# Dachshund and New Baby Help PLEASE!



## NcRoW14 (Sep 24, 2012)

Ok so a friend of mine directed me to this site. I'm hoping to get constructive answers and suggestions here and not the "get rid of your dog" or "your a terrible pet owner" type crap that I've gotten elsewhere. 

Pertinent Info.

4 dogs in house : 2 year old Male Great Dane, 5 year old Male Golden, 5 year old male mini dachshund (really a tweener), 4 year old female dachshund (again a tweener). 

1 Cat in house.

2 adults and 1 4 week old baby.

Now, the problem is with my male dachshund. When we brought the baby home he turned into an absolute maniac. When we got home he seemed to be fine. He was interested and wanted to check the baby out. Smelled him and then went about his business. By the second day, we could not keep him away. If the baby is not in his sight, he barks and/or cries and sounds like he is screaming bloody murder. He does it all night long every night. He guards the baby when we are on the couch from the other dogs. He will lay at the foot of the couch and when one of the other dogs comes near (except for my female dachshund, she is the boss), he leaps and them and tries to bite them or he will growl and snarl his teeth. The biggest problem though, is that he won't stop trying to get to the baby. He has not been "aggressive" toward the baby, but he shows signs that make me believe he thinks the baby is a toy. He will de-stuff toys that squeak and when he does this he jams his nose down on it for a while first then shreds it. Well when he gets close to the baby he has simliar actions. he will sniff, but then jams his nose at the baby. At this point, we don't let him near the baby. in fact he doesn't even live with us right now because we couldn't keep him with the constant all night barking. we have tried medication and had no luck. in fact he got worse on the medications that the vet prescribed. 

For the past 2 weeks, i will pick up my dog from my mother-in-laws house, bring him to mine, work on training and keeping his attention, and then bring him back. we have made no progress yet and I'm at my wits end. My wife is exhausted and our house is incomplete without my Wilson there with us. PLEASE HELP!! 

Has anyone dealt with this before? How can I calm my dog down to get him home stop him from attacking the other dogs when they come close to the baby???

Thanks so much for your help!!!!!!


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

I'm sorry that I have no advice to offer since I have no experience in this department, but I strongly feel that this is not a situation where you'd have to get rid of your dog, and you're certainly not a bad pet owner as many more would've already gotten rid of him without even giving him a chance.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I would find a positive based trainer to help you. You're a good dog owner; you're here, looking for help.


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

I also don't have any experience but wanted to offer support... LOTS of pet owners would have bailed the minute things got tough. It says a lot about the kind of owner you are that you're willing to stick by Wilson when he needs you.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Go to iaabc.org and find a behaviorist in your area. It is a bit of money, but they could help you a lot.

Bad dog owners don't try to fix problem behaviors. You're not a bad owner. You're also being a good parent, protecting your child. Sometimes those roles can be in conflict and it is painful. Hang in there.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I really think you need to have a professional come assess the situation and help you out. It's tough to know from words what exactly the dog is reacting to and why he's behaving the way he is. Things can go dangerously very quickly. Use baby gates (hey, you'll need them soon enough anyway!) to keep the dog out of the way. Absolutely keep them separated until you can have a pro come.

I really recommend this book about raising puppies and kids together. It does mainly focus on puppies but there is a LOT of info that applies to dogs already in the house, establishing rules, and having adult dogs adjust to a new baby. A lot of it focuses on proper child-dog interactions too. It has some great training exercises for things like teaching your dog to go around a baby blanket on the floor. It's a great book.

Often the way we act around our dog is the same as around a baby. Like being low to the ground and the happy sweet cooing baby-voice we use. Dogs don't know it's not intended for them and until very recently those things have meant "come here and let me love you and pet you" so now your dog isn't going to understand right away that things like that are not intended for him to come closer. Maybe that is part of his issue if he is thinking you're wanting him close, but now you're confusing him by giving those same signals but asking him to stay back? Obviously there is more going on but it's something that may be affecting his overall behavior toward the baby.


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