Dog really hates toddler DS

[TheHolyGruel]

I have posted about this before. I have two dogs (staffs) and a toddler DS who is 20mo.

My older dog (male) really dislikes my DS. He growls at him constantly and it is just getting worse. We had problems with this dog being dog aggressive but this has been overcome somewhat by walking him on a muzzle and walking the dogs separately. The dog has been checked by a vet, other than a recent worm problem (now sorted) there is nothing wrong.

We sought advice from a dog trainer/rescue person who we had a couple of sessions with. His advice re the toddler/dog situation was to put the dog down, as if something did go wrong then not only would it be a dreadful situation for us, but dreadful for staffies everywhere (another story for the papers etc, another crack in the BSL nonsense defence - I fully believe that BSL is bollocks and that the problem is not because he's a staff, but I'll talk about that in a moment). But I don't feel I can do it. In the meantime, any attempts to unite dog and DS are failing. DS is instructed to offer dog treats, to sit nicely and pet nicely, not to run up to dog, not to touch anything belonging to dog, etc. I make an effort for the dogs to be in the same room as DS as often as possible, but I am becoming worried for DS safety, as dog is really sounding at the end of his rope.

I honestly believe it is because the dog has been usurped from his position of 'first born'. The other dog displays no such issues, and is very fond of DS. The problem dog has always been the established top dog.

DH works away from home sometimes and has his biggest stint of the year coming up next month. He is away for a month, and I am petrified of how I will cope with this situation alone. It is so stressful.

In the first instance, does anyone know of a way in which I could find a foster carer for my dog, initially for this upcoming period, or is this unrealistic? He is fine with dogs smaller than himself and with older children (all children aside from DS it seems, in fact).

Can anyone offer any other advice or solutions? I think ultimately he will need rehoming, but I also know it's not that simple...

Funny that 'cause my dog growls when I am playing with him, but yet when I remove his toy he follows me around trying to get it back. If I put his toy away he can spend hours longingly staring at the box it's in until someone gets the toy back out.

Obviously now I know that the toy should be removed immediately. That's what he is telling me when he's staring at his toy box. Not that he wants to play, it's that he wants me to put the toy in the bin.

I always though he had lots of different growls and now I know him better I can understand most of them, there was his happy growl, his content growl, his bog off and leave me alone growl, his I'm starting to get really pissed off now growl and his I'm scared growl. I wrongly assumed it was his way of communicating with me. He is a very vocal dog. Obviously not. MN says it's not so, then it's not so. Bollocks to what all the books by world renowned behaviourists say, they're all wrong too.

Growling can only be a bad thing. My eyes have now been opened. Thank you LBY for educating me. And to think I spent hours and hours reading critically acclaimed books, by world famous behaviourists when all I had to do was ask you.

Oh goodness. I hadn't realised that you've read critically acclaimed books dooin. That changes everything.

According to Mumsnet, every dog that growls is waiting to attack

I dunno about anyone else, but when I want educating on a subject I read up about it, preferably from a critically acclaimed book rather than Topsy and Tim Get a Dog

hairylemon-you have made me old now, i used to love the Topsy & Tim books

what about a growling SBT Pumpkin? Meet one of them and you might aswell gnaw your own leg off and save it the bother

lemon, best get the chainsaw out, my staff would rather eat a bowl or cereal than me leg

Topsy and Oh Wait Tim Has Been Eaten by A Growling Yorkie If Only They Got A Mouse Instead

If its a growling staffy you have to get rid of it straight away

By some magical method which dispenses of aggressive dogs that very second.
Some people on this thread seems to think that's possible.

Maybe they use Harry Potter and his magic wand?

Have you ever seen a snarling dog?
Would you want that near your very small son? In the same small building without a garden? Would you have been able to live with that for two years?

But op isn't putting her son near the dog.
The op is trying to REHOME him

My staff would rather eat a freshly laid cat shit (i say that as Ive just caught her sniffing one out in the back garden, managed to stop her in time by distracting her with a wine gum )

LBY where has the OP said the dog was 'snarling'? Oh, she hasn't. It obviously comes as a surprise to you, but dogs don't always growl because they are unhappy about something (although of course, they can do) they growl in play or just because they are 'talking' too. Staffs are actually one of the breeds that are known to be especially vocal.

The op said the dog was growling not snarling.

Let's not over dramatise just to make a point.

My dog actually 'speaks' when she sees a family member at the door, she half growls/barks AbbaMama, it makes strangers laugh

No I wouldnt LBY, Id do something about it, like OP is doing

And not liking certain dogs Or continuing to communicate is showing lack of impulse control now?

What IS nuts is people calling a dog, who has never bitten or hurt a person aggressive.

My staffy has a staffy screech

They are quite vocal dogs tbh.

But not waiting to attack anyone in my household.

Sometimes they even bark at my DCs, they also bark at planes, people drilling in the road and plastic tesco bags.

Doesn't mean they are on the edge of attacking any of those things.

I have had a dog that snarled. He was rehabilitated and is currently asleep in my clean laundry basket He is a very good dog now. So good in fact I miss working his former, difficult self. Although we are now working on new challenges, so he is fun again

OP has stated several times that her dog is not snarling. It is growling. Snarling is the next step up if the dog feels the need to escalate it's behaviour. This particular 'dangerous' dog has not escalated it's behaviour.

My parents own a possessive dog with guarding tendancies and fear aggression. She snarls often. She is going camping with my children next week. I trust my parents implicitly when it comes to the management and training of this dog and my children have been taught how to behave appropriately around the dog.

So far she has seriously bitten no-one. Nor did my terrier during training. This is because we managed both dogs and listened to what their growling, snarling and body language was telling us and adjusted their environment or our behaviour accordingly in a manner which still allowed us to continue on with the rehabilitation.

How many aggressive/fear aggressive dogs have you worked with LBY?

Does anyone elses SBT growl when you dare to turn your back to it? Mine doesnt half make a racket if you dare to turn away before she has finished with you, then she drags me to the floor where we wrestle and she stands over me with her starfish right in my face and carries on growling while her bum hole opens and closes in time to the growl, its quite a sight

erm, can I ask MNHQ to delete a post based on the fact that it has revealed I know far too much info about my SBTs anus?