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Our dog, a lab mix that we have had for 6 years & who is a part of the family, snapped in my 13 month old son's face last night. I don't think she was actually trying to bite him but it scared me to death. She growled at him in the past but it was right after he started crawling & she hadn't done it since then. We figured it was simply because she wasn't used to a person being on her level at first but got used to it. She even lets him crawl all over her & hug her now, but I guess she's not as tolerant as we thought. Now I feel like I have no choice but to find her a new home or ban her to the outside. I don't want to leave her outside because of the heat, plus I feel like she won't get enough attention. I already feel like she gets less attention than she should as it is.

It breaks my heart to think about giving her up but the safety of my child comes first. I just thought I'd see if anyone else has had a similar situation &, if so, how you handled it. Taking her to training is not an option because finances will not allow that right now.

Our mutt, about lab size, was 3 when our baby came home. As the baby started getting mobile, we never left the dog with the baby unattended. The dog did a pretty good job of staying clear of the baby, except on his own terms (I'll sniff you for crumbs, but if your hand moves, I'm leaving). We didn't let the baby climb on or pull on the dog ever.

What was the baby doing when the dog snapped? Our dog has only snapped at someone once, when a friend he knew very well was scratching his head. It was such unusual behavior we were all puzzled. Turns out he had an ear infection and her scratching was hurting him.

My husband's dog had to go live with his sister when our oldest was born because he's just too unpredictable. I know it hurts but you'd feel worse if the dog did bite the baby and the older the baby gets the more tail pulling, eye poking a kid does.

We have a lab just a little over a year old and are expecting our baby next month and their meeting has been a concern of ours. I have read and heard from different sources that you should bring home items from the hospital that have the baby's smell so the dog will get used to it prior to actually bringing baby home. Toby has never been aggressive, but he is just BIG...about 100 lbs. He is allowed in the nursery and is quite interested in all the new smells. Any advice on a smooth transistion between baby and dog?

We brought a blanket home before we brought our son home & initially both of our dogs (both lab mixes) were fine. It wasn't until Caddock started crawling that we started noticing some issues. I never would have expected either dog to be aggressive towards him or anyone (the one dog is a scaredy cat & the other is goofy & loves everyone) but both growled at him in the first weeks he started crawling. Maybe it will just take some more adjustment... I don't know what to do...

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Originally posted by mcandk:
We have a lab just a little over a year old and are expecting our baby next month and their meeting has been a concern of ours. I have read and heard from different sources that you should bring home items from the hospital that have the baby's smell so the dog will get used to it prior to actually bringing baby home. Toby has never been aggressive, but he is just BIG...about 100 lbs. He is allowed in the nursery and is quite interested in all the new smells. Any advice on a smooth transistion between baby and dog?

Well...I don't have a dog but my sister does and I grew up with them too. My sister has had lab mixes..usually from a rescue place of somekind or another...she had a big dog when her kids were born and they transitioned very well. This dog was like my sisters baby at the time...so she was sure not to make the dog jealous. They didn't shoo her out of the nursery when they were getting it ready and let her be nosy about all the new things coming into the house. When they did bring the baby home my sister, who had been gone for three days, did not go into the house carrying the baby but went in and said hello to the dog first. Then when they did introduce the baby to her they sat down on the floor and let her smell the baby all over...BUT YOU WOULD NEED TO BE EXTREMELY SURE OF YOUR DOGS TEMPERMENT BEFORE DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT...They just made sure the dog felt included and not replaced. This dog has been around her kids and mine her whole life. They still have her and she is coming up on 16 years old now. My whole family always asks about 'Tasha' whenever we call to chat because she is such an old lady now. So I think it really depends on the dog...some dogs totally except, love and protect what is brought into the family...but some are going to be jealous and may eventually become a hazard to the child, even though they might have been the best dog while it is just you and your husband. Has your dog been around kids at all?? My sisters dog was around her husbands kids when she as a puppy and they played very nice with her so I think that my have been a factor...

Good Luck!

Karen

Oh, Jensen, my son was just walking past her & I think he stepped on, or tripped over, her foot when she snapped at him...

As far as her being around kids, no, not really. And, honestly, I'm sure a big part of it is jealousy. I've had her since before my husband was around. It used to be just me, her, & my one cat... Now it's me, her, the first cat, the husband, another cat, another dog, & now a baby... She's probably feeling left out. Maybe my first step should be making more of a point to give her special attention.

Thank you everyone for the advice!

aimee,
I have spent a ridiculous sum of money on dog training (we had a formerly abused-turned rescue pit mix) and a large chunk of our sessions revolved around baby/dog interaction.
Believe me, I understand the financial constraint of trainers! If you would like, I would be more than happy to talk to you about what we have learned from our trainer that has made interaction possible between our dogs and our 13 month old.
Just PM me if you'd like to talk sometime. If we can use the money we've already spent to help someone else, I'm happy to do so!

ACMom - I tried to PM but I don't think I know what I'm doing... my email address is koalaslament@yahoo.com. I welcome any advice/guidance you have! Thank you!!