Boxers & babies

Status
Not open for further replies.

Lola's mum

Boxer Insane
My daughters friend has a baby and when she comes over with her baby we have to shut the dogs in another room as they go absolutely mental. They jump up, whining, barking etc and it worries me they'll hurt the baby.

I'm at a loss what to do and it's really upsetting me. Lola is the worst one she gets so excited she barks so high pitched :( No matter how calm we are with them they try jumping up when we're holding her, they go totally nuts.

Has anyone any advice as this is behaviour I certainly don't want.
 

boxer17

Boxer Booster
Not sure I am right about this but, they try and ignore the dog until they calm down. Don't pay attention to them until you get the behavior you desire. Then priase them when they are calm.

That being said, jumping can get out of hand around a newborn. Maybe try them with their leashes on and see if that helps.

I bet they don't understand being "locked up" in a bedroom and this probably makes them go even more crazy.

When we brought a son home we made sure the dogs were under control - leashes and asked them to sit to introduce the baby to them. They seemed to understand that he was little and could be hurt. We made sure to include them on most things and this made them more at ease and calm around our son.

I'm sure others will post more advice. Good luck!
 

mueltrain

Boxer Booster
Maybe you should start with one at a time and help teach them how to interact with the baby. Try sitting down on a couch or something so that the dog can see the baby and wont have to jump, with that being said make sure the baby is sittin on the back of the couch with you on the edge so you can quickly correct the dog without him actually touching the baby. If you make it known to the dog through assertive correction that he is not to touch the baby than you should have success. Also hopefully as you get each dog calm around the baby they will influence the next. Its definitly worth it to teach them how to interact with babys, and so darn cute when they sniff and lick the babys toes and hands lol. Good luck.
 

Lola's mum

Boxer Insane
I will try one at a time.
They are not completely shut away they are in full view of us behind a stairgate so not totally shut away. They go totally nuts it's scary.
One on one with the baby I think Zeb & Casper would be fine, it's Lola and she's normally my calm one it's when they're all together they feed off each other.
 

mueltrain

Boxer Booster
I would for sure try one at a time with the worst first and it might take a considerable amount of time to get em to calm down so be ready to have your patience tested! Make sure they have the opportunity to interact with the baby so you can correct their behavior. Getting them to calm down in a corner somewhere is one thing but your ultimate goal should be not to worry about them around small children and babies...
 

Lola's mum

Boxer Insane
My daughter was babysitting for a few hours earlier and brought the baby over. Lola & Zeb were in the garden so I closed the door (& locked it, the buggers can open the doors :LOL:) Anyway Casper was fine, totally ok, he was a bit scared at first to be honest then took no notice of her at all.

We let the other two in the house and they sat looking through the gate at her, Lola doing this high pitched bark (luckily doesn't faze baby at all they have 3 dogs) Eventually they calmed down so we left the baby in her buggy as she was asleep while we ate our dinner. Lola & Zeb just lay infront of the gate watching her.
This is going to take time I know but I have to stop behaving the way they do. Thanks for the advice.
 

Lola's mum

Boxer Insane
Thought I'd update you,
At the weekend we sat in the garden with the baby & just Lola, at first she was ok until the baby made a high pitched laugh then she got all excited and started trying to stick her nose in the buggy.
I told her no and held onto her collar and just sat there with her watching the baby. Her body language was very excitable though so I got some treats to focus her on me a bit but as she's not food orientated it didn't work. In the end I had to bring her in :(
 

mueltrain

Boxer Booster
Are you trying to keep them completly seperate from the baby? As im sure you know boxers are very curious, so not letting them see the baby might drive them wild lol. Also I dont know why i didnt recommend this before, try taking them all for a nice long walk before they meet the baby, but i would still do one at a time even so. Bring the baby out on your lap and let them come up and sniff it and etc, that is once they are at least calm enough that they arent jumping up all over you. Look back and read about the couch trick I was talking about, Where you sit on the edge of the couch and sit the baby next to you on the back of the couch. That way they can see the baby, but its far enough away that you can correct them before they reach the baby. Its up to you to assess their energy level and etc, but if they can get calm enough i would let them come a little closer and sniff the baby. Try this or something like it where they can see and smell the baby without actually being able to reach it, one at a time, and after a walk! It sucks that you are having so much trouble with this. Jay went right up to our family friends infant and just sniffed and I swear the baby start reaching and petting him! it was so cute. Continue to post updates and dont give up!
 

mueltrain

Boxer Booster
One other thing I just noticed was you said you were holding the dogs collar trying to keep her away from the baby, well idk if you have ever heard of it but dogs have whats called an opposition reflex, which means they want to go the opposite direction of which they are being pushed or held. So I would recommend a different approach, once you have dont all the tips above lol. If its not working and they are coming towards the baby with an excited demeanor, stand in front of the baby and correct them, either with a stern voice or maybe a slight touch on the side of the neck. Its better to force the dog not to come to the baby in an excited state, than to hold him back and have the excitement build...
 

Lola's mum

Boxer Insane
Thanks for taking the time to help me out with this, much appreciated.
When Lola met the baby the other day we'd just been for a long walk, she was fine until the baby made a sound as I said. I had to take her collar as I was frightened of what she might do to be honest.
Will try your other suggestions and thanks once again.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top