pingy dingy Lee, Catriona (x-posted)

I wonder what you might suggest to this parent. She has a sheep farm
and her toddler is currently chasing her dogs and hitting them where
he used to be gentle. She did just have a baby as well and he is
hitting and throwing things at baby and at grandma too.

enigma...

i don't think she's being consistant (she's tried everything,
but it doesn't say she picked one & tried it more than once or
twice). i also strongly suspect that he's acting out because he

toto...

Yeah, I agree with this. I did post an answer about what I would do
for the hitting and throwing.

is jealous of the baby & this is a *great* way to get attention.
so... i suggest she pick a consequence (i don't think time-outs
work very well on 2.5 year olds though) & use it immediately
*every single time*.

toto...

Yep.

i also think she needs to find or make time for one on one
attention for the toddler.
anyway, this all seems like perfectly normal, if aggravating,
behavior of a toddler that has to share his mommy's attention
with a baby. the mother notes that this all started about 3
months ago... which is about when a 6 month old baby gets
mobile...
i think the mom needs more backup from the other adults in the
house & to spend time alone with the toddler, without the baby.

Caitriona Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe...

I totally agree with this.

as far as the dogs, i don't quite understand why the working
dogs are in the house... no, they shouldn't be crated all day,
nor should they be gotten rid of, but working sheep dogs really
should be *with* thier sheep.

Caitriona Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe...

Depends. If they're herding dogs, she may be keeping them closer to
her all the time, so they bond with *her* as opposed to the sheep they
are herding. If they're guard dogs, they should be with the sheep most
definitely.

Our two pyranees live out with the sheep and goats. But our border
collie only goes out with the sheep and goats when we go out with the
sheep and goats. Same with Xena (mastiff-rottweiler-chow mix). She
goes out when we do, walks the perimeter, makes sure her scent is all
over the barnyard and the barn, walks the perimeter again, then
criss-crosses the pasture. When she's done with all that, she comes
back to the house, which is her primary area to guard.

maybe mom should consider how she trained the dogs when dealing
with the kid ;)

toto...

I was looking for advice about the dogs as I am not a dog person and
have no idea how that works. Thanks, Lee.

Caitriona Mac Fhiodhbhuidhe...

Yep. :-)

lee