My dog bites. How to protect my baby from an aggressive dog?

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

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.

You have to do what is best for your family. All dogs, whether trusted or not, should always be under direct supervision around babies. I would recommend that you have Jack evaluated by a veterinary behaviorist. The vet will be able to help you work on behavior modification and give you guidance on what changes need to be made before the baby comes. Use this link to find a veterinary behaviorist near you: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709

I would get Bentley in with a professional behavioral expert immediately, and do not introduce her to your newborn baby at all. I'm very concerned that she has already lunged at your 4 month old niece, and that is an aggressive behavior that could have extremely serious and even fatal consequences. The safety of your baby is paramount, and I would not allow Bentley anywhere near your newborn because she already has a history of lunging at babies. You need professional help managing this behavior, and it may be honestly that rehoming her is best. I know that this would be extremely hard, but you can't have an aggressive dog around a baby. Have her seen by a professional behavioral expert first to discuss training if you want to keep Bentley, but until they feel it's safe, keep her completely separate from the baby. It may seem like I'm overreacting, but I know of cases where this has gone fatally wrong. The last thing I would ever want is for that to happen to someone else, so I will always advice extreme caution. Speak to your vet first thing Monday about a referral to a professional behavioral expert. I hope this helps!

First off, I'm so sorry you have to make this decision! It's a very hard one to make, but it likely is best for the safety of your baby especially if he put your brother in the hospital before with a bite. I can say honestly that dogs who are aggressive are not recommended to be rehomed due to the safety risks. I'm not sure that lead Henry to bite your brother, but you need to be honest with the animal charity about that situation. They may want to do evaluations with an animal behavioral expert before deciding if it's safe to rehome him. Sometimes it does happen that a dog needs to be put down for the safety of everyone, and you don't want to keep a dog who can potentially hurt your baby. Ultimately you have to put the safety of your baby first as hard as it is, and removing him from the home is likely best. Again, I'm sorry you are in this position!

Hi there. The situation you describe would be a common trigger for a bite. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the degree of risk going forward, and help you put together a training plan to work on the problem. In the meantime, no one should be allowed to bother him or approach him when he has a bone or other valuable resource. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

I would strongly recommend to get her on an anti-anxiety medicine. If she is this aggressive when she normally wasn't before babies, she could also have something else going on. I would have your vet take a look at her to ensure she is otherwise healthy. Your vet will be able to put her on some anti-anxiety medicine to help calm her nerves. She likely being very protective over her babies or she could be in pain somewhere. I am sorry that I do not have a great over the counter or quick remedy. These things take time. You could give her a calming chew or calming collar but I am afraid these wouldn't be strong enough. Plus, I cannot say whether or not they are safe for a nursing mother. Finally, I would try to arrange a place for her to be when you have your company arrive. If you have to board her or take her to someone else's house, you may need to do this. Having a lot of strangers in her house especially if they are wanting to see her puppies will only stress her out more. I would keep her and the puppis separated from the guests unless you are confident that she is better.