Staffy boredom and jealousy

I have a three year old staffy x. I am worried about her. When my son was born 15 months ago, she loved him, and still does but now she is quite jealous. I try to make her feel like she is part of the family and still have "mummy Sophie (her name) days" with her but I am worried about how bored and lonely she is. She is constantly getting between me and the baby and has started following me around everywhere. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to ease her boredom and make her feel better? I try to include her in everything, and take her most places with me but when I go out without her she will jump our 6 foot fence. So I now have to leave her inside when I go out, and even if its just for 5 minutes she will pee on the carpet. Any help would be much appreciated

Hi and welcome! How much exercise does Sophie get? Is getting her a doggy sibling an option?

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Hi, I dont have a baby and my dog always follows me round.....er, like a dog. In this house it seems to be very normal doggy behaviour and my dog has always done it. I often feel like saying 'you dont need to follow me down to this end of the house because I will be staying here precisely 2 seconds before going back down the other end again' but of course I cant give that message and he happily trots along wherever Im going. When you leave her on her own in the house, is it always after having given her a good run so that her bladder is empty? How long do you leave her? Personally, 3-4 hours is the top end of what I'd consider the limit. Do you leave her anything to keep her occupied when you're out? My dog likes a kong (one of the tough black ones) filled with peanut butter and mashed up banana. This definitely makes him very happy and takes quite a while to chew, though he doesnt get it on a daily basis, maybe once a week.

You must live in a very safe area, I would never even consider leaving Rocky outside while we are out   

A good long walk before you leave should be OK and a stuffed Kong would relieve any boredom while you are not there.

We live in a small flat with a garden and Rocky always follows us around, especially if he knows we are about to go out. Try not to make a fuss before you leave.

Do you still do any training with her, maybe do a few basic commands each day at home or at the park. As for the peeing inside again go back to basics with her and clean the area where she peed with a biological washing detergent.

i know it must be hard for you having a young child but it sounds like she could do with a bit more of a walk a day,how many times a day is she walked at the moment?

As already said black Kongs are great, frozen ones last even longer.
Im sure you are, but its worth reminding, please be watchful and don't leave them alone together. 15mths is an age where the child can grab at the dog or poke them and they don't all appreciate it especially if the dog is already feeling jealous.
Lots of exercise and mental stimulation

She usually goes out for a walk once a day. We go for about 4-5 kms. Its probably not enough for her. I usually do a "find it" with her biscuits before we go and leave out a kong with four legs balls in it, but she doesn't touch them until I get home. Same with the treat pyramid. I never leave her alone longer than 2 hours. I don't know how else to keep her stimulated. I bought her a staffy proof (though nothing is really staffy proof) chew toy and she won't touch it. I am starting to feel guilty cause I can't give her constant attention. Even now she is pawing at me whilst I type. 

You should probably be looking at an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening for walks, tbh with Ledger i dont have a garden so i take him out 4-5 times a day some just 15 mins around the park but atleast one long walk tho he would often rather go full out chasing a ball for 10 mins.

The behaviour is typical staffy Ledger will lie outside the bathroom door and whine but is happy enough on his own when i go to work (often barely raises his head when the dog walker comes in) he also often leaves any treats til i get home! You can always do obedience and trick training in the house the mental stimulation wears them out nicely. In the last few months Ledger has mastered 'bang' (play dead/paws over face) and is now doing 'go step' (front paws onto a footstool)

Are you sure he is bored and jealous, or are you just worried that he might be? Our heads can play tricks on us, especially if we are feeling guilty.

However, feeling guilty and doing things out of guilt is very confusing for others, as they don't know you're doing it because you feel guilty - if you know what I mean.

I think it may be best to lead, with a confident, firm hand. Dogs want guidance. They don't want to be worried over as it confuses them and they pick it up.

I agree about exercise - but it could also be that the situation isn't as bad as you think.

Let us know.