My dog hides from my niece. Should I pull him out? How to help?

Question

I have a small maltese poodle who is scared of my niece because she pulled his ear twice in different occassions. And now every time she comes he runs and hides under the bed. All my family members tell me to pull him out of the bed because my niece cries since she wants him. I do not want to make him uncomfortable so is it bad that they do sometimes pull him out? And how can I help him with his fear? (My niece is 2yrs old). Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | unneutered | 5 years and 2 months old

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that it would be best to not force Rocky to socialize again with your niece as this may cause a lot of stress and also could potentially put your niece in danger if for example he gets mad and uncomfortable and decides to harm her in any way. You can re-introduce him to her slowly starting by having your niece give him treats for him to start associating her with something positive. This should help. Best of luck!

My dog hides from my niece. Should I pull him out? How to help?

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