Ladies-
Seems my parents dog a 5 y.o. 70lb black lab/shep/ terrier mix is jealous of our 4 month old son.
By way of background- the dog is a rescue who we adopted at 9 months old. She came housebroken and is a very sensitive dog. Despite our never having owned a dog before, and my parent's being very generous with feeding and treats she is surprisingly well disciplined. She never goes on the furniture, stays out of the bedrooms, has never broken or chewed on anything. Apart from chasing squirrels, barking at the mailman and some scratching at the carpeting (she is part terrier) she has never had any issues or caused any problems.
She is very gentle with children as a general rule and calmly lets them touch her, pull her tail, be placed on her back for the obligatory "look at baby riding doggie" photo.
Sorry to you early responders. My keyboard went haywire and prevented me from typing the heart of the question-
As regards our baby, the dog is largely indifferent, however she does on occassion like to nose her way into the situation if there is a lot of fuss about baby. She does this especially if its my father fussing over baby.
Today, for instance, she licked babie's hand when dad was cooing at him. She hasn't showed any signs of aggression, but I'd rather not let things go I that direction.
Lastly, I work full time and my husb is in grad school. DS is in granny daycare. The dog and our son are/will be together daily.
Thanks for your tips.
what is she doing that makes you think she is jealous?
That does not sound like jealousy.
Licking for dogs really are " puppy kisses"
He just sounds like he wants to be included in all the hub bub.
If he really was jealous he'd be growling
jelous how?? There are a lot of ways to interpret your statement. Do you have questions??
I'm a dog behaviorist so please msg me with any questions.
our dogs were 'jealous' of the baby too for a while. (Didn't act out towards them, but if the baby was getting too much attention they would try to hedge in and get attention themselves...) We just told them NO and to go lay down and continued what we were doing with the baby. We also would hold the baby while giving attentin to the dogs... this tells them that the baby is still 'higher ranking' in the pack than they are (which helps to stave off any agression towards the baby). Plus, they think the baby is playing with them too. BUT we also make sure to play with them on their own fairly often. After all, they are still part of the family too! It's nice now that our DD is 9 months old and has figured out how to roll/throw a ball, so she can play with the dogs too. They both love that!
Actually, licking the baby's hand is a sign of affection. My dogs lick to show affection - so I don't know if I would be worried too much. Of course, caution is the better part of valor so I wouldn't leave the baby unattended in the same room as the dog. But, remember that the dog has been the "baby" for the past years so she will feel a little left out if all her humans are going gaga over the baby and not her. Human babies are strange creatures to dogs - weird noises and smells, oh my! - so their natural curiosity is aroused. Just be patient with your dog, let her have a chance to get to know the baby - just like we teach our children to be gentle with our pets we have to teach our older pets to be gentle with our children.
When I brought my son him from the hospital 14 years ago I had cats. One which was particularly attached to me and I was concerned that he would be jealous of baby. Well, since the baby was always in my arms, nursing and what not, the cat just laid down on the other side of me - he sniffed and smelled the baby then started to groom the baby. At that point I stopped him - cat spit on babies, not so much - But it did alleviate my worries - that cat became my child's best friend.
Just be patient and reassure you dog that she is still an important part of the family. Dogs and kids are great together and I bet they wind up being best friends.
Lori, you have not given any info about how the dog is acting jealous. She is curious about the baby! She licked the baby because she likes him. This is how dogs show affection. She noses her way in when there's a fuss because she wants to see what the big deal is. If the baby is crying, she knows that he is distressed and her maternal instincts are probably kicking in. This does not sound like a jealous dog.
Are you sure it's jealousy? It sounds perfectly normal to me. Licking is not a prelude to biting, but a sign of affection for members of the pack. If the dog has shown no signs of aggression at all, you may well be putting the cart before the horses. It makes sense to me that the dog would want to be involved in a cooing moment, since dogs and babies respond to the same sorts of voices.
It's kind of the first child (dog) jealous of the baby (baby). I had this happen when we adopted and treated the dog as the older child and all went well. The dog was very protective of the baby. Just make sure there is someone with them if possible. Labs have a good temperment for family members.
The other S.
I'm confused, you say she's very well behaved; how exactly is she jealous of the baby?
Actually, it sounds like the opposite of jealousy. She sees your dad, her pack leader, accepting a new member into the pack, and she's indicating that she accepts it as well. Licking is a submissive gesture, not an aggressive one.
Doesnt sound like too bad of a situation, if the dog didnt like the child straight off, youd know about it. BUT like others have said, dont leave the child unattended or alone with the dog. When i was a firs time mom and very naive about children/dogs I was at my MIL's house. Our boxer that at the time was 7 was in the living room laying down. My son had just started walking, and I didnt even realize he wasn't in the kitchen with us anymore until I heard a vicious growl and my son scream. I dont think i have ever run faster in my life, and grabbed my son. The dog had bit his hand, and not enough to bleed, but enough to leave teeth imprints on his tiny little fingers. Scariest lesson learned of my entire life. The dog now permanently resides with my MIL, and is well taken care of by them. So I guess just make sure the child is always supervised with the dog, because it only takes an innocent poke or grab or a bump to set off the dog into a bite that could change the childs life forever.
Please make sure that your son is not left alone with the dog. While you try to analyze the behavior make sure that you have your son in sight at all times. Jealous dogs can act out and one bite could be tragic. Be careful.
Do you and your baby live with your parents? If not, maybe they would consider putting the dog in another room or its cage while the baby's there. Even the the nicest dog in the world can be aggressive.
Seems like a lick is a sign of affection. If there were barking or growling, I would worry (I'd get rid of the dog, actually). But not a lick or nosing in to be part of the love. Just think back to the time and affection you gave the dog pre baby. No, you just don't have the time for all of that - but recognize that the dog notices the change. Just like babies, she likes routine and looks forward to things she can count on - so when you come home, greet her in her special way - have a few routine things you do, even if they are short.
