Rescue dog around toddlers

[Butningembers]

We have had our rescue dog for 4 years and she is still very nervous around strangers. Once she has met someone a few times she is fine with them and once you are in her “circle of trust” you could literally do anything to her
we have a 5 month old baby boy and I’m becoming increasingly worried about when he becomes mobile. So far, she has exceeded our expectations with how she’s adjusted to him coming into her life but I still worry…..
we have plenty room in the house and almost every room has a stair gate. We’ve only ever had very supervised interactions and would never ever leave them alone together even for a second so this is already the norm for us
I saw a similar post on mumsnet where people were advising the poster to get rid of the dog however the dog hadn’t done anything wrong and it’s sort of knocked me for six!
Has anyone had success and even enjoyment having a toddler around a not so easy dog? Sometimes I feel I should look at rehoming but she hasn’t done anything to deserve that (just my fear of “what if”). I feel because the introduction has and will continue to be so gradual that he’ll just become like us and be one of her pack. She’s not a jealous dog either, just wants to be involved in most things!

i don’t want bite stories (I’m fully aware there’s plenty out there and know the risks). Literally looking for some hope that it might be ok

I have the easiest, soppiest dog in the world and I'm a dog behaviourist and my toddlers and dog never share a space unsupervised, and are never in the same space together unless I'm actively engaged with them all (so if they are playing with toys and I'm in the room then the dog is the other side of the room divider). Once they are much older then they will be allowed more interactions, but my primary job is to keep everyone safe and happy, and that means no toddlers accidentally stumbling over a sleeping dog or startling her with their general noise and silliness.
So I think your set up sounds fine. Keep them separate indefinitely as long as there isn't any separation anxiety and room dividers and gates mean she can still have company but also wander off for space if she needs it.

My dog is not particularly difficult, but I'm just here to say that it's totally possible to keep a dog and a toddler separate, especially if your house is already set up for that with gates as it sounds like yours is. We had a dog before we had children. When we had DS1, we kept him and the dog apart, using stair gates, playpens etc., and we didn't leave them alone in a room together - it definitely can be done. I think if the dog always wants to be where you are, the main thing to work on is training it to be okay with being separated on the other side of a gate. The only bite stories I've heard in real life are where the families didn't have sensible boundaries in place from the start, e.g. babies allowed to crawl near food bowls etc.

The dog I had when DD came along was a rescue, not suitable for children.
Like others, I never left them unsupervised and in all honesty, the dog never showed any aggression, fear or otherwise towards my own children.

Just play it by ear and watch carefully.

In fact DC2 used the dog as a walking aid. I don't recommend this, but DDog would actively seek out toddler DC. Stand very close DC, so they could pull themselves up... sometimes walk slowly and help DC with cruising!

I also had a 2nd dog, he would walk away from DC with a low growl avoiding any type of contact or interaction (no sniffing, watching, listening) ... this one was re-homed.