i have just come back from a friends tonight and she is in tears, she has found out she is pregnant , that has not caused the tears it is her dog, he is a 15 month old terrier, and the problem is, he barks and growls and barks and barks and barks at children anything under the age of 4.
he is not bothered outside if he sees them walking around, the problem is when he hears them, if they are on the tv crying or shouting, if they are in the park and he can't even see them he can only hear them he kicks off terribly,
he barks and runs around very low to the ground and just keeps on barking, the first time i saw him do it was tonight we had a programme on with a crying baby in it and he went mad,barking and growling and barking and running around,
she just burst out crying she said that she does not want to rehome him but he is so scared of babies and toddlers what is she going to do,
i said i would ask on hear for help, he is a cracking little dog, does flyball and agility not competing yet in agility but her 7 year old niece is going to run him he loves her to bits and all her friends, they play for hours with him, playing ball and he is so obedient, even for the 7 year old niece he will sit, give paw, roll over , play dead, but just the baby screams and high pitch noises he really is a wreck for a long time after wards when he has stopped the barking and running around,
any help advice please as she is at her wits end
carolann

get the cd from pet at home noise one it has different kids and babys crying shouting ect
play at a soft tone and then increase level
has he been to the vet incase he has a ear problem. too

I'm afraid babies and terriers tend not to mix well...terriers see the baby/child as prey and a lot of terrier breeders(for example my friend who breeds Yorkies) will NOT sell to families with young babies/children. Maybe it will be a case of waiting and seeing what happens?? I'm not sure really that there's anything else anyone can do unless she gets a behaviourist in to assess him?? It may be the case that she can desensitise him to babies with some very hard work? Other than that I'm sorry I don't know what else to suggest? Maybe someone brighter and more informed can offer some hope or suggestions. All the best, Dawn x

Sorry can't agree with that, I think terriers are the ideal dogs for children! I have a little cross breed rescue terrier & she adores children even though mine are grown up. She would play all day & I often comment that she would of been ideal in a family with kids, she never tires, she could keep children occupied all day! I had Manchester Terriers when my 2 children were small & never had problems, in fact I had a photo blown up last week of my daughter aged about 18 months & hadn't realised that 'Peggy (Manchester Terrier)' was in the picture with her. They are full of fun & are generally on the go all day, just like kids. My friend had an English Bull terrier when her daughter was approx.2 & he is her best friend. Only time I had to watch mine was when friends came round to play, they were a bit nannyish, looking after the kids, if that makes sense.

I'm inclined to agree, my grandfather has 3 Jack Russells, my mother a westie cross, who have always been wonderful with my neices and nephews from babies upwards.

Although, I agree with Newfie that no-one should ever sell a pup of any breed to someone about to have a baby, but if the dog is there first...........

As with any dog, anyone that leaves a baby or toddler alone with a dog of any breed needs their head examining.  Install a dog gate and always keep any dog away from a baby, allow supervised sniffs and allow a dog to sit at your feet when you have a baby in your arms, walk the dog with the pram etc, but that is as much contact as is needed, a dog stays in the kitchen, or behind a dog gate at all other times when there is a baby/toddler around.

Terriers certainly are known for barking and yapping, but don't despair, children who live with dogs are part of the pack they are not treated in the same way as children outside the home, it is not something to worry about.;-)

The best part is this is not a wee puppy at 15 months now, by the time the baby is born this terrier will be just about fully mature.

Tell your friend not to worry, integrate the two slowly, everyone on here will give lots of tips for that, when this child is 5 upwards the two are going to be the best of buddies there is no need for re-homing, up until then all she needs to do is take every precaution that we all take around babies and toddlers, which is never fully trust them together.

The two will grow together, plenty of fussing for the dog when the baby comes to avoid jealousy and slowly, slowly her terrier wil accept the baby as part of the family/pack. :-)

thank you for the info so far, i have to agree about terriers my girls all three of them grew up with english bull terriers and they where the best of friends and they would play tirelessley with the girls , i phoned her this morning and i am picking her up to go and get a cd for her and we are going to sort this out , thought about taking him to the nearby school and sitting him in the car in his cage so he can hear the kids all screaming and running around, thought this might help
carolann

I don't know because I don't have children but I would feel that many dogs would feel differently to babies from their owners

Two of my SWD owners have had babies soon after getting their pups and I know that they were both worried but they've said how wonderful they've been and they are a guarding breed.  The first one that was a few years ago the baby was actually born only a few weeks after, long story but they were due to have a pup from someone else and it died so they had one off me.  The child and dog have grown up together and they are inseperable!

I know of someone that had a Jack Russell who was very possessive of the owner. He wouldn't allow the husband to move him off the bed when they got married and the wife always had to be the one to chastise him (she had him before they got married.!) When she was pregnant she was very concerned and was worried that she may have to rehome him. Her Mothers advice was NEVER leave them alone in a room together, ensure when she answered the phone or had to leave the room that she took the dog with her or take the baby with her but never get distracted. The dog became the most wonderful companion to her two children and used to guard them when he was left with them. So she is just going to have to put a lot of work into the situation. I know it will be very hard but if she wants to keep the dog and keep the baby safe then she will have to be very vigilant.

Personally I don't think this will help, if anything it will set the terrier off to bark, bark, and bark some more, leaving in the car is the ultimate way to encourage this behaviour.

Don't take a yapping dog to school, it will frighten some of the children.

Personally, I would get this dog on lead take him to the park, sit on a bench and let him see and hear every noise possible, have some treats in my pocket and encourage him not to bark when children are screaming and shouting, laughing etc, when he doesn't give him a treat, when he does a firm no, quiet or naughty whichever command she wishes to use.

But I say again, his behaviour outside will have nothing to do with his behaviour inside with his own baby/toddler. :-)

When i was pregnant we had a border collie who was fear aggressive with everyone (lack of socialisation but thats another story). Anyway she was no bother at all with the baby, seemed to realise she belonged to us. This was a dog who would only let 5 people in the world near her. Your friend will need to be careful making sure baby is not on own with dog etc but she would need to do that with any dog! If she does as much as she can before the baby is born to prepare the dog , is there a behaviourist/trainer around she can get help from? All she can do then is wait and see how it goes. If it is a problem then she may need to rehome, but its funny how babies concentrate the mind when these issues come up after they are born :)

Last nights dog borstal had a Manchester Terrier that was a real pain and owners girlfriend was pregnant, might be worthwhile telling her to watch the repeat on Thursday 8pm BBC3. They made a big difference to the dog.
Marion

im sure when the dog gets used to small childrens noises the dog will be fine. so if she can take him places(on lead) were they might be younger children he will prob get used to them. and also i have a nephew who i see every day who is 14 months and my dog is brilliant with him. owen throws the ball for him and my dog would never ever take the ball out of the childs hands, however i do have a bitch who i could never leave with him as she is a bit more hyper and would jump all over him.

I have seen this a zillion times in rescue, people do panic when they are pregnant as their hormones are going crazy and your priorities change. With work before the baby is born your friend can make it alot easier. I would either do as people have suggested or contact a local dog behaviour specialist. I think it is a bit unfair to label a breed good or bad with children as each dog is different. My husband grew up with a terrier and she was very good with them it will just take time and patience. There are some dogs that won't accept or be happy around children but as long as your friend starts now she can hopefully change the behaviour.

Good Luck keep us all posted as to how they are getting on.