Baby hating dog!

[B00]

My dog (6 years old) hates my baby. It wasn't really a problem up till now as he ignored her, literally blanked her. However now she's crawling and insists on crawling up to him. This morning he was in his bed and she crawled up ( before i could stop her) and he growled and snapped at her. Luckily it appeared to be just a warning snap and he didn't bite or even touch her. However ~I'm terrified of it happening again.

How can I get him to tolerate her?

[commoner]

..hmmm....IMHO you will NEVER be able to COMPLETELY trust your dog with the baby.....you obviously will love your dog but the unpalatable fact is that more than one child has suffered disfigurement and worse at the hands of a jealous canine.......those teeth were designed for..well..to be brutal...for killing.You must do something NOW......today even, to make sure they can't come into contact with each other..you owe it to your baby....remember YOUR words "before I could stop her"..........don't let it happen again......Maybe your parents or a friend could foster the dog for a while if parting with her would be too painful.

 So sorry to sound so hard, but don't live to regret your actions.........commoner

[mycatis]

Really sorry Boo but my son's best friend had a dog for years and one day last year in bit my son on the face in the garden, he had to get 8 stitches. I (and my son) insisted that it was an accident and said please dont punish the dog, it's just one of these thing, then 4 weeks later it attacked his wee friend (the boy who's dog it was!) and nearly took his eye out, needless to say the dog has gone now, but the thing is I think that once it had gotten away with it the first time it was always gonna do it again. Luckily both boys are ok now (scars aren't too bad) but it could have been a LOT worse. You must love your dog so would you want to have to get it put down cause (God forbid) it bit your baby? sorry to be so depressing dear x x x

[Eels]

My suggestion would be to get in touch with an approved behaviourist who will come into your home and assess the siuation, identify any particular problems and show you ways to improve things.  This will take time and committment from you, as the behaviourist will be teaching you to teach the dog.  There is no quick fix.

http://www.apbc.org.uk/index.htm may be helpful.

You may also wish to consider commoner's suggestion of fostering until you feel more in control of the situation. 

There are a variety of reasons for your dogs behaviour, which are not necessarily related to jealousy.  Even such simple things as your dogs space being invaded by this strange crawling creature can cause the dog stress and fear.

But don't hang about - get some professional advice on your situation and make a decision about where to go next with it.  Good luck.

[Cetti]

Looking at all the answers BOO I think you will  know what has to be done. Heartbreaking, but it's a choice between your dog and your baby. The dog was your baby for six long years and now there's this interloper that's taking affection that should be all his. Easy to see it from the dogs point of view, but an impossible situation.

My mother had to give away her beloved dog when I came along as it kept rocking the pram trying to get to me.... I feel so sorry for you, but unless you go for the dog therapist  - then he must go, just for your own peace of mind. A truly sad situation.

[woofgang]

Poor you poor baby poor dog.

For the sake of the dog can you please rehome him sooner than later? It is much easier to rehome a dog who cannot be trusted with children than one who has attacked a child. In the meantime, while taking precautions for the sake of your baby, please remember that he is an old and loyal friend in a situation that he cannot control

[shaneystar]

woofgang is right.It would be kindest to rehome him .You can't take that risk with a littleun crawling around.The rehoming centre will specify that he needs a home where he is the sole dog and that there are no young children.It's not his or your fault.Dogs are like children in a way and if he has been the centre of attention then he will feel pushed out and make his feelings clear.Much like when you have a second child and the first one becomes jealous of the new baby..He is still quite young and I am sure he will find a loving home.
So sad .I do hope you find a solution Boo.
Keep us posted.

[B00]

Thanks for the advise guys- obviously it wasn't what I really wanted to hear.

I'm in the middle of tricky negotiations with my dad to see if he will take for me, i really cant put him in a rehoming centre it would break my heart :-(

wish me luck, and once again thank you

xxxx

[lindapinda]

Oh boo,I really hope it works out for all of you,good luck.

[Lily]

Hello - I sympathise so much.  I had exactly the same problem with my dog.  He loved my son when he was tiny and would lick him and lie next to him whilst I changed nappies etc.  However, as soon as my son started to crawl he felt his space was invaded and snapped at him, I persevered with much stress and heartbreak and the dog still would not tolerate his approach so I rehomed him with my mum. The dog had accepted a kitten with no problem, which was why I gave him a second chance. I broke my heart parting with my dog but the chance of permanent damage to my son was too much to cope with.  Good luck - I really am sorry.

[dothawkes]

Boo

I have been in this situation with my grandson, who came along 2 years after I got my dogs Bingo and Max. 

I never trusted either of them to be left alone with my grandson until he could walk and talk, now they would protect him, but I had to be extra vigilant when they were in the same room as him, mainly because they were jealous of my grandson sitting on my knee and they couldn't.

Hope you can resolve this.