I would separate the dog from the kids to start. I don't allow dogs that bite to be near kids. I'm fine with the oldest walking him, under your supervision. Basically, a dog at the end of a tie-out with kids playing out of his reach is teasing him (unintentional) and could be a major part of his issues, IMHO.
Training him to not be aggressive: You need to interrupt his pattern before he gets excited. Once he gets to that point, it's no longer a training issue, but a bite/injury prevention issue, ie: getting him back under control. Nothing is learned and this behavior will be repeated.
Normal child behavior can get many dogs excited. Stomping feet, jumping, running, loud voices, etc are all triggers.
My Tink came from a home with 6 kids under the age of 12 years. She had also learned to bite, especially when playing with toys. She learned if she bites the hand holding the toy, she gets the toy. I had to retrain her how to play with toys, bite inhibition, and I had to get her to 'bond' with me. Once that was done, I let one child play for a very short time, and absolutely no teasing. It took 4-5 months of just me working with her, and then teaching the kids how to play and not tease her. During the initial part of her training, I did not allow kids near her. |