Need advice on dog/baby

[alyssia]

Okay flashback about 4 1/2 years, we adopt a dog from the shelter, our kids are 9,8, and 3. The dog had no issues that we were made aware of-Lady was supposedly dropped off by a man that had a sick wife and a bunch of kids and he couldn't take care of the dog anymore. She was a great dog the first couple of years, then about two years ago she started barking when people would come to the door, around the yard, etc., normal dog stuff. Over the past two years she has continued to get more aggressive, to the point that she has to be locked in the laundry room when people come over, and the neighbors are scared of her. She goes absolutely freaking nuts when she is outside (which is only to go to the bathroom, because she drives us nuts with her barking) if someone is 1/4 a mile down the road she won't shut up. We've tried a bark collar for the barking issues, it worked great for about a month and then stopped. She is great with us and our older kids, but we have thought long and hard about giving her away because I'm afraid she's going to bite somebody. Now that our older daughter is 13 though, we are starting to let her stay home alone some, and I feel SO much safer knowing Lady is here. Well, we had another baby 8 months ago, Lady would hide under the table for the first week or so whenever the baby cried but other than that seemed okay until the baby started crawling about a month ago.We've kept a very close eye on the baby around the dog and until yesterday whenever Cody would crawl over to Lady she would get up and move. Yesterday he crawled over to her and she showed her teeth and growled and it scared the crap outta me. I know we have to teach this baby the right way to treat our pets, but let's face it, he's only 8 months old and it's going to be a long time before he stops hitting and pulling tails. We can't keep them seperated forever. Does anyone have any advice? I'm really thinking this dog needs to go now.

 

[veni vidi vici]

EWWW! That a tough one.A dog you obviously love and a new born you love too.Dogs are very protective and yet they even though they are domesticated they are still unpredictable animals. I had a Akita and a German Shepard that where great,when my daughter was born the Akita became very weird and always stayed away from our baby .One day the baby got a little to close and the Akita showed her teeth and growled.I couldnt and wouldnt take the chance so i had to get rid of her.
I am no dog behavior expert so...... i wouldnt give you any advice accept keep an eye on the dog and never leave you baby alone for even a second while the dog is roaming the house.
Good luck

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by alyssia
http:///forum/post/2888861
Okay flashback about 4 1/2 years, we adopt a dog from the shelter, our kids are 9,8, and 3. The dog had no issues that we were made aware of-Lady was supposedly dropped off by a man that had a sick wife and a bunch of kids and he couldn't take care of the dog anymore. She was a great dog the first couple of years, then about two years ago she started barking when people would come to the door, around the yard, etc., normal dog stuff. Over the past two years she has continued to get more aggressive, to the point that she has to be locked in the laundry room when people come over, and the neighbors are scared of her. She goes absolutely freaking nuts when she is outside (which is only to go to the bathroom, because she drives us nuts with her barking) if someone is 1/4 a mile down the road she won't shut up. We've tried a bark collar for the barking issues, it worked great for about a month and then stopped. She is great with us and our older kids, but we have thought long and hard about giving her away because I'm afraid she's going to bite somebody. Now that our older daughter is 13 though, we are starting to let her stay home alone some, and I feel SO much safer knowing Lady is here. Well, we had another baby 8 months ago, Lady would hide under the table for the first week or so whenever the baby cried but other than that seemed okay until the baby started crawling about a month ago.We've kept a very close eye on the baby around the dog and until yesterday whenever Cody would crawl over to Lady she would get up and move. Yesterday he crawled over to her and she showed her teeth and growled and it scared the crap outta me. I know we have to teach this baby the right way to treat our pets, but let's face it, he's only 8 months old and it's going to be a long time before he stops hitting and pulling tails. We can't keep them seperated forever. Does anyone have any advice? I'm really thinking this dog needs to go now.
What a tough situation. There is no "right" answer because if you wait long enough to see whether there will be a problem, it may be too late. If it were me, I wouldn't risk the baby getting hurt for any dog. I know that it can be a difficult decision but that's what I would do. I've had a few dogs with aggression issues and they typically get worse as they get older. Sorry to hear this...

 

[firerescue]

I would be great if you could get that lady on tv that gets peoples dogs to behave and finds out why dogs act up the way they do, but I know that is not really possible. You do not want to take the chance of the dog biting the baby so I would say the safest thing is to get rid of the dog, it is not going to be easy but you have to do what is best.

 

[alyssia]

I know we need to get rid of the dog and we need to do it quick, but I was hoping their might be some dog "experts" on here that might be able to give me some insight into why the dog is doing this. No way will I take the chance of the dog hurting the baby, but I don't know what to do with the dog. The rescue places I've called won't take her because she is aggressive, and I'm afraid if I take her back to the shelter she'll get put to sleep. It's too cold in the winter here and too hot in the summer to make her an outside dog, plus that would never work anyway because she would never stop barking.

 

[usirchchris]

Sorry to hear this. This dog seems a bit "off" from my experience with dogs. Every dog I have owned innately knows to be gentle around babies..human or canine. My .02, I would adopt the dog out to someone without kids. I have three dogs and love them to death. This is a terrible decision to have to make.

send a PM to Mboswell1982...He knows alot about dogs. Also AL MC is a vet he might have some insight to give.

 

[spiderwoman]

I'm sorry, but for me that is a no brainer. Your kids safety should come first. We get very attached to our pets, but what will you do if God forbid one time your dog hurts your child?

 

[alyssia]

I have no problem getting rid of the dog. I'm not a dog person anyway. I'm not asking if I should keep her; I'm asking if anyone knows why she might be doing this and if their is anything we might be able to try.

 

[jeanheckle]

Dogs are pack animals and the baby is a new pack member which lady feels she is dominant over. You need to establish the babies dominance over Lady. You do this by taking the baby and Lady for walks together. Lady is never allowed to walk in front of the stroller. When ever she shows aggression towards the baby she needs to be put in a submissive state, which is laying her on her side until she is calm. She should not even be allowed in the babies room with out permission. If you intend on keeping her she will learn but will need to be watched carefully. As everyone said the babys safety is first, but IMO you don't need to get rid of Lady. She just needs to be taught that the baby is higher up on the food chain.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by jeanheckle
http:///forum/post/2888934
Dogs are pack animals and the baby is a new pack member which lady feels she is dominant over. You need to establish the babies dominance over Lady. You do this by taking the baby and Lady for walks together. Lady is never allowed to walk in front of the stroller. When ever she shows aggression towards the baby she needs to be put in a submissive state, which is laying her on her side until she is calm. She should not even be allowed in the babies room with out permission. If you intend on keeping her she will learn but will need to be watched carefully. As everyone said the babys safety is first, but IMO you don't need to get rid of Lady. She just needs to be taught that the baby is higher up on the food chain.
Thanks, but I don't know about keeping her. This really, really scared me.

 

[meowzer]

Just out of curiosity...what kind of dog is it?

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/2888953
Just out of curiosity...what kind of dog is it?
A mix. The vet thinks she may have some cocker spaniel or german shepherd in her.

 

[hlcroghan]

jean is right............my mother had a doberman that had the same problem. When my kids would come over she would growl but they were not permanent residents so she never really got over it. anytime she growled or showed aggressiveness we would submit her and put her in her "room" ( my mother's bedroom). My answer would be the same as jean's. The other issue is that the baby is smaller than the dog right now. Little babies can make dogs really nervous as they instinctively scold their puppies when they play but here is this little dog that they are not allowed to nip or bite. If you ever watch mother dogs they are really rather rough with their pups sometimes.
I would say follow Jean's advice and until the baby is walking well, you don't let the child crawl around her and kind of keep her out of the baby's way. The dog will figure it out. This dog will definitely be put down at a shelter. If it gets any more aggressive then I would find a home with a mature adult. She should know the difference between guests and intruders. Also maybe some formal training at a P-etsmart or something like that.

 

[saltwatersubie]

How old is the dog?? I ask because the behavioral changes you are seeing could be because of her age.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by saltwatersubie
http:///forum/post/2888976
How old is the dog?? I ask because the behavioral changes you are seeing could be because of her age.
The vet thought she was between 1 and 2 when we got her, which was four years ago, so I guess that makes her around 5 or 6.

 

[ophiura]

Obviously if you have concerns you should act to find her a new home ASAP (ideally through an animal rescue and not the pound), however most behavioral problems do have solutions, IMO. So I would find some dog forums, I am sure there are many, and I would strongly consider taking her for obedience lessons ASAP. Basically I agree, the dog is in a pack and considers herself higher than some other members of your family.
In many respects, and I don't mean this in a bad way, but behavioral problems are often brought on by the situation they are in...and it can take a big commitment to change it but they can be changed with time and dedication. Just depends on whether you are willing to do it - though it probably should have started awhile ago I hate to say. As soon as some of the more aggressive tendancies started with barking. She's very eager to defend her turf and pack so she needs to learn that it is not her role.
Consider the Michael Vick dogs they sent through rehab, and the Ceasar dog whisperer show (where they have some seriously aggressive dogs). But they can correct it. Often it begins because the dog can sense you are scared...but often you are scared of what the dog will do...just that the dog picks up the nervousness and acts out.

 

[snakeblitz33]

.50$ could solve the problem.

 

[al mc]

Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2888922
I'm sorry, but for me that is a no brainer. Your kids safety should come first. We get very attached to our pets, but what will you do if God forbid one time your dog hurts your child?
Alyssia....Sorry to hear about your situation, but SpiderWoman is correct.
I am a vet. I love animals. I particularly love my dogs. I have a child. If she were 8 months old and one of the dogs showed any unprovoked aggression towards her...the dog needs to removed from her presence.
There are many people who have done wonderful work acclimating/behavior changing dogs in a situation like yours, but what happens if they fail?
I would expect your vet to tell you the same. He/she might give you the name of a behavior specialist in your area. If you are within easy driving distance of a veterinary school they will have veterinary behaviorist on staff willing to try to assist you. For legal reasons they will probably insist you
sign a waiver releasing them from liability if someone gets hurt while they try to help your situation. I can not prescribe for your dog but I imagine there would be a drug like Clomicalm or Prozac used along with behavior modification
techniques.
The most difficult things I deal with are behavior issues as we can not get inside our pets minds and reason with them/discuss consequences for their actions.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and keep us abreast of how you will proceed.
Sorry, just reread some of the post and it appears you are wondering why this happens. The poster is correct that this is a 'pack mentality 'issue IMO. He is trying to figure out where the baby fits into the pack and is displaying aggression to try to make sure he maintains his position within the pack and that your baby is of lower 'rank'.

 

[texasmetal]

Re-home the animal somewhere it's wanted. That would be the simplest, cheapest, least time-consuming way to solve the problem for both your family and the dog. The animal will undoubtedly be euthanized by any city animal control service if you take it to a shelter given its temperament. No one wants to adopt a dog that doesn't warm up to them immediately.
Most rescue groups are so overwhelmed (especially this time of year when people are getting animals for gifts) that they will tell you to take it to a shelter and they'll "have someone come by and look at it".
So, if you have a friend or someone you know that likes your dog and doesn't have small, squeaky, squirmy things crawling around the floor.
If there ever is a future canine in your home, obedience training from the start goes a long, long ways. Something I would ask is, when was the last time the dog went to the vet, and does it have any achy, stiff joints? Vision problems... any health condition that could be getting worse over time can very well lead to the dog being cranky although the "pack" situation as mentioned would probably be the most likely reason.
Cocker Spaniel and German Shepherd... haha, wow. Both breeds are noted as being temperamental. Cockers are the WORST dogs for children, and well, there's a reason the police use German Shepherds.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Al Mc
http:///forum/post/2889146
Alyssia....Sorry to hear about your situation, but SpiderWoman is correct.
I am a vet. I love animals. I particularly love my dogs. I have a child. If she were 8 months old and one of the dogs showed any unprovoked aggression towards her...the dog needs to removed from her presence.
There are many people who have done wonderful work acclimating/behavior changing dogs in a situation like yours, but what happens if they fail?
I would expect your vet to tell you the same. He/she might give you the name of a behavior specialist in your area. If you are within easy driving distance of a veterinary school they will have veterinary behaviorist on staff willing to try to assist you. For legal reasons they will probably insist you
sign a waiver releasing them from liability if someone gets hurt while they try to help your situation. I can not prescribe for your dog but I imagine there would be a drug like Clomicalm or Prozac used along with behavior modification
techniques.
The most difficult things I deal with are behavior issues as we can not get inside our pets minds and reason with them/discuss consequences for their actions.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and keep us abreast of how you will proceed.
Sorry, just reread some of the post and it appears you are wondering why this happens. The poster is correct that this is a 'pack mentality 'issue IMO. He is trying to figure out where the baby fits into the pack and is displaying aggression to try to make sure he maintains his position within the pack and that your baby is of lower 'rank'.
Thanks....I did talk to our vet yesterday and he said the same thing, the dog needs to go. I feel horrible but I don't see what choice I have. With 4 kids, 2 dogs (the other one is a shih tzu) 5 cats, 2 birds, and 2 tanks, I just don't have the time-or honestly, the patience to try and change this crazy dog's behavior. The hard part is going to be finding somewhere for her to go.