Dog insisting on 'grooming' baby

iguana

My son is almost 6 months old now and apart from their initial meeting, when my dogs thought the baby was a teddy we weren't letting them play with as part of some confusing game, they have mostly adapted really well. Except for one thing, Dougal keeps trying to lick the baby. Initially I thought it was because he smelled milky and that he'd stop trying to lick him over time but it's getting worse and worse. He's incredibly insistent and just tries and tries to lick him. He has to be told very firmly to stop and has to be told to go to his bed as if he is allowed stay near the baby, he will immediately try to lick him again. Even when he is told to go to bed he just waits until the very first opportunity when he thinks no-one is looking and runs over as fast as he can to lick him. To be fair Toby sometimes tries to lick the baby too but it's in a more 'normal' curious way. With Dougal it's just constant utterly insistent attempts to lick his face.

It's made me remember a time when our old landlord brought around a very young puppy and Dougal became very possessive of the puppy and just licked and groomed him for ages. I wonder if Dougal recognises that the baby is an infant pack member and his attempts to lick him is similar to how he'd treat a new puppy?

It's something that I need to figure out how to stop as he completely overwhelms the baby with his licking and just will not stop despite the fact that he seems very well aware that it's prohibited behaviour. It's meaning that the dogs spend much more time out in the garden or in separate rooms from us than they would otherwise.

DBB

6 months? Already? How'd that happen? :eek:
It's very sweet, this maternal behaviour in male dogs, but as you say, becoming a bit bothersome.
Is there anything, in your opinion, that might trump the taste of baby? I just wonder if you might give him something really yum to lick in a Kong Toy, instead of baby?
Just as a matter of interest, what breed.type is Dougal?
And does he tend to lick skin generally? Or is this just reserved for baby?

belcampprisoner

http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/2011/12/03/should-dogs-lick-babies/

Pretzill

iguana wrote: »

My son is almost 6 months old now and apart from their initial meeting, when my dogs thought the baby was a teddy we weren't letting them play with as part of some confusing game, they have mostly adapted really well. Except for one thing, Dougal keeps trying to lick the baby. Initially I thought it was because he smelled milky and that he'd stop trying to lick him over time but it's getting worse and worse. He's incredibly insistent and just tries and tries to lick him. He has to be told very firmly to stop and has to be told to go to his bed as if he is allowed stay near the baby, he will immediately try to lick him again. Even when he is told to go to bed he just waits until the very first opportunity when he thinks no-one is looking and runs over as fast as he can to lick him. To be fair Toby sometimes tries to lick the baby too but it's in a more 'normal' curious way. With Dougal it's just constant utterly insistent attempts to lick his face.

It's made me remember a time when our old landlord brought around a very young puppy and Dougal became very possessive of the puppy and just licked and groomed him for ages. I wonder if Dougal recognises that the baby is an infant pack member and his attempts to lick him is similar to how he'd treat a new puppy?

It's something that I need to figure out how to stop as he completely overwhelms the baby with his licking and just will not stop despite the fact that he seems very well aware that it's prohibited behaviour. It's meaning that the dogs spend much more time out in the garden or in separate rooms from us than they would otherwise.

Can you stop your dog from doing this? I mean be firm. Give him something else to keep him occupied I wouldn't be comfortable about allowing this behaviour with such a small child if anything I'd be worried abt hygiene doggy might well be attracted to childs smell but I'd try to discourage it. Sweet / salty taste often encourages licking -

iguana

Yup, very nearly 6 months already - he'll be off to college before I know it.

He's a springer spaniel and not an especially licky dog apart from with young puppies and the baby, in fact I'd definitely say that he's less of a licker than Toby other than this. I'm not sure if toys would work, even tasty ones as he tends to get bored of them much quicker than most dogs and drop them on my lap in the hope that I'll provide a faster food delivery system. I'll give it a go though. Sam will be crawling about before I know it and it will mean further restrictions on the dogs if Dougal can't calm down with the licking. It's a pity because Toby and Sam have already got a bit of a relationship going, as Toby will sit calmly next to me when Sam is on my knee and let Sam touch his fur and will nuzzle him back a little bit. I feel like Dougal is missing out on getting to know the new family member because of his eagerness and will take longer to adjust to the new family dynamic.

JustAThought

I don't Know but isn't it normal
For a dog to lick new " things" ( sorry for calling your baby a thing!) . Don't dogs taste and explore with the sensors on their tongue . My dog is constantly licking me - particularly when she is relaxed or semi snoozing. She also does this when she has been misbehaving & is trying to lick up to me ( if you pardon the
Pun!) and when I have washed my hands with soap ( she is a soap addict) or when I have cream on my hands. Apparent that's delightful to lick off if you are a dog!

I'm of course not trying to second guess why your dog wants to lick your baby but can you address it by having the dog on a lead when it's around the baby & if he goes to lick the baby you can pull it back and say NO. Dog should get it after a while. Much better than separating them into garden & house for the next 10 years!! : )

borderlinemeath

Pretzill wrote: »

Can you stop your dog from doing this? I mean be firm. Give him something else to keep him occupied I wouldn't be comfortable about allowing this behaviour with such a small child if anything I'd be worried abt hygiene doggy might well be attracted to childs smell but I'd try to discourage it. Sweet / salty taste often encourages licking -

The hygiene issue would be the last thing I would worry about. And because so many people think that dogs and babies can't live together and this 21st century obsession with killing every last germ (or 99.9% of germs as all the marketing companies have us brainwashed into thinking) is why a lot of dogs end up either banished permanently to the garden, or rehomed/sent to the pound. Research has shown that babies and children build up a better immunity to germs and allergens when they grow up in a house with animals. Once the dog is wormed/vacc'd/flea treated it wouldn't be a problem. I would be more concerned that the obsessive licking could develop into a resource guarding problem, like a prized possession.

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/5-ways-pets-improve-your-health

Would something similar to stopping puppies mouthing OP? Like a 'yelp' from you when Dougal goes to lick the baby? I know you say that he knows it's prohibited behaviour and also trying to focus him on something else isn't working. Maybe if he thinks he's hurting baby then he may step back and pause?

iguana

I'm not too worried about the hygiene issue, studies show that on average children who live with dogs have lower rates of allergies and childhood infections so being exposed to dog 'germs' as babies appears to make our immune systems function more efficiently. My main issue is a mix of Sam being completely overwhelmed by Dougal's attentions and the possibility of Dougal concluding that Sam is somehow 'his.' I'll definitely try the yelping thing, it does work pretty well for puppies and biting so maybe it will work here too.

iguana

Great news! The yelping trick worked almost immediately. The first day after a couple of yelps Dougal calmed right down and backed away from constantly grooming Sam. Since then he's much less likely to try to groom him and if he forgets himself and tries, a quick yelp stops him in his tracks. Now Dougal will relax on the floor if Sam is down there playing and he'll even let Sam touch him without going overboard with the licking.


A scene that would have been impossible a couple of weeks ago.

tk123

The baby is so cute - no wonder the dog wanted to lick him!!