possessive dog

[pac324]

I am new to this but here goes, I have a male doxie (actually 3) but Earl my oldest has me worried. I am expecting my first grandchild and Earl is so possesive on my husband (disabled) that if anyone approaches him, he barks and gets very upset. I am worried about how he will react with the grandchild when she gets to be a toddler. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can help Earl. Please no suggestions of giving him away that is not an obtion.

[Deuce]

The the main thing is that your husband needs to step up and be a good leader for the dog. If he can do so, have him establish firmer rules for the dog's behavior. It sounds like the dog is possessive, but feels protective of him. Having him establish that he's okay and neither wants nor needs the barking will be the quickest way to stop the behavior.

As for the grandchild, you will want to get your dog used to the child's scent before the two interact. Get a clothing item with the child's scent on it and place it on the couch.

Bring your dog into the room and allow him to sniff the air and pick up the new scent. Do not allow him to go to the clothe and sniff it directly; a few feet is close enough. Make sure he is calm when doing this.

Establish a distance boundary immediately - he can come this close but not closer. Do the same thing with any room that the child may stay in (for naps or whatnot). Take the cloth in the room and tell your dog to stay out (blocking at the doorway).

Then bring the child in. Do not let your dog greet the child yet. Do not let the dog stay in the area if he is too excited.

These early steps are designed to say: This scent, this child, is high up in the pack my friend. Higher than you. The child is not to be bothered.

Once your dog has shown that he can be calm around the baby, allow him to greet. I wouldn't do this in the first visit, or even the second, I'd wait until he had clearly learned that the child can only be approached when the big humans say okay.

Dogs are pack animals by nature. Establishing that he can't dominate the scent, enter the room once it's claimed, or approach the baby without permission all = baby is higher in pack than you. And that should eliminate the barking problem.

If your husband is not able to vocalize the commands, then that's something you should do. Please don't take any questions or instructions about the way he has been handling the dog as a criticism - I don't know all the circumstances and am only aiming to say that if it is possible, he should set firmer rules for what's allowed and make it clear that barking and protecting behaviors are not wanted around the family. Good luck.