Your Dog And Your Baby

Up until now your dog and baby have just been objects to be admired at a far. With crawling comes a whole new ball game.

It is very likely that the new little bundle of joy you brought into the house a few months ago has made mans best friend a little nervous, even if it didnt seem it at the time. When faced with the baby the dog was inclined to just go away if he was uncomfortable with the baby. Now that the baby is crawling it isnt as easy for the dog to just escape the baby. This could push the dog into feeling like he needs to defend himself causing him to bite.

Items can come into play now that the baby is mobile. Dogs are territorial and have an inbred desire to protect what they believe to be theirs. This includes food, toys, objects and even people. If the mobility of the baby causes an infringement of the dogs belongings, be it a piece of furniture, the food bowl or even his master, he may move to protect it from the baby.

Often dog owners are surprised when their dog acts aggressively toward the baby as though it came out of nowhere and their dog has done a Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hide act on them. The reality is that most owners miss the cues the dog is putting out that that could have warned him of the potential frightening behavior. Pay close attention to the signals your dog may be feeling uncomfortable near the baby and take action to avoid issues later.

Remember that by nature dogs all have a job that they feel the inbred desire to do. Some dogs are herding dogs and that will lead them to wanting to herd children. Keep a close eye on your dogs actions to determine if this is what your dogs behavior means.
The best way to avoid an altercation between mans best friend and your little crawler is to never leave them unsupervised. Always keep an eye open with your toddler is near the dog. Little hands like to pull on ears and tug at faces so be sure to be on your game when play time ensues.