Hi all,

I have a question and hope that someone out there can point me to the right
direction...

I have a 2 1/2 year old pitbul (very friendly to people) which has been with
us since she was about 10 weeks old (not sure where she came from). 8
months ago my wife and I had a baby which the dog responded pretty well to.
The problems started a couple of months ago... first the dog growled at my
wife when she came to pet her while the dog was on the couch... since than
the dog is not allowed on the couch or the bed and sleeps in the basement on
her bed with a baby gate blocking the stairs. For some reason the dog is
really scared of the gate and hides everytime someone touches it (I think it
fell on the floor once or twice and made a big noise which scared the dog).
In the last few weeks the dog seems to be really nervous around the baby
ever since the baby started crawling and yelling and banging on toys... it
came to the point where the dog growled at the baby last Saturday because
the baby was looking at the dog and moving its body back and forth which I
guess the dog perceived as threatening... Everytime the baby looks the dog
in the eyes, the dog looks away which makes me believe that the dog is
afraid of the baby... Is there anyone that can suggest anything that we can
do? We really don't want to give the dog up but we are at the point where it
might be the only option we have.

Thanks!

"Ron Cobert" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all,

I have a question and hope that someone out there can point me to the
right
direction...


I'm sorry it looks like your post was over looked, I hope you haven't made
any drastic decisions yet.

I have a 2 1/2 year old pitbul (very friendly to people) which has been
with
us since she was about 10 weeks old (not sure where she came from). 8
months ago my wife and I had a baby which the dog responded pretty well
to.
The problems started a couple of months ago... first the dog growled at my
wife when she came to pet her while the dog was on the couch... since than
the dog is not allowed on the couch or the bed and sleeps in the basement
on
her bed with a baby gate blocking the stairs.
For some reason the dog is
really scared of the gate and hides everytime someone touches it (I think
it
fell on the floor once or twice and made a big noise which scared the
dog).

Cover the babygate with a towel, but don't forget for every moment you shut
her away, to be fair to her you'll have to make up for it with individual
quality time.

[..]

Everytime the baby looks the dog
in the eyes, the dog looks away which makes me believe that the dog is
afraid of the baby...

How come you are letting your baby look her in the eyes??? Staring and eye
contact are things that mean a lot to dogs, especially regarding challenges!

Your dog doesn't know your baby isn't aware of 'dog ettiquette' ~ what you
are allowing your baby to do is challenge your dog to a fight!!!

Having a baby is a stressful time for everyone. Routines change, priorities
change and for other children it can be quite difficult to deal with a new
baby in the house ~ and at least they (usually) have the benefit of lot of
people explaining to them and preparing them in advance for the changes that
will soon affect their lives. People rarely think to prepare the dog too...
and now your poor pooch has had her life turned upside down, you can't
really blame her for feeling a bit miffed.

....and on top of that, 'nice' things like sleeping on the couch and bed have
been taken away ~ she must be wondering what next!!

I would seriously urge you to stay calm, keep relaxed and try and look at
things from her point of view. Never leave the baby alone unsupervised with
the dog and make sure your dog has a nice place of her own to go, like an
open indoor kennel.

From what I read, it sounds like things are spiralling a little ~ which is
why I suggest you try and keep relaxed about it ~ don't punish her or
'exclude' her, just give her quality time alone with you and don't push the
baby at her in any way at all, and when you needto tend to the baby or you
can't keep an eye on her then settle her down in her nice place with a nice
toy or treat ~ so she feels a little more secure.

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

"Ron Cobert" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all,

I have a question and hope that someone out there can point me to the
right
direction...


I'm sorry it looks like your post was over looked, I hope you haven't made
any drastic decisions yet.

I have a 2 1/2 year old pitbul (very friendly to people) which has been
with
us since she was about 10 weeks old (not sure where she came from). 8
months ago my wife and I had a baby which the dog responded pretty well
to.
The problems started a couple of months ago... first the dog growled at my
wife when she came to pet her while the dog was on the couch... since than
the dog is not allowed on the couch or the bed and sleeps in the basement
on
her bed with a baby gate blocking the stairs.
For some reason the dog is
really scared of the gate and hides everytime someone touches it (I think
it
fell on the floor once or twice and made a big noise which scared the
dog).

Cover the babygate with a towel, but don't forget for every moment you shut
her away, to be fair to her you'll have to make up for it with individual
quality time.

[..]

Everytime the baby looks the dog
in the eyes, the dog looks away which makes me believe that the dog is
afraid of the baby...

How come you are letting your baby look her in the eyes??? Staring and eye
contact are things that mean a lot to dogs, especially regarding challenges!

Your dog doesn't know your baby isn't aware of 'dog ettiquette' ~ what you
are allowing your baby to do is challenge your dog to a fight!!!

Having a baby is a stressful time for everyone. Routines change, priorities
change and for other children it can be quite difficult to deal with a new
baby in the house ~ and at least they (usually) have the benefit of lot of
people explaining to them and preparing them in advance for the changes that
will soon affect their lives. People rarely think to prepare the dog too...
and now your poor pooch has had her life turned upside down, you can't
really blame her for feeling a bit miffed.

....and on top of that, 'nice' things like sleeping on the couch and bed have
been taken away ~ she must be wondering what next!!

I would seriously urge you to stay calm, keep relaxed and try and look at
things from her point of view. Never leave the baby alone unsupervised with
the dog and make sure your dog has a nice place of her own to go, like an
open indoor kennel.

From what I read, it sounds like things are spiralling a little ~ which is
why I suggest you try and keep relaxed about it ~ don't punish her or
'exclude' her, just give her quality time alone with you and don't push the
baby at her in any way at all, and when you needto tend to the baby or you
can't keep an eye on her then settle her down in her nice place with a nice
toy or treat ~ so she feels a little more secure.

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

"Ron Cobert" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all,

I have a question and hope that someone out there can point me to the
right
direction...


I'm sorry it looks like your post was over looked, I hope you haven't made
any drastic decisions yet.

I have a 2 1/2 year old pitbul (very friendly to people) which has been
with
us since she was about 10 weeks old (not sure where she came from). 8
months ago my wife and I had a baby which the dog responded pretty well
to.
The problems started a couple of months ago... first the dog growled at my
wife when she came to pet her while the dog was on the couch... since than
the dog is not allowed on the couch or the bed and sleeps in the basement
on
her bed with a baby gate blocking the stairs.
For some reason the dog is
really scared of the gate and hides everytime someone touches it (I think
it
fell on the floor once or twice and made a big noise which scared the
dog).

Cover the babygate with a towel, but don't forget for every moment you shut
her away, to be fair to her you'll have to make up for it with individual
quality time.

[..]

Everytime the baby looks the dog
in the eyes, the dog looks away which makes me believe that the dog is
afraid of the baby...

How come you are letting your baby look her in the eyes??? Staring and eye
contact are things that mean a lot to dogs, especially regarding challenges!

Your dog doesn't know your baby isn't aware of 'dog ettiquette' ~ what you
are allowing your baby to do is challenge your dog to a fight!!!

Having a baby is a stressful time for everyone. Routines change, priorities
change and for other children it can be quite difficult to deal with a new
baby in the house ~ and at least they (usually) have the benefit of lot of
people explaining to them and preparing them in advance for the changes that
will soon affect their lives. People rarely think to prepare the dog too...
and now your poor pooch has had her life turned upside down, you can't
really blame her for feeling a bit miffed.

....and on top of that, 'nice' things like sleeping on the couch and bed have
been taken away ~ she must be wondering what next!!

I would seriously urge you to stay calm, keep relaxed and try and look at
things from her point of view. Never leave the baby alone unsupervised with
the dog and make sure your dog has a nice place of her own to go, like an
open indoor kennel.

From what I read, it sounds like things are spiralling a little ~ which is
why I suggest you try and keep relaxed about it ~ don't punish her or
'exclude' her, just give her quality time alone with you and don't push the
baby at her in any way at all, and when you needto tend to the baby or you
can't keep an eye on her then settle her down in her nice place with a nice
toy or treat ~ so she feels a little more secure.

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

"Ron Cobert" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all,

I have a question and hope that someone out there can point me to the
right
direction...


I'm sorry it looks like your post was over looked, I hope you haven't made
any drastic decisions yet.

I have a 2 1/2 year old pitbul (very friendly to people) which has been
with
us since she was about 10 weeks old (not sure where she came from). 8
months ago my wife and I had a baby which the dog responded pretty well
to.
The problems started a couple of months ago... first the dog growled at my
wife when she came to pet her while the dog was on the couch... since than
the dog is not allowed on the couch or the bed and sleeps in the basement
on
her bed with a baby gate blocking the stairs.
For some reason the dog is
really scared of the gate and hides everytime someone touches it (I think
it
fell on the floor once or twice and made a big noise which scared the
dog).

Cover the babygate with a towel, but don't forget for every moment you shut
her away, to be fair to her you'll have to make up for it with individual
quality time.

[..]

Everytime the baby looks the dog
in the eyes, the dog looks away which makes me believe that the dog is
afraid of the baby...

How come you are letting your baby look her in the eyes??? Staring and eye
contact are things that mean a lot to dogs, especially regarding challenges!

Your dog doesn't know your baby isn't aware of 'dog ettiquette' ~ what you
are allowing your baby to do is challenge your dog to a fight!!!

Having a baby is a stressful time for everyone. Routines change, priorities
change and for other children it can be quite difficult to deal with a new
baby in the house ~ and at least they (usually) have the benefit of lot of
people explaining to them and preparing them in advance for the changes that
will soon affect their lives. People rarely think to prepare the dog too...
and now your poor pooch has had her life turned upside down, you can't
really blame her for feeling a bit miffed.

....and on top of that, 'nice' things like sleeping on the couch and bed have
been taken away ~ she must be wondering what next!!

I would seriously urge you to stay calm, keep relaxed and try and look at
things from her point of view. Never leave the baby alone unsupervised with
the dog and make sure your dog has a nice place of her own to go, like an
open indoor kennel.

From what I read, it sounds like things are spiralling a little ~ which is
why I suggest you try and keep relaxed about it ~ don't punish her or
'exclude' her, just give her quality time alone with you and don't push the
baby at her in any way at all, and when you needto tend to the baby or you
can't keep an eye on her then settle her down in her nice place with a nice
toy or treat ~ so she feels a little more secure.

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

Diana wrote:

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

Great post Diana!

I did miss this need for help.

To OP please consider the advice given.


Gwen

Diana wrote:

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

Great post Diana!

I did miss this need for help.

To OP please consider the advice given.


Gwen

Diana wrote:

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

Great post Diana!

I did miss this need for help.

To OP please consider the advice given.


Gwen

Diana wrote:

Now, contact your vet and asked to be reffered to a qualified pet dog
behaviourist, checking first that they will not use harsh methods and are a
member of Association for Pet Dog Trainers

Good luck & please keep us posted

Diana

Great post Diana!

I did miss this need for help.

To OP please consider the advice given.


Gwen