Dog has become aggressive with our other pet.

We have a 3 year old catahoula/pit mix. We got her as a puppy and she was always a little hyperactive but a sweet loving dog. We also have a small dog in the home that we got long before we decided to get another dog. I want to preface this by saying that I have had pits my entire life and this is the first time I have ever had behavioral problems with one of my dogs. I can admit I should have looked more into the catahoula breed and their temperament but that is my fault.

Now for the problem. Our dogs have always gotten along just fine. 1 year ago we had a family gathering and our big dog snapped at the little one. We suspected it was due to being anxious. The circumstances in which it happened and it being the first time, we decided to just keep her in her own space whenever we thought it would be too high stress for her and it wasnt an issue after that.

Fast forward to this last summer, my roommate and I had been sitting on the couch talking and she was eating a snack when our big dog dove across the couch and attacked our small dog with no warning. I immediately tried to separate them and in the mix, I got bit on my arm and hand and had to go to the ER. I was 7 months pregnant. I had never been bit by a dog before and immediately I wanted to get rid of the dog out of concern for our unborn child’s safety. My fiancé has a huge attachment to this dog and insisted he would do what he could to fix the situation. We thought the fight may have started over the presence of food and my bite had been because id gotten in the middle. She never had bitten anyone before so we hoped it was a problem we could solve.

We got her fixed hoping that would calm her down and we have taken the dog to see a behavioralist, he said she had anxiety and gave us 2 different medications to try. Over the rest of my pregnancy she tried to attack our small dog 2 more times. Both of those times there was no known triggers around and so far every instance has had no warning beforehand. Every time she has attacked our smaller dog, the dog was sitting feet away from her and not doing anything but laying there. I have been highly anxious since my baby was born and we’ve kept the dogs apart and kept her at a distance from the baby. So far that has been working okay.

We have since had a trainer come to our house and teach us about number of things to keep her focused and keep her attention off of our other dog including muzzle training which we have been working on with her now. She adjusted to the muzzle well and was able to walk around freely though of course we never leave her around the baby. Last night, we were all sitting on the couch. She had her muzzle on and was laying on one side of the couch and I was sat on the other part of the couch with our small dog laying at my side and holding the baby. Out of nowhere she jumped up and pounced on the dog right next to the baby. I jumped up and took my baby to the bedroom while my fiancé grabbed the dog and immediately put her in her kennel. That was it for me. I’m thanking god she had the muzzle on because that was an extremely close call and exactly what I have been worried about this whole time. I’ve talked for months about rehoming her but even the trainer was adamant that with her anxiety and her attachment , rehoming is a bad idea because it would surely make the problem worse.

At this point we have now tried seeing a trainer, a muzzle, a behavioralist, medication, having her spayed, keeping her separate. Nothing has fixed the behavior. My fiancé is and has been in extreme denial and after every occasion I have begged him to find somewhere else for her to go. After last night I just can’t do it anymore. It makes me feel like a bad dog parent to continue to put our other dog in this situation and I feel like a bad mom keeping her in the house knowing it poses a risk to our baby.

I guess what I am looking for is outside opinions to assure me I’ve done all I can do and to tell me if I am making the right choice. I’m also wondering if rehoming is even an option at this point due to the fact that the trainer already told us rehoming could cause more problems for someone else. I feel so guilty because I love her and I wish we could fix it but I just don’t know what else to do.