[jennmred]

I have a 2 y/o boxer, and he had an awesome attitude towards adults + children... until our newborn arrived. Paco (boxer) is showing bad jealousy temper. I show Paco attention and affection still, but he still shows bad behaviour. He acts very anxious and whiny. Wether it is because we are holding the baby, or when the baby cries. When we set the baby in his little seat and were busy doing something else, Paco will come up to the baby and try to chew his head !!!! Last time he took baby's hat off !! Now he even snaps at Pink (3 y/o PittBull) which is usually the dominant dog. Pink (pitbull) will occasionally come up and sniff the baby and maybe lick and leave, then go elsewhere and lay down, but Paco's (boxer) nervous/aggresive behaviour worries me. If this behaviour continues, Paco will have to leave. I dont want it to come to this point, we got Paco because we heard boxers were excellent family dogs. We love our Paco, but my baby being unsecure is stricly unnacceptable.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Bubbaboy]

First off, do not trust the dog with the baby.  Even though he is a loving boxer, he is still an animal.  You said he wants to chew on the babies head????  Ah, that is not good.  I would not ever leave the dog and the baby in the room at the same time alone.  I have never had to introduce a newborn baby to a dog, so I am not sure what to do.  I would just not leave them together after what you said.

 

[Zhanna]

Hmmmm . . . . . I don't know.  I would definately keep baby out of Paco's reach.
Maybe SharonL can help.  I'm sorry I'm not able to help more. :?

 

[jennmred]

Thanks guys - Keeping Paco under surveillance is the first thing that pops to mind. I guess I am wondering if this behavioral issue is common to Boxers? It does not seem to me that it is part of their character... Maybe the breeder had a differently behaved stud/female - or just that this boxer is prone to out-of-boxer behavior?

Paco is getting less attention, but could boxers generally show resentfulness towards a newborn family member?

-D

 

[tootsie]

Paco is getting less attention, but could boxers generally show resentfulness towards a newborn family member?-D

I think this last sentence could be a major root of the issues you are experiencing with Paco. I know it is difficult with a newborn, but right now Paco needs extra attention and love from his family members, especially his human, whether that be you or your wife.
Boxers do not generally show resentfulness towards a new family member, but they can get extrememly jealous. I don't mean in an agressive way either. Usually they will start bad behaviors such as eliminating in the house or just your basic destruction, such as chewing on furniture, things of that nature. When you wrote that Paco tried to chew the baby's head, I would have to see how he tried to chew the baby's head. Was it licking the baby's head, or was it biting at the baby's head? Did the baby have a hat on then? I would give Paco a piece of the baby's clothing, a hat or t-shirt so that Paco can get used to the baby's scent. This actually should have been done before you brought the baby home from the hospital.
Do not EVER leave the baby unattented with Paco or the other dogs. You need to supervise all the interaction between the two. Don't ever scold Paco for the unwanted behavior around the baby. You need to teach Paco how to act around the new family member. You need to teach Paco how you want him to approach the baby. Praise, Praise, Praise Paco either with treats or a ton of extra attention whenever Paco acts appropriately around the baby.
I think the worst thing you could do is seperate Paco from the baby. They both need to get used to each other, they are both family members and seperating the two will only lead to other unwanted behaviors and jealousy. Paco needs to learn all the new smells and sounds that come with bringing a new family member home. He will soon understand that this little new bundle is not going anywhere and will accept him as part of the family. Here is a good article on introducing a new baby in to the home. Good luck with this, I'm sure Paco will be back to normal in no time!

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/babyprep.pdf

 

[kris]

I would definately keep the two seperated, and watched very closely!!! I have not tried to introduce a newborn to a dog before either, I think SharonL would help you out a lot! Good luck!

 

[Leanne]

Sorry I cant help but keep us posted.

 

[zuesesmom]

I agree with the advice from Tootsie. Best of luck to you and your family, please let us know how Paco adjusts to your newest family member and congratulations on your newborn.

 

[Mastray]

I'm so with Tootsie on this! He's an animal yes, but you've always treated him like family... maybe even "the baby". It's kind of like bringing a newborn home to your first born. Which I'm going to have to do soon. I don't think that seperating is a good idea... survelliance, DEFINITELY. Honestly, I think Tootsie summed it up perfectly. Good luck to you and your family and congrats on your new arrival!!

I told hubby, personally (which he agreed) that if I can't trust a pet with my child then I can't trust the pet. I would rather be heart broken after having to find it a new home then being heart broken that it some how killed or badly injured my child. Of course a baby is different... even with a child... there are plenty of steps and things to do...

There is someone on here under the name of RoxyGirl22... she's not on much anymore but pm her and ask her what she did. She did already have a child at home but she did also bring home a newborn. So she might be of some help.

Again... Good luck!!

 

[ReekosMom]

Im agreeing with Tootsie!! I had a new baby 8 months ago(boy does time fly) anyways Roxy was 2 when we brought him home and she was NEVER around newborns and I was a little nervous about it. We brought one of the babys blankets home before we bought the baby home. Yeah it helped but everytime hed cry shed g crazy whining, jumping ect ect. She always got the same attention it was just her getting used to him. Yeah Im sure he was jelous but I MADE SURE she got all the attention I gave her before! It took her a good 2 MONTHS maybe less to get used to him and now he crawls all over her and she could careless! Heres a few pics of them. Rowelin was around 4 months

Good luck and please dont give up on Paco! It may take awhile but stick with it. It will all be worth it in the end. Just look at it from his point of view. Thats how I had to do it with Roxy. All hes seeing is this new little thing thats very noisy, smells funny and is in HIS home!

 

[Michelle]

CUTE pictures RoxyGirl, your baby boy is beautiful!