My dog and my new grandson

Stop the dog from over-licking the baby. He/she may regard it as a new puppy. Personally I would walk the dog with baby in pram as often as possible, but when in house put the dog in his bed. Preferably with a children's gate (not a closed door) in the room where the baby is. Give treats while he is on his bed. Dog will soon get used to this and not feel he is being pushed out.

Yes, it has to stop I'm afraid . Your dog is showing affection but its not appropriate for him to lick the baby .

Also your young grandson needs to learn how to interact with the dog too so there needs to be rules and guidance.

Do you have a crate for your dog? If you do before your grandson arrives , pop your dog in its crate ( or locked in another room if not).

Let the baby arrive and wait about 10 mins. The dog will have scented the newcomers and should not rush out excitedly because it has settled after new arrivals.

Once out , be firm , no licking. No pulling away because you need to stop him first. Make him sit and wait . If he's food orientated then treat him when he is successful. Don't lay the baby on the floor until you have proper control of your dog. You should eventually be able to do that while the dog lays quietly.

Then you just have to teach the baby to have gentle hands and respect ...but you've got a few months for that :-)

Good luck x

Good advice from nannyandgrandad. Our dogs were given a blanket used by the new babies, before the babies visited,the dogs were in the utility, where they’re fed and sleep, when the new baby (babies over the years) arrive, they’re allowed out to greet the humans and sniff the baby, whose scent they already know.
No licking, no over intrusive scenting, then back tnto their space, treats or meals given. Make sure the dog has a good walk before baby arrives and after the baby leaves, so there are positive associations.
Our dogs are in the routine now. The toddlers/ babies arrive, the go in their beds. They get a biscuit and as they e been walked, the relax.
As nanny and grampy says, gentlehands and don’t excite the dogs is just around the corner x

I wouldn't let anything that licks its own anus lick a baby. I would also never ever leave a pet (cat or dog) alone with a baby. Cats have been known to snuggle up to babies and suffocate them.

You tell the dog no.

Where is the child’s parents? Are you full time care?

Thankyou everyone , some great advice there. I am not a full time carer, the parents are here with us, the dad and grandad keep pulling the dog away but me and DD feel we need to do it a bit differently. I will get the treats out I think. Long time since she has needed them to do as she is told!!!

My daughters dog was like this with her friends baby.

Putting her (dog, not baby!) in the kitchen just meant she obsessively licked the door instead.

The floor was awash with saliva!

For goodness sake-baby comes first. Put dog away-wherever-when baby comes and, as OP says, never let it near baby to lick or, potentially, bite!

Newquay
My dog isn’t allowed to hurt my grandson if I thought that for one minute she would be put away. She just wants to lick him and will not do it if I tell her not to. I would NEVER put a child at risk of being hurt by a dog. I don’t want to shut her away if there is a better way to deal with it.

If you can’t use a child safety gate to keep the dog out but still part of the family, use a house Line. Clip it on the Dogs collar and tie it to a sofa leg ( ie something too heavy for the dog to pull ) the dog is mid family, in her basket but confined to a safe distance from the baby.

We love our dog but keep her firmly away from any of our little DGGCs,as little as your DGS is it will only be a matter of time if you allow your dog close to him that the dog will try and help himself to any food your DGSs has and thats when accidents happen.Keep babies and dogs apart at all times imo.

Scentia I understand you don’t want your dear GA hurt so why take the risk? Is the dog muzzled so it CAN’T bite? My DGC are too of the list for safety-not paranoid-just safe!

I hear what you are all saying and if that is the best thing to do then I will keep her away. She had been the centre of the family for years and if I cut her out now surely that is when problems occur if she did get close to him in the future. Surely it is best to get the rules sorted now before he is of an age to be learning how to behave around her. She is an excitable dog when visitors arrive so I am trying to learn how to curb that as that is normally when she will try to lick him. I can’t see how excluding her will make her safer around him. As I said if that is the only way then that is what I will do, but I can’t help thinking there must be a better way. I never would trust any dog alone with a child no matter what I think of the dogs temperament, but what if she has never really met him properly and then accidentally she is allowed near him and he pulls at her because he hasn’t been taught how to behave neither. Seems like there is a split of the right thing to do. I may engage a behaviourist to help us out in this one.

Every owner of a dog that attacks a child says that if they had thought such an attack could ever happen they would have kept them apart. It may seem impossible to you that your dog would attack or hurt anyone, but does the dog know this?

M0nica. You haven’t read my post, it doesn’t seem impossible to me that my dog could attack anyone at all, she has teeth, she could bite. I just think keeping them apart could be a recipe for disaster if they happen to meet and my grandson pulls at her ear or tail and she has no idea how to deal with him or what he actually is. I think I will definitely engage a professional as amateur advice could be dangerous.

I am not a doggie person, and after a recent very frightening experience with dogs that left me with a badly bruised arm, I will continue to avoid them in any situation.

A behaviourist is an excellent idea, especially as you say your dog is over enthusiastic with visitors. No need to muzzle !

I fully endorse the idea of a behaviourist. It sounds as if your dog is not fully-trained, but in any case this is a new situation and perhaps professional help would be a good idea.

Personally I wouldn't let any dog near a baby however much the dog is loved, one bite is all that's needed. The baby should be a priority at all times.

No I wouldn’t let it near a baby or small child Staffies are often lovely dogs and very kind and gentle BUT their jaws are made to clamp on and if it was to bite it is very hard to prise the jaw open You say the dog is obsessed with the baby that sounds worrying too she may try to get over protective of him
As for licking a baby oh yuk yuk yuk a dog cleans its bum with the same tongue I don’t know how anyone could let any dog lick a baby
Don’t put the baby in his chair on the floor where the dog can get to him put it higher on a table or something

A behaviourist! Oh pulease! Keep the dog away from the child-either licking or biting-definitely not!

This is so wrong I know of a baby that was killed by the family dogs. Never ever leave them alone together and stop the licking . I am astounded the parents have not stopped it my DDIL would have gone mad.

I agree with Iam about a behaviourist.

Ive used one previously on our newest dog who had some excitable habits that needed to stop . The coping and training methods worked beautifully. It was well worth the cost of a one off 1-2-1 visit.

I'm not dog blind enough to think dogs don't bite and children don't ear or tail pull Monica but excluding the child from the dog could cause a fear of dogs in later life and Scentia is quite right - both the dog and the child need to be taught how to safely interact with one another .

I’d ask your SIL what he wants, he seems to be after the dog more, and if he has real issues, you might find yourselves not seeing them as much. No need to dismiss his viewpoint on his own child