Panicking - pregnancy and dog

[Devastatedaboutourdog]

I am 4 months pregnant and have a 1 year old Jack Russell. He's lovely 70% of the time but has always been prone to nipping and snarling. Initially we put it down to being a puppy but now I'm not so sure. He has been treated like a king. We did everything right - puppy classes, training at home. His needs have always been put first and quite right too.

I am 4 months pregnant with our first baby and I always suspected that he 'knew' almost Immediately. He has become increasingly aggressive towards me. He always preferred me - I put this down to how much time I spent with him (I work from home for example). He can be quite vile towards me know.

Obviously with our impending arrival, I'm extremely worried. Is this common? I am worried he'll hate the baby and be aggressive towards him. Does anyone have experience of advice?

Thanks ellapaella

I have a Saint Bernard and he had some puppy issues like this, although he was younger, my breeder/vet told me to grip his upper mouth (like his nose, but grab the whole of it so his lips are covering the top part of his teeth. It kind of immobilises them for a while and if you squeeze they hate it. Its supposed to mimic their mothers biting them if they stop out or line ... sorted mine out! I didn’t dare at first as I didn’t want to hurt him until my vet seconded it. Try pet forums (google pet forums uk)

I agree with the vet check and contacting a decent positive method behaviourist as soon as possible. There's a great Facebook page dally Dog Training Advice and Support, they can recommend behaviourists I think.

Avoid anything that triggers aggressive behaviour so no sofa, no ball.

Good luck.

He’s biting your hands and legs and doesn’t respond to commands? He’s out of control and you need to seek help.

Fwiw the lady I know nearby who has 2 Jacks says hers need a minimum of 3 hours a day exercise or they are unbearable. Her partner walks them for an hour in the morning, dog walker at lunchtime then she takes them out in the evening. We are fairly rural so they can go off lead (out of the village, over fields) and basically run their legs off. They also have puzzle toys and kongs to keep them occupied when indoors. Even when they have this, they are still very yappy and obstreperous, and will square up to every single dog they meet on the street, luckily my laid back soft dolt of a dog just ignores them. Every JRT I’ve met has been quite, erm, feisty is the politest way I can put it!

THanks rednails - what dog do you have out of interest?

I've been bitten by a Jack Russell. If my own dog regularly nipped and snarled at me, I wouldn't have it in the same house as a child.

We have a 10 mth old JRT, and I am 7 mths pregnant. He really is the softest, loveliest dog and I really don't understand the bad press that JRs get. He puts up with the other children messing around with him without a growl. He has about 11/2 to 2 hrs walk a day and sleeps the rest of the day. We treat him like the dog he is, not another human. He is not allowed on the sofas and is aware he is at the bottom of the pack.

You know your dog and if he is doing this to you, who he should respect, then what will he do to a small baby?

MissTfield - thank you. This is really interesting. Can I ask some q’s about you JR? I would have totally agreed with you about the bad press - like I said upthread, all 5 of the JR’s I had growing up were gorgeous and so soft natured.

• was your dog boisterous as a pup? Mine never was extremely so, just normal

Pup behaviour

• when did your dog stop the ‘bitey/chewy’ stage
• does she get offended when you go out and return??

I have an 18 month old JRT and am also 4 months pregnant. Mine is great with kids and all sorts of environments but I think that’s because he has been well socialised with 3-4 hours of walks per day. They are a high energy bread so can be challenging (especially now I’m so tired). Best advise to you is to get a behaviourist for your dog. I know a couple of people who hired one for their rescue dogs and the transformation is unreal. Really works! Good luck x

Op I think you need to see the vet and some behaviour advice. 70% of the time isn’t going to be good enough with a baby around. I know very little about small breed dogs but something doesn’t sound right.

When I was pregnant my big dog became very protective of me, especially with men, he peed on someone once when I was pregnant. I was talking to a man while Big dog was running (in a contained dog walking area I pay for) he walked up to this man Peed on his leg. I was so embarrassed. He also never left my side, I went to the loo he followed I got a glass of water he followed. Ended up really annoying me.

Devastated.
I think one of the main differences in miss t fields post is that she already has children and the dog has grown up with them. Also, he is treat like a dog and - by her own admission- is the bottom of the pack.

I’m horrified by your post after my first one where you say your hands are shredded. He likes you best and this is what he does!
For gods sake, put your child first, re read your own posts and imagine it’s not you. What would you think? If your dog is constantly biting you then he needs serious help.
My grandmother had a JR who got too big for his boots and eventually bit everybody. But when he bit one of her grandchildren [ not me thank goodness. He just slunk out of the room every time I went in!] that was too much and he had to be destroyed.
Some Jacks are just too highly strung and without a doubt he thinks he is top dog. Do you honestly think he is going to change when a baby comes and upsets the equilibrium even more than his mum being pregnant?? I dread to think what he could potentially do to your baby- is it really worth the risk??
I’m not a quitter when it comes to dogs and I love them with all of my heart. But sometimes it’s not safe.
I’m saying all of this to you with my Labrador snuggled up to me on the sofa. I’m really upset for you because it must be very hard. And I’m not sayimg any of this to be a bitch. I just do believe that you need to re home this dog asap.

Thanks Yorkshire, I appreciate your frank advice. As we speak he’s sat happily and quietly next to me drifting in and out of sleep. It’s just that he’s unpredictable!!!

I get what you’re saying but how on earth could I rehome him? Surely I’d be giving up on a dog who was so well matured before. I just can’t bear to tell people that we simply got rid of the dog we claimed to love so much

You say he likes being patted on the couch but his snarling is saying the opposite.

Please get some help from a behaviourist.

I wouldn't allow a dog that behaved like that anywhere near a baby. seconded.

I think the best course of action is talking to your vet and a behaviourist, realistically it’s not a safe situation for your baby to be in when he/she arrives. I was bitten by a JR when I was 12, I was walking home from school, it ran ahead of its owner and went straight for my leg. I have met some lovely natured JR’s and I don’t necessarily thinks it’s breed specific in your case. Your dog would definitely benefit from further training and possibily rehomed to an older family with no children, as hard and painful as it will be, it seems the most logical and safe solution all round.

Repost on The Doghouse subforum, where you will get some more measured responses.

A few things though (from someone who lives with a young rescue JRT cross that's something of a work in progress training wise)

• Exercise, exercise, exercise. DDog needs to be walked to the point of exhaustion daily if he's going to be nice. If yours plays fetch (he's a JRT so...) it's an excellent way of getting the physical energy out of him without doing too much yourself. Mental energy has to be serviced by sniffing walks, training sessions, enrichment activities etc. An hour a day only scratches the surface - he gets 2x 15 min comfort walks and then 90 minutes (half of which is non stop fetch) on weekdays and more like 3 hours of off lead walking on weekends. If he doesn't get this he's horrible.

• If he nips you, make a high pitched yip sound like his littermates would. It'll stop him in his tracks (assuming playfighting more than aggression) and says "ow that hurt" in dog language.

• Go back to training classes. Not only are they great mental exercise for your dog, they'll help you with his issues.

• You're far from the only person to report dogs acting weirdly when they're pregnant. They can sense the hormones.

Devastated
“Always been prone to nipping and snarling”...........but he wasn’t so well matured before was he? He, by your own admission, has ALWAYS had a behavioural problem.
You will need to rehome him BECAUSE you love him so much. He needs a home with no children and someone who has lots of experience with problem dogs - because this is what he is.
If you keep him your child will be at risk. Because your dog is unpredictable. Which means you could never ever ever trust him near your baby, which will make him worse. Unpredictable is a very dangerous trait to have in a dog which has vast previous history of biting. Most dogs would have been destroyed by now frankly if they bit as much as your boy has.
It’s fine to say I would never leave him with the baby ( which I am sure you have though about) but the phone rings, the doorbell goes, something needs taking out of the oven, you fall asleep, you forget to close a door when you need the loo.............and disaster strikes with the potential for irreversible and life long scars or injuries. Or worse.
Your hands are shredded from bites- imagine what he could do to a baby,
I know you love your dog - but I’m guessing you love your baby a whole lot more. You certainly will when you have him/her in your arms.

Don’t give a damn what other people think or say. It’s none of their business. And anybody who knows you will know you have not ‘simply’ given him away. It’s not a simple or easy decision at all. It’s a hard shitty decision.
But you will forever be on edge if you keep him. Your child will pick up on your tense feelings . Your child will not be able to have any friends round to play as you couldn’t run the risk of doggy biting someone else’s child. And again, you couldn’t watch the children every minute if you shut dog away. One day he would get out. Jacks are pretty bloody nippy runners too and can squeeze out of a door opened a crack in my experience.
If you want a dog, wait till baby comes and get a family and child friendly dog. But this dog- no matter how much you love him- is not safe to have in the house with a baby. Or any child for that matter.

I’m so very sorry for you. I would be feeling exactly like you if I was in your position. Please don’t think I am being tough and heartless. I’m being tough but crying too.
Maybe you should speak to the breeder and ask if they would try to rehome him? But be honest with them.
I really hope you have a lovely pregnancy and a gorgeous summer baby and that you enjoy every minute with your baby because it’s the most wonderful time. Not a time to be worrying.

Thank you for your kind words. I suppose I was half expecting people to say that he’s still a pup at 1 year and will likely grow out of it. Am I completely off the mark??

I’m not sure you’re completely off the mark.. I just remembered my JRT was really moody when he was 4-12 months. He never bit me, a dog or even come close but used to growl a lot. He is a gem now and great with kids..

Also, have you had him snipped ? I think that’s a must with his dominating behaviour. Also, don’t leave toys out put them away and hand them out to him as if they are yours and he can borrow them. Feed him last and be strong with him.

THanks for your comments. Yes he’s already been snipped we had it done at 10 months

OK, great. You have 6 months to get him turned around he is young enough for it to be pretty simple (hopefully) get some professional advice. Good luck with everything x

He does still have some growing up to do but i fear that his traits are not acquired behaviour. He sounds very aggressive, even for a breed that can be a bit OTT.
I just don’t see how he will grow out of it. This is his nature.
Chewing shoes etc is something that most dogs do and most dogs grow out of.
But biting to this extent is not normal. So I don’t think he is going to grow out of it simply because it’s not normal puppy behaviour. unfortunately I think this dog has a bit of a streak in him which is overly aggressive . The unpredictability frightens me Oh, puppy’s nibble when they are tiny, before they loose their milk teeth. All of mine have left scratches on my hands. But this happens for a couple of weeks and they never ever broke the skin. And although I have labradors now ( a planned decision once I met the man I was to marry) I used to have toy poodles, Rhodesian ridgeback and Rottweilers! So a full array of dogs. And I have never, ever been bitten by one of my own dogs.

So no, I don’t think he will grow out of this. I really don’t.
What does your DH and friends / family think?

It’s just that he’s unpredictable!!! As are babies, and dogs in general don't like unpredictability, and they don't like someone else taking over their "best" person.

I just can’t bear to tell people that we simply got rid of the dog we claimed to love so much There is a lot of stigma on MN around re-homing dogs when babies come along. It's not the done thing. However, I would not bring a baby back to a home with a dog that has bitten me, snarls at me and is unpredictable.

I have a dog and did so much research on bring my baby home before the time came and I followed some sound advice to the letter, and from minute one, he adored her and still does. He was very protective during my pregnancy and afterwards too.

By their nature, dog are unpredictable, you cannot know any dog. But you do know some of what this dog is likely to do, and I wouldn't risk a bite on my hand becoming a bite on my babies face.

Surely you'd never be able to relax?