Stopping DD from bullying mum's dog

[Mum2SweetCs]

Hi All,
Mum's dog (which i have grown up with as well) is a placid maltese. DD on the other hand loves to pick on him. When he's lying around (he hates her so he generally avoids her) she would try to kick him! pull his tail! He does the growling noise and then moves to another spot.

We tell her not to do it it but she sneaks up and does it sometimes. He ignores her. BUT There is just so much a dog can take! I am just scared one day he is going to snap and maul her!!!!!!

So how do i stop this behaviour when i have tried telling DD calmly, timeout, yelling (not good but sometiesm i feel sorry for our dog)

So what else can I do to stop DD from bullying mum's dog?? PS mum babysits DD at her house now so they need to get along.

Thanks

[Peach*]

How old is your DD? I know with our DD she was yanking on our cats fur soI would grab her hand and stroke it over the cat constantly saying 'gentle gentle gentle'. Now she has gotten the point (most of the time) Although if your DD is say 3 maybe this wont work...
Instead of waiting to see DD yank fur when she is on her way I would intercept and show her to be nice to our cat.
HTH

[krysalyss]

Having access to a dog is a luxury. If she is not going to be gentle then she should have her dog time privellages taken. Our 2 yr old is usually pretty good but occasionally he is rough with our dog (who is a lot bigger but a real sook). Often he is looking for our reaction when he stands on his foot etc. When that happens DS goes straight into his bedroom. I am not a big believer in time out but I also have responsibilities to keep my dog safe so will do it in these situations. I then explain why he is in there. I make him stay there while I check my dog to 'see if he needs to go to a dr' (if he has been really rough) and then when he is allowed out he is not allowed to go near our dog for a while. He does love our dog but it is a stage, and you are right in being worried that your dog may eventually react by biting. All animals have their point that they will tolerate.
If you really can't stop her then the dog needs to be able to go somewhere that your DD is not allowed. That way he can control how much time he spends with her and be able to retreat to get away rather than having to resort to biting. You don't mention your daughters age but perhaps she is just too young to understand that she is hurting the dog?