A Lesson in Pack Hierarchy from our Family to Yours
Pack Hierarchy
Lady is our now 2 YO Havanese female. This is our daughter.
I do attribute some of her excellent behavior to the pack hierarchy we have established in our house. Example when our daugher was 1.5, one day she pulled lady's hair for sport, and lady growled at her, I instantly scolded Lady, and put lady on her back, pinning her to the couch with enough pressure to hold her in place, but not enough pressure to hurt her.
Since that moment she has never done anything like that. (it goes without saying I also explained to our daughter that was not nice and she should give Lady a hug to appologize). I am quite comfortable sharing our experiences with our Havanese puppy/dog in the hopes that it may help other families with special needs children in them.
It takes a special family to properly care for a child with special needs, and likewise it takes a special dog. Lady has been perfect for our oldest child (7 YO with Cerebral Palsy) She often uses the couch as a platform to climb onto his wheelchair. She does treat him differently than our other children, so that demonstrates she is aware he is unique.
Post Tagged with companion special needs, Dog, for children with special needs, Havanese, Havaneser, Puppies, Puppy, s for people with special needs, special needs
[…] CAVEAT: If you have an older child that has anger tendencies, or might be prone to willfully inflict pain on a pet, then this may not be the best choice, as it may result in injury to the dog. Dogs are emotional beings, and all Havanese may not be as tolerant as our Lady is of Ethan. Informal Notes on the Pack Hierarchy of our family. […]