I am not at all proud of how any of this went down, but I need guidance, so I'm giving full disclosure. Please refrain from lecturing me on supervision, because I am very attentive, but today was just lousy, and I'm still rattled and emotional about it. So thank you .
I have a 1-year-old. He and Lola get along famously; we've never had any issues.
Whenever we're finished with a peanut butter jar, Lola gets to lick the jar. Husband gave Lola the jar today, and little one was crawling around. I stupidly assumed that he knew to keep a very close eye on them since she had her treasured peanut butter jar. I was in the kitchen getting baby's lunch ready when I heard Lola bark on the opposite side of the counter. I knew the bark immediately. It wasn't her meanest bark, but it certainly wasn't anything friendly. This next part is very difficult for me to share.
I was so upset and went into full on mama bear mode, flew around the kitchen to the living room. Baby was trying to grab the peanut butter jar out of sheer curiosity. I hollered something like, "Don't you ever bark like that at my son!!" and scooped him up. I threw away the peanut butter jar and was very rattled and told Lola, "Go to your room!" in a scolding tone. I never send her to her room for being naughty. It's just her little hideout. I just needed her out of my sight in that moment. And I'll be honest, she cowered and was afraid of me in that moment.
I handled it wrong all the way around. Problem is, now I'm tense every time the baby crawls near Lola. I know she wouldn't hurt him, but I've never seen her do that before, and it really scared me.
How can I patch up my relationship with Lola and maintain a healthy dynamic in the house? I realize that when the baby is a bit older, he can learn to respect animals and their boundaries, but for now, he's a baby, and he's constantly on the move. That often means being around Lola.
I have a 1-year-old. He and Lola get along famously; we've never had any issues.
Whenever we're finished with a peanut butter jar, Lola gets to lick the jar. Husband gave Lola the jar today, and little one was crawling around. I stupidly assumed that he knew to keep a very close eye on them since she had her treasured peanut butter jar. I was in the kitchen getting baby's lunch ready when I heard Lola bark on the opposite side of the counter. I knew the bark immediately. It wasn't her meanest bark, but it certainly wasn't anything friendly. This next part is very difficult for me to share.
I was so upset and went into full on mama bear mode, flew around the kitchen to the living room. Baby was trying to grab the peanut butter jar out of sheer curiosity. I hollered something like, "Don't you ever bark like that at my son!!" and scooped him up. I threw away the peanut butter jar and was very rattled and told Lola, "Go to your room!" in a scolding tone. I never send her to her room for being naughty. It's just her little hideout. I just needed her out of my sight in that moment. And I'll be honest, she cowered and was afraid of me in that moment.
I handled it wrong all the way around. Problem is, now I'm tense every time the baby crawls near Lola. I know she wouldn't hurt him, but I've never seen her do that before, and it really scared me.
How can I patch up my relationship with Lola and maintain a healthy dynamic in the house? I realize that when the baby is a bit older, he can learn to respect animals and their boundaries, but for now, he's a baby, and he's constantly on the move. That often means being around Lola.