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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on June 27, 2014 at 11:14pm

Hm. He may be trying to protect or to herd the baby. I've had German shepherds try to protect my child from ME, when the kid was up to some mischief that elicited the maternal ire. One quickly learns not to raise one's voice at the brat  when the shepherd dawg is listening...(this was a child who once actually caused his mother to say, with a straight face, "please don't walk on the ceiling!" :-D )

A two-year-old is a handful. Are you feeling stressed in coping with the little guy? The dog may sense that. If so, hang in there...at three, things will calm down. Sort of.

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Permalink Reply by Holly on July 1, 2014 at 12:13pm

If you haven't already discovered solutions for stopping marking there are some good ideas online. It involves eliminating the odor from all areas Flash may have marked. There are low cost, simple "recipes" and techniques to remove the odor which prevents further marking. I have read many reports of corgis nipping the heels of small children that they are trying to heard. In fact, it was one of the cons in the pros ad cons of adopting corgis. All of the children in my family are grown, but when the whole family gets together my dog gets anxious when any of the smaller girls go upstairs and she is told to stay downstairs due to the cats unnecessary fear of my dog who is, if anything, afraid of cats. I think many corgis have "control-issues" :)

I am realizing too late however that I accidentally let Sully "claim" certain people she really likes and she now becomes noticeably anxious when another animal is getting or giving attention to that person. She isn't too bad if I am cuddling with a grandchild for example but she tends to try to get equal time at least. I am working on giving her praise and treats for "sit" and "stay" when I am patting another dog, which she doesn't like much, but I do that with the cooperation of the other dog owner, and both dogs on a leash just in case. The other pet owner thinks Sully is anxious because her dog is so hyper. That is possible, but she has a tiny, friendly pet that Sully seems to like when it isn't near any of the "special" people. She mostly whines pathetically or growls softly, but I want her to be social, not jealous. Since my dog is well-behaved, and corgis are "cute" she sometimes gets away with things a bigger dog may not but I keep her on a pretty tight leash, literally and figuratively. Others often say that's okay she can... but I try to reward only good behavior, harder than it sounds sometimes. No one, including I, can imagine Sully actually biting another dog or person, but I would never take the risk with any animal or child at any time, especially a baby. I am only guessing but I think making sure Flash knows you are in control, along with the other solution mentioned, to give him a job, should really help with the herding. I also suspect he will learn to relax around your little one as the child grows and shows him/herself to be an active participant in the household, but I am more confident of my suggestion to google "marking " solutions, which is stressful enough!

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on July 3, 2014 at 12:51am

Dogs are pack order animals. In a pet dog, the pack includes all those who are up and about. People, cats, other dogs, all are included.  However a baby is not "up and about" until it starts to crawl, so poses no threat to the dog's place in the pack order.  You can see that a  toddler has escalated big time from that crawling baby, yet still looks, acts, smells, sounds nothing like an adult human.  This can be confusing and even threatening to a dog who has not been exposed to children in his environment and more so to males than to female dogs ( generally speaking, but not always).  He may also misinterpret your running up to the child, or constant preoccupation with his movements, natural on your part and he may just be joining in with you in his own way.  His marking behavior is also tied to the attempt to control his space.  Clear, lovingly enforced rules will help him know what is expected from him and this will also help him feel more secure.

It sounds to me like you do not have a serious problem of aggressiveness towards the child, but certain rules are essential to follow when you have young children and dogs ( by young children I especially mean under six years of age).  You need to have more structure with the dog.  Amy has some suggestions you can use, but the subject is too extensive to cover in this post.  Try a search on past discussions regarding dogs and children for many good tips and sound advice.   NEVER leave a small child unattended with any animal, that means you or another responsible adult is in the same room.  Confine the dog when things are not calm.  Teach the child to respect the dog's space, bed, crate, food etc, and to be gentle.

The interaction between dogs and children can be highly enriching.  Don't give up now! It is all part of life and learning and they will be best buddies in time, if you handle things right.  Seek short term help from a trainer, if necessary.  You will not regret it.

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