I have a 2 year old Mastiff/lab that we've had since he was 3 months. Old. He has always been territorial, doesn't like people coming in the yard or touching the car when we are in it... of course if were not in the car you could break in and he lick your face and wag his tail. He has never liked it when strangers approach one of "his pack" but was always okay about it once introduced... Now that you have an idea of his disposition here's my problem... I have been watching a 2 year old boy for about a year now and just recently... like within the last few weeks my dog really doesn't like the boy... a couple months ago they would chase each other around the yard and house and have a ball and now... the dog grumbles when the boy tries to love or cuddle or even chase him around... and the dog really doesn't want to do anything but come cuddle with me whenever the boy is around... how do I get the dog to stop being jealous and go back to liking the boy again?? Any help would be really great. Because now I have both of them following me around vying for attention.:confused:

I would first consider the child as to whether he is in danger of getting bit or attacked.
If your dog is getting that jealous maybe it would be a good idea to stop baby sitting the boy. Do the parents of the boy know this? :)

OK first off... no the child is not in any danger the dog just grumbles... kind of like an old man grumbling (not growling, not showing teeth not being aggressive) when the kids are being to loud and obnoxious... and yes the mom knows exactly what's going on... sometimes we laugh to see the dog grumbling but sometimes its really annoying and when the dog sits at my feet and whines until I pet him. And as far as not babysitting, are you saying that I should give in... should I divorce my hubby when the dog gets jealous of him??

Maybe something happened between the boy and the dog that causes the dog to react to him differently now. Does the dog react to others the same way he reacts to the boy?

Oh my god, I'm having the same trouble with my pitbull male, he's been doing the same thing to my great niece only he pushes hiself up in her face and licks her when I'm not touching her ,but if she's moving around and I talk to her he gets between us and if I pick her up he jumps on me and nips at her feet playfully ,but its scary sometimes because I can see that he isn't playing.I refuse to put him down for nothing though I don't want to wait for him to bite her for real,he's been with my mm and me since he was 2 months old and he's also very jealous,all I do is fence him off from me and the child or put him outside but I fear doing that will make him resent her more...

I don't think anything happened between the dog and the boy but I have been having activity time with the boy before nap and when we dance or exercise or color or whatever the dog is all over ME wanting attention... its like sibling rivalry... my real kids were never this bad...

Have you directed your dog to say, sit quietly in his bed? When he is behaving nicely, give him a treat. When he acts jealous, ignore or redirect him. Keep praising and petting him when he behaves himself.

Perhaps you could try the same technique some people use with dog to dog rivalry. Teach your dog the child being there is a wonderful thing! As long as he sits there calmly, feed him a steady stream of treats. If he starts acting fussy, have someone else remove him for a minute, and then bring him back into the room and restart the process. Hopefully he should learn to associate the child and calm behavior with rewards.

First of all, your dog is not jealous he is being dominant like you mentioned in the title of the question. He has to learn to give the child space. And even if he isn't being aggressive right now he HAS to know that it is unacceptable to grumble at the child, cause one day it could go to far (also it could traumatize the child and make him afraid of dogs.)

I know its hard trying to watch kids as well as the dog I babysit 3 young kids, as well as my husky and he knows that his demeanor must change as soon as they step in the door, he knows there's no more running aroung or playing rough that he has to be gentle with them.

This is the effect that you want I really like what silverfoxkit suggested, try it out teach the child to be calm assertive around the dog, and what to do and what not to do!

Good Luck

I see one MAJOR problem here. The thing that stuck out to me the most is when you said "He doesn't like it when someone approaches "his" pack" You are not being the pack leader! HE IS!

It doesn't matter how long you've had him! He could seriously hurt (or worse) this little boy! They have POWERFUL jaws. Dogs to not do things that are premeditated! They don't think... "I don't like that little boy anymore, I think I am going to get up in the morning and keep that kid away from my "mommie"!!

Your dog is dominant, and showing some signs of aggresion. Unless you stop the behaviour NOW, you could find yourself in an awful situation if the little boy makes a wrong move. Dogs don't have a thought process where they reason in their minds, like humans do. They just DON'T!

Unless you take the role of "leader", (which doesn't just mean he comes when called, or loves you to death!) This means he sees you like he would see his mother dog. This will take some time, research, and work on your part, but you signed up for this. You will have many more problems with your dog if you don't do this, and he can't be trusted around that little boy. It doesn't matter how well you think you've trained "him", it's "you" that you need to train.

Please do this for the safety of this child. His behaviour right now is not trustworthy. Dogs need structure, rules, and boundaries. Also exercise, disipline, and affection...and in "that order" Not disipline, then affection, then a casual walk around the block. Then and only then, should they be allowed to be around children, especially if they are exhibiting dominant or aggressive behaviour.

Please remember, they are dogs. They are NOT children. I love my dog like she is my child too! But that is for me. It doesn't help her, and it doesn't keep her stable and balanced if I treat her like a baby. Find a video of how a mother dog handles her babies. She doesn't leave and come back into the den all excited, saying things like..."oh I missed you... did you miss me?" That language is for you. The mother dog takes control without language, and leads her babies. She shows them what is expected. That is what you need to do, if you want a stable dog that looks to you as the pack leader.

I could go on, but maybe find a video of how dogs act in the wild. This is how humans need to treat them. We can kiss them up and love them to death, but they need to know the rules first!

You must correct his dominance issues now with some professional help. The grumble is a warniing and should be taken so. If you don't take adavantage of his warning system, be aware he will seek other methods of detering the little boy. It will not be good... and chances are you will not be given any time to correct this behaviour.

I would keep the dog and child apart until you can get the professional training... if you can't do so I would separate them... if you can't do that use a muzzel.