I love my dogs and my kid. Now to find harmony.

Sometimes it is really hard to admit you don't know something and you need help.  I have been in the world of dog training since about 2000.  I have trained and learned with some of the best trainers in our area and i am very lucky for that.  But, I have hit an area I don't know much about and it is really tough. I am very emotional about this and reluctant to share but I feel like it will help me.

First of all, stella is a tough dog.  She has been a tough dog from the start and as I joke with the breeder, in all honesty if she would have been my first aussie, i probably wouldn't have gotten another one.  She was intended to be my hubby's dog for agility so I had wanted a tough little sassy bitch.  I got that and more.  She was easy to train for agility, smart as a whip but super high drive and needed her brain worked as much as possible.  She runs with me every single run unless I am running at work or out of town.  Within our pack, she very quickly moved herself into the top dog status.  Berry held that title for years and even shared it with miller.  As miller has gotten older, he has gotten less and less respect from the other dogs and stella has just stepped into his shoes.  She isn't insecure at all, she is very sure of herself.  We were fine with that, the pack respects her and all is well.

Enter then andrew.  For the longest time, she was inseparable from him.  She constantly watched over him and wanted to be near him.  I really liked that, liked the fact that she loved him so much.  Now things have changed.  Big time.  It started with a growl one night.  We co-sleep and she was in the bed at the foot where she always sleeps.  We were having a bit of a tough night in which I felt like it was bed time and andrew did not.  He shot towards the end of the bed and startled stella.  She reacted very loudly and I just knew she had bitten him and it was totally my fault.  Luckily it was all noise, no bites but it scared me big time.  Fast forward, a few other growls here and there, mostly because he was in her space and she felt uncomfortable.  Kids can move at the speed of light sometimes and I try to be the most observant mom but I am not perfect by any means.  I still chalked it up to she had a right to tell him to back off, he can't read her signals so it is up to me and I need to be the best mom in the world and manage any and all interactions.  Fast forward again.  I had stella in my lap, on the couch.  Andrew approached the couch, doing his normal gibberish and I felt her growl.  I quickly told her to get off and picked up andrew and put him in my lap.  She seemed put off but nothing else.  Then she did it again the other night when she was on the couch with tony.  Again, we quickly told her to get off and put andrew in her position.

Last night was the final straw. She was laying by my feet and andrew came running up to me.  She not only growled but I saw teeth.  I was devastated.  I honestly don't know what to do.  I can't baby gate her away from him, my house has huge openings from one room to another.  I want her to feel positive feelings when he is around.  I want her to NOT resource guard me.  I want her to respect him and love him.  I have been so emotional last night and today.  I want harmony for my pack.  I now know how clients feel about their kids and their dogs.  I want to do what is right and what is safe but what is also successful for everyone in the long run.  I want my kid to not ever have to go through the fear of a dog bite, especially from one of our own dogs.  I have a few strategies to kick around.  It's been hard because this is not my area of expertise. I know I want to have a positive interaction with andrew and for her to know that he ranks above her.  We have learned so much about pack interactions now and also the power of clicker training and shaping and not using force or submission to teach our dogs.  I want to harness that, the power of the positive.  Will keep you posted.  I will get through this and create a safe environment for my child and my dog.