Printed on August 27, 2007
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my dog is jealous of my 22 month old grandson
i have 2 dogs. 1 is 11 yrs old the other is 2 yrs old. the 11 yr old is very jealous of my grandson. she bit him on his face a few months ago that he needed stitches. i have to put a muzzle on her when he is up and runing around. he lives with me. my dog still growls if he gets close to her. the 2 yr old shows some aggression towards him sometimes. she has snapped but doesnt get close enough to bite him. my grandson loves the dogs. what can I do. Please i need help now!!
20 Replies
October 25, 2009 11:31 PM
Hi Cheryl,
This is a job for an in person professionl to attend to. Yes we have some pros here but when you start taliking children, stitches, dogs and muzzles then it needs to be seen, evaluated and monitored in person and we can't advise you safely and confidently here.
I'd muzzle them both and phone Cesar's Dog Psychology Center or visit his personal website to seek out a qualified pro near you and without delay.
Keep the 11 y/o far enough away so that it doesn't even practice or display the unwanted behaviors. The 2 y/o is feeding off or getting its cues from the older dog. It's not jealousy, it's domination and/or prey drive. Either way the kid has a target painted on him by the dogs.
The other safe and trustworthy advisors on this forum are Tracey, Blizzard, Sandie, K-Nine and Doggone.
Be Well and Train Well.
October 26, 2009 9:38 PM
ithank you for your reply. my vet said before if she shows more agressive behavior he can put her on doggie prozac, but I don't want to do that to her. the muzzle is working, but i hate having it on her. i did get a muzzle for the other one also. i will visit cesar's website. my son and his family moved in with us a year ago and hopefully will move out. there are places for my 11 yr old to go and be safe. and she does. and i do tell my grandson when not to go near the 2 yr old. and to be gentle with her. the both dogs are great with my 6 yr old grandson.
October 26, 2009 9:43 PM
by the way what is cesar's web addy?
October 26, 2009 11:05 PM
Hi Cheryl,
Please don’t think for a second that I or Tracey didn’t already know that your heart and best interests were for EVERYONE and ALL the dogs too! We never doubted that you would be taking some precautionary measures on your own because that’s what grandmas do for their little ones! :-))
Being great with the 6 year old definitely has me leaning toward dominant aggression. Again, I can’t see it though I wish I could.
If you live in LA, CA you can 411 for the Dog Psychology Center of Los Angeles (DPCLA). Otherwise you’ll want to go here and would be directed here by Cesar’s website anyway to find a local pro. http://canineprofessionals.com/Public/FindAProfessional.aspx.
His business website is at http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/.
I hope all the best for your whole family. Hopefully, your grandson is so young that he will forget the bad experiences and the dogs will be fixed by the time he is old enough to remember stuff and it will all be good memories by then.
In you favor is that long term memory usually starts to take hold at 2 ½-3 years old so the timing is perfect.
The other safe and trustworthy advisors on this forum are Tracey, Blizzard, Sandie, Dawg Pro and Doggone.
Be Well and Train Well.
October 27, 2009 6:11 PM
my grandson still loves my 11 yr old dog. he isnt afraid of her. he calls her good girl lol. and the 2 yr old grew up with him. i dont think she would ever hurt him on purpose. but there is that chance.i did write to cesar. i think it would be great if he could come here and help me. i am going to take them both to the vet soon cause it is time for thier shots. so i will be talking to the vet again.
October 26, 2009 5:58 PM
Once again as usual I completely agree with K-Nine :=D The problem is already gone so far that professional advice is REALLY NEEDED.. Please let us know how you get on :=) Good luck!
October 26, 2009 7:01 PM
I will agree with K-Nine but you have to understand dogs some also.
You do have to watch the dogs, even the one that seems fine. The child, at 2 should be able to be trained some also.
An 11 year old dog needs some peace to sleep and just be an older dog. Child is old enough to understand not to go pull on the dog or wake it up. Dog needs a place to hide some, and that can be told to the child as off limits.
There is no reason that the child can not learn a bit about approaching a dog, with back of hand and see the dogs reaction. Dog will let the kid know if it wants to play or not. If dog shows teeth, or growls, then back away. Kid has had a bad experience, that should help some, but don't get the kid afraid of a dog.
The older dog deserves a comfortable place to sleep without being bothered. Kid has to understand that, and is about at the age is should.
On this, I would worry as much about the dog you don't seem to think is a problem as I would with the dog that showed it. Any dog with any small child need to be watched carefully. On dog being watched, it is not just running to the door and leaving dog and child together.
If your dogs have commands, like sit, teach the kid what to say and how to say it untill the dogs obey. I do trust my dogs, but with small children, I don't think any dog can be trusted. For the last time they were with a 2 year old, taught the kid to make the dog sit, kid loved that. Taught the kid to approach the dog properly. For is nearly 5 year old sister, let her take a dogs leash, and walk it around us. Dops had fun, kids had fun.
Just remember with dog and a small human, it is not the childs fault, it is not the dogs fault, even if they get blamed. It is the big humans fault, and most states have laws that can prosecute the big human. You will loose the dog, most likely, and possibly the custody of the child.
I think kids and dogs were made for one another. For me, until the child shows they are a pack leader, and can fully control the dog it the the big humans responsiblity to watch both carefully.
So try to teach both the dog and the child. For when you can't watch, put both out of contact with each other.
October 27, 2009 4:10 AM
ANOTHER LOT OF RUBBISH!!
""Child is old enough to understand not to go pull on the dog or wake it up. Dog needs a place to hide some, and that can be told to the child as off limits."" !!??!! NO-O-OO!!
""If your dogs have commands, like sit, teach the kid what to say and how to say it untill the dogs obey.""
At 1 year and 10 months old? He is still learning to master walking,running, climbing and maybe jumping. He is learning words, not yet putting them together to make sentences?
I fully understand that Meccash has NO IDEA about a development process of a baby to a toddler eventually becoming a child.
HE SHOULD NOT ADVICE on cases, which he CAN HAVE NO EXPERIENCE at ALL!!
""There is no reason that the child can not learn a bit about approaching a dog, with back of hand and see the dogs reaction. Dog will let the kid know if it wants to play or not. If dog shows teeth, or growls, then back away.""
HELLO, we are dealing with a 22 month old baby (toddler) here. That age they do NOT understand HOW TO show the back of hand (a method which I am totally opposed to!!!!) or WHAT THE DOGS REACTIONS MEAN as they HAVE NO rational concept of DANGER at that age!!
Neither do they understand that pulling hair or hitting with toy hammer causes pain! He is hopefully in a process of learn it through his parents and grandmother :=)
I can see bad things in the future for you Meccash if you continue this way, one day someone will get upset enough to bring a case against you. Internet and forums in it ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW, what you write in it can be recovered and used by authorities if needed.
Internet is the information Highway, but it IS NOT WITHOUT the traffic cops!!
October 27, 2009 6:16 PM
i do tell my grandson not to pull on tails and pull hair or hit. but hewill take time cause he is little. he does say sit to my dogs. he shows no fear. that is a problem.
October 28, 2009 1:16 AM
Hi Cheryl,
Being a grandmother of a sweet 19month old myself, I HAD NO DOUBT that you would be actively involved in trying to guide and teach him, but it's NOT EASY at that age, as we both know just too well. :=)
My post was meant for Meccash, as he lacks hands on knowledge of babies and toddlers.
Sorry, about venting my annoyance and frustration in your topic, but Meccash is sometimes so rude and unfeeling that it just got to me. :=(
Especially, as I know how us grandmothers adore our grandchildren!!
Apologies
Blizz
October 28, 2009 8:20 PM
thank you. we do train him also but he is just 22 months old. and very active. it will take time, and he loves the dogs
October 29, 2009 3:57 PM
Yes mother dear!!! :=D
I honestly don't know where Meccash gets some of these ideas..but OMG!!!
October 28, 2009 2:17 PM
As a parent who had to put down a black lab mix 20 years ago because he severely attacked my 2 year-old son, I got your back on that one, Blizz!
Of course I was young and dumb at the time, and looking back I can see how our care of the animal was a contributing factor in the situation. But NO ONE should ever have to make that choice, especially if euthanasia is the only choice. It haunts you forever, even if the little one overcame it.
Sometimes you have to put STRESS on subjects that can be dangerous. Your response was appreciated by one of us regular folk that trust you for SOUND advice.
October 27, 2009 10:07 AM
Cesar's web site is cesarmillaninc.com. The phone number for the Dog Psycohology center is :661-263-7727. That is what is listed on Google when you look up the center.
October 27, 2009 6:14 PM
thank you. i went to the site and left an email.
October 28, 2009 2:26 PM
Good luck, Cheryl. Hopefully the kids will be able to get their feet under them soon, and your old lady dog can get some peace and quiet :o) Grandma's-with-furry-children support group started here!
Wishing you the best on your emotionally difficult situation, and we can all tell you are doing what is best for BOTH of them i.e." there are places for my 11 yr old to go and be safe. and she does". It takes a lot to have your baby stay elsewhere, but more so to have the baby biting the grandbaby.
October 27, 2009 10:13 AM
replying to Cheryl;
Cheryl, if posted a reply to yoiur question about Cesar's address but I may not have done it correctly, His web site is cesarmillaninc.com
The phone number for the dog psychology center is:
661-263-7727. That is what is listed on google when you look up the center.
October 28, 2009 5:53 PM
In the end and despite these issues having been artificially made into a mountain "after-the-fact", allot of good comments and good ole Team Support still managed to shine some light here.
I wish you all the best and hope to hear a good news update in the neat future.
Be Well and Train Well grandma Cheryl.
October 29, 2009 4:04 PM
Hi Cheryl!!
You'll be fine.. I'm sure it will all work out :=) I'm also so very sorry for some of the comments that appear on the forum :=( Blizz is my mother and she gives great advice and help .=) Just stay on top of the situation.. it really does take a child A LONG TIME before they really understand.. and it is of course our job to show the dog/dogs that the child is higher in rank even though the child can't do that yet! With us that means Nadia's bed is a BIG NO NO! Dog's aren't allowed on it at all.. when we are all going out dog's wait until last.. Nadia is in nowadays involved with playing with the dog's she throws a ball and the dog's fetch it :=) She even feeds them dry food :=D She calls my BC when we are out.. but he doesn't listen to her..not yet..but he will :=)
October 29, 2009 8:21 PM
thank you tracey. it will work out or i will die trying. even tho robbie got bit he still loves both dogs. he shows no fear. which is good and bad. but i am keeping on top of him. since he is only 22 months old, but very smart, he will take time to learn. he likes to give the dogs treats. my 11 yr old dog is nice to him when he has food lol.
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