I bought several of these and thanks to the tension it makes it damn near impossible for a toddler to pull it down. Plus the handle and latch make it so they cant undo it.
https://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Extra-6-Inch-Extension-Pressure/dp/B001OC5UNA
What kind of gate do you currently have?
I have this one and am mostly happy with it. One of mine tried to chew it open but she failed and it still works.
I would say give the dog a shot but make rules before it comes. Like use tall baby gates and keep the dog in a certain part of the house. This way the dog has boundaries and not always around the baby. Also when introducing the baby take it slow. Never leave the baby alone with the dog. I have a high energy Australian Shepard mix that is 60 lpounds. I was so worried about our dog and was pleased to see how well behaved it is around our baby. I did do preparation training with my dog in advance tho. Like carrying around a doll and teaching it not to go near certain items. Check out dogmeetsbaby on instagram and online. They have a lot of helpful tips. Try to tell your parents they must prep the baby. Also wash the dog and cut nails before coming just to minimize dog hair. If at any point your uncomfortable with the dog send them away.
Here is the tall baby gate I got. I love it. Regalo Easy Step Extra Tall Walk... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Regalo Easy Step Extra Tall Walk Thru Baby Gate, Includes 4-Inch Extension Kit, 4 Pack of Pressure Mount Kit and 4 Pack Wall Cups and Mounting Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA/ref=cm_sw_r_apanp_fyefRybTwfgPr
I have this one and love it. You don't have to screw in the wall but its more protective if you do. It expands width
What about something like this?
Regalo Easy Step 36" Extra Tall Walk Thru Baby Gate, Includes 4-Inch Extension Kit, 4 Pack of Pressure Mount Kit and 4 Pack Wall Cups and Mounting Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_H2JN6EYE7W8CNKGBFW47
Also m, try this gate. It's a little too high for cats to jump without having something on top to grab onto.
I would put balloons and double-sided tape across the top to begin with because it will spook the cats and prevent them from jumping over.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_pi.5FbYDH5QE5
Even an extra tall gate? We have this one from Amazon. It's delightful because it's a walk through door which you don't need to drill into the wall, but it's extra tall so my 2 year old can't climb over it!
We adopted our GSD in March and she and our cat are finally becoming friends! We used a gate like this to let them get to know each other. gate
Initially they were completely separate, but when we confirmed they wouldn’t kill each other we decided it should no longer be a mystery! We did use a squirt bottle if our dog got too nosey/went into blackout mode, and that worked well because we could get her out of her laser focus for just an instant and back to reality.
The cat now sleeps in the same room with us and the dog at night! It’s amazing!
I found a tall gate that worked well for us: https://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Easy-Step-Extra-White/dp/B001OC5UNA/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522192719&sr=8-3&keywords=tall+baby+gate
Or if she is not a crawler, you can get one of the frame mounted ones and just mount it a little higher. That's what I've done for my current dog since he doesn't like crawling.
Not my suggestion, but I recently bought this gate for my baby's room and I like it.
Get a baby gate and block him in to the room with you at night. Or close the door. I'd still kennel him during the day when you are out, Especially if he might chew furniture or his dog bed.
Make sure you clean up the bedroom (and preferably the rest of the house) so that there is nothing he can get in to. Laundry (worst offender is socks), small items, pills, papers, etc. need to be safely put out of reach.
My dog doesn't get in to things at night, but I do gate her in to the bedroom when I am out since she is prone to finding trouble when she gets bored. I used to crate her, but she has a bad elbow and it was too difficult for her to lay on a hard surface for any length of time. The baby gate worked out well for us (I bought this one: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B001OC5UNA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
Any idea why his behaviour has changed? Has your schedule changed and is he getting enough exercise?
The kong toy doesn’t need to be big. A small/medium one should be fine. You can even put her regular food in there mixed with some treats. Not all dogs are food motivated, and that also will only take you so far. You can’t keep missing work, and you obviously can’t bring her everywhere you go.
Leave some (old) articles of clothing that belong to you in the crate to make her feel more comfortable being in there alone. See if that improves the situation. If you have a tiled room where clean up can be easy (laundry, bathroom, kitchen) you can put her crate and pen in that room and instead of closing the door use a gate in the doorway that she won’t be able to climb. If she has an accident after she escapes the pen, the clean up will be easy. Also, put her in the pen while your home. If she tries to escape you can teach her “down” or “no”, or any other command you want her to associate with not climbing or not doing something.
Mine is a Boston x JRT, an escape artist with anxiety. He is a vacuum: will inhale whatever food you put in front of him in the blink of an eye (except strawberries). I had to be extremely patient with him in the early months. He’s climbed out of his pen and made a huge mess in my apartment more than once. Each time my little guy escaped he always made his way to my room. I would find him on my bed or on top of any clothing I might have left on the floor. Treats? Only motivate him in the moment. Once they were gone he would notice he was alone and would try to get out to look for us. He’s almost 3 and I don’t fully trust him to roam freely if we’re gone more than a few hours.
Ask the trainer for other suggestions if you find that what they’ve suggested isn’t working, or if you can’t find another solution. You need to be patient and persistent. It takes time to make it work. If it doesn’t work out and the anxiety is too much for you to handle consider rehoming her with a family that can meet her needs. Not everyone can handle a dog with high anxiety, and having good intentions/love isn’t enough.
Regalo Baby Gate
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_36ZYSF9TZRKJ0QM72KVH
I have three of these around my house, and they've worked with my two little boys.
This gate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OC5UNA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
With this coroplast: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B3JTOLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Now zip tie the coroplast onto the bars, don't leave a lot of space. Do it up higher than the pic I will post if you have a jumper!
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/439443428988944404/775846731710595132/20201110_133145.jpg I hope you can see this, it's in r/ferrets discord channel. If you can't see it by clicking it, you can join and then click the link. It shows how I put the two together. It also comes with extenders, so it can fit wide doorways!
Alternatively, you could buy this product. But it is hard to step over and you will have to watch yourself. It's so easy to trip over. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013TT2SS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Regalo Easy Step Extra Tall Walk... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OC5UNA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xi0jFb701Y1E3
I bought this baby gate to keep my cat out the kitchen and so far it works! It's pretty tall and he doesn't bother trying to jump it.
Bought these recently for my new Shepard mix.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OC5UNA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Get a baby gate for her door, or at the top of the stairs, whatever works best for your floor plan and where you want her to be. We have one of these in the door: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OC5UNA