Growling when kids step near him

[CarlaS]

Okay, I need everyone's opinion on this. Porter has recently growled at my kids a few times. He has growled at my daughter when she accidentally bumped him while he was sleeping a few times. This doesn't really worry me, because its like once he wakes up and realizes where he is he is totally fine. Now Porter loves to curl up at our feet when we are sitting on the couch. The problem is, several times when my youngest has gotten off the couch (my son is 2), he's accidentally stepped on Porter's penis (ouch!!!!). Porter growled both times understandably. And now if my son even brushes against him when he gets off the couh, Porter will growl. Now, I haven't really been concerned, as it makes sense to me why Porter is growling. I've brought a bed into the livingroom for Porter to sleep on that is away from the couch so that he's not underfoot. I'm very vigilant and I'm training my children. However, my youngest doesn't fully get it. He never purposefully steps on Porter. Often, when Porter is curled up right against the couch, I don't think my son can even see that Porter is below. But then I checked out all these back posts on the board of similar situations and saw recommendations to seek out a behaviorist. Am I not taking this seriously enough? This is the only growling going on, we have no other issues.

[gmacleod]

From your description, I don't personally think a behaviourist is required - unless things change from the current situation, that is. The fact that Porter is growling is quite understandable since he's had a few painful encounters, and it is also a good thing. He's giving warning that he is uncomfortable and warning is a very good thing to have

Moving Porter's sleeping place is a very good idea and should help to remove the cause of the problem. You do of course need to supervise all interactions between your kids and Porter, especially since he's giving off warnings. But I'm pretty sure you're doing that anyway. I'd say keep a very good eye on the situation, do your best to ensure that Porter's 'space' is respected and see whether things improve as Porter regains a bit of comfort. Keep the behaviourist in the back of your mind though, should the growling continue or become more frequent.

[kassa]

I'd be concerned about the growling. Lots of dogs (and I daresay most boxers) take pretty hard blows from children (accidental or not) with a sense of resignation. They get up and move away. It might just be that the dog has less patience than most, or each of these times was hurt in a particularly painful way fresh out of sleep, etc., but I'd reinforce basic training, and incorporate the children into working with the dog as much as possible. If the dog gets cookies only from the children, the children will move up in status in the dog's eyes. Of course this is harder to accomplish with a 2 year old.

I'd monitor all their interactions closely. This is just as much for the dog's benefit as the children's.