Dog Owners come in

libbyk86

Does anyone have experience with a dog(s) who didn't take well to LO? We have 2 dogs (one is almost 3 and one is 2.5) who we've had since puppies. When LO was first born they were interested, but quickly just kind of started ignoring her which was fine. Since she's gotten more mobile and more interested in them, they've been a little stand-offish. We always praise them when they are nice to her (licking her) or tolerant of her approaching them. However, since I've been home for the summer (thus more time around LO), each of them have shown some defensive/aggressive behavior on separate occasions. In both situations, they snarled at her and snapped, but didn't actually bite her. DD had approached them but wasn't pulling tails or grabbing, just standing there. I was right there both times, thankfully.

Has anyone dealt with this? Any tips? We're not in a situation financially to hire a dog trainer or anything like that, but I'd be open to reading any books, etc. that have worked for others. We're committed to making it work b/c the dogs are members of our family, too. I just want to get a handle on it before it escalates any further.  

babyhina1

We haven't had any problems with our dog. He loves her. My IL's dog on the other hand would growl at her and when she started crawling he nipped at her once. MIL use a cage to train him. When we come over and he growls at her he goes to the cage for 20 min. It has helped a lot and though he still occassionaly does it it is very rare anymore.

 

ETA: SHe covers the cage with a blaket while he's in there and only uses the cage for training purposes.

mandi7782

I understand that you are fond of your dogs, but this is YOUR CHILD!  They are not part of your family, they are DOGS.  I have 1 dog and she is very well behaved and we love having her around.  If she did 1 thing in an aggressive manor to DS she would be GONE!  End of discussion, she is a dog and will not put my son in danger.

 

just my 2 cents.

MrsPreK

Sorry I cannot be of much help, but whatever you do, do not post this over on the the pet's board in the nest....just say'n....

lyndym2006

I personally don't have any experience w/ this but I can offer you my opinion!  My dog is a member of our family too so I totally understand where you're coming from w/ that.  That being said, our dog tolerates DS.  He doesn't bark or growl at him, he just runs away from him everytime he sees him coming.  Lol.  The only thing I might try besides what you're already doing (which I think is a great way to help them know that being nice to baby is the right thing) is by putting them outside for a little while until they get the hang of it? Or just putting a gate up & keeping them away from your LO unless you're always around?  I have no idea but hopefully it won't take long & they'll be your LO's best friend!  Good luck!

one_more_girl

I would only give them a set amount of time to learn proper behavior around your LO.  My DH had two large dogs when DS and I moved in with him.  One was very skiddish, and even this type of behavior is a concern because it means their nerves are high and they could act out.  The minute he would put his tail down or let our a little growl in response to DS, DH immediately reprimanded him and put him in a position of submission (you need to force the dog to lay down on their side, head on floor until they relax)  by doing this you are showing your dog that you and your child are in a position of dominance.  Do not allow LO to touch the dog while you are doing this.  My BIL and SIL have a dog who growls at our children and has snapped at them before as well.  I know they will have to get rid of this dog when they have an LO because the dog has even nipped me for no reason.  You can also try shock collar training as well, but you have to make sure your LO isn't touching. The other idea is better to try first. The key is to immediately reprimand your dog because if you don't they won't associate the behavior with the punishment.  GL! 

MrsSandro

mandi7782:

I understand that you are fond of your dogs, but this is YOUR CHILD!  They are not part of your family, they are DOGS.  I have 1 dog and she is very well behaved and we love having her around.  If she did 1 thing in an aggressive manor to DS she would be GONE!  End of discussion, she is a dog and will not put my son in danger.

 

just my 2 cents.

Your 2 cents sucks. Really. Dogs can be members of the family. I feel for your dog.

 

Mrs.S-S

mandi7782:

I understand that you are fond of your dogs, but this is YOUR CHILD!  They are not part of your family, they are DOGS.  I have 1 dog and she is very well behaved and we love having her around.  If she did 1 thing in an aggressive manor to DS she would be GONE!  End of discussion, she is a dog and will not put my son in danger.

 

just my 2 cents.

THIS. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our dog and she is fantastic with DD - she is our other baby! But - if for some reason she ever got agressive with DD (like not just playing rough and not knowing any better but bit her, etc.) she would be going to live with my parents and I would visit her on weekends.

libbyk86

Thanks for your feedback ladies. We're continuing to work on it and definitely not leaving baby and doggies unsupervised. Neither of our dogs have EVER been aggressive before; I honestly think that it's just them feeling nervous about being approached by her. It has literally been one occurrence with each dog. For each of those one occurrences, there have been dozens of encounters in which they've just gotten up and walked away when she got too close for their comfort. 

Obviously if I ever felt like it was becoming a dangerous situation, I would put my LO's safety before our dogs. 

 

mandi7782

MrsSandro:

mandi7782:

I understand that you are fond of your dogs, but this is YOUR CHILD!  They are not part of your family, they are DOGS.  I have 1 dog and she is very well behaved and we love having her around.  If she did 1 thing in an aggressive manor to DS she would be GONE!  End of discussion, she is a dog and will not put my son in danger.

 

just my 2 cents.

Your 2 cents sucks. Really. Dogs can be members of the family. I feel for your dog.

 

 

Don't feel sorry for my dog, she is loved and well taken care of.  I just don't consider her part of our family, she is our family dog.  I had another dog,  chihuahua, and he showed some aggression towards DS.  I gave him to my parents.  It was really hard to do but R is way more important to me than my dog.