Question For Dog Owners!

[mollykinnz]

I've been thinking a lot about how my dogs are going to act when the baby is here so I was wondering:

First Time Mom's: Do you have a plan yet? Any recommended reading? Tips? Etc?

Second, Third, Fourth + Mom's: How did your dogs react? What did you plan to do and how did it go? Any suggestions?


I'm so worried about jealousy and it hurts my heart that they will feel left out once the baby is here. I get so tired about people telling me how I won't care about my dogs any more, might have to get rid of them, etc. I know that the baby will be my #1 priority but I can't see why I still can't give my puppies love like they deserve!

[Deleted]

Our story is a sad one...

Sage, a 6 yr old Husky mix, had no interest. She was more interested that I was home all the time. When Lorelei started to crawl and wanted to snuggle the puppy Sage would gruff and give low growls. We reacted to EVERY gruff with strict discipline. It took some time, but she now tolerates Lorelei and will leave the room if Lorelei is too obsessive. (which happens a lot)

Zoey, a 12 yr old white german shepherd, was very loving and friendly. However, she was dying and we didn't know it. We thought she was acting out with the new baby with messing in the house. I'm in tears now think what an ass I was instead of being there for her. She went to sleep when Lorelei was 5 weeks old.

Kieva, a white german shepherd, came into our home at 6 wks old when Lorelei was 5 months old. She learned to play gently with Lorelei and they run and chase each other all the time. Kieva nips sometimes, but she doesn't mean it.

[Nittany]

We have a 10 pound Lhasa Apso mix. My MIL took our dog to her house for about 4 days while we were in the hospital having DS. When they brought the pup back to us, she was pretty freaked out. She never misbehaved but she would sit on the opposite side of the room for about 2 weeks. Slowly she started to come closer to the baby and next thing I knew she was sitting on my lap with DS while I would feed him. Now they are best buds

I never did anything special to prepare her. I think she just needed her own time to feel him out. She's a really nervous dog to begin with.

[Nittany]

Jan 28, 2015 12:47:36 GMT -5 @pianolove said:

I know how you feel I don't want my tooter (Shooter) to feel like I don't love him anymore!
I did read somewhere to bring a baby blanket home from the hospital so he can get used to the smell. Also, I read that the person who the dog is closest to should not carry the baby in the house for the first time, and they should be the first one the dog sees. My dog gets jealous if I hold another puppy but I've never held a baby in front of him. I'm not sure exactly how true these are, but we're going to give them a try!

Life will be different for your pup but he's gaining a new little friend! Just make sure to still show your dog affection as much as you can and it will most likely be fine

[laurie12820]

STM here. We have a very lovable and docile Chow Chow. I know, I know, Chow Chows aren't normally known as lovable and docile. I'm in the camp of "it's how their raised". Anywho, we've had our Chow Bruce since he was an itty-bitty puppy. The main concern we had was that he wouldn't get as much of our attention as he did before DD was born. We didn't really have any concerns regarding his temperament changing or him being aggressive around the baby. What we did was we took a receiving blanket from home with us to the hospital. As soon as we could after DD was born, we wrapped her in that blanket so that it would pick up her scent. That night we had my parents bring the blanket by our house and they let Bruce have the blanket. He smelled it, naturally, and he laid with it. When we brought DD home the first night we kept her in the carrier and let Bruce come over to it and get his smells in. He was pretty unphased by her, he still got his attention and was a great protector of her. Here's a picture of him checking her out during her play time:


You will still have time to give your dogs attention. It may not be a ton in the beginning, but, as you settle into a routine it is definitely possible!

[LoveLach]

I'm a FTM as well, and our furbaby has been our "only child" for the last five years. I've been trying to think of ways for her to be involved with the process, and how she can get adjusted when the baby comes. I found this blog post a few weeks ago on pinterest, and I think there were a lot of good suggestions.

My DH and I have personally talked about putting the car seat in the car early, and teaching her not to jump in it. We travel to his family's houses a lot, and we're accustomed to bringing the dog with us everywhere. She also has a tendency to destroy toys, and steal blankets... so we have to teach her that the baby's stuff is not her stuff

[mrsklm09]

We brought the blanket home from the hospital so he could get used to DD's smell. He was very curious about her when we brought her home and kept trying to put his head in the carrier. We just tried to set boundaries early on and still give lots of affection. He was a 70lb English Bulldog so we were nervous that he wouldn't be gentle enough with her but he figured it out pretty quickly.

They were besties as she got a little older and he would tolerate anything from her (pulling his ears, trying to ride him, etc).

I would say if there are behaviors that concern you now or that you want to change because of the baby (jumping, getting on the couch, etc) try to work on that stuff now before the baby comes and life changes in a big way.

We just tried to be consistent most of all.

[kristhegirl]

I have a Boston Terrier and a kitty. I'm planning on bringing a blanket for them to smell, and letting them in the nursery as we set it up so it's not this fascinating new room once the baby's here.

I am not concerned about them - I already had my MIL tell me the whole "cats will steal the baby's breath" ridiculousness. It will certainly take some adjusting, but that's true for all of us. Bringing home baby is a HUGE life change. If issues do come up we'll deal with them on a case-by-case basis, but I am vehemently opposed to the idea of getting rid of pets *just* because you have a baby. (Safety issues are a different story, so a biting kitten would definitely be a problem, jnetx!)

[tla0623]

Sadie has been around my nephews when they were little and acted curious and then indifferent. I know it will be different because the baby will be with us all the time, but I think Sadie will adjust. She usually sleeps on the floor on my side of the bed, but when we moved, we moved her bed over to my husband's side so she gets used to sleeping there because we'll put the bassinet on my side. Also, like pp's said, I'll let her into the nursery while I'm working on it so it doesn't seem so mysterious. I want Sadie to be a part of all of our lives, not just an onlooker.

[petrichor14]

I don't know if I should be worrying about this, but I'm not. Our dog is super sweet and friendly and loves everyone. She tends to be a bit too excitable and jumpy, which is an issue around babies and little kids- she has been known to knock my 2 yo nephew over and then pin him down to lick his face- which he loves, but obviously is not something we want her doing! But she has a gentle and submissive nature- she doesn't bite or growl even if provoked. Her reaction to a kid pulling her ear or accidentally hitting her is just to lick them. She respects my nephew's toys and doesn't even try to play with them.

She's only 15 lbs so I'm usually more worried about her getting hurt than her hurting someone (though the jumping is something that needs work.) I have no doubt she's going to be excited and happy to have a new person in the house and I'm hopeful that having her "own" baby will help her chill out with the jumping and overly excitable behavior. It's new people that get her most excited, so I'm thinking once she gets used to the baby we won't have too much trouble.

[rach]

We now have 3 dogs. We have 1 dog for 12 years so he's been here for both my daughters' births. The other two are newer- so I'm not sure how they will react.

With my first, our dog was SUPER jealous. He actually peed on one of her blankets on my bed- twice. We took turns showering him with love- while the other one sat nearby with the baby. We did have to replace our mattress, but he was 100% comfortable with the baby within 6-8 weeks of her being home. He had NO issues when our second came home. I guess he knew what to expect this time... He is fiercely protective of both girls and sooo patient with them. He's getting much older now so he doesn't play as much. He still adores them though.

Our two more recent adoptees: one is very old (14!) and we agreed to rehome her to keep her out of the shelter. The other one will be 2 when the baby gets here. The "puppy" is very good with my girls, but still has some puppy like behaviors. We will have to watch them both very closely with the baby initially.

I would suggest bringing a blanket home. Supposedly your dogs can smell your hormonal changes. Mine have been ALL over me since before I even POAS.

[tashala107]

FTM. I'm a little nervous about our dog, only because he's so strong and doesn't know his own strength. He's also pretty needy. I found this link that has a bunch of tips that I'm hoping will help.

prettyfluffy.com/home-living/tips-training/how-to-prepare-your-dog-for-a-baby-dog-lovers-guide

[mollykinnz]

Jan 28, 2015 12:58:32 GMT -5 laurie12820 said:

STM here. We have a very lovable and docile Chow Chow. I know, I know, Chow Chows aren't normally known as lovable and docile. I'm in the camp of "it's how their raised". Anywho, we've had our Chow Bruce since he was an itty-bitty puppy. The main concern we had was that he wouldn't get as much of our attention as he did before DD was born. We didn't really have any concerns regarding his temperament changing or him being aggressive around the baby. What we did was we took a receiving blanket from home with us to the hospital. As soon as we could after DD was born, we wrapped her in that blanket so that it would pick up her scent. That night we had my parents bring the blanket by our house and they let Bruce have the blanket. He smelled it, naturally, and he laid with it. When we brought DD home the first night we kept her in the carrier and let Bruce come over to it and get his smells in. He was pretty unphased by her, he still got his attention and was a great protector of her. Here's a picture of him checking her out during her play time:


You will still have time to give your dogs attention. It may not be a ton in the beginning, but, as you settle into a routine it is definitely possible!

This picture melts my heart

I grew up with Dobermans so I'm with you on its how their raised!

[CALEO]

I'm a little nervous but hopeful it will go well. He will stay at my parents for a week or so and they will bring him a baby blanket. Dh and I will make sure he gets a lot of excercize.

[tla0623]

Jan 28, 2015 13:32:43 GMT -5 tashala107 said:

FTM. I'm a little nervous about our dog, only because he's so strong and doesn't know his own strength. He's also pretty needy. I found this link that has a bunch of tips that I'm hoping will help.

prettyfluffy.com/home-living/tips-training/how-to-prepare-your-dog-for-a-baby-dog-lovers-guide

That's a great article.  I like that the goal was to make the home happy for everyone, including the dog!

[mollykinnz]

Jan 28, 2015 13:32:43 GMT -5 tashala107 said:

FTM. I'm a little nervous about our dog, only because he's so strong and doesn't know his own strength. He's also pretty needy. I found this link that has a bunch of tips that I'm hoping will help.

prettyfluffy.com/home-living/tips-training/how-to-prepare-your-dog-for-a-baby-dog-lovers-guide

Thank you!!!

[beachy]

We have 2 Boston Terriers, and they were 7 and 3 when I had DS. My parents were here and stayed with them, and H went back and forth too. They brought blankets and hospital hats home for them to smell. When we came home from the hospital I went in first alone since they hadn't seen me in a few days. Then H carried DS in in the carrier and we put it on the ground near the dogs. They each came and sniffed him, and then we stuck really nice bones on either side of the carrier so it was like DS was giving them the bones. They each took them and went off happily.

They are both good with DS, with the younger one being even better. They did seem to start acting out a bit when he became mobile and wasn't just a bump that sat there anymore, like they peed on the carpets or our bed a few times which sucked. But overall they adjusted just fine.

[Tgrrl]

We plan on bringing baby blankets home first for them to smell. I'll also let my DH bring baby in the house, so I can snuggle my girls. Our dogs are pretty tolerable & sweet. I can't imagine getting rid of them. They are our first babies & just as much a part of the family. My poor cat prefers to hang out in the basement, so I don't see this change doing much to her daily life.

[ashiscute]

Our dog was about 1.5 when DD was born. He stayed with my in laws and they brought him a blanket to sniff. The first day home from the hospital they brought him home and we gave him plenty of love. That night was rough because he wasn't used to having his sleep interrupted by a baby but he adjusted very quickly and has had zero problems. There was really no adjustment period with DS.

My in laws did want us to start crating him when DD was born and we just ignored them. We were comfortable he would be fine around her and he was. I do want to address the other part of your comment. You obviously will still care about your pets but it might be different. My dog definitely doesn't get the special attention and same amount of trips to the dog park he got pre baby. But instead he has two small children to play with and be annoyed by. It's a trade off just like having a sibling.

[beachy]

I agree with ashiscute about how you'll feel about your dogs after. I still love my dogs but some days they annoy the shit out of me. I get so sick of being touched by the end of the day and just want my space, and one of my dogs insists on being on top of me or right next to me. Im definitely shorter with them and don't give them a ton of attention, but DS gives them a ton, plus plenty of food, so they are still happy dogs.

[bshelly]

FTM here...I'm really nervous about this. We have a miniature schnauzer and a chocolate lab. The lab will be just fine I think. She's very friendly. My schnauzer is a whole different ball game. He was home when my house got broken in to a couple years ago and he's never been the same. He barks like crazy when new people come over and is very easily startled. He's also very protective of me, so I can see him being a very jealous pup. I'm hoping the protectiveness will carry over to this LO and he'll gradually get used to it as it becomes more verbal and mobile over time. We plan to buy some apple bitter soon to work on the barking side of things. We plan to bring home a blanket from the hospital before bringing home baby to get him used to the LO's scent.

[slurpeelove]

Jan 28, 2015 13:25:12 GMT -5 petrichor14 said:

I don't know if I should be worrying about this, but I'm not. Our dog is super sweet and friendly and loves everyone. She tends to be a bit too excitable and jumpy, which is an issue around babies and little kids- she has been known to knock my 2 yo nephew over and then pin him down to lick his face- which he loves, but obviously is not something we want her doing! But she has a gentle and submissive nature- she doesn't bite or growl even if provoked. Her reaction to a kid pulling her ear or accidentally hitting her is just to lick them. She respects my nephew's toys and doesn't even try to play with them.

She's only 15 lbs so I'm usually more worried about her getting hurt than her hurting someone (though the jumping is something that needs work.) I have no doubt she's going to be excited and happy to have a new person in the house and I'm hopeful that having her "own" baby will help her chill out with the jumping and overly excitable behavior. It's new people that get her most excited, so I'm thinking once she gets used to the baby we won't have too much trouble.

This describes exactly my dog.  Except he's 40lbs.  LOL.  I'm not concerned because he's so loving and really loves kids.  He jumps on people and it's something we're working on.  And if you provoke him, he just licks you or looks at you.  He's so relaxed about that stuff.  

People have been telling me how he's going to be jealous and feel left out, and though that might be partially true while we're surviving the first few weeks, I'm sure he'll adjust well to life with the new baby.

I agree with kristhegirl.  Just take things on a case by case basis.  You definitely have to take biting and snapping seriously.

[lynnyloo]

When DD was born we had planned on having a blanket brought home early for our dog, but it never happened. When we got home from the hospital our dog was so happy to see us and he also knew something was different. I went upstairs first to try to calm him, but he kept on looking downstairs even after DH and I traded places. He really wanted to see the new addition to the family. When we brought DD up, he stayed back until I told him it was okay and then he came forward and sniffed her all over.
For the first couple months he would wake up with us every time we fed her. He also would crawl to the edge of the bed to watch over her if I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. When DD got older and played with toys he would leave them alone (which I was completely surprised, previously any toy around he would chew on). He has done so amazingly well with DD, beyond my greatest expectations. In the beginning I wasn't able to give him as much attention as I would have liked, but I would sneak in a snuggle here or there.

[rachydc]

Has anyone seen/heard/read this book ?

I'm tempted to order it, but $40 is pretty steep. I'm thinking I may just youtube the baby sounds and get the same effect? haha

[laurie12820]

mollykinnz, it looks like he is going to eat her, lol.

[imavera]

We have a Cairn terrier. A feisty little ball of nerves. When we brought my first home, we put him in a bassinet and held her up to see him. She was intrigued and then freaked out when he twitched, lol! She pretty much just always maintained a few feet between her and DS and just tolerated his presence. When he started solids, and DS started making it rain with food from the table, they quickly became BFF. When my second was born (at home), she much preferred the one that just stayed in one place instead of the one who chased her.

Coco has definitely been shoved down to the bottom of the totem pole (and is about to get bumped another peg), but she's got two little boys that will play with her. My oldest is actually who feeds her. Her life is in no way the same, and she's no pampered little thing like she used to be, but she's good with it. She completely adores those boys now.

[catahoulatte]

Our trainer is a certified behaviorist so she already knew our dogs really well by that point and we met with her twice to chat about it all-just go over how to bring baby home, how to treat the dogs, etc. They did, and still do, fantastic with DS.

[CALEO]

Jan 28, 2015 14:51:19 GMT -5 slurpeelove said:

Jan 28, 2015 13:25:12 GMT -5 petrichor14 said:

I don't know if I should be worrying about this, but I'm not. Our dog is super sweet and friendly and loves everyone. She tends to be a bit too excitable and jumpy, which is an issue around babies and little kids- she has been known to knock my 2 yo nephew over and then pin him down to lick his face- which he loves, but obviously is not something we want her doing! But she has a gentle and submissive nature- she doesn't bite or growl even if provoked. Her reaction to a kid pulling her ear or accidentally hitting her is just to lick them. She respects my nephew's toys and doesn't even try to play with them.

She's only 15 lbs so I'm usually more worried about her getting hurt than her hurting someone (though the jumping is something that needs work.) I have no doubt she's going to be excited and happy to have a new person in the house and I'm hopeful that having her "own" baby will help her chill out with the jumping and overly excitable behavior. It's new people that get her most excited, so I'm thinking once she gets used to the baby we won't have too much trouble.

This describes exactly my dog.  Except he's 40lbs.  LOL.  I'm not concerned because he's so loving and really loves kids.  He jumps on people and it's something we're working on.  And if you provoke him, he just licks you or looks at you.  He's so relaxed about that stuff.  

People have been telling me how he's going to be jealous and feel left out, and though that might be partially true while we're surviving the first few weeks, I'm sure he'll adjust well to life with the new baby.

I agree with kristhegirl.  Just take things on a case by case basis.  You definitely have to take biting and snapping seriously.

I totally agree but just wanted to add that you should even take growling or other aggressive behavior really seriously and stop it before it escalates to snapping (air) and then biting. (Because I usually will escalate).

[kasiaskis]

We've already started preparing the dogs a little bit for the baby. We moved their beds from our room into the living room, as baby will be rooming with us and it's getting pretty crowded in there already. They transitioned to that move almost instantly.

I've also been working on better greeting manners. No more climbing on my shoulders for face kisses. This is going pretty well too.

I don't have any specific concerns based on their past behaviour with kids, but of course I will keep a close eye on them whenever they are in the same room as the baby.

I think dogs, like kids, do well with routine, so I am just trying to establish routines that we won't have to change too much when baby arrives. We will see how that goes.

[natalie115]

We have two dogs and they were totally fine when we brought DS home. They are basically full time outside in the summer (DS was a June baby). We went on a lot of walks because it felt good to get out of the house. DS loved being outside so we were out there a lot and I would throw the ball for them. We went on a big camping trip 6 weeks after DS was born and we took both dogs, the had a blast.

Just try to make sure you or DH are giving a little bit of daily attention and I'm sure it'll be fine.

Some people will bring home a blanket that smells like the baby first to get the dog(s) used to the smell, but we never did.