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My dog was very fear aggressive since I rescued him at 3 months old. I was always able to control it, until my daughter was born. I figured he would get better over time, but it got worse. Even after meeting with a dog trainer, he still didn't like my daughter and would growl and snap around her. He started marking on her stuff, and mine, and started growling/showing his teeth to me.

I didn't want to get rid of him because I felt like I failed him somehow, but I couldn't risk him attacking my daughter (now 2) for just walking past him. It took me a year, and I was about to put him down, but I finally found him a home with a friend of mine.

Honestly, I would go ahead and start now to look for a new home for her. Try to work with her, but hopefully you could find a good kid free home for her.

Talk to your vet for trainer recommendations. And maybe open the conversation of the possibility for medication. I was sad when we had to put our dog aggressive dog on Prozac but it was preferable to being put down which is his only other option. He was zonked out for a few weeks but he balanced out after a while and was much less anxious over all. When we have a little one we will have to have gates throughout the house to provide a physical barrier at all times. Good luck. I hope you can find a solution that works for you and your family.

If there is a rescue you could contact maybe they can list her for adoption and be forthright about the issues while you foster her in the mean time. That way she won't be automatically put down and hopefully someone who has the ability and circumstance to work better with the dog will give her a chance.

Our dog was very fearful aggressive and we just couldn't trust him with new people at all. Per vet and trainer (from the shelter we adopted him from) recommendations we had to turn him back over to the shelter when I was pregnant. It was the saddest thing ever but too big of a risk otherwise. I think he was a pretty extreme case though. He never improved at all even with consistency and training and any time we had to stray from our schedule he regressed even further. At the time we adopted him, we were not aware of the extent of his problems. We were told that within 6 months he would be the perfect dog. We had him for over 2 years before we had to give him away.

I'm so sorry--aggressive dog cases are really tough b/c they can be such sweethearts.

Truthfully, I think that aggression is at best managed, not cured. Fear aggression is especially tricky. Some people end up isolating their dogs more to keep them away from others, which adds to the dog's anxiety and unhappiness. You have not failed this dog--it's not a matter of being a pack leader or anything like this. Some dogs had early experiences that no amount of meatballs and positive reinforcement can fix, while others are just wired wrong.

An aggressive dog is like having a loaded gun out in the open. If it were my decision, I would put the dog to sleep. I don't think it's ethical to pass along a dog who you know has aggression issues and could harm others.

I read a lot of dog blogs, and this post might help: http://anapoeland.blogspot.com/2010/11/goodbye-huckleberry.html?spref=fb

This is so hard. If the dog is getting between you and LO, you need to get a trainer involved. You can find links on the ASPCA site. You'll want a behaviorist vs just a trainer.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help

My dog (got her from a breeder at 8 weeks) got very anxious after having LO. When LO was 4 months the dog snapped at her. We immediately called in a dog behaviorist and that didn't only use positive reinforcement - our dog doesn't respond to that. With work on our part, and making sure she's pysichally exhausted (taking the dog to daycare regularly so she's completely wiped after a day of play), she's now good with LO (LO is now 21 months). When LO started walking we had some regression with the dog, but we were able to reinforce the training and things are better. It's always a work in progress, but substantially improved. I'm comfortable with how things are now, but am very worried about the dog when we have another LO someday.

@NurseMommy: I hope they can help. I think you have to feel like you've tried everything you can before you make that next step. I would want someone to come to the home to witness these things and show you directly how to help.

I have a book "Click to Calm" which is meant to help aggressive dogs. Also, I've read that you're not supposed to discipline a dog for growling b/c you might be taking away his first step in saying "I don't like that" and he'll move directly to biting.

My friend's had an aggressive dog and they tried out medication for a little bit as well.

@NurseMommy: Don't beat yourself up! You are already an angel for adopting and giving her a chance at a happy life! It's hard to predict how their behavior changes, as your family goes through changes. If you really can't find someone that can train Sadie and really understand how to deal w/ aggressive behavior, try to find a shelter that is 100% no kill so Sadie can be in a safe place.

@NurseMommy: I am sorry you are going through this. I would absolutely not be okay with this.

Buy a muzzle, first step! Use treats to get her used to it and then put it on her any time you aren't sure you can pay close attention to her around DD. Muzzles are wonderful training tools and I wish there wasn't such a stigma about using them. I think a lot of dogs just need that safety precaution before you can feel more relaxed and embrace the training techniques that she will need without worrying about safety.

@NurseMommy: I am so sorry I can't imagine how heartbreaking that would be.

Is she a purebred? If so, could you contact a local breed specific rescue for some help in rehoming her?

I'm so sorry. I would definitly rehome her if I was you. You can do a lot but you can never completely know the will of an animal and you just can't trust one that has already shown your child aggression

This is such a terrible situation. I was so worried this was going to happen with my dog- he is really old and is pretty aggressive towards people he doesn't know. He has been ok with the baby though- although now that LO is started to walk- I am nervous. Hopefully this works out ok for your family... thinking of you!