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We have a 5 year old female Rottweiler that is acting out. I had a baby 6 months ago and it seems as if our dog is jealous. She has urinated in the baby's room several times. But that stopped. Now 2 months later, the dog deficated in her room. What is going on? Is this purely a territory thing or is she protecting the baby?

This is not protecting the baby!! This sounds like a dog that is trying to make sure the baby is lower on the totem pole than her and could be a major problem brewing. Your dog has to be shown and reminded constantly that the baby is higher in the pack than she is.
One question - what was the dog doing in the babies room without your supervision, that really should be an off limits area for the dog. Please never leave the baby and the dog together unsupervised as both urinating and defecating by both sexes of dogs is a marking behavior.

Sounds like this is a dog that is pushing the limits with the stress of a new member in the family and you probably should contact a behaviorist to help you with this.
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Val.
proudly owned by
Majic the Rotten
Purl - the Nottweiler (Dogue de Bordeaux)
Quest - the otherweiler (DDB)
Chrissy & Tina who have earned their wings

Wow, I personally don't have enough experience with this kind of behavior. However, Val does, so please pay attention to what she has recommended!!

Do not ever leave a child and a dog, big or small dog alone with your children. I have absolutely no reason to think that mine would hurt any of the kids but would never ever leave them unsupervised!!

You need to get this thing under control yesterday, for sure!!
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PHRottn
HRottn@PetHobbyist.com" target="_blank">My Email

Rott-N-Dogues make excellent best friends!

You say the dog is just now acting out w/ urination and fecal mkgs. i am very surprised that after 6mo the dog just all of a sudden is acting out.b-4 the baby was born, did you do any experimenting w/ dolls and baby clothes for pre-trial w/ the dog. Did you include the dog in any baby events or was the dog pushed to the side and the baby was the new center of everyones attention, if the dog wanted to sniff the baby what were your actions towards the dog? W/ supervision at all times, did the dog get growley or did she lick and show affection, what are the symptoms, and what are the dogs new boundries?seeing an animal behavioral proffessional is a goood idea. But they will ask all the same questions as i have .so you will want to take notes and be on the look-out for sudden behavioral activities.i hope this helps. it helped us back when my son was first brought home, and thankfully all our dogs are children safe.

Hello!
First, congrats on your new baby! I bet this is a very hectic time for your whole family.
Now to get to your question. Your dog doing what it is doing (Marking, defecating, etc) is indeed because of dominance issues. And this is not good. This is a dangerous situation and needs immediate attention. As others have said, your dog is seeing ITSELF as "Boss over your baby" and that is simply NOT the way it should be. (Your dog should be on the lowest rung of teh family totem pole) dogs are NOT babysitters, nor to ever,ever be trusted with small children. (I am not meaning to sound like I am coming down on you, but only trying to relay the important gravity of this situation)
You need to contact your vet and see about a trainer or canine behaviorist who SPECIALIZES in Large Dog dominance.
In the meantime, keep your dog crated any time you cannot be supervising it directly or interacting with it. Do not allow it loose in the house, and NEVER allow it in the childs room. If you leave the house. Crate the dog. I will post some other links to things you can do as well (In home training and programs)
Warmly,
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Jackie & Max
Visit us at
Southern Shadows Rottweilers
http://hometown.aol.com/shadowsara/index.html
Responsible Rottweiler Ownership!

Here is part 2 of my post
Please copy and paste and follow the directions on these sites EXACTLY! If done right, you should notice results within a WEEK, but you must do them exactly!
Here they are:
1) http://www.chowwelfare.com/cciw/alpha.htm "Who's In charge here?"
and
2) http://www.flyingdogpress.com/attitude.html "Dog Attitude Adjustment Program"
If you have further questions please ask.
Warmly,
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Jackie & Max
Visit us at
Southern Shadows Rottweilers
http://hometown.aol.com/shadowsara/index.html
Responsible Rottweiler Ownership!