only are we considering our own children in the near future, but we have tons of nieces and nephews who would love to get to know him.  

Answer
Sasha, it would be best if you could find a good trainer in your area that has experience with aggression, and can work one-on-one with you and your dog. If you need help or advice on how to pick a trainer, let me know.

I will offer some advice, though. It sounds as if your dog is not comfortable around children - he may have been teased by children in his past. You need to teach him that children are good things! You can do this via use of a clicker, praise, and lots of treats, coupled with appropriate, well timed corrections. Clickers can often be purchased at pet stores, or your local shelter or rescue agency may be able to provide you with one. Teach him what the clicker means by simply clicking it and giving him a treat at different times throughout the day. These treats need to be 'special' treats - treats he doesn't get at any other time. Plain, cooked, boneless chicken breast cut into marble-sized pieces work well, as do Bil-Jac liver treats. Pup-per-oni is also good because you can break it up into small pieces. I use one of those cloth 'tool belts' you can get for $0.75 at Lowe's or Home Depot as my treat pouch, rather than spending $10 on a fancy one from the pet store. He should have NO interaction with children during this time; that includes even being able to see them. Periodically throughout the day, click the clicker and give him a treat. Repeat a few times in a row (with a few seconds to a minute between clicks - vary it up). If he's just sitting and staring at you, then wait until he loses interest in you before clicking and treating again. After a few times, he should start to look at you when you click the clicker, in anticipation of getting that treat. That's good. Sitting and staring at you just waiting for you to do it should be ignored. After a few days of this, you'll want to start doing it outside in your front or back yard. When he's looking at you every time you click the clicker, then you can start introducing the distraction of children in the distance. You will not need to give any corrections yet (and you might not need to give any at all even later on), but he should be wearing a properly fitted cloth or leather flat collar - no chain collars, harnesses, or head halters. You should have a 4 foot or shorter length leash made of cloth or leather. Again, no chain. You shouldn't need anything more than this even if you do need to give him a correction. Take him to the local park or school playground, and put to use what you've been teaching him. Right now, all he knows is that when he hears the click, he gets a treat. You want him to learn that when he sees children, that causes the click that gets him the treat. So in the end, children = treats. Start out far enough away so that he doesn't start to become nervous or otherwise affected by the children. If you can put a fence between you and the children it would be best, because then the children couldn't actually approach any further than the fence. You don't want children running up to him or petting him yet. Just tell them that he's in training and cannot be petted right now. Explain to them that they need to ignore him so he can learn. If they ask what he's training for, or what he's learning, tell them that he's just learning to behave even when there are things going on around him. You don't have to be rude, or say anything to make them fear your dog, but you do need to let them know that they may NOT approach him.

Ok. When you get to the playground or park or wherever you've chosen, make sure you have lots of treats and a hungry dog. Don't feed him that day so he will be eager for the treats. Take him out of the car and let him go potty if he needs to. Then just stand there and wait. When he looks towards the children in the distance click and treat (unless he appears nervous or raises his fur or barks at them). If he does appear nervous or upset, then you're too close. Back up further away until he is comfortable. Every time he looks towards the kids, click and treat and verbally praise him (tell him what a good boy he is, but don't get overly excited). Ignore any other behavior. Quit when you're out of treats. Put him back in the car and go home. Gradually move closer and closer to the kids as he is comfortable. Any positive interest in the children deserves a click, treat, and praise. After a few of these sessions, you can start to correct him if he shows aggression or other 'bad' behaviors. You still should not allow children within 3 feet of him, but if he has made the association that showing interest in the kids gets him praise and treats, and is consciously looking at them and then back at you, wagging his tail for his reward, then he is ready for a correction for inappropriate behavior. Again, if you can put a fence between the kids and the dog, that would be best. Keep praising and clicking and treating for any 'good' behavior towards the kids; wagging his tail, sniffing at them, etc. However, the moment he lifts his lip, stiffens up, and/or growls at them, you should say "NO" and give a strong leash correction. If you do not know how to give a leash correction, PLEASE ASK how.

Immediately after the correction, you may start praising again, providing his growling, posturing, etc. stopped with the correction. Don't click and treat until he looks towards the kids again, but you should verbally praise him as soon as you give the correction and he stops the inappropriate behavior. It may take a few weeks of this, but soon he should be WANTING to see kids because it gets him praise and treats! While you're working with treats, you will need to cut back on his food a bit so he doesn't become overweight, and so he will still be interested in the treats. If you feed him 2 cups per day, cut back to 1 3/4 or 1 1/2 cup per day.

I hope this helps you, but please let me know if I need to clarify anything for you.

Kristen