post #1 of 1
Thread Starter 
Hi all,
we have aoneyearold black Lab that we've had since she was a puppy. She is overall a happy dog who loves being with people and other dogs. She can be a puppy - very playful - at times but is overall very mellow and a bit scared of the world (skittish around the vacuum, lawn mower, etc). She had started barking a lot before our son was born and we were told that they go through a barking phase and it would go away. The barking has continued - she barks when someone arrives at the door or when people walk or bike past our home. She has also started growling at times as well as barking. Her fur on her back goes up too, but a lot of times, her tail will be wagging too. My assumption has always been that she is a bit scared and is trying to act brave when she acts this way. In the last week, she has tried to snap at two people - my husband and a neighbour.
She is wonderful with the baby (who is 10 weeks old). She will lick his feet or hands when she can. she will curl up to sleep near the baby's crib or where the baby is sometimes. She seems to not be jealous nor am I concerned that she would hurt him.
Our friends were over and we started talking about this with varied opinions about the barking/growling/nipping. is she beingprotective of the baby? is it jealousy? or is she just acting out as we can't discipline her as we should...can't always be right there to correct her? we have tried using a water bottle to stop the barking. worked when my parents cared for her for a week and could catch her every time. we are having a hard time being as consistent.

any thoughts? I don't want her to think growling and snapping is ok nor do I want her to keep escalating like this. she is a very happy,loving dog.