I am the new mother of a 6 week baby boy, also the mother of a 2 year old male pitbull. Since bringing home our new baby he has become jealous of the baby. We have tried treats whenever he is around the baby, we spend time alone with him - playing ball, going for walks, etc. Lately he will no longer listen to me, only my husband. He completely ignores my "commands", which is very frustrating as I am home all day with him. My biggest concern is the baby. He is normally very gentle with the baby, giving him little kisses, he gets very concerned when the baby cries for fusses, but today he growled at the baby. My first concern is the safety of my baby and I truly don't believe he would do anything to hurt the baby, he's very jealous.

We love our dog very much, and want him to feel included in our family. How do I get him to listen to me better and get him more bonded with our new baby?

I had this problem with my hybrid wolf. What did I do? I gave the dog to a good home, my child was not worth the risk.

You need to make sure you never leave the baby and the dog in the same room
I wouldn't even with you IN the same room.
I wouldn't worry about them bonding --KEEP them apart!
You need to keep them separated at least until he is a good bit older and the dog has warmed up to him.
You can't trust a dogs temperament if it is growling, especially around a baby.
I also believe that sometimes dogs do things even if their intent may not have been wrong
Or their temperament was not bad.
They do not know their own strength, they may not realize they are hurting or harming,
They sometimes THINK they are just playing.
A story on the news about a year or so ago. I think it was New Orleans.
They said a couple had fallen asleep and the baby was in the car seat next to them
And the Pit Bull chewed the babies toes off. The Pitt bull probably didn't mean to he was just chewing something as far as he was concerned cause that is their nature. Then for your dog to be jealous and growling you need to do something and it isn't getting the dog to bond with the baby.

Looking for a good home for the dog is probably the best idea.

I had to give my dog away when I had my second son. She simply did not like the baby and like they said above, I wasn't willing to risk a fatal injury to my son. It was so hard to give her up. I still have dreams about her running up to me at home... it sucks because I always wondered if I did the right thing or not. If you do give your dog away, just make sure you check the person out - just in case. After hearing all the crazy stories about dog fights and whatnot, I'd be very cautious... Good luck to you and congratulations on the new baby.

P.S. We still wanted to have a pet, so four years later, we got a really little dog ;)

I don't know allot about Pitbull breeds other than what I've heard on the news etc. I do know that a jealous dog should be considered a danger to your child. If your dog has growled at your child then take that as a warning.

I don't know were you live, but allot of places have trainers that will come to your home to specifically help you and your dog adjust to a new baby. They will give you tips on how to introduce them and train your dog to behave appropriately around the newcomer. This doesn't mean that you can trust you dog alone with your child, but it might help your canine friend to behave better.

Here in Canada there are allot of restriction to owning a Pitbull, once again I don't know were you live, but giving the dog away might not be that easy because of the breed and the possible restrictions and extra fees involved.

In the meantime keep them apart. Remember that this situation is still relatively new to your dog. Keep up the training and take every precaution to insure your child's safety. Good luck.

You know, Altenweg got me to thinking. You might see if there is a pitbull rescue group on your area. They could possibly give you some advice on training your dog to deal with the new baby, and give you references to trainers who could help you.

Please don't give up on your dog, it is so difficult for a pit bull to get adopted after all the bad publicity that the media has given to them. They are such a forgiving and loving dogs. Please don't do it, he'll probably be euthanised.

Isabelgopo - I agree that they shouldn't give up right away, but in the long run, if the dog cannot accept the baby then one of them has to go, it isn't going to be the baby.

I also know that the pitbull breed has gotten a bad reputation, good owners have good dogs, bad owners have bad dogs. If a pitbull is mistreated and decides to attack, it can do allot of damage, because of their breed they have tremendously strong jaws that can literally tear a human apart. Why anyone would take a risk with this breed when planning on having a child, I don't know. But should the dog suffer now? This should have been considered when purchasing the dog, maybe a less aggressive breed would have been a good idea.

You are correct, it will be extremely difficult to find a home for this dog, but if it's necessary, there are allot of no kill shelters in the world, hopefully they can find one for their beloved pet.

I wish the OP all the best with her baby and her dog, I hope it works out.

Did you try to get the dog used to a baby before birth... that is what my husband and I are doing now but I can recommend getting a spray bottle and every time the dog becomes jealous spray him... do not let the dog think that he owns the house... take him to training don't let your dog walk all over you... your dog is part of your family and you should only get rid of him if you just can't get him to get over the jealousy... but just continue to try and get him used to the baby... but as soon as he acts dominant towards the baby disipline him... make him submit to the baby... make him roll over and bare his stomach and show him the baby is more powerful then he is... and you need to do this as well... you need to dominate your dog... you're the boss not him