N.N.
We've had several dogs with our babies, and they all behave a little differently. The first dog was a dalmatian and he was so sweet and gentle. He seemed to know the difference between children and babies and treated them accordingly. The second dalmatian was different. He wanted nothing to do with the babies, but loved children. When I would bring the babies into the room, he would leave. He never tried to hurt them, he just always left the room, but if a pre-schooler or older was around, he was all about running and playing ball or chase or whatever. Our third dog is a black lab, and she's so laid back. My two year old loves to kiss and hug her and she just sits there. The occaisional poke in the eye or ear pull doesn't phase her a bit. Our fourth dog is a dalmatian/beagle mix. She's a little testy with the baby. I have to watch her, but she's a little strange with everyone. We got her when she was 2 and I'm not sure what sort of life she had before she came to us. She snapped at the baby once and I yelled at her alot and sent her from the room. She has never done it again, but I can see when she's had enough hugs and I remove them from the situation. I find that yelling at the dogs and sending them to another room works best when they have done something I don't like. I can't hit hard enough to hurt the lab, but when I yell at her, she looks devistated. Continue to work with the new dog. Praise her good behaviors and scold the bad ones. She'll figure out what you like and don't and how she should act. Dogs are very smart, especially shepherds. They also have opinions and past experiences just like people. Some love babies and children, and some don't. As your baby grows their relationship will change. Your dog will find that as the baby gets big enough to throw a ball, he will become way more tolerable and maybe even a good buddy and fun to be around. Good luck, the relationship between a boy and his dog is one of the most precious in the world.