Toddler suddenly TERRIFIED of sleeping and the dog?

Question

I have a 2 y/o who has always been a happy & content to go to sleep at night. My daughter was adopted from China at 13 mos. & we have had no problems with bonding? attachment.

3 days ago, I noticed that she was suddenly scared of our dog, but just enough to come over to me if the dog walked into the room.

Then we had Thanksgiving with 15 people in our home. She was still scared of the dog & that night she would not fall asleep. After about 3 hrs, I gave up and put her in bed with me.

Yesterday, she was with a babysitter from the time she woke up until late afternoon. Now, she was TERRIFIED of the dog & she was very despondent like her personality had disappeared. Again, terrified to go to bed & I finally gave up & let her sleep w/me.

Today, still scared of the dog and I physically couldn't get her in her crib b/c she was clinging & crying & fighting me so hard.

Obviously, something happened w/the dog, but she can't tell me about it. HELP! I don't know what to do.

Answer 1

If she will not tell you what happened then try getting a toy dog and a doll and see if she will "show" you what happened. Sometimes children can communicate by acting out things better than talking about it. Also you might want to ask the adoption agency if anything involving a dog might have happened before you adopted her. She might have not been old enough to associate something that happened to her with another dog and "you're" dog until now.Good luck.

Answer 2

Thats an unusual one, yet who's conventional with what's in a dogs's suggestions! shop up an encouraging tone and make contact with the dogs to you previous the grate. praise her effusively and provide her a seem after at the same time as she takes a step ahead contained in the route of you. do not provide her a seem after at the same time as she's stopped or huddling on the floor, and do not praise her for doing that both or you'll make the placement worse - timing is each and every ingredient. it is going to take time, yet at very last she'll associate going previous a grate with something staggering taking place, and study that there is nothign to stress about. interior the period in-between you'll experience like an fool making considered easily a spread of fuss over the dogs, in spite of the indisputable fact that the message will bypass in at very last. After a mutually as you ought to end the treats, and absolutely use praise. at very last you wont even pick that.

Answer 3

She is probably plaing on you. The first time she would not go to bed she was prob hyped up and now she knows she can get into your bed so she will keep doing it.

Maybe the babysitter was conceredned about her with the dog and she has got her fear from there. Spend time with the dog and her together and she will feel increasingly more comfortable.

And LEAVE her in her crib... she will eventuallt fall asleep your not helping the situatuin by putting her in ur bed

Answer 4

Obviously something did happen, but it sounds like she's figured out that she can get attention for being afraid!
Try making some fun time with the family dog. If she sees that the rest of the family is fine with the dog, she should eventually figure out the dog is nothing to be afraid of. Just make sure that you don't react positively to her fear unless the dog does something aggressive. ie: play with the dog, ignore your daughter's fear unless she's in danger, don't leave the two alone together anymore.
Children learn to be afraid, they aren't born that way.

Answer 5

Maybe she had a bad dream and the dog was in it.would just try to get her to understand puppy wont hurt,bite or anything of that nature.Let her see you play with the dog on the floor roll around hsve fun.Msybe the will ease her fears.