Hi there. Our family adopted a young stumpy-tailed ACD from our local rescue this past summer. She has been great, with the exception of one issue. She does not like our kids, 4 and 8, to get in her face. She will send out small warning bites and growl. Not nips either. I am worried that this could be an escalating situation. I don't have the bandwidth or time to police her dog bed 24 hours a day. Any thoughts? She has picked up other training lessons very quickly, but her biting response is something else altogether. Any thoughts?
Hello Indie, and welcome to Breedia. It sounds as if your ACD has never been socialised to children. For safety's sake, you are going to have to control her exposure to them, and allow her enough time to gradually learn that they are not a threat. Would it be possible for you to move her bed to an area that can be separated from the children, unless you are there to supervise? A baby gate can be a useful way of making sure that she does not become isolated, and she will be able to watch the children play from a safe distance. The children also need to understand that when your dog is lying quietly, it is important that she should be left alone.
Does it only happen when she is in bed? If so, two solutions - one, train the kids, the other put her bed in a place that is inaccessible to them
