[snowball06]

Why does a dog start pooping in the house and starts being destructive and chewing woodwork the hose. This is My Daughter's and Husband's Dog. They have it for 6 years . The dog was a rescued Pit Bull and fine with people, but not with other dogs she was used as a bait dog . Also my Daughter is having a baby due on November 24th. Any answers or advice?

[J_9]

Dogs usually do this sort of thing (chewing) out of boredom. He needs toys and plenty of time to play outside, i.e. walks if there is not a fenced in yard.

As far as the defecating inside the house, he should be seen by a vet to rule out any health issues.

If he isn't aggressive, I wouldn't worry about the baby. I once had a hybrid wolf who was very aggressive when it came to table food (he was never given any) and I had a baby on the way. He had to go. My child was my priority.

Has he been neutered? If not, this might be something to consider.

[DoulaLC]

It would be a good idea to have him see that vet as J_9 suggested. Health conditions should be ruled out that might result in changes to behavior. It's possible that he is reacting to the impending birth. He will notice changes going on that he won't be able to understand, even your daughter's scent is different now to the dog. These changes can result in behavior changes for some dogs.

I would be concerned over his aggression with other dogs. In the hierarchy of dogs, baby will likely be on the bottom rung. For some dogs this won't be an issue until baby is crawling around and able to go for the dog's food or the dog's toys. It often continues as long as the child is smaller than the dog and at or below eye level to the dog. The dog will often expect the child to be submissive... and we know that young children rarely are!

As J_9 did, sometimes people will find that their pet has to be re-homed after a baby arrives. The dog we got when our first child was 3 months old was fine, a shepherd/samoyed mix, in fact she was fabulous as all 4 kids came along, but two of our cats had to be re-homed because we couldn't take the chance. It was very difficult because they were my babies.

One of our dogs now, Alice (an English Bulldog), does not do well with our other dogs. My husband was not able to make the decision to re-home her, so now when he is home with her, we keep the dogs separated. I also will not have Alice around my young grandson as I simply am not comfortable taking any chances due to her past aggression with the other dogs. She is a wonderful dog on her own otherwise.

Just remind your daughter and son-in-law to be aware of their dog's signals. They should stick to routines with the dog as much as possible and reevaluate the interactions as their child grows. They also should be aware that it might be possible that they will have to make a difficult decision once baby arrives. See how things go.