My Dog Growled at my Baby! Help!!!

I often get calls from parents who wonder if their dog is safe around their baby. Sometimes they’re concerned because the dog shows a lot of curiosity about the baby; or perhaps the dog seems nervous, especially when the baby is crying or making other sounds; sometimes parents call me, truly frightened because their dog growled at their baby. 

One such call came from a mother I’ll call Mary. She told me she had adopted her terrier mix Jax when he was just a puppy. He’d had a great start in life, with lots of positive experiences, some basic training, and now, at age five, Jax was a happy, friendly dog. He loved people, including children, and the whole family had assumed he would be friendly to the baby boy that was expected soon. 

Mary told me that Jax had not paid much attention to baby Ernie at first, and their introductions had gone smoothly. But when Ernie learned to crawl, he discovered Jax and was fascinated by him. Any time Ernie was placed on the floor, he immediately looked around for the dog and made a beeline for him.

At first, Jax had moved away when the baby approached him, but as Ernie got more and more proficient at crawling, it got harder and harder for Jax to stay out of his way. One day, after Jax had retreated into a corner of the room and Ernie followed him, Jax growled as the baby got close. Mary began to cry as she told me about it, and said that for the first time, she was afraid of Jax’s reaction to Ernie.  

“I’m terrified,” she said. “Jax has always been so good tempered, and now he’s threatening our precious baby. Do you think he might actually bite Ernie? What can we do to make sure that doesn’t happen?”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN A DOG GROWLS?

Before answering Mary’s question, I explained to her why dogs growl and what a growl means. It’s common for people to assume that when a dog growls, that dog is going to bite, that the growl says “I’m about to bite you!”

But most often, dogs growl because they want to increase distance or space between themselves and the object of their growl. Instead of meaning “I’m planning to bite you!” the growl is most likely to mean “Please, I need space!”

When babies first learn to crawl, that new behavior means an adjustment for the dog; so far, the baby hasn’t moved around independently, and suddenly there’s a change in the baby’s mobility. Adjusting to baby’s new behavior can be even more difficult for dogs if the baby shows interest in the dog and begins crawling toward him. Dogs will often try to get into a safe place: under a table, in a corner, behind a piece of furniture. But babies quickly learn to crawl faster and faster, and often end up chasing the dog as he tries to get away.   

It’s not uncommon for growls to become part of home life at this point; many dogs are nervous about being approached by a small creature that’s at their eye level and is moving quickly toward them. And when dogs try to move away, the dog’s movement sometimes just encourages the baby to crawl toward the dog even faster. The chase that follows becomes a game for the baby, but can feel like a threat to the dog. 

I asked Mary when Jax was most likely to growl at baby Ernie. She first said she wasn’t sure, that the growls seemed to come “out of the blue”, a statement I hear often from parents. But as Mary thought about how Jax reacted to the baby, she was able to narrow down the times the dog was most likely to growl. Sure enough, she realized that Jax only growled when Ernie was on the floor and moving in his direction.

WHAT TO DO FIRST IF YOUR DOG GROWLS AT YOUR BABY

Any time you’re aware of a problem between your dog and baby, your first response should be to add space: move your dog away from the baby, or move your baby away from the dog, whichever works better in a given situation. Do this as calmly as you can, so as not to add more stress to an already tense situation, but do make sure that dog and baby aren’t close to each other. 

Creating distance between dog and baby will give your dog some space,  probably what he’s asking for. This simple action can prevent any escalation from your dog. Often creating space will be all that’s needed to calm things down. And once baby and dog are safely separated, it can be helpful to set your dog up with an activity he enjoys, in a spot away from the baby. 

I asked Mary what Jax enjoyed doing. Did he like chew toys? Interactive food toys? Could she feed him part of his meal in a snuffle mat or other food toy? Did Jax need more exercise? Was he getting walks every day? Helping Jax get involved in activities of his own would be helpful, although it would still be important to supervise Jax around Ernie, when Ernie was on the floor and crawling around. 

HOW TO IDENTIFY STRESS IN YOUR DOG BEFORE HE GROWLS

When you learn to pick up early stress signals from your dog, it’s possible to intervene long before the dog advances to growling. Here’s some information about early signs of stress.

When dogs feel threatened, nervous and stressed, they first communicate their feelings with a number of signs and behaviors that are subtle and unfamiliar to us as humans; when we don’t recognize those early stress signals, we have no way to respond to them. As the dog gets more and more nervous and stressed, and no one seems to be picking up on what he’s trying to communicate, he may escalate to a growl.

However, if we learn to recognize those early signs of stress, we have the advantage of knowing when to intervene, to make sure the dog has the space he needs to feel relaxed and comfortable.

AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE

The book On Talking Terms with Dogs, by Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas, is a wonderful resource for anyone who has a dog and would like to understand better what the dog is “saying”. 

This small book is full of photos showing those early, often subtle, signals that dogs use to communicate what they’re feeling. Explanations for each photo make clear what each signal means and how dogs use it. The information in this book is understandable even to children as young as four or five years old, with a little parental help, so older children can learn from it along with their parents.

For instance, did you know that yawning can be a sign of stress in a dog? Or that dogs sometimes scratch themselves when they’re stressed? The information in this book is easy to absorb, and it will be a great benefit to you. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone with a dog, and especially for families with dogs and babies; the book will help you understand how your dog is feeling about your baby. Many of my clients tell me that after reading it, they understand their dogs better than they ever have. A more complete understanding of your dog will enable you to help him be as comfortable as possible around your active baby. 

SUPERVISION

Understanding your dog’s communication is an important part of keeping your dog and baby home calm; supervision is another essential part of maintaining a safe home. Another blog article on this website offers specific suggestions for setting up your home to maximize safety between your dog and baby. This article offers tips and suggestions that will make it easier for you to avoid the situations that caused your dog to growl in the first place.  

Supervision: The Absolute, #1 Best Way to Keep Your Dog and Baby Home Calm and Safe. 

Another helpful article is: 

Training Versus Management - What’s the Difference, and When and How to Use Them.

WHEN A GROWL SIGNALS AGGRESSION

When a dog growls, often the dog is signaling that he needs some space or distance from the object of his growl; that’s a common reason for dogs to growl at crawling babies. But growls can also be a sign of aggressive intent and may predict a bite. So how can you tell which growls are a request for space, and which might mean that your dog is likely to bite?

Any dog that’s growling is going to be a bit tense, but a dog that is trying to get away from the baby and simply needs some space will probably relax as soon as there’s enough distance between him and the baby. If you move your baby away from your dog and he relaxes and stops growling, that will tell you that your dog just needed some space. Making sure your baby doesn’t get too close in the future may be all that’s required to make it unnecessary for your dog to warn your baby to stay away.

On the other hand, a dog with serious intent to bite will be likely to stare fixedly at the baby; his body will be stiff; his head and tail may be held high; and the growl will sound as if it’s coming from deep in his chest. As the dog continues to growl, he may start to raise his lips and show his teeth. If you see any of these warning signs from your dog, it’s time to immediately move the dog away from the baby and make sure he can’t get to the baby.

The two descriptions above are extremes; many growls fall somewhere in between those two examples. If you find that giving your dog some space around the baby doesn’t help him feel more relaxed and comfortable when the baby’s nearby, and you’re not sure if your dog poses a threat to your baby, it’s time to get an experienced dog trainer to observe your dog’s behavior when your baby is around, and give you an expert opinion. 

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and one session with a dog trainer, preferably one who works with dogs around babies, can help you with a working plan that will make sure that your dog and baby home stays calm and safe.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH MARY, ERNIE AND JAX

Mary was able to add some new activities for Jax, taking a few minutes to play games with him when Ernie was napping. She also developed a plan for keeping Jax separated from Ernie when Ernie was on the floor and crawling. Once those changes had been put in place, Mary found that Jax no longer growled at Ernie, and she lost her fear that Jax would bite. 

The FREE Checklists on the Home Page of this website will help you understand your dog better, and make it easier for you to interpret his behavior. Check them out