was wondering if minimu or some doggy expert could help

[slushy06]

I was not a dog person was badly bitten as a child and my mum stopped letting me near dogs. The result being I was terrified of dogs when I saw ds was getting scared we got a dog.

Fast forward our dog is 9 months now fitting in well and generally happy. However dd is mobile now and seems interested in the dog what sort of things will bug him. Having no knowledge of dogs the only sign I have seen for him being annoyed or fed up is he walks away and sits by me, are there other signs that he is not happy.

Btw my dog neither barks nor growls, I don't know why he never has he can because he does it in his sleep and I know growling is a good warning sign.

its more about body language from your dog rather than a growl or bark.

My advise it to keep your baby away from the dog if the dog is in his bed or his area of house. There has to be boundaries on both sides.

What sort of dog do you have? Do you take it to classes for socialising and training?

We have a Labrador dog he has his own bed which the dc are not allowed to enter and if he comes to sit by me I don't let the dc near him.

Sadly I didn't realize before I got him but there are no classes where I live not within 2 hours drive and I don't drive which is my bad but there are dog walking classes so he attends those which gives him socialization.

Getting up and moving away are good pointers, but you can also predict what will annoy a dog. Assuming your DD is now crawling/starting to walk this is a hard time for your dog - her movements will be jerky and unpredictable, her body language will be impossible for him to read and may even come across as threatening, and she is at face level for him which is hard for some dogs to deal with.

I think my advice would be to heed very carefully any signs of discomfort or stress from your dog, ensure he gets good walks, possibly more than usual for a while (plenty exercise and stimulation minimises all sorts of problems in the home), and maybe look into getting a crate for the time being. Crates can be an ideal haven for a stressed-out dog and allow them a refuge from children, provided the children know that they must never, ever enter it or bother the dog when it is in there.

I think at this age in particular it is really vital that you never, ever leave your DD unsupervised with your dog because from a dog's viewpoint toddlers are just really scary sometimes!

Well done for facing your fears and here's to many happy years of dog ownership

Never leave dc and dog alone he seems patient with her he will even go over to her and he lies down next to her and she lies on him, can't see it bothering him when he instigates it.

He gets two walks a day and we have lately started taking him out swimming which wears him out more. We don't have a crate because I have a room for my dog it is larger than a crate nothing in there he can damage himself on and there is a safety gate on the door if he sits by the gate on either side I open it for him and close it so the dc can't bother him.

Dd tends to pull his fur now I stop this because I wouldn't like it but as far as I can tell he doesn't mind he just sits there. Dd is also terrible for trying to get his food so I feed him in his room now with the gate closed, although when she did try to get it he just sat back and waited. She also tries to pull his eyes which I am sure bothers him so I go and pick her up if she is doing this. Is it the staring at dog height that bothers dogs then, Harry (the dogs name)has been attacked by another dog but still tried to play.

In general, Labs are pretty docile and good as family pets. He is getting plenty of good exercise, make sure he is mentally stimulated too. Maybe a pyramid game or similar to get those cells working.

Just do what you are doing, keep an eye and I wish you many happy years of doggy life.

What is a pyramid game?

I have stopped the fur pulling and poking, prodding of any areas including eyes. The only thing I allow is the gentle hugging(I do watch to make sure it is not rough) With ds 4 it is not a problem the dog lies on ds feet. Should I stop dd cwtching him then that is all I allow her to do with him.

Dogs don't like being prodded pulled around or poked. Eyes, ears and feet on some dogs are out of bounds. If your dog gets up and moves away then he is clearly showing signs of not liking what is happening to him.

Also watch his ears and his eye contact. A dog will turn his head away from something it is uncertain about. If the ears go back then again the dog is uncertain.

However with children as already suggested it is best to show them how to stroke a dog. Most dogs do not like being stroked on their heads so children can stroke their chests many dogs prefer that. Show your son how to approach the dogs eg not running up but calmly and then touchng the dog slowly.

Some dogs lovehugs other dont so you can see your dogs reaction to this - it sounds to me like you are doing a great job. Also to reasure you a dog will give many quite obvious signs if it is unhappy with a situation and as you are looking for them I am sure you will not miss them.

Enjoy your dog and your family and I hope you will have loads of fun together.

Thanks minimu I didn't know about the ears going back or the looking away. Ds is fairly good with him but he does run up to him so will stop that, think I will leave the gentle hugs because my dog instigates it and whines if ds is sat on a chair so pretty sure he likes it. I will definitely enjoy him we have a great time taking him swimming never knew a dog could be so much fun. DD however still needs to be trained I will persevere with distracting her till she can be shown.

Thanks to all the posters who posted I feel much more secure now, thanks to the advice given I will keep a close eye on dd hugging him and check to make sure he is happy I never let dd hug him for more than a minute or two just in case he is nervous.