OT: Advice for Preparing Dogs for a Baby
My wife and I are expecting our first child in early December. We have two dogs and a cat, and I'm a little concerned about how to prepare them, especially our younger dog (he'll be two and half when the baby is born).
I'm wondering if any MGoDads or MGoMoms have any advice on how you prepared your pets for the arrival of a baby. We recently had a family friend who had to give away their dog in a similar situation and are obviously looking to avoid something similar.
Agree with almost everything above. Our dog Bailey (Samoyed/Golden mix) was a year old when our son was born. She immediately adopted him, to the point where when we'd try to let him "cry it out" upstairs, she'd anxiously pace between looking up the stairs at the crying noise and nosing at us sitting on the couch to get us moving. She was (and is) incredibly patient with both him and his sister (born two years later). She has growled at them a couple of times and even nipped at him once, but that was when he was learning to walk, started toppling over and instinctively reached out to grab onto the nearest object. Unfortunately, that nearest object happened to be Bailey's long tail fur, so... yeah, not exactly her fault.
TL:DR? You know your dogs' temperament. If you're concerned about either of them, make sure you take it very slowly and carefully. Good luck!
I think you're overly concerned about this. Dogs are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, and they will understand very quickly that the baby is part of the family.
That is, unless, the baby does not have your DNA. Then there might be a problem.
The biggest thing we did was invite our friends with babies over. My sister in law had a baby around 6 months before us and our dogs being able to be around their kid was great for everyone.
We did the whole bring a blanket home thing, and honestly, I don't think it did much. We kept them apart for the first week or so until the dogs got used to the smells and sounds of the baby. Then, one at a time and on leash, we let them meet the baby face to face. It was overall a pretty seamless transition for them initially. After my kid started being able to crawl and now chase after them, then it gets trickier again as now you gotta be careful the dogs don't nip the kid like they would a puppy when they're misbehaving.
Anyway, there's no magic bullet. Just go slowly and carefully and it should work fine for you.
Nieces and nephews are for practice. Our dog (8 years, adopted at 5 months, 40lbs) hadn't been around kids much besides the random meet on a walk until the nephew showed up. He's full of energy, the dog is 8. Having somewhere for the dog to get away from him when she gets tired is key, as others have advised.
The niece (8 months) loves the dog, and the dog loves her. She's had a hand inside the dog's mouth, grabbing the jaw, jowels, etc. The dog kinda looks at us and makes a "see how good I'm being? Now help me!" face.
Have the birth at home and let the dogs be there for the whole thing. If that doesn't get them ready for the abuse they are about to endure, nothing will.
Side story: At our first home birth one of our dogs laid there for 17 1/2 hours but got the hell out during that last hour of pushing. That dog then proceeded to guard and take care of the baby often times sprinting to come get one of us the second the kid made a peep waking up from a nap.
...and your pediatrician. Probably ignore any advice received from anonymous MIchigan fans on MGoBlog.
Smells and acceptance are the key. Get the dogs used to the scent and let them see your acceptance and love of the new baby as well. Most dogs will suprise you with how they react and some might even display paternal feelings towards the child.
If one of the dogs is aggressive you need to make the tough choice and get rid of the dog. It;s a dog and this is your child.
Good Luck and Congratulations!
One, exercise your dogs regularly. Dogs need a physical outlet for their energy. If they don't get it, it can cause problems. You know your dog, but exercise always helps with behavior. If you can't devote at least a good hour to exercise your dog daily try to find a good doggy day care to burn some energy.
Two, be a strong leader and make sure the rest of the house is consistent with rules and boundaries for the dog. Don't just give the dog affection all the time. The dog must earn it. It has to have rules and boundaries and it must know you and the other humans are the leaders of the household and it's the dogs job to follow your instructions. Rules and boundaries don't have to be a big deal. It's a culmination of small things like not letting them on the coach or the bed unless they are invited, not allowing them around human food and making them give you space when you're eating, controlling feeding, not allowing them to pull you on a walk, not letting them walk through a door first, giving the baby space, etc.
IMO if a dog doesn't follow a command like "come", "sit", "down", "stay", "heel" it needs a correction. The correction doesn't have to be a physical one, but it can be, and it shouldn't hurt the dog, but it needs to know it must listen and that following instructions is a requirement and not a suggestion. You only award the dog with treats or affection when the dog is behaving as it should. If you have that established, the dog will quickly learn how to act around a new baby.
I have a pitbull and a flat-coated retriever.
The pittie adores children. Complete lovebug and seems to understand that small children are fragile.
The flattie can be a bit more rambunctious. He's also not crazy about little kids. I had a friend (with three small children) petsit him one weekend. Bo went over to my friend for ear-scritches and her young son pushed Bo off the couch.
About an hour later, Bo went by the son (who was watching TV) and pissed on his head.
That's a dog telling the kid that he's not going to be pushed around. It's something to keep an eye on. Bo will tolerate kids, but he's not as good with them as the pittie.
Avoid the pork chop scented baby powder.