[fordtraktor]

I have an 11 year old JRT who really is a very good fellow. Quiet and well-behaved, sleeps a lot of the time and accompanies me for farm chores. He's usually a total gentleman.

But he's not much for kids. He has begun growling at my toddler, at absolutely no provocation. The baby is never allowed near him without total supervision, and only allowed to do "gentle" pats. I think he doesn't like the noise children inherently make.

This morning he was standing near the baby, and the baby was playing with a toy, totally minding his own business. The dog took it upon himself to growl and snap at the baby, I think because he likes my mom, was sitting beside her and wanted to keep the baby from "his territory."

When this initially started dog was soundly chastised and thrown outside for growling. That seemed to work but obviously isn't any more.

I usually keep them apart but I am thinking that I need to take it a step further and keep the dog crated whenever the baby is up. I don't think he would actually bite the baby, but I don't trust him 100%. Finding out I'm wrong isn't really an option, so I need to do something now.

Any other ideas? I would not be totally opposed to finding him a childless home if that is best for him. But my first choice is to keep the dog and find a way to keep him happy but AWAY from my child. I work from home so he could still spend much of the day, five days a week with me being social.

Steeling myself for the inevitable firestorm from this type of thread...but I need help and there are lots of knowledgeable people here.

Note, this dog does not need "rescued" from me and I am not going to put him down or "throw him away" or whatever else. I just want to find a plan that will keep everyone happy and safe. So let's just get that off the table ahead of time so we can talk sense!

[S1969]

I don't see this as a firestorm; this is a serious issue but you're certainly not the only person to have encountered it. Frankly it was one of my biggest fears when building our family.

Where does your mom live? Maybe that is a solution? If she were close, maybe sharing custody of the dog could give him some relief from the baby as well as the baby some relief from the dog?

I would think that establishing "baby zones" and "dog zones" in the house might be a good solution for now. Not sure what your house or your routine is like; but if you can keep the toddler out of the kitchen, etc? Maybe allowing the dog in your bedroom at night so he has his "people time" (assuming baby doesn't sleep in your room as well?)

It's a tough decision but I do agree you need to step up the plan to make sure neither of them gets into a situation you'll regret.

Best of luck to you.

[Canaqua]

I think you are right to be concerned...I don't trust any dog 100%, there is no such thing as a dog who will NEVER bite. We have a female cattle dog mix who is very territorial and can be quite aggressive with strangers. When my youngest was born, I was concerned. I kept them apart unless I was RIGHT THERE, on the floor with them. Turns out she's been fine, she immediately decided that my son was someone who merited protection from her, rather than a competitor for attention, toys and food. She's very dangerous to strangers or strange dogs who approach my son, I have to keep her leashed and tell people NOT to approach her when he's nearby. Maybe because she is female, she took the "Mama Bear" approach rather then the jealous sibling approach. That doesn't mean she's never growled or snapped at him, when he has played too rough with her, she's never connected, but she could, by accident. She intends to "warn", but she can make mistakes like anyone else.

My son is eight now, and I STILL supervise them, because, as much as I tell him that when she growls, BACK OFF, because a snap is coming next, he's a young boy and impulse control is still shaky. It's not hard to supervise them because she follows my husband first and if he's not home, she follows me, so she's always where one of us is and never alone with the boy.

Your JRT sounds like he sees the baby as competition, which sounds like more of a problem. For now, I'd keep them apart and make sure you give the dog extra, individual, attention and affection to, hopefully, reduce the jealousy. You could put up baby gates to keep the dog out of the room your baby is playing in if you aren't right there on the floor with him (I did that when my son was a toddler) and then let the dog out and play with him when the baby is napping. When your baby is older and harder to contain, I think you'd have to make another call then, if the dog is still having jealousy issues. You can contain a baby or toddler, but not an older child.

[fordtraktor]

My mom lives about 500 miles away, so that isn't really an option. She travels a lot so while she would take him if necessary, it would not be as good a life for him. He was my parents' dog for 10 years, he came here when they divorced last year so he probably would like to live with her but her lifestyle is not conducive to a dog. I took him because he does enjoy living on a farm and neither of them wanted "custody."

He does sleep beside our bed at night, and is with me 9-5 Monday through Friday while the baby is at daycare, and after 7 when the baby goes to bed. So he gets a lot of attention even if crated or penned while the baby is up.

[sar2008]

Your not alone ford. My JRT (5 now) actually snapped and got my little girl right in the face when she was about 10 months. I thought she needed a stitch, so had to take her to the hospital, report my dog and the local shelter was all over my a$$ for about 2 months. In his defense (even though biting is never excusable) he was eating facing away from her and she crawled up behind him, grabbed him and he just sort of turned and snapped. She will always have a scar from it. I actually had him posted here on COTH to giveaway after it happened.

I used to keep a spray bottle nearby and whenever he would growl, I would spray him. IME, it worked for my dog. He would think of growling and look at me first for approval, I got to the point where I would just say "no" very lowly and he would respect that.

Anyway, long story short, I just kept a very close eye until she got old enough to understand to be nice to the doggie. When Elliott realized she wasn't going to be mean to him and she was just a little human, he was much better. He's actually great with the kids now. No growling and certainly no snapping anymore (I think that was just a fluke thing anyway....)

ETA: I dont think separating them is the answer. Your guy needs to learn to co-exist with your baby. Does your dog like to play catch? Try to engage little ford with him. Maybe let him throw the ball, so the dog see's he's not a threat.

[fordtraktor]

The spray bottle is a good idea! I keep one of those to spray my cats when they get on the table, I'll try it. Thanks sar2008.

[MistyBlue]

No flames here. You're doing the responsible worrying all parents and dog owners should do, IMO.

He does sleep beside our bed at night, and is with me 9-5 Monday through Friday while the baby is at daycare, and after 7 when the baby goes to bed. So he gets a lot of attention even if crated or penned while the baby is up.

That sounds like he has ample time not being crated or kenneled.

So either crate him or gate off a room for him during the baby hours. He'll be just fine.

[PalominoMorgan]

Been through this. My dog just went to live with my best friend on her horse farm. She was very alpha and while she and my daughter (now almost 3) made improvements I could never trust them together. It was very tiresome on me to constantly track them and worry about their every interaction.

From what I can tell everyone is much happier now. My dog (now my friends) has a horse farm to be in charge of again and a family of older kids to play with. She also is now owner by someone who can take her to work like I used to be able to do.

The three dogs left at home seem calmer. The boss lady is now my mom's 11 pound papillon who just moved in with us in October. The two corgi boys seem to accept her as the leader. The house is so much quieter and calmer without the constant undertone of tension having a very alpha female in the house brought.

If your gut says there is an issue, listen. Mine did. I managed it for 3 years, but in the end I wish I had listened sooner and pulled the trigger and rehomed my girl sooner. Everyone is happier.

[howardh]

My dog hated my baby when I brought him home. She would growl and I never trusted her with him, but I never trusted her with any dogs either! She is Alpha Queen. I kept an eagle eye on her for 5 years as no one ever would have wanted her! But I loved her. I know everyone probably talked about me but I was diligent and when my boy hit 5 the dog relaxed and now they are best of friends. She didn't go looking for a fight however and would give plenty of growl warning.

Seems like kids are oblivious! My boy never cared about her growls and loved her. I think she just finally gave up!

[Poniesofmydreams]

When our daughter was about 14 months old we brought home our male Siberian puppy. He was the pick puppy of the litter but when we went to visit (three times) it was obvious to the breeder that he chose us. So we went from a pet female to a show dog.
We did extensive obedience training and he was a good boy. But one day, the baby got too close to his bone and he growled. Luckily, he was at my feet so I was able to react and discipline in a blink. I took away the bone and put him in a down stay for forever. In the rest of his fourteen years that dog NEVER growled again. Even though the baby was wrong, if he was going to be part of our family, no aggression towards the kids would be tolerated ever.
I don't know what your reaction was but if you made it clear to him then rehoming him may be your best bet. It will just get harder as your little one gets older. And worrying all the time gets exhausting.
Best wishes to you no matter what decision you make.

[JanM]

I think rehoming might be the answer if you can find the right situation. Even though you are alert to the situation it will only take an instant for a bite to happen, and it could have devastating consequences.

And I would have the dog evaluated by the vet, since a friend's dog's first symptom of an orthopedic problem was that he didn't want to be petted or touched. It could be the dog is a little arthritic, or getting an ear infection or an infected tooth, but only the vet can tell you for sure.

[Catersun]

Seems to me that doggster needs to learn his place in the family, and that would be at the bottom, after all the humans, big and small. I think a nothing in life is free approach is a good idea. Really you spend more time with the dog than the baby, and to me that just ain't right. by doing that you have cemented in his wee brain that he IS more important than the baby and therefor can boss the baby around as he wishes. I'd start with long downs and random just because you can crate periods during the day. I'm not sure how old your baby is, but my 2yo can tell my dogs to sit, and they listen. so starting out developing some respect for the toddler isn't completely out of the ball park.

[saje]

Find a good behavioral trainer. He's not too old to learn to control his impulses.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

This is one of my biggest worries as we talk about starting a family. Except that I have two dobermans and the rescue male was originally surrendered for biting. Ugh!

I know Leerburg has a video on introducing a baby to the dog(s) btw, but I haven't seen it.

I plan on long walks and if a baby is around crate time or, and when he is loose my male dog will live in a padded, wire or leather (haven't decided which is better) muzzle. I just can't trust him at all even though there hasn't been an incident in years and the incident that did occur was when he was asleep and startled (or so they tell me).

I just don't think (in my case) rehoming an older dog, who is potty trained only 90% of the time, is very feasible. But I think there is still a lot of quality of life they can have. Especially on a farm!

Of course I may never get pregnant either. Who knows. Just planning ahead.

Good luck. I think you are seeing legit warning signs and wouldn't trust that dog for a second. Sorry. Sounds very jealous.

[IFG]

Baby gates. Training is important, but a physical barrier is more important. Never let them be together.

[S1969]

Seems to me that doggster needs to learn his place in the family, and that would be at the bottom, after all the humans, big and small. I think a nothing in life is free approach is a good idea. Really you spend more time with the dog than the baby, and to me that just ain't right. by doing that you have cemented in his wee brain that he IS more important than the baby and therefor can boss the baby around as he wishes. I'd start with long downs and random just because you can crate periods during the day. I'm not sure how old your baby is, but my 2yo can tell my dogs to sit, and they listen. so starting out developing some respect for the toddler isn't completely out of the ball park.

Well...yes, but the dog is 11 and the kid is a toddler. While this is a good theory, there is still the issue that the dog might bite the kid. Not to mention, I doubt that the dog knows how much time the baby is in daycare and therefore he is more important. He has his routine and he likes it. I don't know that it's any more cerebral than that.

[shakeytails]

I've had two dogs that can't be trusted around children. Fortunately I don't have any-children that is. Buffy the Shar-pei was sweet as can be to my niece when she was first born, when she got mobile, I had to lock up the dog when the child was around. Buffy also couldn't be trusted with strange adults- she was a dog that most people would have had to euth(she was slightly psycho at times), but because of my lifestyle, I was able to deal with her and she lived almost 15 years.

Berta is a Corgi that I sold as a pup to a young couple. She was their baby until the human baby came along. They tried for two years to get her to accept the child- she never did. They called and asked if they could bring her back. Dad brought her back in tears having to give her up. I'm extremely careful with her on the rare occasion there are children around. She doesn't mind and actually likes older kids- like 8 and up and very gentle- but with toddlers I just lock her up.

Honestly, I think the best solution is to find your dog a child-free home. I hate that for your old dog, but the human child is more important. The crate route is an option if you feel like dealing with that for the rest of the dog's life. Euthanasia would be my absolute last choice, but I would absolutely choose to euth over taking an old dog to a shelter.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[Melissa.Hare.Jones]

I've found - helping various friends and family members with various dog "problems" - that things can only change if you really want them to, which means making a full commitment to changing how you view and interact with your dog. If you're not the "top" dog 100% of the time, you can't ever be top dog. And being top dog is work. You don't have to be rough, or aggressive, but... You do have to effectively control ALL situations in order for the rest of the dogs (even if it's just one small one) to view you as the ultimate Law. Let a few little things slip by regularly, or let a big thing slip by now and then, and you've lost your position. Most people have pets for fun and companionship and when they have one that requires work, it usually doesn't happen.

So... crate your dog when the baby is around, or make sure he's securely cordoned off in a different area of the home. It won't make him hate the baby, it'll just prevent a needless injury.

[fordtraktor]

Dog will not go to a shelter or be euthanized. He is beloved.

If anyone knows of a childfree people in Michiana searching for a sweet companion with impeccable manners, I am willing to consider rehoming. He is a wonderful dog and very well-behaved, just not kid-tolerant.

He is not a super-alpha dog. He is great with cats, the cats boss him around and take his bed even. I think he just gets annoyed at the noise, he has never really liked kids or even other dogs really (he's fine with them, just not a big player), he much prefers cats. I think he thinks he is a cat. He likes things quiet, and he likes sleeping. He often doesn't get up until noon. Not a typical JRT.

Unless the perfect home comes along, we will do what we can to keep everyone happy and safe here.

[ladybugred]

I'm guessing that the pup was everyone's baby until your child was born? Now the baby gets more attention then pup when awake? Sounds like he might be jealous. I would spend the time you can with him, and keep him separated when you are with the babe.

In my experience JRTs can be very jealous, and don't like too much change in their environment. Yours has had quite a bit of change in the past year.

I know I might be flamed for this, but I would rather euth an animal than re home it. I have seen too many fall through the cracks of even great rescues. I once had a woman who ran a rescue tell me that there are worse things then death, I've always thought she was right.

Good luck

LBR