New Dog with Baby

We've had several dogs with our babies, and they all behave a little differently. The first dog was a dalmatian and he was so sweet and gentle. He seemed to know the difference between children and babies and treated them accordingly. The second dalmatian was different. He wanted nothing to do with the babies, but loved children. When I would bring the babies into the room, he would leave. He never tried to hurt them, he just always left the room, but if a pre-schooler or older was around, he was all about running and playing ball or chase or whatever. Our third dog is a black lab, and she's so laid back. My two year old loves to kiss and hug her and she just sits there. The occaisional poke in the eye or ear pull doesn't phase her a bit. Our fourth dog is a dalmatian/beagle mix. She's a little testy with the baby. I have to watch her, but she's a little strange with everyone. We got her when she was 2 and I'm not sure what sort of life she had before she came to us. She snapped at the baby once and I yelled at her alot and sent her from the room. She has never done it again, but I can see when she's had enough hugs and I remove them from the situation. I find that yelling at the dogs and sending them to another room works best when they have done something I don't like. I can't hit hard enough to hurt the lab, but when I yell at her, she looks devistated. Continue to work with the new dog. Praise her good behaviors and scold the bad ones. She'll figure out what you like and don't and how she should act. Dogs are very smart, especially shepherds. They also have opinions and past experiences just like people. Some love babies and children, and some don't. As your baby grows their relationship will change. Your dog will find that as the baby gets big enough to throw a ball, he will become way more tolerable and maybe even a good buddy and fun to be around. Good luck, the relationship between a boy and his dog is one of the most precious in the world.

I read an article a couple years ago by an animal trainer who stressed the importance of training dogs to see ALL humans in the house as above them in the pecking order of the "pack" even the babies. dogs are naturally pack animals and the way dogs "discipline" unruly puppies is to nip at their noses--which of course is dangerous for human babies. If you want to keep a dog it is essential that you have good obedience training--probably best to work with a professional. I personally would not have a new dog with a baby so young--better to wait until all kids are at least 4 or 5 yrs old so they can better understand how to behave with a dog.

I think you have a wonderful dog. One week is not nearly enough to determine temperment.

I do sort of agree that chows are more prone to biting, bad behavior (this is from my experience having worked for veterinarians) but that doesn't mean your dog is going to be that way.

Be thankful you might have a dog that is protective. You won't have to worry about someone harming your baby.

Just give it time and maybe shut or lock your dog in another room at times, so it learns who is boss.

Your dog is doing just as she should she is looking out for the little one. Relax and enjoy her and she will blend in perfectly. My Black Lab and I was so close that I called him my brother until I was about 11 years old.He died when I was 17 , broke my heart, but I wouldn't trade a second of my life with my dog.

Our dog is very protective of our children, more so the baby. Just watch and supervise the interaction. If the dog is too protective with family around you could buy a cage and put the dog in when family comes over. We do that with ours sometimes. Give her some time to get adjusted to the house and family. This may not be her second home it could be 3 or 4. Good luck.

Chows are responsible for 80% of all dog bites (according to my vet). I had a friend that had a German Shepherd that became so protective of the baby that the dog would growl at the mother when she tried to pick up the baby. They had to give him away (the dog, not the baby haha).

Anyway, I agree that the breed of the dog dictates how they behave. Just be careful. My best friend just a bad experience. Her dog bit her son out of nowhere, right on the mouth. They had to rush him to the er...and this dog had been around the baby since he was born. Not trying to scare you, but just be careful. I have a 9 month old myself and a lab dog. Once when the baby pulled the dog's ear, the dog snapped. Thank goodness she didn't bite, just a warning snap. So now I watch like a hawk when the dog and baby interact. The next time the dog snaps, the dog has to go. Hopefully it won't come to that, but better safe than sorry. Talk to your vet about all this. They would have good tips I bet. Good luck!

It would really help to have some idea of what breed the dog is. Some breeds are more protective. We've had several dogs over the years, our current pup insists on following me around all day, but he's part austrailan Shepard so he's a herder, so this behavior is normal for him. He also barks to get our attention, be it he needs to go out or someone is outside or he just wants to play. Again it's a breed issue. Could be that your dog does not like to see your son in a "cage" or "strangers" picking him up, it might never stop completely, you might always have issues with new people around or a new sitter but over time your pet is going to see that no one is hurting your son and adjust to the people that are around often. Also if this dog was adopted from the pound and not a friend you can never be sure how they were treated or what they saw, and like people this can influence their behavior. good luck!!

NEVER trust an animal completely with little kids. I have a little schnauzer that is so loving, but when I have the grandkids over I let them see her and pet her while I am close by and then I lock her upstairs so they can run and play and I don't have to worry about anything happening. All it takes is a child to accidently grab the dogs eye or pull his hair or scare him when he is sleeping; and the dog could lash out and cause a major injury to a child. I also let my grandson feed her food each time so that the dog is loyal to him also. (won't bite the hand that feeds him).

This dog you have is skittish. Closely supervise and if she does something you don't like, firmly tell her "no". Remove her from the room or house if she seems nervous. You don't know what this dog has been through so you should be extra cautious with her.

Please, Please give her some time to settle in. She is showing normal dog responses to her situation. She is in a new environment, and no matter how loving you are to her, imagine having your life uprooted, put into a strange home with strange people, and expected to be everything these strangers ask of you without knowing the rules. I got our dog in 2000, before we were married, our son was born in 2002, and she would put herself between the baby and my step-daughter the first few times until we told her it was ok. She was doing her job, protecting the family. Step-daughter was 15 and didnt live with us. When our 2nd was born she would sleep at the cradle when the baby slept, or just lay there until she awoke. Watching out. Our dog is also a Boxer mix, with what I wont say out loud, lets say it was the #1 family dog back in the fifties, think of Petie from the Little Rascals:-). Best dog in the world. Got her out or a shelter also, to this day think she was a truckers dog, every time she sees a Big -Rig she gets overly excited, I think she remembers, so your dog is going through a traumatic time. It might helpto put an undershirt of the baby's with her where she sleeps, so gets used to scent, I did this with all my dogs and all 3 of my kids over the years, and never had a problem with any of my dogs, and I have been through 4 dogs with my kids, ages 18-alomost 4,( my youngest passed away at 75 days to SIDS, almost 4 years ago). Just watch very closely, our son is almost 7 and I still keep on eye on them, son likes to lay on dog, which can be painful, but they are the best of friends, cant even imagine his broken heart when she goes. Shes over 10 already. I have had shelter dogs all my adult life I am 41, with love and patience, never had a "bad" one. I do not believe in "breed stereo-typing", it is in the raising. Best of luck to you, please give the poor friend a chance, a year, at LEAST 6 months. Dont put your son in danger, of course. Training. You will find they will also become the best of friends. God Bless you for adopting a shelter dog. You will be blessed with many years of happiness and memories.

It sounds like your dog and the baby are both trying to understand their each other. Your dog doesn't seem like he trusts the child or understands why he does different things. The dog needs to be socialized to children.

When my pets, I hold them down, put them on a leash or hold their collar to make them stay. I let the pet smell the child or adult's hand. I let the person gently touch the animal to see it's okay and there's nothing to be scared of. Give the dog encouragement, tell him it's okay, etc. Perhaps even give him a bite of his food or a treat and a reward.

At the same time, you have to teach your child how to be gentle and treat the dog. Kids grow up thinking dogs are a horse, try to wrestle them, pull on appendages, poke them, etc. Show your child how to gently stroke the dogs head and back, not to pull or lean on the dog. Both the dog and the child need to learn how to play. Show the child how to throw the dog a toy and wait for the dog to bring it back. I trained my dog to drop the toy in front of me if she wants to fetch. If she wants to play tug-of-war, I told the kids to hold the toy but not pull or try to get the toy away. The dog might try to reposition the toy in his mouth and bite your hand. So... I never pull back. I just hang on. If the kids want the dog to let go of the toy and fetch, I tell the kids to grab another toy and show it to the dog. The dog will want the new toy and drop the old one. I throw the new toy and the dog chases it, fetches and brings it to me. Some people try to teach their dog to "drop" or "release". I haven't found that too effective for my puppy since she really wants to play and refuses to give up...lol. Switching out toys seems to work better.

I went through tons of toys, dog bones and treats to figure out what was most effective to get her attention and prevent chewing. I also had to make sure her toys did not resemble any household items such as shoes, socks, blocks, pacifiers, figurines, stuffed animals, etc., so she wouldn't try to eat my things or my children's toys. For the most part it's been pretty effective. I keep tons of her toys around the house, so even when she's starting to eat a kids toy I can quickly throw Rose Petal her toy. (She has eaten 4 pairs of my heels and I can't quite figure that out...lol.)

My doggy really likes ropes and squeaker toys inside toys. I can't stand the loud sounds of squeakers, so I buy a hard squeaker ball that is wrapped in a heavy canvas. Sometimes there are rope or pieces of canvas hanging off of it for the dog to pull on, called a Kong Wubba.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3206977

My little Rose Petal has the sharpest teeth and can destroy a new toy in minutes, but these little squeaker balls seem indestructible. She also likes tennis balls. Some dog toys have tennis balls inside them, which even when the arms and legs fall off the tennis ball generally remains intact (at least a bit longer).

Fyi... the nylabones and rawhide bones are not really good for dog digestive tracks. The real ham bones and pig bones tend to last longer and they are all natural.

http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?f=Taxonomy%2FPET...

My friend bought his golden retriever a leg bone that was like a foot-and-a-long long. That thing lasted quite a while. The dog stopped chewing up shoes, furniture and toys immediately. Also, when dogs act up, you can quickly throw them that bone and they can expend some of that energy.

I think that by my kinds putting food in the bowl, giving my dog treats and presenting toys to my Rose Petal, that she has learned to trust them more. I use those opportunities to teach my boys to be gentle, pet nicely and not lean or sit on the dog.

I think the dog is just curious about the baby, probably never been around a smaller child. I think it's good that she's being protective over him, that just means she will look out for him. Hopefully after a while the thrill will settle down and she'll be fine about other people around him. Good Luck!