What would you do if you've had a dog since it was a puppy, then you had a baby and.............?

Question

....the dog suddenly growls at the baby (sometimes showing teeth) when the baby is around the dog sometimes?

~Would you give the dog away even tho you''ve had it for years....since it was a puppy
~Would you get dog some obedience training?
~Or would you just risk it and just try as hard as you can to keep the baby away from the dog?

Thanks everyone who responded and did NOT call me an idiot.....it's not even MY dog I'm talking about...sheesh.

Answer 1

Train the dog to respect the baby as a pack leader. First, your dog will have to respect YOU as pack leader.

All dogs can be trained.

"It's only a dog." ???? Are you people serious? You take on a pet to care for and then throw it out because you haven't trained it properly?

!

Answer 2

the last resort would be to give the dog a new home. I would try some obedience, and domination. I believe your dog is trying to show the baby it is dominate to the baby. Put a leash on your dog while in the home and when he growls of bares teeth twards the child step on it so it forces him down into submission.

your baby is first though obviously and if the dog doesnt get it he needs a new home

one thing we did was to let the dog smell the babies cloths and get used to it. we also allowed them t o sit obediently and sniff the baby, the baies bed, our bed, and whatever else.

it seemed to help that the dog associated our smell with the baby smell

Answer 3

I would find another home for the dog. That's because if the animal shows jealousy of the baby, it'll only get worse. My parents had a poodle when my older sister was born. The dog showed immediate jealousy and continue to behave this way even as she started getting older. Then it started to snap at her when she crawled around on the floor. The final straw came when the dog dropped a bone within her reach and bit her when she went for it. Then later on, my parents got a dachshund a few months before I was born. The dog absolutely hated me. I couldn't walk into a room without it growling at me. If I touched it or got too close, the animal would snap or bite me. It was not fun living in the same house as a dog that I had to go out of my way to avoid. I thought dogs were supposed to love the members of their families uncondionally but this one didn't. I have to admit that I was the only one who wasn't sad when it died. I was actually more relieved. No more being growled at for doing nothing more than walking into a room and no more getting bitten.

Answer 4

how badly does the dog growl??
do you tell the dog off for doing it?? and keep the baby away?? if so it could be the dog is jealous of the new arrival, so you got to treat the dog, like you did before the baby came, involve the dog with the baby if you can, maybe when you feed the baby give the dog a treat or something, its not the dog or the baby's fault, if you dont think its working, then give the dog to a gd home

Answer 5

i had a dog since it was 7 weeks old and when my daughter was about 7 months old decided that it was in the dogs best interest to be adopted by another family. my situation was a little different, my daughter was allergic and could barely breath because of the dog hair. in your situation i would say only because the dog is showing signs of aggression, it would be in the best interest of your child to possibly think of doing the same......its a hard decision to make either way and me giving my dog to someone else was devastating for me, i cried a lot! maybe try the obedience school first to see if this helps. there is no way possible that the dog and baby will never be around each other in the same home. good luck, you will make the right decision for yourself and family!

Answer 6

Have You ever heard of the dog whisperer....when the dog does this he is jealous....put him on the floor/ground on his passive side...do not hit...every time the dog growls push on the dog side...say no bad....hold the head of the dog while it is laying down in this passive mode ( muzzle it), now with the help of another adult...hold the child next to the dog....if it growl...tap it and say NO with firmness...the baby and the dog must be one...but YOU must show that YOU are pack leader..NOT the dog...this may take awhile to do...but if you don't want the dog bitting the baby...you must do this!

Answer 7

I had a similar experience but it was with two cats I'd had for years prior to having children. They did not take kindly to the baby and would hiss and scratch and once even bit her....as much as I loved those cats my child's safety was more important, so I had to give away the cats. It was a very hard thing to do. I would have done the same thing if it was a dog I'd had since it was a puppy.

Answer 8

Definitely don't leave them alone together unsupervised, but you should let the dog explore the baby's presence often and with postitive reinforcement when there's no growling.

The dog will get used to the baby. Give him time. Don't sacrifice your baby's safety, you shouldn't have to, but don't give up on your dog too soon either. Remember, he is a part of the family and was technically there first!

Answer 9

Get your dog some obedience training. You can't protect your child from everything that may growl at him or her, and hopefully you are attached to the dog. Keep them separated until Doggy is acting more like a proper pet, though.

Answer 10

obedience training then give the dog away if it growls at the baby