Mitzi: the Devious Diva Dog

You've gotten some really great, thoughtful responses! Thanks mamas for not telling her to put the dog down! That said, we had a Mini Schn. growing up and it was not a good situation for any of us - there were 6 kids all under ten who loved to tease so Heidi really had to defend herself. I am covered with dog bite scars but I blame myself and my parents for not teaching us how to treat her. I think children and small dogs can co-exist, but it will take work on both their parts. If your boys want a dog to really play with/rough house with, I would consider getting a lab or some other large breed and place Mitzi in a family with older children or no kids - it's the only fair thing for her. And being only 16 months old she will adapt to a new home more easily than when she's older. Beware of large dogs too, some breeds are much better with kids - do your research. However all dogs have their own personality and even mellow breeds have their lemons. Good luck!

You and your husband have serious concerns. On one hand my opinion is: "any dog that bites a child has to go", on the other hand I see some issues with the way you and your children handle the dog, so I would give Mitzi one more chance, if, and only if you can commit to staying firm and everyone is on board adhering to the rules.

So you went to puppy class and had a trainer in your home and yet, you five year old was carrying the dog around? Did the dog whisperer not mention that dogs need to know their place in the pack and it needs to be at the very bottom of the pecking order? Why was he carrying the dog in the first place would my question be...?

Discourage your children from treating the dog like a puppy (she isn't any longer) a baby or a toy. No carrying around, no romping around with the dog etc. - it's all cute and fun until someone gets bitten. Encourage appropriate play and activity like retrieving a ball, walking on a leash, obedience, agility... under your supervision ONLY.
Crate train your dog and crate hime when you are not supervising, the kids are romping around or you have guests. Since he has bitten before (and we can call it nipping to be cute, but it is really just biting), I would not trust him around strangers. It's a liability, even if he is small, you can still get sued if he bites one of your son's friend.
So I would say if you can commit to treating the dog like a dog and not a baby or family member, you may have a chance to turn it around - if not I would suggest getting some stuffed animals. Pets are not toys and if not handled appropriately any pet, even a gerbil, will bite.
Good luck!

These situations are always so frustrating and heartbreaking - I sympathize completely.

Lots of great answers so far, and as a practicing veterinarian, I totally agree that the kids need to not be carrying Mitzi at this point; crate training and removing her from potentially dangerous/stressful situations (ie playdates) is also necessary.

I would strongly suggest trying to find a certified behaviorist (http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-dir...) or veterinarian with behavior expertise (http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/index.php?option=c...) to consult with; some behaviorists have phone consultations available if there is no one in your area.

In the meantime, make sure you have the basics down with her - ie sit, stay, down, etc., and try to approach her with a "Nothing in life is free" philosophy (http://www.sspca.org/Dogs/TANSTAAFL.html).

Lastly, if you feel you just don't have the time or the resources to devote to training/behavior modification, don't feel bad...this will take a lot of effort and cooperation from the whole family, and unfortunately, she may just not be the right dog for you. As previous posts have mentioned, a new home with older kids, or without children, may be better.

Hope this helps - feel free to ask me more questions!

Well first off she is a mini schnauzer. Isn't this a skittish breed? All mini schnauzers I have ever met have not been good with children.
Why is your 5 year old is allowed to carry her?? Dogs have legs. No more carrying Mitzi. Have your son get a treat and call her to bed.
Give the command, Go to bed! then treat her.
I would start looking for a new home for Mitzi. She shouldnt' be in a home with children, in my opinion, but I am also a big dog person and own shepherds.
YOu have tried We had to put a collie/shepherd down for takign a bite out of a friend of my sons. It was sad but he was a dog and became dangerous. Please do something now before Mitzi becomes too dangerous around your small children.

I would contact the trainer or trainers you've been working with and talk with them. Personally, a 5 year old should NOT be carrying a dog around, even if it is small enough. The dog can get hurt, frightened or annoyed, leading to the dog feeling the need to defend itself. Dogs need to learn to tolerate some manhandling from kids, but also kids need to learn what is not acceptable with dogs and what can provoke a dog to bite. Perhaps the lessons that were taught before need to be reinforced again and a return visit from the "dog whisperer" is warranted.

As for when the kids have friends over, the dog can always be kept in another room if need be.

Oooh, you've already tried so many great ideas with her and to have her relapse is such a shame.

From my understanding, dogs are amoral, meaning they don't know right from wrong. They do understand safe from unsafe. I think body language and eye contact are so huge when training an inside dog. We had one dog nip at our youngest. Thank goodness I was right there when it happened. I picked up my daughter instantly, hugging her, checking her, giving her lots of attention, then turned on my dog with the sad eye, turned my should towards and told her very sternly she can never, never do that again. I made sure she had her tail between her legs. She was a border collie though and very smart. It never happened again.

Is it possible your dog was not expecting to be put down by your son so was not prepared for the change and nipped to let him know that was a bad move? Meaning Mitzi feels comfortable enough in the pack to train him how she wants to be treated. I know many people will say they would never allow that. And I would say, you need to teach your children responsible body language and care for the dog, she's clearly smaller. And if it does happen again, then you are safe finding her a different home, hopefully one w/o children.

We bought a mini Schnauzer about a year and a half ago when she was about 6 or 7 weeks old. I did a lot of research before hand to determine which breed would be best for a family with small children. Everything I read seemed to indicate that a mini Schnauzer was the perfect breed for those with little kids. Boy was I wrong. She is irritating, hyper, and yappy. My kids are 2 and 4, and if they weren't so attached to her I would probably get rid of her. However, while she does get over-excited, she has never shown aggression towards them at all. My four year old is in charge of putting the dog away when we leave in the mornings for work, and always leads her to the laundy room by her collar. She knows not to try to carry her, or she might get nipped at. They know to play nicely with Molly, and to not be rough with her because she doesn't like it. But she is never aggressive deliberately. I have, however, seen a mini Schnauzer draw blood on an adult - this one truly was aggerssive, so I know that with this breed it really could go either way. Ours, though very annoying at times, really does have a sweet disposition. I would try to determine the motive behind your dogs' biting - is she just acting in self-defense, or is she truly an aggerssive dog? Maybe determining this will help you make your decision. Good luck!

You may want to see if there is a behaviorist in your area if the trainer that came into your home was not one or try another trainer or the same one again for a refresher. She is still young and it could have been a playful nip, an ouch the way he was carrying her or set her down hurt or pinched or startled her, or more meaningful. Things to think about was it over being carried, set down, her bed, food, treats, toys etc? If it was because of her bed, food, toys it can be the possession and guarding. It is possible without meaning to, of course, that when your son was setting her down she came down harder on one leg, or got a little pinch somewhere. It also depends was it a true bite, a little nip, accidental grazing with the teeth? We have a lab with a gentle mouth, but every now and then she will get fingers when we are playing, usually around water (swimming seems to make her forgot many of her manners). Like all things there are going to be some ups and downs with training, so if the maturity was recent it may just be a down again. Until you figure it out I would probably not let your son carry her around and teach her to follow for a treat or something fun.

That is great that you took a puppy class with the boys, make sure to continue to use positive methods and reward any and all good behavior that you can. It may help to take another class that is more advanced too just to give her something to do. Another thing if it happens again it may be worth a vet check to make sure nothing is hurting -limbs, upset stomach, etc. It sounds like you have done a lot of work with Mitzi already so it may be worth it to at least talk to the trainer you had before and have them come back out, if you liked their methods, for a refresher.