My dog shakes and runs from my baby. Is he scared or anxious?

It sounds like your dog is anxious and uncomfortable around the baby - this is a common problem for many dogs at first. Babies can be very scary to them! By snapping, she is doing her best to defend herself and let you know she is scared. Please do not correct this behavior, as this will only make her more anxious and upset. Instead, listen to what she is telling you and don't allow the baby to approach or bother her. For many dogs, it's best to keep them separated from babies and toddlers using baby gates or other physical barriers until the children are old enough to be gentle and respectful with animals. You can praise her and feed her treats when the baby is nearby to help her associate good things with being around her, but don't allow any direct interaction if your dog is uncomfortable. If you feel that you need more help with this, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person. He/she can help you put together a detailed plan to help your dog become more comfortable around the baby and make sure that everyone stays safe. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Yes, I would suspect that this baby is stressing Precious out, leading her to hide. When the baby is over, I would put Precious in her own room or in a crate so she has a safe space of her own. You can also get a DAP, which is a pheromone diffuser that helps dogs with anxiety. You can pair that with a Sentry calming collar which also releases calming pheromones when in contact with her skin. I hope this helps!

I’m sorry to hear about Lady. While this could certainly be anxiety, I also find that dogs show this type of “needy” behavior when when are painful or sick- I’ve even met one dog who does this every time her anal glands are full. I’d take Lady in to your vet to make sure she doesn’t have an injury, fever, etc. And if it does seem to be anxiety, your vet can help out with medication for that too. Congratulations on your new baby and I hope Lady is back to her old self soon!

Poor Milo! No, this is not normal behavior. It sounds like he has some significant anxiety issues - I would really recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist to determine what is causing his anxiety. The behaviorist can evaluate him in person and help you put together a treatment plan to work on the problem, which may include prescription medication if needed. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

That is very concerning and you should definitely not have the baby and the dog in the same room. The best thing would be to have a professional trainer work with your dog to try and modify the behavior, especially if you are planning on having a baby soon. You could also get an Adaptil collar and see if that helps. Your vet could also prescribe an anti-anxiety medication, like Prozac or Trazodone, to see if that helps, too.

It certainly sounds like anxiety to me - it sounds like your dog is fearful around new people and dogs. I'd recommend talking to a behaviorist or trusted trainer about working on some behavior modification that could help your dog feel more confident in new situations. Ask your vet who they would recommend in your area.

This is a rather complicated question, since there are potential safety issues here for both Diego and the kids. To be honest, with anxious dogs who don't like noises and fast movements, often the best option is to simply keep them away from children - there are too many variables and things that can't be controlled to ever really teach these dogs to be "comfortable", in general, being around kids. If there is some reason that this can't be done (i.e., a small child in the home, or a frequent houseguest with a child), it is often possible to socialize an anxious dog to a particular child with time and patience. This would involve keeping the dog at a distance where he is comfortable and rewarding for calm behavior, then gradually getting close and working up to direct interaction if things are going well - something like having the child ask the dog to do simple tricks, like sit or down, for treats often works well. If you do want to attempt this, I would recommend working with good reward-based trainer who can help you in person - he/she can help you make sure that you progressing at the right pace for Diego, and will also help to keep things safe for everyone involved.