Teaching 12 month old No before he ends up bitten

[Salene]

So I have a 1 year old son and 2 dogs

Now the dogs do have there own room a utility room off kitchen with baby gate , so he can't get in there but they have a bed in living room for during day as like to be in about the family

My son is obsessed with crawling on them, trying to poke there eyes, grabbing there sensitive noses.

A sure way to end up bitten

I tell him no and move him away but the more I try to remove him from them the more he seems to want to get to them

Am I doing this all wrong..?? How do you teach a 12 month old no or is he just too young..??

Is the only way to keep him and them safe to lock them away in their room while he is about..? I feel mean doing it as one just sits with face pressed at gate wanting in to be with us, they sleep in there so mostly likely don't want to be shut in there 24/7

Now before anyone says just watch him I do this already but scared a lack of concentration could result in him touching them and me not noticing on time, these dogs have never ever shown aggressions for seem very tolerant of him but I don't want to test them , push them to there limit

If there were to go for him they would do serious damage as powerful dogs

What's my options here..? Can you teach a 1 year old No..?!

First time mum by the way incase you haven't guessed already

1 year olds don't understand no and some of them think it means 'go ahead quickly before I catch you'

The only way at this age is to provide them with a distraction, take them away from the dog to another room with a suitable toy, teach them how you want them to interact with the dog under supervision. Persistent consistency is required. You can't have a moment off.

You can't keep them together unsupervised; it is not fair on either of them.

Notfor

What you describe is what worries me , and what I don't want happening, but I know could easily happen .

We are just going to keep dogs separate from now on, they aren't locked away all day as my son plays a lot in his toy room with me or my husband so it's not like there will be in there room all day

How about a temporary rehoming - is there another home within the family that could take them until your son is maybe four or so, and can understand not to approach them?

Nicer for them, you and him I'd have thought. Then you welcome them home again.

Just an idea.

woah there

Go the answer I was looking for , you can't teach a 1 year old no so signing off this thread now as not taking abuse from idiots .

Thanks to those who added constructive advice . It's appreciated

It is very stressful trying to keep them separate all the time though

Wow OP. Surely you must have known what some people's opinions on this might be before you posted? Not saying Panicking's post was at all fair, but in responding the way you have you've proven yourself just as bad. And the fact that you're so defensive that you're not even prepared to hear these opinions says to me that really, you know what you're doing isn't right. Your doing it to protect your own emotions. No other reasons. I get it. I did it. But bottom line - you're being selfish

LEM, you said, "The sad thing is, if they bite your DS you'll have them PTS and it wont be their fault, it will be yours"

No, the sad thing is her DS could be permanently scarred, injured or even dead.

I don't appreciate being told by a stranger I'm a idiot

I've already stated my dogs could do serious damage to my child if something was to Happen

I've stated my child is either gated in his toy room or the dogs are gated in there room

All I wanted to know was is there a way myself, my 1 year old and my dogs can all sit in a room together

I've been given the answer I needed NO we cannot

I don't like being told I'm going to end up getting my son killed by my dogs..!!

Which given the fact I've asked advice if we can sit together it's clearly something I've not doing. I tried it seen my son wanted to poke my dogs and have come looking for advice to is there a way

No there is not I've established

I hate the way people come on thread just to be nasty and belittle people so sorry if I reacted but it really grates me

If someone is asking advice if you don't have any then don't comment

Flanjabelle nothing on mumsnet is anyone else's business really, the site would close down quickly if no one commented on what they thought. No room is safe for a one year old to be unsupervised in. Needs must for a trip to the loo etc, but cooking a meal is too long. However, the OP has cleared up that the room is visible from the kitchen so my objection doesn't stand.

Salene personally I think you're asking the right questions, you're asking for the best plan and you're accepting that you're going to have to keep them apart for the time being and maybe for a few years. You are not a bad person.

I grew up with dogs and they are a brilliant pet to grow up with as long as everything is carefully controlled

Ignore the horrid people

Salene maybe try posting again in The Doghouse in the Pets section, as there will be more posters there who love & own dogs & will understand your point of view & will have had experience of exactly this issue :)

I can't help as I have a cat, sorry :)

God, what a ridiculous thread.

OP, sounds like you're doing the right thing, keeping them separate. Obviously that isn't fair on the dogs long term, have you considered a muzzle for them?

Ignore the horrid people

This

I taught mine from 8 months. He probably does understand.

Nohope the thread is nothing about the ops son being in a playroom though. The thread is about her son and her dogs. I therefore stand by my opinion that the playroom is really none of our business. The site would continue to thrive if people give their opinions on the subjects of the threads.

MN is odd when it comes to dogs.

I kept my dog away from DC2 when she was small using stair gates, play pens, doors etc.

We walked together, one big walk on a morning to break up the day for the dog and a shorter walk in the afternoon, so he wasn't cooped up in the kitchen all day long.

I used to take some time each day to teach the dog and DC2 to leave each other alone. She got the picture by the time she was about 18 months old, sadly the dog is a dubious mix of breeds and has the energy of a collie paired with the intelligence of a whippet, so it took him much longer, in fact it's still a work in progress now that DC2 is 9

I'd sit on the floor with them both and heavily supervise all contact, DC2 eventually learned that if she pestered the dog, he'd be taken away. They're the best of friends these days, only DC2 has the energy to keep up with the stupid mutt. They spend hours every day playing fetch in garden or trying and failing to learn new tricks. Still supervised of course but I am happy to watch from a distance these days. DC2 understands canine stress signals and knows our dogs limits.

They're only small for a short time. This is do-able and you are doing all the right things. Your dog is not going to eat your child. Most dogs don't, even when they are prodded and poked, not that we should allow them to prodded and poked of course.

If you have well socialised, trained and well balanced dogs it is perfectly possible to get through this phase safely.

As you have acknowledged you will have to closely over see all interactions. When your DS attempts to behave inappropriately with the dogs be close enough to stop him but instead of saying 'no' be more specific, e.g. 'We do not hit, we stroke' showing him how to stroke the dog and, of course, ensuring the dog is happy with all this.

Another idea is to get your DS involved in training the dogs. Assuming the dogs have been trained with food and know not to grab it, get your DS to hold a treat and show him how to issue a command (you repeat the command to make sure the dogs listen), your DS then throws the treat to the dogs. This approach has many advantages, most DCs find it highly entertaining but it is hands off the dogs which is safer for them, at the same time the dogs come to see the DC as someone who asks for and rewards good behaviour so they are more likely to offer good behaviour.

Have all three together at times when they are occupied with other things and less likely to interact with each other, e.g. DS on his trike and dogs on a leash for a walk. That way they enjoy each other's company without becoming too much for each other.

Could you get a playpen or similar for the dogs? So they can be in the living room but your LO is safe?

Or a player for the child? Many people without dogs have them , I am considering one myself for when DS is mobile, due to house layout and an open fire and woodburner, both of which will be in use all winter.

OP you are doing the sensible thing and it is good that you have asked advice. When my dog was still with us, she snapped at a child she knew well and scratched his forehead. He was 8, they played together often. On this occasion though he ran up to her and grabbed a puppy from her. Despite having been told to leave her alone until she came to him. A more aggressive dog would have done some serious damage. But then he wouldn't have been let near a more aggressive dog with puppies.

Look at the body language - the dogs will put their ears down, look away and get that 'pleading' expression in their eyes. None of these are good signs and you should be aware of them.

Its a good idea to go for walks together regularly so DS and dogs do fun things together and DS gets used to being around them.in a safer way.

Some of the idiots on this thread are the reason so many dogs are in rescues. I would just keep them seperate for the most part but make sure you have walks together so the dogs are still used to the baby. My dog has never been around children before our baby, he is very gentle at the minute and when he lays with us i stroke his back with ds hand so he is used to being touched by him, maybe get the dogs a crate so they have some where to retreat.

A staffie is a dangerous breed isn't it? I rehomed my Lakeland terrier when my baby was 6 months because it hit wasn't working. She wasn't aggressive but would get a bit over excited. Keeping baby and dog separate sounds like a nightmare.
My advice is to rehome the dog too!

No staffies are not on the dangerous dog list, please do not post silly advice.