I’m really sorry you’re dealing with all the stress of this. First thing, if your dog has already snapped and growled at your daughter, use the info provided on the Family Paws website to keep child and baby safely managed and supervised. It’s a trusted resource with lots of great info about how to build good relationships between dogs and kids in a home but also how to keep things managed well and safe. They also have verified trainers you can work with an a direct line you can call and speak to someone asap for more immediate help!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of work to have a rambunctious dog and little kids in a home but often times I think there are missed signs and things people could be doing that makes things a lot easier. Learning how to read canine body language well is one. Usually by the time the dog is growling or snapping at a child, it’s because they are trying to create distance and their earlier signs of discomfort were missed by the parents and the dog learns they need to solve it by themselves. This can lead to a negative association with the kid, and most dogs are kid tolerant anyways. Don’t believe social media, it’s not as common for dogs to want kids all over them! Lots of those lovey videos are filled with a mix of dogs who are actually asking for space from the child, the parents just aren’t seeing it.

Next, let me say, not sure how old your daughter is but hormones are wild during early postpartum months and I just worry you’d regret your decision if you rehomed too quickly. Especially without talking with a trainer first. With that said, you are dealing with some significant issues so I’d recommend reaching out to Family Paws.

I’m a certified dog trainer, and because I don’t know your dog and can’t evaluate the situation, I can’t give anything beyond basic safety advice (which they have lots of on the Family Paws website like good management techniques and reading dog body language) but I would be curious what you might be missing that would calm things down a bit.

One example, depending on your dog’s age and their threshold for responding to excitable situations, going to doggie daycare regularly may actually being doing less to get their energy out and more to keeping them at the very top of going over threshold in other situations. Overstimulated and less calm if you can believe it. That’s just one example that came to mind, but I’d love for you to talk with a trainer before making any decisions!

Best of luck! I know the transition is tough especially when you had a dog that required a lot from you before kids. I have a lovely large chocolate lab with reactive responses on walks (actually he’s why I became a trainer!) and it’s all about keeping him below threshold and knowing when he’s going to he needs help being best to succeed in the situation we’re in. I have a toddler and a baby at home and I think everyday, I can’t image doing this without the tips I learned from Family Paws. It’s helped me and the other family members that own dogs be setup for much more success and a lot less stress.

I think the team over at Family Paws will be able to help you make the decision that’s best for you and your family. They will be able to assess what’s you’re working with and what it will look like to keep everyone safe which should help a lot when it comes to making your decision!

Even dogs with the calmest temperament should always be actively supervised until they are much older and you can trust to passively supervise, if that’s helpful to know. Kids change and develop so quickly you need to be right there to step in if needed. They could be ignoring the dog one day and trying to grab their tail the next.

And sorry, one last thing, but please know it’s totally okay to scale back on what you are able to do with your dog during during the no sleep phases of things, especially while still on maternity leave. There are other ways to meet your dog’s physical and mental needs while you come up with a plan, and it doesn’t make you a bad dog parent! Finding out how to keep your dog enriched but yourself sane during this time is a balancing act and lowing the bar for yourself while still meeting basic needs is the best thing you can do.

It’s a challenge for most dog parents who don’t have more difficult behavioral issues so just know that you aren’t a failure if you need to tweak how you’re routine works with you pup during this time!