Timid Staffy

[Adam3000]

Hi There,
My Staffy, Jack, is 7 years old and has been with my wife and I for 6 years now. We rescued him from cruel owners with kids who mis-treated him on a regular basis when he was only 1 year old.
He is now part of our family

We now have a new addition to our family.... an 8 month old little boy Jacob.
Jack (staffy) is very timid and on edge around Jacob. We have seen this sought of behavior over the past years before when jack is around younger kids.
I have always been on his tail and put him in his place straight away when he acts like this and he knows its wrong.

Is this uneasy feeling he has around kids due to his neglecting past ???

I want him and our son to get along, its been 8 months now, my sons moving quicker along the ground and jack's running away faster and faster.
Please help before the unthinkable happens between them.

Cheers
Adam3000

[kuritsa18]

I do think you dog is timid around kids because of his past experiences and I can undersatnd why. It is very important to get a hold of the situation and behaviour before it escaltes. It depends on how your dog acts though; is he aggressive towards kids or is he shy and runs away? Either way the only thing to do is socialize him with kids that know how to treat a dog propperly. If you have any freinds that have kids then maybe they can help you. Keep your dog on a leash though so you can have control of him if he gets out of hand. Slowly socilaize him in situatuions where kids will be. He doesn't have to interact with them at first just being around them will be good at first. Praise him a lot for being around the kids and give him treats. The next step is to get the kids to give him treats and lots of nice pets and even play fetch with him. No hitting or teasing! Make sure though that the kids don't come running up or startle him they need to introduce themselves to you dog first by coming up slowly and puting their hands out for him to smell them. slowly introduce him to this kind of situation so he gets a possitive reinforcemnt and sees that kids are nice and will play and give treats. He just needs to be socialized with kids better and see that they are good and positive.

Hope that helps!

[Jesgrate]

Even a timid and shy dog will bite - they are called "fear biters" and are unpredictable. I had a large German Shepherd once who was a fear biter - a dangerous animal. Socializing and LOTS of training would help but at his age those initial days with children that made him uncomfortable will be difficult to break and do you really want to subject a child to playing the guinea pig? I would not allow him ever to be alone in the same room with your baby even if you are within earshot. It is far too risky and Jack was always number one until the new baby came along. Crawling babies make dogs nervous as do toddlers who are shaky when they walk. I have heard of numerous dogs who have mauled owner's babies one day when the owner "thought" the dog loved the child. Not worth it! Even though we love to humanize them, they are after all still animals with the capabilities of reverting to a "normal" animal behavior at a moment's notice. You must always consider the worst when dealing with small children and dogs. It happens!