Kristie R asked:
Dog Lovers Mega Pack
Dog Lovers Mega Pack
Tags: Anyone Have Suggestions, Cocker Spaniel, Ears, Gentile, Jealousy, Sit, Spaniel
March 2nd, 2007 at 5:06 pm
he might be a lil jealous ..but you need to start now not letting the baby pull on the dog..the dog is warning the child not to pull its ears..teach the child not too before it gets bit..then its your fault cause the dog knows no better and neither does the baby at this point..this is what happens when people dont teach their kids how to act around dogs they get bit then they want to put the dog down..and its not the dogs fault..
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:25 pm
im sorry to say, but cockers are really bad with children. my grandma has one and it bit my 2 year old sister twice. for the safety of your baby you will have to get rid of your cocker.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Your dog is not jealous – you have allowed the baby to attack the dog.
Your child must not be allowed to do this.
Please *keep the child away from the dog*
Please get professional help, right now.
or
Right now, please. Do not experiment – under no circumstances should the baby interact with the dog!
March 7th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Dont let the baby pull up on the dog..You need to teach them both ..
March 8th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
you have to get rid of the dog. Sorry. But that’s all you can do.
Ignore the thumbs down given to animal luver. The people who gave her thumbs down are morons. She knows what she’s talking about.
Oh, look. Cavalier says SHE trained her cocker to protect. But do you REALLY want to take a chance with your baby? All it takes is ONE BITE and it’s OVER!!! What do you think cavaliers response would be then? I’ll tell you. “oh well”. That’s it!
March 11th, 2007 at 4:10 am
Train the dog. Make the baby and the spaniel friends. It will take care of the baby and protect it in your absence. It’s no joke. I’m serious.
March 11th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
animalluver what u said its ur grandma that trained her wrong!!!!! i used to have one and they protect children and are awesome with children !!!!
March 14th, 2007 at 9:46 am
I have a 14-month-old and two dogs. You have to start NOW with your baby. Start telling her “no” and “gentle.” Our daughter was trained so to speak to only pet and gently pat our dogs. She learned because we went over it with her time and time again. Now she crawls near them, looks for one of us to see if it’s okay if she pets them, and then she pats them nicely on their back or their side. Our dogs love her and there is no problem.
You have to set boundaries for your baby. I would never let him just crawl over and start manhandling the dog.
The dog has every right to be upset and protective when a baby who’s already hurt her is coming over again. Start retraining your baby and watching your dog. Never allow them to interact without your direct involvement.
March 16th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Jealousy might be a huge part of it…I would just never, EVER, let your baby harm that dog again.
When we were younger, (my twin brother and I), my mom had a cocker spaniel, and that dog was protective of her. She was quite jealous when we were born, and it certainly didnt help that my brother threw sand at her one day….she bit him and he still has the scar. She never bit me, cause I never hurt her, but it was bad…we didnt get rid of her, or anything.
I would just suggest that you slowly get them used to each other. I would monitor them closely for the sake of the baby, but also for the dog. If your baby ever hurts that dog again, I think the dog might lash out…
Good luck!
March 19th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I am sorry, but I would also HIGHLY recommend getting rid of the dog. I know it isn’t politically correct to ever “rehome” a dog for any reason, but it is my humble opinion that he could be a danger to your baby.Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Try and keep them separate or show the baby how to properly pet the dog. Don’t let the baby go near the dog without you around until he’s old enough to understand. I don’t think that getting rid of the dog is an option. The dog was there first and is part of the family too. You shouldn’t just adopt an animal and get rid of it when it’s no longer convenient for you. I’m sorry I know you didn’t say you were going to do that,but I can’t stand when people do that!! Good Luck with your problem.Try and make sure that you still spend time with your dog. Maybe play outside with him or go on a walk without the baby sometimes. Still show him affection.My animals are really needy and they are young too. The baby is obviously more important,but the puppy is still your baby too!!
March 25th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
It has nothing to do with the breed and the dog is not jealous.
The dog is probably more fearful but that is just as bad. If a dog is frightened or threatened it has three possible basic instincts – Freeze, Flee or Fight.
The next step up from a low level growl is a full growl with lips raised and teeth showing and then it is an attack.
You really have to keep your child and dog separated or at least supervise them whenever they are together …. in these situations a disaster takes only a few seconds.
I would also get the dog assessed by a behaviourist who knows what they are doing.
I hate to say this but you might have to re-home the dog into an environment without children.
Please be careful.
March 26th, 2007 at 2:51 am
hes probably jealous keep them seperate
call the vet and ask about a way to fix the problem
March 26th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Our two year old cocker spaniel has been growling at our 8 month old because the baby has grabbed a hold of her ears.
There’s your problem. You allowed your 8 month old to cause pain to your dog. Now your dog associates the baby with pain and is growling at him in an effort to make the thing she is unhappy with (the baby whom she associates with pain) go away. Growling is a NORMAL part of the canine language…it is a way for the dog to communicate that they are uncomfortable with something. When subtle signs (body language cues, growling) are not effective and the dog can not move away from whatever is concerning them, then they move on to more overt signals such as snapping and biting.
My suggestion to you would be to seek a professional trainer/behaviorist to help you with this problem. This dog can probably live with this child, but it will require training for all parties concerned. You need to teach your dog to respect your child. Teaching your dog that small children are the source of wonderful things would also go a long way in helping your dog’s attitude towards your son. And you NEED to train your child to respect the dog…not only do you need to teach him not to pull on doggies ears or fur, but you need to teach him to recognize the dog’s signs that she wants to be left alone (obviously at 8 months he’s a little young for this…which means it is YOUR responsibility in the mean time to keep him away from the dog until he is old enough to understand how to be gentle). And finally, you need to learn to read your dog. Chances are she is sending you even more subtle signals before she growls and you just haven’t managed to pick up on them. A professional trainer or behaviorist will be able to help you with this task and they will be able to do it in a way that is safe for you, your child, and your dog. Please seek professional help for this problem before your child is bitten. Your dog may not be very large, but she is plenty large enough to do serious scarring and even life-threatening damage to your child if she does bite.
If after working with a trainer/behaviorist there are still issues, then your dog may need a home without small children. Some dogs just don’t get along with children. This could be a result of temperament, lack of socialization, or a bad experience. It doesn’t mean that the dog is a bad dog, but it does mean that the dog should not live with children. As a pet owner you took on the responsibility of this dog when you brought her home. That means doing what is best for the dog even if it isn’t what you want. I believe you should try training first, but you should be prepared to rehome her if training doesn’t work or if the trainer recommends rehoming her.