your pet and a baby

woofie87

Hey pet lovers, looking for an advice here. I am 5 months pregnant and want to prepare my two dogs for the new arrival. Has anybody any experience? where do I start?
Woofie is about 3, loves his routine, his bed, his armachair and a place on the window sill to watch outside, and can be grumpy at times
Sasha is 1, full of energy and pretty much wrecks his head 24/7...
have been together for last three months, and although they have become friends there is some fighting and growling and barking at times.
I am absolutely petrified that:
1. the dogs will feel abandoned without the amount of attention they are getting now
2. woofie will snap at the baby
3. sasha is too big and jumpy and although the most placid and friendly dog in the world, she might harm the baby unintentionally + she loves toys (and food) so might grab those if at snout's reach
they are pretty spoiled ( i put my hand up, they are both rescues with history of abuse and neglect so I just cant help myself)
at the moment they have a free access to the whole house, apart from the bedrooms, but i think this will have to be restricted
i still have some time for all of us to prepare for the baby so it goes smoothly and with no dangerous accidents ( i pray its possible!)
Thanks a million for any constructive advise.
Please do not advise of getting rid of the dogs, this is not an option... Worse case scenario, the dog that copes with the baby really badly, gets shipped to my parents to b even more spoiled ( the only ''baby'' of the house, huge garden to run and my parents loving their walks!).

cowzerp

Dont get rid of the dogs.

Do be responsible and dont leave small children or babies with pets, just let the dogs know that the baby is part of the family and dont let them near the baby at all when he/she 1st comes along, let them view from afar! also treat the dogs the same as normal so they dont feel abandoned

but as i said already, dont leave small children with them even if your dogs are friendly, i genuinely believe dogs are not sure about babies been human when there small..

onemorechance

I have seen this twice and in both cases the pet did not like the new arrival but did get used to them after a while. You will obviously be giving the new born most of your attention, but try and include the pet once in a while.

After a while, once they see the attention and "respect" that is being shown to the new arrival, they will see them not as a threat, but as a superior just like you.

They should begin to treat the baby in this way and become friend and protector of the baby just like they are of you.

There is no need to shoo the animal away all the time, but keep them at a the distance you are comfortable with. The animal will get used to the arrival, but be careful at the start. A animal is always an animal and can never be trusted to behave correctly all the time, no matter how nice or well trained they are.

racso1975

get somebody to bring home the babies clothes from the hospital and allow the dogs to sniff them and get used to the smell, i know its only 3 days max,

let the dogs see the baby and obviously not lick it's face or be in on top of them.

I have to say my dog was completely indifferent to our baby (now 1 year) until he started to crawl and move around and inparticular when the baby became a new source of food supply i.e. dropinng toast/food on the ground.

I take the daog walking with the baby all the time and i think she thanks the baby for getting out but she seems happy either way.

As has been said previously no matter how friendly your dog is never ever leave a child of any age with them.

The one thing i did notice is the dog hated high pitched baby screams (cant blame her really). Funny to see a 80kilo mastiff run from this

ISDW

You still have a bit of time, so would you consider crate training the dogs?(if you have enough room in your house for 2 crates of course) This will give the dogs somewhere safe that they will feel is theirs that they can go to to get away from the noise of the new baby, it will also be a place that you can put the dog to keep them away from the baby when you need to. If you start training them now, and introduce the crates in a really positive way, I'm sure they will adapt and everyone will be happy.

Toulouse

http://www.dogclub.co.uk/advice/babyanddog.php

wolfpawnat

Ok if my dogs were in the house with my baby (due today, waiting around to pop at any minute:D) my suggestion would be,

1. get both dogs to learn that certain rooms in the house are now out of bounds! e.g. the living room if baby is going to be there alot.

2. get both dogs used to pulling of ears, I had to do it with my cocker spaniel!

3. I know this seems harsh but get rid of all teddy toys or anything that will resemble the babys toys and make sure the dogs toys are bone shaped, etc so they know they still have their own toys.

4. Roll the buggy around them alot to get them use to it.

5. I know they have had bad pasts but animals dont live in the past, they are happy now so they forget their previous lives, so dont feel guilty.

6. Don't leave them alone with baby at any time. Obvious one really.

Fair dues to you for starting t think this through well before the baby is born and great to see that you dont think the "right" thing to do is get rid of them. Dogs are pack animals and they are great at adapting to new social changes, as long as woofie has his couch and sasha has her toys they should be fine:)

Good luck!:)

Whispered

woofie87 wrote: »

Please do not advise of getting rid of the dogs, this is not an option

Fair play, a lot of people would get rid of the dog/cat or else "teach" it to live outdoors.

ISDW wrote: »

You still have a bit of time, so would you consider crate training the dogs

This is a great idea IMO. I think crate training is brilliant to do with any dog. Makes them so much more flexible, you can visit other houses and they will be happy, or put them away when baby is toddling and they will be perfectly happy. A little spcae to call their own.

wolfpawnat wrote: »

Ok if my dogs were in the house with my baby (due today, waiting around to pop at any minute:D)

You're waiting to pop? Congratulations and good luck!

wolfpawnat wrote: »

3. I know this seems harsh but get rid of all teddy toys or anything that will resemble the babys toys and make sure the dogs toys are bone shaped, etc so they know they still have their own toys.

I could be totally wrong but would you have to do this? If you teach the dogs that anything that smells of baby is totally out of bounds, would they even notice the shape?

wolfpawnat wrote: »

Fair dues to you for starting t think this through well before the baby is born and great to see that you dont think the "right" thing to do is get rid of them. Dogs are pack animals and they are great at adapting to new social changes, as long as woofie has his couch and sasha has her toys they should be fine:)

+1

wolfpawnat

helena.ryan wrote: »

You're waiting to pop? Congratulations and good luck!

I could be totally wrong but would you have to do this? If you teach the dogs that anything that smells of baby is totally out of bounds, would they even notice the shape?

Thank you for the congrats.

Yes, I never thought of that. Training them to know their toys by scent! Very genius!:)

woofie87

Thanks guys for the advice!
Will defo have a think about crate trainig, I like the idea of the dogs having their own space, especially with all the noise, mess and amount of people visiting when the baby arrives.
Wolfpawnat, good luck, hope all goes well!!!!!!!

wolfpawnat

Thank you Woofie:)

Yes my father trains dogs for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and Ollie loves his crate. it's his little sanctuary from the world! They are a good investment:)

Again your a great owner to say you are not going to get rid of your dogs because of a baby. They can live together with boundaries. And again another great thing is you preparing them with time to spare. At least all new routines will be completely settled before the house is invaded by baby:D:)

Lauragoesmad

Hi there,
First off, Congrats!!!
I have heard this working for a few people and it might work for you. You have to treat your dogs when the baby is around. Think of it from their point of view, they do not know what this little thing is that is getting all the attention, so for the first few weeks, give them loads of treats and praise when they are calm around the buggy or cot. Dogs learn quick and they will soon associate this baby with good things happening in their lives. Praise, treats and being spoken to are a few of a dogs favourite things IMO. They will soon accept the baby as one of their own, who adds to the pack rather than taking things and attention away.
I know its not the same thing but this is how I got a 12 year old dog who hated cats to accept one. I also know a guy with two GSD's who used this technique and it worked wonders with his little girl and the two dogs.
Good luck with your new arrival!!:)