We have an 8 year old terrier and a 12 week old baby. They are never left alone together and I thought everything was working out fine. The dog seemed to be a bit scared of the baby and kept away most of the time. The closest he got was occasionally coming over and sniffing the baby's feet while I was holding him, then retreating to the safety of the other end of the sofa.
My mum was over the other day and made a terrible mistake. She sat down with the baby and put him over her shoulder to wind him failing to notice that the dog was asleep on the back of the sofa behind her. She basically stuck the baby's head in the dog's face. The dog freaked out and did that loud, terrifying, air-snapping that dogs do in warning before they attack. I think my heart may have actually stopped beating for the seconds it took to establish that the baby was fine.
Since then the dog has been much more bothered by the baby and is curling his lips and showing his teeth even if the baby is being held at the opposite end of the sofa. Today he started snarling at the baby when someone else came into the room with food.
What do I do? How do I address this behaviour other than ensuring he never gets near the baby again?
:(
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Dog aggression, what do I do?
10 replies
WorriedMummy2013 · 01/07/2013 12:39
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