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I’ve heard of this once before with a personal friend who had the most loving Pit in the world. They played all the time then the couple had a baby. All the attention the Pit got then went to the baby (of course) and the Pit was neglected, and if you believe in the intelligence of dogs, resentful of the baby. It was a male Pit and I’ve heard they have been known to kill puppies they sired; probably due to them getting all the attention. It’s pure jealousy and a terrible trait in some Pit’s. I’m sorry to say my friend (heard through a 3rd party) blew that Pit in half with a shotgun when he saw it being aggressive toward their new baby. He did this in a fit of protective emotion and regretted it ever since. That’s a hard thing to live with when there were so many other options such as finding another home for him. My friend knew about my love for dogs and told me they found a home for the Pit because they were moving back East and couldn’t take him. I was told this story many years later by someone else who thought I should know. I think he was just being mean and malicious in telling me to be honest.

I have a female Staffordshire who looks like a tallish Pit I guess with the brindle coloring. She’s the mom to the other 3 dogs (all rescues) I have. She keeps them in line and trains newcomers to the pack. Super smart. She knows me better than I do. She knows what I’m about to do before I make a conscious decision to do it because she has studied me for years. It’s this intelligence in the breed that can’t be forgotten or neglected. That’s part of the deal when you adopt a Pit or similar breed. Now, not all Pit’s are going to be smart, but a lot are.

There’s no excusing what this Pit did to this baby. None whatsoever but there are reasons worth considering. Moral of the story is regardless of what kind of breed you have at home; if a new person (baby or otherwise) is brought into the home - keep the dog in the loop with some attention even if it isn’t the same amount. Most dogs must be reassured on a daily (sometimes many times daily) basis they matter to you. They are simply needy creatures that way. Many people are the same way.

That’s my two centavos on the subject...

Concerning jealousy in dogs. I have learned a lot from a veterinarian neighbor of mine. She is a dog lover and has a few rescue dogs of her own (And they are not always well behaved, trust me).

She explained a lot of my own dogs (Labrador) behavior that puzzled me for years. My dog behaves differently when I am around and when I am not. She behave differently when she is out playing with our kids and the neighbor hood kids. And she behaves differently again when the aforementioned neighbor dog-sits for us. For example, when she is in her own yard and the family is outside, she does not get along with other dogs. She aggressively demands submission from other dogs and can get mean with them (hair raising growling and snarling). After the dog submits, she is fine. If the dog doesn’t submit, she wants to fight. If her pack is not around, she plays nicely with the same dogs. When I go out of town over night, our Lab either sleeps with one of our children, or she will sleep at the top of the stairs in the hallway. She also sleeps with the kids when they are sick.

Most of my dog’s behavior can be explained by the pack animal mentality. Jealousy is actually related to their perceived hierarchical standing in the pack (as it was explained to me). Dogs normally recognize the pack Alpha (does not need to be male). But by about age 2 (depending on breed), they also recognize their standing in the pack. When a baby is introduced into the pack, and the dog feels it’s position is threatened, they often act out (depending on breed). Pack animals sometimes challenge a pack member for their place in the pack.

Understanding and recognizing the typical pack animal behaviors in dogs really helped me to be a better dog owner. When you understand it, their behavior often makes a lot more sense.

(See my former post in this thread as you see fit)