Lets talk babies and dogs....
PanteraGirl
Posts: 566 Member
We are expecting our first child due this November. We also have to adult male Rottweilers.
Both our dogs are great with children and babies. We have never had an issue but we still want to be prepared so that the transition goes smooth. Does anyone have any advice for us?
Thus far, we read:
1. That when the baby starts kicking inside, that moms should sit on the floor and place the dogs ear on the belly so they could feel the baby moving and apparently they could hear the babies heart beat and they begin to form a bond with the unborn child.
2. We need to set a comfortable space in the house a side for the dogs to be able to retreat to when they are getting overwhelmed by screaming and crying of the baby. This is supposed to help avoid resentment towards the baby.
3. When laying the baby on the floor in the same room as the dogs...we are supposed to designate a blanket for the baby to lay on and the dogs are to be trained not to touch the blanket because the blanket belongs to the baby, and establishes a hierarchy. Same with toys. Of course I would never leave the baby on the floor unattended with the dogs.
4. Children go through the front door of the house first. Dogs are supposed to wait. Also establishes hierarchy.
How have you guys dealt with bringing a baby home to dogs??
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading.:flowerforyou:
Both our dogs are great with children and babies. We have never had an issue but we still want to be prepared so that the transition goes smooth. Does anyone have any advice for us?
Thus far, we read:
1. That when the baby starts kicking inside, that moms should sit on the floor and place the dogs ear on the belly so they could feel the baby moving and apparently they could hear the babies heart beat and they begin to form a bond with the unborn child.
2. We need to set a comfortable space in the house a side for the dogs to be able to retreat to when they are getting overwhelmed by screaming and crying of the baby. This is supposed to help avoid resentment towards the baby.
3. When laying the baby on the floor in the same room as the dogs...we are supposed to designate a blanket for the baby to lay on and the dogs are to be trained not to touch the blanket because the blanket belongs to the baby, and establishes a hierarchy. Same with toys. Of course I would never leave the baby on the floor unattended with the dogs.
4. Children go through the front door of the house first. Dogs are supposed to wait. Also establishes hierarchy.
How have you guys dealt with bringing a baby home to dogs??
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading.:flowerforyou:
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Replies
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I don't have any babies yet, but I do have a big dog....those all seem like good ideas! I know I've also heard that, when the baby is born, someone should bring a blanket/piece of clothing/etc that the baby has touched home from the hospital to get the dog used to the baby's smell. Several of my friends have done this.0
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Great job doing your research! I can't speak from personal experience, but when my brother and SIL were preparing their large dogs for the baby they would walk through the front door a few times a week with a blanket in a car seat and/or stroller or just a blanket wrapped in their arms. The dogs were taught to stay away and the first few times they were over curious, there wasn't a baby involved that could've been hurt. By the time the baby came, they weren't so curious anymore and knew not to go near them.0
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Thanks ladies....both suggestions are really really good ones! Will do all of them!0
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I have a very spoiled and energetic pug and two young boys with #3 on the way. My dog did so much better with us bringing home a baby than I thought he would. Like another posted said - once your baby is born and you are in the hospital for a couple days, have your husband/family member bring home the baby blanket your newborn has been wrapped in. The dogs will smell it and then maybe lay on it and get use to it. All of the other ideas you have sound awesome, esp. the safe place for your dogs. Let your dogs sniff the newborn once you are home and still be close to you. Honestly, my pug just wanted my attention more than caring about the newborn in the house and then after only a couple days, my pug became very protective of our newborn and would go to the baby and sit/lay by him whenever he would cry.0
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Those are good suggestions. I have a 4 year old male pitbull that is the sweetest thing ever. he has been around babies and small children with previous owners and has been great. He often lays his head on my belly anyway, someitmes I have to move it because I'm afraid his big head is too heavy...lol, but I just move it down a little. I wonder if he can hear the baby? He also knows where is allowed, like he is only allowed on the couch if there is a blanket, so I think that will be easy for him to get. His sanctuary away from the cats is in his crate in our bedroom. I'm not sure if that will have to be changed yet, but he doesn't really care a lot for being outside. I also heard brining the baby's blanket home from the hospital so that animals can get used to the scent before the baby comes home.0
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Those sound like good suggestions, especially having some place where your dog can retreat too and which blanket they must stay off of. We have three dogs all around 60 to 75 pounds and they are all males. One other thing I have read is before you go home have your husband or anyone rather take a blanket that has baby's smell on it to your dog to let him smell it. That way when you do get home with baby the smell with be familiar. We also plan to introduce baby to our dogs one by one and this is only when they are calm and submissive.0
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All great ideas- I will probably do the baby scented blanket for sure. Good idea about carrying the carseat in to the house. I like that too.
I'm going to have jealousy issues- I can already tell. I have a big golden retriever and she's been our only baby for 6 years. And she's spoiled rotten! We emptied out our old office/new nursery and I keep finding her in there... like she knows someone else is invading her space and she wants to claim it first haha!0 -
Thanks so much for the suggestions!! Every little bit helps!
@ BeckyJill7. My younger Rott is a jealous one so we forsee that being an issue too. LOL I don't have any suggestions for the room other than redirecting her out every time she goes in there might be a start! I had to do that with mine when I moved in and claimed the kitchen as MY space...My SO had them before he met me.0 -
We have some established routines for our three that we do not plan on changing. We have 2 beagles and a boxer. When we get home they go straight outside to do their business, they eat at certain times daily, and have a bed time routine. I know with a brand new baby it will take time to get a routine set up, but I'll do my best to keep my furkids steady and then work routines around each other.
It makes me so mad when people say that my furkids will be put aside when the baby comes. I just don't see it that way. I made a commitment to them. I will make sure they are all comfortable around each other and there are no issues. They've been around kids before. I made sure that they were trained not to react to tail or ear pulling. The only issue I know I'll have is with soft toys.0 -
We have always had Bernese Mountain Dogs (very good family dogs) and still worried when bringing the babies home - just because the dogs are so big (125+lbs) and goofy. We did the following:
- bring home the baby blankets a day or two before the baby
- used the "off" command during pregnancy to keep them from climbing into my lap when I was sitting on the couch and keep them away from my belly - this was super useful when I was actually holding the baby!
- switched them from sleeping on the bed to the floor during the pregnancy - this was the hardest as they love to cuddle up - but was really necessary because we do the family bed thing.
Good luck!0 -
Along with bringing home a baby blanket for the dogs to sniff, go ahead and "sit," "down," and "stay" them. Our dogs understand "bellies," which means they roll onto their backs and show bellies. This is usually a dog's most submissive place. Get out the blanket and put it on them for a minute, while keeping them submissive and calm.
When you bring baby home from the hospital, do the same thing, only with baby. The first time they meet baby, they are doing "bellies," and baby lays on top of them. Never is there any question about baby's position in the family.
In the mornings, if possible, get the baby out of the crib before you get your dogs out of their crate (or bedroom). If baby is hungry and pups need to go outside, attend to baby first.
Practice sticking your hand in your dog's food bowl (while they are eating) so they can get used to the idea that their food bowl is their privilege and not their own property to defend.
We had an 85 pound pup when we brought our first child home. They got along famously - in fact, from about one week of age, they often napped together on a blanket on the floor (once the dog settled, I'd lay Alyssa propped up in his "crook") and let them nap while I cleaned the kitchen close by. Now we have two 85 pound dogs, and my biggest worry is all the hair - my dogs are serious shedders, year round. And with hardwood floors on the whole main level (except for the master bedroom), I am behind on dog hair clean-up even though I sweep or vacuum once per day.0
