Advice on bring baby home around an aggressive dog?

I had 2 boxer/pit mixes. Due to my living conditions I had to have them fostered for a year while my husband was deployed. I would visit them every month and the month right before we were supposed to get them back they attacked each other so badly that 1 dog tore the ear off the other and scratched the foster moms arm all up while she was trying to separate them. I immediately called my husband and disnt even give him the option to discuss it. We surrendered them as soon as he got back. Our daughter was 1.5 yo at the time and even when I was pregnant they would bark and nip at me if I tried to scold them for stealing food off the counter. Trust your instincts and protect your baby! I hate when people say dogs are family blah blah blah. Yeah they are but you know what my babies are more important than a damn animal. All it takes is 1 second and that dog could do serious damage to a newborn or even kill them. I dont know why anyone would risk it just because “Animals are family”

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Good fucking riddance

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My old dog had similar tendencies. Very possessive and over protective when it wasn’t needed. My son was about six months old maybe a little less when my 80 pound dog attacked him, biting his face. It was just me at home by myself grabbing this giant dog and dragging it away while my son cried and bled on the floor. It was the most terrifying moment of my life that I would never wish on anyone else. If your dog already has these tendencies and you are close to being due I would rehome the dog to someone willing to train it. I would not risk your child’s life. It takes time to train a dog out of bad habits and if you are seven months already I doubt that would be enough time. * just for everyone’s information my son is fine now. He had a skin tear on his eyelid and bruising on his face but if I hadn’t been watching him or had left him alone in the room with the dog he could have been dead. We put the dog down that day.

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Don’t.

Rehome the pup.

You can’t go back and change anything once something tragic happens.

It’s not the dogs fault but you cannot CANNOT take that risk.

Just make sure to find a good home and check references.

And tell your man you will not come home with baby if the dog is still there.

(PS I love all dogs too and don’t believe in rehoming for convenience. But this is a risk you cannot take a chance with.)

Good luck.

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A liability is waiting to happen :confused:

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I would re home the dog bc the dog is a safety hazard and u have to worry about ur child not the dog.

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Babies before dogs. I have two dogs that are amazing with my kids, but if they did anything close to what you are describing, bye-bye doggie. If hubs didn’t agree, I’d be leaving and taking the kids with me. He can have the crazed dog all to himself. I’ll be damned if I risk my child’s health by keeping an animal with known aggressive tendencies around.

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This isn’t even a question… Get rid of the dog.

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You cannot take the chance

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Do not allow dog around baby! Also find training classes for doggy, and re-home is aggression continues.

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You dont take a baby home to an agressive dog EVER period

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Get rid of the dog. The aggressive behavior will only get worse

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The dog has a screw loose and needs to go. If your boyfriend is being ignorant to the danger, then he’s not worth keeping

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I would not risk it, the dog needs to go

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Here’s my old lady :heartpulse:she was bffs with my oldest daughter but I never left them alone together.

Dog behaviour/obedience school but, some animals including dogs just are not good with kids. It sounds like the dog also doesn’t like females. Trust you gut, if that’s to re-home the dog then, do it.
My son is 2 years old. He can take food out of the dog bowl, pull the dogs hair, grab toys right out of her mouth, try to sit on her. The most she has ever done is a soft warning bark when he was a baby and pulled her fur but, she didn’t bite him. She went outside and laid down away from him. She follows him everywhere and he follows her.

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GET THE DOG TRAINED. Have a trainer come over and work with him. If that doesn’t work get rid of him.

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Child comes first rehome the dog.

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Sorry I’m all for dogs I love them and give chances BUT in your situation if your fiance is refusing to rehome the animal to a forever home then don’t bring your child home period an animal can attack in seconds and if something happens then you and your fiance will be to blame and why chance it if I were you I’d stand my ground

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You can’t take that chance. He must understand the risk he is taking by keeping the dog. I LOVE my dogs just like they are children but if I couldn’t trust it around my kid I would be iffy about it living in the same house and like you said what about toys and when the babies crawling and stuff?

If the dog acts that way he needs to go period .

This should not even be in question. That dog needs to go before it does some serious damage to a very defenseless baby.

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Okay. I agree with rehoming… but why the heck does the breed of dog matter???

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Dog should go. Im in a similar position, having great difficulty getting my husband on board with rehoming one of our dogs.

Rehome the dog and fiance for that matter if your kids’ safety isn’t #1!

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Sometimes it just takes some training. My pit gets aggressive when he gets in trouble & i smack his butt. He goes to the kennel. He doesn’t like strangers & people he doesn’t know well, but i redirect him. He’s also gotten a lot more protective since my daughter was born. But never ever, have I thought of getting rid of him. Most the time they’re acting like that for a reason. Maybe he wants more attention & feels like he’s gonna he forgotten when the baby gets here so he’s acting out. My dog gets jealous of my boyfriend because i had him first. They don’t like sharing their humans.

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:raised_back_of_hand:the dog has shown aggressive behavior on many occasions. Sad as it may be it’s time to give the dog to someone that can care for it. You need to care for your husband and new baby.

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This shouldn’t even be a question!!! Oh hell no!!!

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Please don’t bring the baby home to that dog. I love animals but this doesn’t sound safe. The dog may not like the babies crying or just the new presence in the house period. Especially, if it’s already behaving this way. Re home the dog to prevent a possible tragic situation.

Dog needs re-homed, immediately! You and your baby don’t need stress now, or danger!

It will only get worse based on past experience. This shouldn’t even be a question.

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First sentence says it all. Get rid of the dog. Not worth the risk. It only takes a split second and you wouldn’t be able to get him off. A trainer should have been called in before now, you’ve been lucky not to have been hurt

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Wouldn’t risk it. I’m a huge animal lover but I had to rehome a dog once because he was aggressive around my toddlers. I knew I would t be able to forgive myself if something bad happened to one of my kids. I got him placed in a home with no children through a rescue group. If you can’t bring yourself to rehome it, hire a professional trainer 100%.

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Baby comes first. Dog gets put down, you can’t make an aggressive dog someone else’s problem. The animal shelter will evaluate the dog and re-home or put down depending on the results.

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Find a rescue that might be able to help him

If he isn’t fixed go get him fixed and it sounds like he’s showing aggression to show dominance you need to show him who’s boss if that doesn’t work then find him a new home

I would never rehome a dog that has shown behaviors like that. Someone could get hurt !!! He needs to be put down . I highly doubt this behavior will change

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Take the dog to a vet!!! Most dogs that become aggressive usually have an underlying medical problem. If the dog has no underlying medical problems or they can’t fix it then get rid of the dog.

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I had taken in a Doberman that had been trained to protect the woman in the home.

Never showed any aggression. But was big and intimidating. (Apollo)

I was taking picture of my family and the flash went off and he lunged at me.

His former owner grabbed him in time and he slinked away and laid down.

I didn’t think that much about it.

One night my husband at the time worked shift work (reason we took the dog for protection when he was on midnight shift every 3 weeks) and he worked in the town we lived. He came in the house one night in his lunch break (about 4am) and came to our bedroom to let me know he was there. The dog was laying on the floor right next to me.

When my ex touched me to tell me… the dog sat up… his ears went back and he growled.

It was at that moment my ex said… nope. He’s gone if I can’t even touch my wife.

And we rehomed him.

Can’t take the risk when they show you clues.

Have you taken him to the vet? That would be my first stop and then maybe behavior training before trying to rehome him. Sending prayers

If you can afford to, please take it to a professional dog trainer before getting rid of him. Obviously if his behaviour doesn’t change then you can’t have a baby around him but he is still your family/responsibility

Before you bring the baby home, give the dog one of the babies blankets that has baby’s scent and let him sleep with it make it be his blanket it sure will help the transition

I am a HUGE animal lover, but I believe that not every shoe fits… The dog has to fit you and your changing family… I have a feeling the dog senses you’re changing, the situation is changing, and is showing aggression towards that change. Please rehome the dog. I have a pit/boxer mix and she adores the baby. Never showed any aggression towards him as an infant. In fact, I have pictures of her laying next to him while he was doing tummy time. She always watched over him. If she showed any signs of aggression towards me or the baby, it all over. I know its hard to have to make this type of decision, but you need to make what’s best for your family.

First off, I agree with getting the dog trained, secondly animals react to all sorts of things, might be as simple as your hormones cause him to react, also sounds more like he was protecting your fiance or so he thought with out knowing he was doing more harm than good, if training doesnt work and yall are unable to find the trigger the find him another home, do some research on the breed, figure out what’s causing the change in his temperament. I have a pit lap mix and I trust her 100% she has protected me and my little one

I am a dog lover and advocate. You should be extremely concerned. Contact a trainer ASAP and strongly consider rehoming your pet.

Dog needs a new home

Pets become a part of our family and almost like a child so I completely understand this. But believe me, you DO NOT want to risk that kind of aggressiveness around your child. I can imagine how hard it will be for you and your fiancé to part with your dog but it sounds like it will be in the best interest of your family. Once baby is home and you’re paying all of your attention to your newborn, because that will happen, I am sure the resentment and aggression will only get worse. I love my dogs but if they ever showed even an inkling of aggression like that they’d be rehomed immediately for the safety of my kids.

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I would highly recommend taking the dog to the vet there might be something wrong with him he could be not feeling well or in pain, they can’t tell us what’s wrong, there is meds out there that will help him calm down too, he might be scared of the new little one that’s on it’s way and the fact your husband has help issues

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That’s easy you dont take a baby or child around an aggressive animal

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My ex had a psycho pit-boxer mix that would chase kids riding bikes down the street and bite them. He also would go absolutely nuts if anyone came over to visit. He was very territorial. I ended up leaving him for other reasons but I never trusted that dog.

Dont give up on the dog yet get some training for him and if things don’t change then he has to go

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It only takes ONE incident to seriously injure or kill your baby. If there’s even a question, Is it worth it?

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Go with your instincts. No room for error here. Dog lover myself but this is a definite warning. A tragedy in the making.

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You have more than enough examples of aggression to be concerned. Get rid of him.

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Talk to your vet, he may be able to tell you some information. Since your fiancé/husband has seizures, he could be trained as a service animal for him maybe? Just a thought. I have a 100 pound American Pitbull Terrior and we’ve had ours for 6 years and my daughter is 5. We were worried about this before she was born. Before I had her, I went to Walmart and got a doll that makes the sounds And cries of a baby and some baby lotion and rubbed on the doll so both my dogs would get used to the sounds and smells of a baby. Yes he has been aggressive (barking and growling only) only a couple of times but never towards her or us. He is extremely protective and they sleep curled up next to each other. I also have a 35 pound cockapoo and to be honest, we were more worried about how he would react towards our baby rather than our big dog. And again, these are only my suggestions and opinions. In no way am I condoning what the dog has done thus far but there seems to be an underlying issue with him. Stress, scared or other health reasons. I’d definitely talk to your vet first. Hope it works out for everyone involved! And congrats early on the new baby!

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Take him to the vet. Sometimes that’s the sign of a brain tumor

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Dog training and if he isn’t fixed, please do so.

Not a risk you should be willing to take, the dog hurting or worse your baby. Dog goes.

Sorry dog has to go…it is a pit and pits are not good for being around kids or infants. Do the research and you will see.

One word- BYE!! Animal lover or no, being a mom goes above all other loves… this is a potential tragedy waiting to happen.

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I love animals … But this is a no brainer.
That dog already has some kind of issue with you apparently. Now when you bring a baby into the house it is going to feel threatened by someone else and I’m afraid that outcome won’t be good. Please take care have you and your baby

I think Ashley Marie Morrison ‘s has the right advice. Because it sounds like this came all in the time frame of your fiancé illness and your pregnancy. There could be some underlying issue.
You’ll have a better perspective after a vet check. But also keep your Mama Bear instinct on.
God Bless you all.

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I had a corgi and a mastiff. When my mastiff started getting older my corgi became extremely aggressive, attacking her everytime they were in the same room, and bit myself and my SO numerous times. We rehomed. She went to a young college student who walks her daily, has no other animals, and she’s THRIVING! Animals absolutely are forever, doesn’t mean they can’t live out the rest of their forever in someone else’s home. Don’t feel bad about making a decision for your family, you just may not be able to offer that pup what it needs. It’s a tough decision, but it’s one I don’t regret making at all because I know she’s living her best life and doing so much better than when she was with us. :heart:

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I love my dog more than anything. He was my first baby, we’ve had him for 11 years! If he ever nips at my child he will be gone. That’s it. I won’t risk my child’s well being.

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Baby over dog ALWAYS … If fiancee wnt put baby first then both them need to go and no home visits to dad as long as he has dog … You dnt take chances like tht … The dog is giving u every right to be nervous … And from sound of it the dog will get worse whn he sees ur fiancee paying attention to baby

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I would look into professional training. It sounds to me that the dog is protective of your SO possibly because of his seizures.

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I wouldn’t even take the chance .

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Pits are known to get alzheimers…our friend had a pit who was around your dogs age…a very loving gently dog. But out of nowhere became very aggressive. They had to put her down.

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Don’t! I was attacked by a dog as a young child. Plastic surgery to the left side of my face and head. It was a family dog and they knew he was a little aggressive… I bent over to tie my shoe and that is what caused the mauling. I have a Pitbull in my home too and if he ever showed signs like that I’d re-home or keep out of the home with children until training or something was done… I know leaving a pet is heartbreaking but so is being mauled.

Maybe have him evaluated by a vet?
Our cat started attacking our 6yo daughter. She would sit outside our daughter’s room and wait for her to come out and attack. Just out of the blue.
My husband demanded that she had to go, but backed off because she is one of my kids, and I love her as such. She was abused before she was rescued and I suspected brain damage.
She’s now wearing a compression harness and on medication. Day 1 everyone in our family was amazed at the change. She’s calm, sweet to everyone, & relaxed. She turned out to have a nasty anxiety issue.
A vet may help. Also a training collar with a remote will help too

Before rehoming home him, get him a vet appointment to make sure there ain’t nothing else going on.

I would definitely get rid of the dog! This is what a “friendly” wagging his tail happy to see her pit mix (just my opinion but the breed really doesn’t matter. All dog breeds can attack in an instant. Not the dogs fault, not my daughter fault. She was just petting the dog and it waa just instinct for the dog. The dog had never been aggressive before. Anything can happen) done to my daughter December 27, 2019.

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Get rid of him :woman_shrugging:t2:

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I’m praying that you know the right thing to do (rehome the dog) to prevent risk to your newborn baby, and you actually posted this to see if anyone had any other great ideas. There are no other great ideas that will keep your defenseless baby safe.

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A baby/child can’t defend itself against an animal attack, do you really wanna take that chance?

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Obviously a child is more important than a dog :roll_eyes:

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Please, there is nothing more important than your child. Get rid of the dog!

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Re-home the dog. Or put him on obidience training although you are running out of time and that will take a while to be effective. But taking him to shelter would be your best option. I know humane society shelters give the dogs the necessary training and make sure they go to home that can handle them. If the dog remains unchecked serious injury will happen. You don’t want to be one of those people whose baby was mauled and killed by a dog.

That dog don’t belong near you nor near the baby!

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I would absolutely ask him to get rid of the dog

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Professional training for sure.

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Bang bang a 22 would work. aggressive dogs have no place in society. Unless you want your child looking like this or dead avoid pitbulls and pit mixes all together. Garbage dogs.

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I am not the kind to label pit bulls or mixes but with a dog that has displayed aggression towards you I would rehome the dog in a kid free home. If something happens to your child you could probably be held responsible for negligence in ignoring the aggressive warnings he displayed, and you’ll never forgive yourself.

Just have the dog rehomed or it might kill your baby. It’s not a discussion anymore. He’s already become aggressive toward household members. In my family these types of dogs underwent strict retraining by our most alpha of males before put back near children. We never had problems because the dogs knew their place in the pack.

Don’t. Rehome the dog

I wonder, with how this behavior is new, if something is wrong with him, such as a health issue in his body somewhere, or if his brain is outgrowing his skull? There must be an underlying issue and I would take him to the vet and ask for blood work to be done and for an MRI.

How is this even a question? Get rid of the dog. It would have been gone the moment it showed aggression towards me.

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I would never keep a dog like that around a child. No matter how much I loved it.

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Honestly, I’d put all the dogs outside if I’m bringing a baby into the house (if no one wanted them).

Has he been fixed?
He needs to be taken to the vet! He could have something medically wrong given the sudden change… certain cancers in dogs especially if it happen to be a brain tumor can cause these aggressive behavior… he could be suffering and no way at all to let you know so he lashes out.

Have you ever wondered if maybe hes being more protective because your pregnant. Also because he can sense the seizures probably. Vet him, see what they say. Also fear plays a big factor. My bloodhound/ lab mix has recently started showing signs of aggression. I do not let him scare me. He backs down pretty quick if he knows im not putting up with his shit.

Get rid of the dog! Don’t take chances! ANY dog and any breed of dog can attack at any time…it can happen. But if it’s becoming aggressive, don’t risk it! I know this couple that had a pitbull and I’m not sure if it ever got aggressive, but they had it for 2-3 years… had two children and it just attacked the older boy one day and the father had to stab the dog to death to stop it and the little boy didnt make it. :disappointed_relieved::broken_heart:

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The dog needs to go, the child comes before the animal, no matter the breed. Its acted aggressively, and it will only get worse.

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I would rehome him or keep him completely away from baby it’s unfair either way but you have to do what you need to do so your baby doesn’t get hurt or worse! I have a little dog that is aggressive but only to people that come here and he has to be in kennel until they leave! I guess what I’m saying is baby safety first even though it’s hard because you have had the dog forever :worried:

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That is a tragedy waiting to happen.

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Maybe have a dog behavior specialist come over a number of times to try and figure this out. I would think they would give their professional opinion to your significant other in what to do before baby comes home, instead of coming to the conclusion of rehoming right away. Something to think about…

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Why you don’t cross breed a dog. Could be several things going on. I’m a huge advocate for Pitts, but I think you’d be safer surrendering the dog.

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Don’t lock the dog away and treat it like it’s a beast , you must introduce the dog to baby right away and keep close eye on the behavior the dog is showing… The dog might grow to protect baby !!! Good luck

My dog did this as well he is resource guarding. He needs to be separated from everyone and crate trained. He also needs to be brought back into your house your rules. Simple commands are a must. Also reward reward reward for good behavior and reprimand for bad not beat him that is where the crate comes in.

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