LOs and dogs

jlsimon56 · September 2012

Who has a dog? How are they with your LO?

My dog does not like kids. Growls at them. He's gotten a million gajillion times better since LO was born, but he's never going to let her lay on him like I see some dogs/kids doing. Now that LO is crawling around so much faster, she heads straight for him and he growls. We have to remind BOTH of them to stay out of each other's way.

Is anyone else dealing with this?

We rescued my dog when he was 7 or 8 months so we don't know what happened to him but I'm assuming it was something that makes him hate kids.

So far, it's just the growling. What other things should I watch out for?

I have a friend who's a dog trainer, so I will be asking her too.

Thanks!

gmc222 · September 2012

We have the exact same problem. I have 2 chihuahuas, one who is more friendly than the other. They are typically great with DD, but sometimes if they are resting in their bed and she comes over and starts pulling at them, she gets the same reaction you described with the growling and sometimes a warning 'nip' (not actually biting her, if you know what I mean).

We had a trainer come a few weeks ago and she suggested we remind them that she is higher than them in our pack....always let her inside the house before them, they have to ask to come up on the couch, etc. So far it seems to be working ok, but we still have to seperate them occasionally if she's very persistent and they aren't in a mood to be bothered. Good luck!

jlsimon56 · September 2012

Thanks! I talked to my friend, she is going to come over and see how they are together. He only growls when she crawls towards him, then he gets up and moves away from her. It's like a dance. We don't let her get close enough to touch him on her own (he would never let her get that close either). I will hold her and hold her hand to touch his fur so they both get used to each other. They are never "on their own" w/o DH or me in the room. We don't let LO in the kitchen, which is where his food/water is. We have a baby gate up. For the most part, LO ignores the dog so he'll lay happily by my side or over in the corner (he knows the command, "Go lay down"). He's a people dog (part Cavalier King Charles spaniel) so he just wants to be by us. That's a good call about making sure he sees her as higher on the totem pole. He's not allowed on the sofa and we always walk out the door before him....but LO is carried since she can't walk/stand yet. That will prob be easier once she can walk out the door herself. ALL good advice! Thank you! I wish my first born would love my second born as much as I love them both!

Leinistar · September 2012

We have a pug (had two but we lost one earlier this year) and picked the breed specifically with future kids in mind as the breed is known to tolerate small children well and be sturdy enough to handle kid roughness but still be a small breed. Both of them were amazing with the baby. The one we lost, she was more protective of him than Izzy is as far as she would always watch over him and lay next to him when he was smaller. She wasn't around once DS was mobile so I don't know how she would have been but I imagine she would be fine.

Izzy puts up with so much crap from DS I am always having to tell her what a good girl she is. DS crawls on her, pulls her hair/face/ears/everything, pats her, tries to sleep in her bed with her. I think he thinks he's a dog too. She rarely barks anyway but has never made a noise at all toward him. If he's too rough (and we are always telling him "be gentle" and showing him how to pet her and he's getting better) she'll just get up and walk away or go somewhere he cant get her (under the bed or on the couch).

Still even with how good she is with him, we still will never leave her alone with him. Animals are always animals and can change on you in a split second if something sets them off. To be honest, if we had a dog that showed signs of aggression toward our child, no matter how much we loved the dog, we would find another home for it. It's not fair to your child or the dog to have to deal with that stress and possible danger.

Mamapoo · September 2012

I have 2 dogs, an Irish Wolfhound/Mastiff mix, and a bichon.

Ronan, the big one, is his BEST FRIEND/ big bro. They love eachother. He gets his fur pulled, gets pulled up on, my son has started to think he's his own personal pony, etc.

Jewel, on the other hand, snaps at him for waddling next to her! She's not a fan. She used to just growl, but now she snaps near him when he walks by, and gets closer and closer to him. We have to keep them separate now.

My brother has a scar on his face from being bit by a dachshund when he was around 2, for stumbling near the dog.

Just watch for the dog having less patience with the LO, and try to give the dog it's own thing to do, and it's own little place that LO can't get to.

jlsimon56 · September 2012

Thanks for sharing your stories and advice! We aren't going to rehome the dog. We brought him into our family knowing that he'd be there for the long haul. He's ours now and we're his. My dog-trainer friend is coming over this weekend to work with us on some stuff and hopefully point out some of his triggers so we see them (from an outsider's view). He's 3.5yo now and he's certainly mellowed out but he's still very puppyish. He's home with my DH all day and I think he needs more stimulation to keep him entertained. My DH works from home so he can't babysit the dog the entire day, but it's not ridiculous for them to go on a walk and work on some simple commands so the dog knows who's boss around here (me!). Thanks again!

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