Trainer Tells Parents Of Newborn Their Big Dog Isn’t Being ‘Cute & Protective’ & Urges Them To Separate The Dog And Baby
What seemed like a sweet moment could actually turn dangerous.
Sarah Chai / Pexels Welcoming a newborn baby home comes with both joys and anxieties, especially for first-time parents. It can often feel overwhelming to try and remember every measure of care you’re supposed to take, yet some safeguards are extremely important, especially when it comes to introducing your baby to your pets.
The parents of a newborn baby shared content of their Staffordshire bull terrier with their newborn baby, but they seem to have missed some crucial warning signs to keep their baby protected.
A trainer told the baby’s parents that their dog wasn't actually being ‘cute and protective’ and urged them to separate the two.
The unnamed parents shared various TikTok posts in which their big dog appears to be hyper-focused on their newborn baby. In one video, the new dad filmed his wife sitting on the couch, nursing their baby, while the dog sat beside them.
“Can’t go near my son,” read the caption overlaid on the post. “He’s not letting anyone near him,” the dad exclaimed as he approached the couch. “Am I even allowed to see him?”
The dog appeared to be very tense and stressed out, trembling as he kept his body in between the nursing mom and her husband.
In another post, the dad shared footage of the baby sitting in a chair as the dog sat staring intently at the newborn. “Is that your mate?” The dad asked, seeming unaware of the amount of stress the dog was under.
A dog trainer from a UK-based training company called J&P Canine Academy offered guidance on what was actually going on between the dog and the baby, reporting that it seemed more like resource guarding than sweet, protective behavior.
The professional trainer shared that the dog and baby should be separated, as the situation didn’t appear safe for either of them.
“I’ve been training dogs for a very, very long time,” he explained, qualifying his expertise. “What you’re not seeing here is a protective instinct in the dog. What you’re seeing is resource guarding and it looks to be driven from stress.”
The US Humane Society defines resource guarding as aggressive behavior where a dog attempts to assert ownership over something or someone. While the psychology behind resource guarding varies, it’s most often rooted in anxiety, which the trainer noted in his TikTok post.
“When the father comes in and puts pressure on the dog, talks to the dog, closes the distance...the dog starts to hunker down and it trembles,” the trainer said. “This is a stress response; this is the dog feeling very, very, very big emotions with regards to the father coming towards the baby.”
The trainer was concerned with the high number of likes that the post received because it was 'nowhere near cute.'
“This is a dangerous situation to put your baby in, and also your dog in, as well," he said. “I’m simply trying to inform you. I’m simply trying to educate.”
The trainer worried that the lack of understanding about the dog’s “big emotions” could lead to the dog reacting with violence. He explained that if the dog were to bite anyone in the family due to feeling threatened, “that would be potentially the end of the dog’s life, and I’m assuming you don’t want that.”
He strongly urged that the dog’s behavior shouldn’t be glorified for being cute, but rather recognized for what it is: a possibly life-threatening situation for both the baby and the dog.
“People need education around what this behavior means and how to counter-condition it and how to change that association for the dog,” he said. “Please, please get a trainer involved.”
He reemphasized how dire it is to train the dog away from resource-guarding behavior, stating, “Please, with a cherry on top, get a trainer involved, because you’re gonna end up either hurting yourself, your dog, or your baby, or your spouse.”
Even dogs feel the intense transition of bringing a baby into their environment, and some dogs adjust better than others. These parents clearly adore their baby and their dog; they just need to learn how to help the pup adjust.
The best thing any new parent and dog owner can do is to prepare everyone in the family for a baby’s arrival, which usually means bringing a trainer in to help the dog understand the changes coming its way.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers parenting, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.