My dog and my new grandson

Exactly how do you intend to stop the dog when it is trying to lick the baby if it suddenly opens its strong jaws and clamps them round baby's face? Are you superhuman?

Ah - but no doubt it is just being friendly and wouldn't harm a fly.

scentia

you wrote "Surely it is best to get the rules sorted now before he is of an age to be learning how to behave around her"

The he is your GS and the her is your dog.
I think that sounds exactly like what I referred to. Because there is a strong inference that you want something sorted out now.

If not then you are not being clear enough.
I did say I didn't understand but hey just attack me back as "judgy" in time honoured gransnet style.

Go and get advice yes but I have only said keep them apart for now. What on earth is wrong with that?

I think that most people here are worried that you say you don't let the dog lick the baby but that the gog wants to lick the baby.
I would have the dog out of the room immediately It doesn't matter if it is the dog's home. Are you not the dog's boss?

dog not gog

again you say advice on handling this....yes Dog is to be kept away until baby is much older.
Or dog put in crate.

The baby is only five months old is he crawling around ? or totally staying where the adults put him for instance in a baby chair etc my question is how does the dog actually get to him if he’s in one place?
You say your dog is very well behaved except for this over excited attitude to visitors an excitable dog can be a well intentioned but dangerous nuisance.
I think you are wise to get it trained but I still think you are unwise to have a jumpy licking excitable dog in the same room as a small defenceless baby even with adults present and obviously two other members of the quartet of family members think so too
Have you read hettys link, they were all friendly non aggressive family dogs
You adore your dog and cannot see the wood for the trees if the little once was living with you then yes get the trainer in but a tiny baby visiting , no need just keep them apart for the duration of the visit
No dog how ever much loved is worth taking the chance over

This is a discussion that should have happened and strategies put in place before baby was born especially given that you know your dog is excitable around visitors.
I am a dog person and a granny, my DGS is 14, and the bond between him and my JRT is lovely and has enriched both their lives. However it wasn't allowed to just happen. I'm glad that you're engaging a trainer/behaviourist to work with you to help you to resolve your immediate issue and to help you adopt strategies that will help you to create a safe environment for you GS as he grows and develops.

Luckygirl you really hate dogs don’t you and have done since you were a child.

‘Many kids’ are NOT killed by dogs every year. Look up the stats. It is such a rare event that it makes the headlines.

NOW many children are killed and injured on our roads every year. I think people should not allow their children out of the house and certainly not allow them to travel in cars.

Keep cars and children away from each other. Plus there’s nasty things coming out of cars’ back ends.

On a positive note here is an excellent article from the Blue Cross that the OP might want to read

Keeping your family dog and visiting children safe

More children are killed and injured by family members than by Dogs.

I have absolutely nothing against kids and dogs mixing and think it’s normally great for the dog and the child and the family I had a dog when my youngest was about 6 and both had a very lovely relationship I was convinced pets were very good for kids and over the years we had rabbits, gerbils, snakes, terrapins and a cat however none of my three children have gone on to have pets for their children (so that didn’t work)
My whole ’antiness’ is purely about a very small very helpless baby being ‘forced’ to be friends with a lovely boisterous but highly protective breed of dog Why not wait until the baby is old enough to be taught how to treat the dog and the dog is much more used to the child
If nothing else it seems to be causing a rift between the males and females in the family

We have recently lost our rescue Staffy. We stopped her licking faces when we first got her which helped and it didn't take long for her to realise we didn't like face licking. She, Molly, absolutely loved children and babies and would always sit with them, or by their prams, when they came to visit. They are known as the Nanny Dog. Definitely need to stop the licking though. Personally, I think keeping them apart is a bad idea as the dog, especially Staffies, would feel rejected. They thrive on human interaction.

Well said luckygirl. She obviously thinks more of her dirty, dangerous dog than she does of her precious grandson.
CraftyGranny. The dog would feel rejected? Words fail me.

How do you know her dog is dangerous Littleannie a sweeping statement don’t you think?

Millions of dogs world wide coexist with humans perfectly safely without danger to anyone.

There were 1024 dog bites or strikes in children aged under 9 in 2018 . There was an estimated 8.9 million dogs .

The dog would feel rejected? Words fail me. - indeed so.

My liking or not liking dogs is not relevant to anything - there are plenty of dog lovers on here who are saying the same - keep them apart when they visit.

In the meantime, I await the answer to my question: Exactly how do you intend to stop the dog when it is trying to lick the baby if it suddenly opens its strong jaws and clamps them round baby's face?

NanaandGrampy. All dogs are dangerous if something upsets or scares them.
1024 dog bites.? That is 1024 too many. A woman has been killed by her 2 family pets this week.
I was attacked by a dog as a young child. It was an entirely unprovoked attack, and I bear the scars to this day, 68 years later, so don't try telling me they are not dangerous.

I AM telling you that not all dogs are dangerous Littleannie -if they were ALL dangerous there wouldn’t be 8.9 million dogs in the U.K.

What I am saying is dogs CAN be dangerous if in the wrong hands, if they are a breed given to that behaviour, if they are badly trained or untrained. I’m sorry you were attacked but in the same way that you cannot say ‘all Muslims are terrorists’ because some are , you can’t say ‘all dogs are dangerous’.

It’s a sweeping and untrue statement.

But all dogs are unpredictable. The link above about dog attacks makes it clear that these are jolly and trusted family pets - but they bit.

It makes sense to have an arsenal of tactics to hand in order to keep the baby safe.

Segregation, yes obviously, but also behavioural training to deal with the dogs over excitement and keep it calm.

Locking it away won't do that, I would think a more measured approach would be better.

A long way back summerlove suggested talking to the parents about this.

Ultimately OP it won’t be your decision whether you keep the baby and dog together or keep them apart.

If the parents feel their child is at risk they’ll just keep him away. Any sensible parent would.

If you’re so adamant about having your own way you may lose your grandchild.

At the moment you don’t have control of your dog.

NanaandGrampy, goodness knows what Muslims have to do with it.
I repeat, any dog that is startled or scared has the potential to attack. A baby suddenly crying or kicking its leg out could trigger this, if the dog is nearby.
I stand by what I said.

Littleannie - you go on standing by your view that you know more than those of us who have bred, trained and shared our lives with dogs.

Tell that to the family of the poor woman who was killed this week by the family pets.

Well, that's what makes news.

They're not going to report that today, Rover licked his bum, buried a bone, had a game of fetch, then climbed into his basket and went to sleep.