should i sell my dog?

Question

im pregnant and i have a 4 year old rottweiler i have only had him for a year and a half, he gets on great with my 8 year old daughter and my 4 year old son but with other people he dont know he growls at them. i love him but im not sure how he will react with a baby in the house. has anyone had the same problem?

i tried going to obedience classes but i kept barking at other owners.

crazygingerchick- you know nothing on how i got him, i was only ment to be looking after him for a friend but she done a runner, i love my dog and if he dont get on with the baby i wont sell him but i will make sure he goes to a good home.

Answer 1

I saw this same problem on a TV show, what they did was get a doll, a very life like baby, and treated it like a live baby to see how the dog reacted.
They worked with a trainer to train the dog to be calm around the baby which worked with a lot of time and effort BEFORE the baby came into the house.
It sounds like you need to consult a proffessional dog trainer to help with this.
And I wouldn't try it with anyones live baby either!

My dog is great with children, but when first introducing him to a friends baby he got very exited and over active, so we had to keep him restarined on the lead, and train him with treats to sit near the baby quietly.

It's not impossible, but it will need carefull handling and training.

Answer 2

If you introduce him sensibly to your baby then there shouldn't be any problems, your baby will not be a stranger, he/she will smell like you, I had 2 German Shepherds when I had both my children, I wouldn't have dreamed of getting rid of the dogs, in fact it never entered my head! They were excellent with the babies when they arrived, very protective but not overly so, When I came home from the hospital, I handed baby to my husband so that I could greet the dogs first, then when they had settled down I laid baby on the floor, and with very close supervision I let my dogs sniff baby from head to foot, so that the dogs were not excluded from baby, they accepted this new arrival completely! obviously you must never leave dogs and babies together on their own, though I was more concerned at what my snooty cat would do! I found her in the cot 1 day, so they cats to be watched closely as well! I don't think you will have a problem if you do things sensibly and you have already said he is good with your other 2 kids, why would a 3rd baby make a difference?

Answer 3

DONT feel bad - he sounds like a lovely dog but you have a lot on your plate - dont feel guilty either just try and rehome him - The growling is NOT a sign of "danger killer dog " - its a pretty NORMAL reaction to strangers and he is doing what a dog does naturally - if he is lovely with your current kiddies then you will be able to ask the local Dogs Trust (they dont put dogs to sleep unless ill ) to find him a suitable new home :) You can relax without that extra responsibility when your looking after your new baby ( congratulations!).....dont feel guilty though - your being a GOOD owner by deciding whats right for the whole family.

Answer 4

If you introduce him right he should be fine with a baby but never leave dogs and kids alone together.

Let him sniff the baby in it's cot first and say no in a harsh voice if he growls.Once he ignores it in it's pram let him sniff the baby as it's on your knee.By the time your baby starts to crawl he will realise it is the packs new puppy and be very protective of it.

Be sure he doesn't feel pushed aside though.Still make time to play with him and walk him.

Don't worry about him growling at strangers-he is being good watchdog.

Answer 5

Do you know how he reacts around babys?you need to see how he is with them if you dont know already,ask friends or family to come around with there babys if they have any,never leave your dog unsupervised with them but watch how he acts around them.A calm,contended dog is what your looking for,he should show some interest such as going over to have a sniff but then be happy to go away and do his own thing.He's obviously used to children around the toddler stage as your son is 4 and you've had the dog for a year and a half.Dont give up to easily on him just yet,get oppurtunitys to see him with babys and also see how he reacts when you have yours,it may well be that he ignores the baby.You will never know untill you try it so wait untill you know for sure.Good luck.

Answer 6

hi i dont think anybody would buy a four year old dog because you never know what they are going to react like i know you gotth dog 'second hand' but it does unsettle a dog when they are passed round i think you are great for having took him on tough i am not criticsing you. right now the thing about you being pregnant/dog adapting to new child e.t.c. i got my dog from a pup so i knew exactly how sew was treat all her life and she was great with oldre children but had never been round babies, when i had my little girl my dog got a bit jealous and gave the baby funny looks espicially when she started crawling and i was convinced my dog would injure my child so i just never left them alone together but i still made sure i gave my dog lots of attention.i never evan had them in the same room once my child could crawl because she would try and pull herself up on the dog now my little girl is 2 and my dog is a lot more used to her i let them play together but still never leave them alone, i suspect the funny looks my dog used to give her were just because the dog was frightened i would not want a dog any more or she was just curious but still its better to be on the cautious side rather than have your child attacked because you would never forgive yourself, and also my dog does bark and growl at other people thats just a sign your dog is protecting you which is good because it gives you the security of knowing if someone broke into your house your dog is going to stick up for you and i dont shout at my dog for doing so because i dont want to put her off doing it i only tell her off if she does it at family which she only does if she meets someone for the first few times once dogs get to know people they are usually a better judge of characater than most people!!!!! so if you love your dog which you do and with his age it would be hard finding him a new home i would say just keep him and be extremely cautious like me until your child is a lot older than mine because of the size dog you have, my dog is quite small staffie cross collie so your dog is a lot bigger, hope that helps and congratulations hope you have a nice quick birth.

Answer 7

I think you should see if you know any people with babies, and see how your dog reacts. We have a 1 year old son and when he first got home, our dog would never leave his side!! They are best of friends now. I hope you don't have to sell your dog. Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

As already shown your dog gets on fine with your other two children. I don't think you should sell him,when you have your baby, introduce it to your dog by holding your baby and having someone hold your dog on his lead, let him sniff the baby so that he recognises the smell. He should come to understand that your baby is part of the pack and should be ok with it. I'd wait and see what happens first,if it looks like it won't work out then you would probably have to sell him.

Answer 9

Oh Curtis..... thanks to be a traitor.... LOL i wager it doesn't be terrible... If I were you, i'd definetly upload a web page explaining the benefits of a raw eating routine, alongside with ordinary to adhere to preparation for begginers (i bump into this to be the most puzzling area of raw feeding, looking a newbie pleasant starting up web page). in case you DO verify to promote dogs food, in simple terms record the experts and cons. i'd stick with rates, as you've been watching. No corn. No wheat. No with assistance from-products. have you ever also regarded at Diamon, Canidae, or Blue Buffalo? perchance no longer the great, yet compared to grain free meals like EVO that regularly promote for 60-80$ a bag, they are nonetheless "proper cost" yet a touch more advantageous 'wallet pleasant' to the similar old dogs proprietor. BTW, Royal Canin is sh*t. i'm shocked you're even pondering it. proper up there with Hills, IMHO. Their entire promoting ploy is "breed particular". in truth, why do seperate breeds favor seperate meals? it really is a similar with pups could devour different then adults. a first rate food could cover all factors of ideal food and well being. Royal Canin is likewise a "scientifically suitable food". meaning it really is as a rule filler crap like corn and wheat, and then supplementations and synthetic supplementations, different chemical crap, to operate in the food. No offense, yet i'd somewhat my animal benefit food from genuine animal meat, no longer some synthetic supplement. My aunt orders Diamon on line because she lives in the approach NOWHERE, Hickville us of a (Indiana), and the nearest shop that sells puppy food is about 35 miles away. the proper form they promote is dogs chow. the nearest PetSmart, PetCo, or different tremendous departmental shop is virtually seventy 5 miles faraway from her.

Answer 10

If you're seriously considering selling your dog, it shows you're starting to decide it might be more trouble than it's worth. In that case, yes, selling him to someone who can give him the time, training and exercise such a large breed needs would probably be best. Remember you are going to be sleep-deprived and busy for months with your new arrival. Be kind to yourself, the dog, and the new baby, and find the dog a new home.