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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on June 4, 2011 at 7:02am

Being protective of a baby isn't uncommon amongst dogs.  Yuki's mom habitually placed herself between strangers and the youngest of her humans (a 3-year-old toddler).  Yuki himself exhibits protective behavior, too.  I just had my second child in October and for her first month, if anyone other than myself or my husband was holding her, he would get up and "check" on her every few minutes.  And if she started crying while that stranger was holding her, then he'd be right in their faces and sniffing her as if to say, "What did you do to her?!  Give her back to mom!"  He also sniffs her like crazy and licks her feet after the stranger puts her down.

 

Correcting the barking is like correcting any other behavior.  You need to let him know that it is not okay (a sharp "no!" and redirection when he misbehaves) and then reward him for the desired behavior.  If you don't want him placing himself between stranger and baby, then guide him to where you want him to be and reward him when he stays back.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on June 4, 2011 at 9:40am

 Mr. Wynn is the  ultimate baby guardian.  When they walk in the door he stops them and they set the seat down for him to inspect the baby which means a nose under each arm. He then will watch everyone to make sure all is ok. If you are nursing he will sit about 8 feet in front of you and stare at you making sure you (the mom)  are being nice to the baby. he does not really "guard" but just makes sure all is well. He also knows the whereabouts and keeps track of where the baby is sometimes sleeping outside the room where the crib is:) Maybe some distractions or role playing with Twinkie and the handling of the babies with others around would help????

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on June 4, 2011 at 12:38pm

There is a lot of confusion in general about proctive behavior in all breeds.  A dog will protect (if that's his nature) against a perceived threat.  If you have a dog who is protective by nature, it is imperative that he be properly socialized to all kinds of situations and guided, or you may get a bite, as  protective breeds are hard-wired to react  to a threat with a bite ( unlike a Golden Retriever who will generally bark, rather than bite ).  Appropriate guarding behavior is when the dog reacts protectively to a situation YOU feel is a threat.  Inappropriate guarding behavior  is when a dog reacts protectively to a situation YOU feel is not a threat.  That keeps it simple, as far as you're concerned, in a pet situation.  A properly socialized dog can tell the difference between what is threatening and what is not.  Your Corgi, who has not been enough around babies,  has not learned what constitutes a threat to the baby and what does not, so this guidance needs to come from you and needs to be FIRM.  Barking protectively is a form of threat and should not be allowed toward any friendly human.  There are gray areas: for example, if the child is showing signs of distress from the interaction, for example, reacting to tickling, to being chased, tossed in the air, and so forth, or being physically disciplined.    I f a dog reacts in these situations, I consider it normal and appropriate.  Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on June 4, 2011 at 1:32pm

He is not necessarily being possessive. He may just be wanting the attention. Regardless of why this is a behavior to discourage. I would just correct him, a firm no and a touch may work. Or you could distract him by having him follow a command he does well. If he continues perhaps making him move to another room can work. The point is for him to understand that you do not want him to bark when anyone is playing with the baby.

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Permalink Reply by Kasey, Max, & Zoey on June 4, 2011 at 10:53pm

Our 3 year old pembroke max has always been such a well mannered dog. He used to never bark and always listened and did what he was told. Now we just got a tri female 3 weeks ago. She is 9 weeks now. At first he hated her and now he loves her. Problem is he is VERY protective of her. If someone he doesn't know is picking her up and "taking her away" from him he starts barking and growling. Which is not ok with us. He has never been aggressive before. He even presented his teeth and growled at a strange dog that got too close to the puppy's playpen. We try to disipline him about it. I guess its good that he is protective of her but i dont like him being aggressive to people/pets who dont pose a threat. People I have talked to said that he should grow out of it once she is more of an adult. The advice i was given was to continue letting him know that the behavior isn't ok and eventually when he feels like she can defend herself the behavior will stop. So I'm hoping it works.

 

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Permalink Reply by Becky S on June 7, 2011 at 2:12pm

Brody will do this with male dogs that he thinks are getting just a little too friendly with Lilly (and she's 3 years old!)  So while it might get a little better, getting older might not stop it automatically. 

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on June 7, 2011 at 5:32pm

There is a world of difference between a dog that displays aggressiveness toward people and a dog that directs that toward other dogs.  I would consider the situation you describe quite normal.  Of course you can discourage it, particularly if it's directed  to one of the dogs that lives in your household (not a visiting dog, or dogs outside the house).

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on June 7, 2011 at 6:30pm

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on June 7, 2011 at 8:40pm

I definitely wouldn't put up with the barking.  He's guarding what he thinks is "his".  My German Shepherd/Husky mix would sit in front of whoever was holding our kids.  She'd very quietly come sit directly in front of them, and stare at them the whole time.  If they moved with the baby, she'd follow.  She was great with the kids--she'd sleep under their crib all the time, and if they cried and you didn't hear them, she'd come get you.  When they crawled, she'd follow them around the house. 

When he barks, I'd just shush him, and when he does what you want, treat him.  He'll get the picture soon enough.  I don't think he means any harm, just doing what he thinks is right.

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