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Hi everyone, I have a 6 yr old maltese x shihtzu female who today snarled at my baby girl whos 13months...I am a little worried because bubs isnt moving around heaps yet so im wondering what our dog will be like when she is :( Last week I had another bub around and her mum and the other baby was walking and my dog growled and snarled then too.....What would you do in my situation???
I think its time to take some drastic action before anything worse happens. With your furbaby giving you a big heads up that she's not okay around children.
I would a) seek advice from a vet, make sure there isn't anything physical going on which can cause irritability. b) have a certified trainer from the Delta Society come to your home to give you an idea on what you can do there.
FWIW, I trained my dogs prior to children, and it was still a huge adjustment. Often when the babies start moving around more, its very stressful for the dogs. Its very vital that you work on things NOW rather than too late.
Goodluck.
:yeahthat:
Though my mum has one and he snarls but its just that. Does she get snappy? You could always try reassure her its ok, maybe she thinks the baby will hurt her.
But i agree with Christy.
For the moment you should not have your baby girl near your furbaby without you being within arms reach just in case. Dogs can find the adjustment of a new baby in the house quite difficult especially if they have been your "baby" for a long time. Speak to your vet and see if there are any specific training techniques you can use. I wish both your babies all the best and hope that they can become the firmest of friends.
She could just be trying to warn your DD to stay away from her, but she needs to know that it is NOT ok to exhibit that behaviour in case it does escalate. Better to nip it in the bud from the very beginning of the warning. Get a good trainer and start teaching your DD that your dog doesn't always want her close to her. I know it's hard with a 13 month old...maybe get some baby gates and section of an area of the house for your dog to go? I wouldn't be reassuring the dog that it's "ok", she'll just think she is being rewarded for the behaviour (same principle for dogs that are scared of loud noises etc. If you pat and reassure them it's only reinforcing the behaviour they are showing). You're better off rewarding her when she doesn't growl at your DD.
Definately get a dog trainer ASAP. Christy's advice is the best you can get in this instance, although SS_Storm has a great idea there on gating off areas of the house - we do this and now the child is a toddler, it's good to be able to give the dogs some "free time" away from the kid.
Good luck.