My 9 month old English Lab and 4 year old toddler usually get along pretty well. However, my lab has exhibited a concerning behavior since about 3 months old. She will run up behind him and push him to the ground. Sometimes she gets on top of him and sometimes she just walks off afterward. The behavior can be unprovoked, and sometimes it's because my son is running. I always thought this was just a playful behavior she would grow out of, however, she is now 60 lbs and the pushes are a lot more forceful. Is this just playful puppy behavior? Or should I be concerned? TIA!
Honestly, my old girl Lexi was about 5 or 6 yo when I had my daughter and was never ever allowed to "play" with her until my daughter was about 2 or 3, maybe older. They could sit next to each other when Lexi was tired and adults were in the room. I loved my girl and she was so gentle but I wouldn't take even the tiny risk that she would hurt my daughter by accident, simply not knowing her own strength. They ended up developing a lovely bond regardless and Lexi would often sit by my daughter while she slept.
Puppies and toddlers often aren't a good mix. Some dogs are just rude. I had a bitch that used to shoulder barge the other dogs at full speed. I was sure she was going to smash someones pelvis at some point. She did grow out of it by about 2 years, but we had to really watch until then.
Our lab Ella was 9 months old when our son was born (no, we didn't plan it that way). Ella has just turned 4 and our son turned 3 in January and I feel that they have just started to interact in a positive way. They'll now sit snuggled together on the couch and have recently started playing some games where I can see that both human and dog are showing happy, comfortable body language. Young labs and young children will inevitably result in some collisions. You can (and need to) monitor all situations but there will be the occasional stolen/chewed toy and tumbling toddler. From a personal parenting point of view, I don't see this to be such a bad thing as it creates a bit of resilience. The only thing I'd probably advise is that you monitor and manage all interactions and you may find that it begins to settle down over time. My only concern is that your post almost seems so indicate that you dog is intending to knock over your son. If you believe this to be the case, it might be worth seeking expert advice to confirm this is the case, try to find out why, and how you might be able to rectify it.
Good suggestion. The motive can be perhaps accessed by answering the question: What is the payoff to the dog? If you can explain the motivation, then the solution will be clearer.
The dog is trying to play with the toddler as if she were another dog. When she does not respond like another dog, the dog stops and leaves. Unless you want to see your toddler repeatedly knocked to the ground by an animal much bigger and stronger than they are, you don't really want to be seeing this happen even once, let alone repeatedly....
