Question
My Boy...
Hi there....I have a 2 year old, pure bred German Shepherd (West German Showlines). I've had him since he was 7 1/2 weeks old and have spent a LOT of time with him....playing, socializing, walking, training, etc.....He was (besides my husband and job) the center of my world.
This past June, I had a baby girl who is now the center of our world though I still obsess over the dog and take excellent care of him. However, I noticed that during the months leading up to her birth when I was getting the room ready, my dog started "challenging" me in her room. By this, I mean that when I would tell him to leave the room, he would stand there and "challenge" me. If I reached for him to physically move him, he would start running around the room like a maniac and jumping up at me to play and nip. Sometimes, he would get so obnoxious that I would have to jump on top of him and pin him down to show him I meant business.
He has always been a MOSTLY well behaved dog....doing what I ask of him.....following basic commands....walking on a leash and off leash....etc. For some reason, he is very BAD when he's in her room.....even now.......Is he just jealous or is it a dominance challenge? How did he know about her even before she was born????
I have to say that he really loves the baby....he's great with her. He INSISTS on kissing her on the face constantly though and will do it even after I tell him not to. He just waits til I'm not looking. Is this ALSO a dominance challenge? I just don't get him sometimes. I love him so much and would like to understand his behavior more. Perhaps I just need to step it up more on the discipline?
Please help. Thank you.
AnswerI don't know how they know, but it is quite common for dogs to behave differently when a lady is pregnant.
Yes, more disipline. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm They have additional pages with info on dogs and children.
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