Hi, I've name changed for this post, but am looking for advice.
My parents have a springer spaniel, who's 6 now. He was a rescue dog, over indulged as a puppy by elderly owners who didn't tell him no, then when they couldn't cope any more they passed him on but he was mistreated by people who were supposed to be gun training him.
My parents rescued him at 10 months, and my mum has worked really hard with him, both at training class and at home.
He still has some bad habits such as stealing items (things like socks, tea towels, soft toys) which she's not managed to train him out of, but it's manageable. At first he would just destroy the items, now he just holds them in his mouth until you notice and will then exchange for treats.
He is very affectionate particularly with my mum, but doesn't get jealous or guard her (he's happy to share with my DSis' dog). He is also big and stocky for a springer.
So, to the point; I've just had a baby. I see my parents at least weekly, and obviously DS will be coming with me. We went round for dinner the other night and tried a sort of gradual introduction between them.
Unfortunately, it didn't work; because he's little and because of the noises he makes, the dog seems to think DS is a soft toy. We were there for a couple of hours and twice we had to shut the dog out as he was trying to get hold of DS' foot whilst someone was holding him. I think he is trying to 'steal' DS away like he would a toy.
I honestly don't think there is any malice in his actions, but I'm at a loss as to how to get him to appreciate DS is not a toy without making DS completely off limits.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Otherwise, the dog is going to be spending a lot of time in the garden during our visits for the next few months/years 
.