Advice needed- cocker spaniel with child

[Hels8130]

Hello,

We have a 3 year old golden female cocker spaniel called Luna and a 2 year old little boy and they just don't get on. It has seemed to get a little worse recently as our boy is very boisterous and of course, now very mobile and a typical boy. He will want to play with her but realises that he intimidates her- Luna won't give him any eye contact at all and will generally go in opposite direction to him. Our boy will on occasions find this very funny and treat it as a game so goes to chase her. He will sometimes tap her or try to sit in her bed. We of course, have tried different ways to deal with this, telling our boy no in different ways or ignoring it but removing him from situation. It's got worse recently because Luna growls at him so much- sometimes he just walks by her and she's growling. Recently she has gone to nip him but our boy had literally thrown himself at her before we could intervene. We've tried sending Luna to her bed so that she has safe area but I think that is why our boy finds it funny to try and sit there too. Tried putting stair gate up and out dog out in bed but she ends up crying and getting stressed. Our boy then throws things over gate and is constantly opening door. Somebody suggested getting a crate for Luna but I think our boy would find that fascinating and think that it's a den and we wouldn't want a confined area where Luna may end up hurting him. We find that shouting at our boy then winds Luna up so have tried eliminating that. So confused whether I need pet or child advice! I've noticed that Luna has started eating grass and vomiting especially after an altercation. These happen quite frequently now. Hoping that our boy will grow out of it as he grows older and Luna might start to trust him.

[mansbestfriend]

Hi. In the short term, I'd suggest creating a specific quiet safe secure place or 'bolt hole' where your dog can easily retreat and de-stress somewhat (maybe with a bed, toy/ies, etc.), where your son cannot go. In the short-long term, it's also about maintaining a nice safe dog-friendly environment.

It sounds like your dog is very polite, and tolerant of the boy, but every dog can reach a point when they'll bite. Stay safe.

[JudyN]

At the moment you have a stressed dog and an accident waiting to happen: there's a high risk of your son being bitten and your dog being euthanised as a result. You need to keep them separated. At 2, your son should be able to understand some basic rules, though you can't yet rely on him to follow them.

So you need to create a safe place for your dog, such as behind a stairgate, but you also need to train her to want to be in the safe place. Make sure it's really comfortable, and give her something to do, such as a frozen kong, or a cardboard box full of scrunched paper with kibble hidden in. Also make sure she's tired, by giving her plenty of walks & mental activity, so she's more likely to settle in there. You need to start by having her separate from you for just a very short time, and building up, as if you were working on separation anxiety.

Also, I would be getting a playpen for your son so Luna has plenty of safe time with you. Naturally, you want to make sure your son is happy in his 'safe place' too, though maybe not with the frozen kong and kibble

[Fundog]

Everyone has given you good dog advice already. As stated, your sweet dog has been very tolerant, and is now very anxious. Despite your efforts so far, you have not succeeded in protecting her from the child. I agree, that at two years old, he is old enough to receive stronger discipline. So, to answer your question, you also need child advice, as you put it.