Bringing baby home to dogs

beth0874

We have been putting diapers around the house so the dogs get used to the smells.  We have set up baby items around the house for the dogs to used to.  We have been playing baby crying sounds to train them to remain calm.  (They used to bark and run around the house like nuts when they heard a baby cry).  DH will bring a blanket from the hospital home beforehand but the one thing we are still struggling with is not having the big dog jumping up on us when we come in the house.  

So, what are your thoughts when we bring LO home?  Should we have the dogs outside and then bring them in to meet LO?  Have them in crates (they are crate trained and love their "homes") and then introduce to LO?  Let DH go in first, have them on leash so he can control him from jumping and have me walk in with LO?  Other ideas?  Any other suggestions you may have?  Of course we are still working on the jumping part but it is still a work in progress.  Luckily it is only when we walk in the house that he jumps because he is so excited but it still needs to stop for other times besides bring LO home for the first time.TIA!

mdiblasi10

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

ETA: This is one of my favorite websites for kids and dogs living together: https://www.livingwithkidsanddogs.com

TJ1979

I don't know if the same thing applies to babies, but I was always taught that when you introduce a new dog to the pack, you need to do it on more neutral territory, therefore doing it outside is better than doing it inside.  The reason for that is inside is the dog's territory to protect, so they may feel threatened and be more aggressive than they would ordinarily be.  I know I can't picture my dogs being aggressive at all towards our LO, but it can't hurt to do the introduction outside, so they have room to run around and be excited.  Having them on a leash is a good idea too, so that you can control their behavior and praise them for acting properly.  It sounds like you're doing a great job prepping!

beth0874

mdiblasi10:

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

We have been saying "NO" and then have him sit and then praise him when he is sitting but the part from the "NO" to the sit is usually a loooong process. 

beth0874

TJ1979:

I don't know if the same thing applies to babies, but I was always taught that when you introduce a new dog to the pack, you need to do it on more neutral territory, therefore doing it outside is better than doing it inside.  The reason for that is inside is the dog's territory to protect, so they may feel threatened and be more aggressive than they would ordinarily be.  I know I can't picture my dogs being aggressive at all towards our LO, but it can't hurt to do the introduction outside, so they have room to run around and be excited.  Having them on a leash is a good idea too, so that you can control their behavior and praise them for acting properly.  It sounds like you're doing a great job prepping!

I like that idea plus our dogs love being outside and are usually too interested in being outside to care what else is happening.  So like you said they will be less protective. 

mdiblasi10

beth0874:

mdiblasi10:

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

We have been saying "NO" and then have him sit and then praise him when he is sitting but the part from the "NO" to the sit is usually a loooong process. 

If you don't mind, can I give you some other options that I think will work better and probably quicker too?

When you walk in the front door and he jumps on you, turn your body away from him or back up so that he doesn't have you to put his feet on. Then close the door and go back outside. Don't touch him or push him away. Do not say anything. Even though you are saying "no" in a stern voice or maybe pushing him off of you, you are unknowingly giving him reinforcement by doing that. Open the door and walk in again. If he jumps on you, do the same thing again. Repeat until he doesn't jump on you when you walk in. It may take several attempts, but stay consistent.

Do you use a clicker for training? They help mark behaviors you want. I love them. You can also just use a pat or a treat to reinforcement.  Whatever you want to use, have it in hand so that when he does NOT jump on you, you can reinforce positively with LOTS of praise and/or treats, or a click and treat. He will begin to understand that if he doesn't jump on you every time you walk in the door, good things will happen

Hopefully I made sense and I really hope it helps! I think you have enough time to get this fixed even before you bring baby home. You may want to introduce the new baby after someone has come into the house already though because of course the dogs will be very excited to smell the new little one Perhaps Dad goes in first, then you can come in. I don't think a crate or leash is a must, but maybe one dog at a time would be best.

Good luck!!

beth0874

mdiblasi10:

beth0874:

mdiblasi10:

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

We have been saying "NO" and then have him sit and then praise him when he is sitting but the part from the "NO" to the sit is usually a loooong process. 

If you don't mind, can I give you some other options that I think will work better and probably quicker too?

When you walk in the front door and he jumps on you, turn your body away from him or back up so that he doesn't have you to put his feet on. Then close the door and go back outside. Don't touch him or push him away. Do not say anything. Even though you are saying "no" in a stern voice or maybe pushing him off of you, you are unknowingly giving him reinforcement by doing that. Open the door and walk in again. If he jumps on you, do the same thing again. Repeat until he doesn't jump on you when you walk in. It may take several attempts, but stay consistent.

Do you use a clicker for training? They help mark behaviors you want. I love them. You can also just use a pat or a treat to reinforcement.  Whatever you want to use, have it in hand so that when he does NOT jump on you, you can reinforce positively with LOTS of praise and/or treats, or a click and treat. He will begin to understand that if he doesn't jump on you every time you walk in the door, good things will happen

Hopefully I made sense and I really hope it helps! I think you have enough time to get this fixed even before you bring baby home. You may want to introduce the new baby after someone has come into the house already though because of course the dogs will be very excited to smell the new little one Perhaps Dad goes in first, then you can come in. I don't think a crate or leash is a must, but maybe one dog at a time would be best.

Good luck!!

I appreciate the advice.  We tried a clicker for training when he was a puppy but it never quite worked for us (maybe we were just doing it wrong) but we have recently been reintroducing it and it seems to be going better.  I like the idea of going back out the door.  You are right, we are probably giving him reinforcement without meaning too.  And I remember when he was a puppy when we tried to teach him to come and he wouldn't listen, I would walk away and then he came running.  A few more times of that and he learned "come" right away.  Actually that is the command that he is best at no matter what the circumstances.  Even if there was a squirrel  

TJ1979

mdiblasi10:

beth0874:

mdiblasi10:

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

We have been saying "NO" and then have him sit and then praise him when he is sitting but the part from the "NO" to the sit is usually a loooong process. 

If you don't mind, can I give you some other options that I think will work better and probably quicker too?

When you walk in the front door and he jumps on you, turn your body away from him or back up so that he doesn't have you to put his feet on. Then close the door and go back outside. Don't touch him or push him away. Do not say anything. Even though you are saying "no" in a stern voice or maybe pushing him off of you, you are unknowingly giving him reinforcement by doing that. Open the door and walk in again. If he jumps on you, do the same thing again. Repeat until he doesn't jump on you when you walk in. It may take several attempts, but stay consistent.

Do you use a clicker for training? They help mark behaviors you want. I love them. You can also just use a pat or a treat to reinforcement.  Whatever you want to use, have it in hand so that when he does NOT jump on you, you can reinforce positively with LOTS of praise and/or treats, or a click and treat. He will begin to understand that if he doesn't jump on you every time you walk in the door, good things will happen

Hopefully I made sense and I really hope it helps! I think you have enough time to get this fixed even before you bring baby home. You may want to introduce the new baby after someone has come into the house already though because of course the dogs will be very excited to smell the new little one Perhaps Dad goes in first, then you can come in. I don't think a crate or leash is a must, but maybe one dog at a time would be best.

Good luck!!

I agree.  I plan to do the same since mine are 65 and 80 lbs.  (I used to say they outweighed me, but I guess they don't anymore.  )

nikki2246

I have 2 80 pd dogs. We did little to really prepare them for the baby but we did have most of the babies things set up before she came home. Hubby brought a blanket home and let them sniff the blanket etc. The night we came home with the baby DH went in first with the baby and put her in the dining room and my mom watched her there. he let the dogs downstairs and then I came in. I gave them each attention and after the initial craziness of seeing me they settled down. Then we introduced them to baby . Each one of us held her and let the boys check her out ..telling them to be gentle and then praising them. We thankfully have not had an issue at all. The first few months they could have cared less about her and now they love her up.

naybird

We have little dogs, but they still jump when we walk in the door.  I'm very close with my chihuahua, so I wasn't sure how he would act when we brought home the baby, since Spikey has been my baby for the last 5 years.  But both dogs did great, and have been doing really great.

DH would bring home a blankey or hat, or something with the baby's smell on it every night while I was in the hospital to get the dogs use to the smell.

I knew they would spaz out when I walked through the door, since they hadn't seen me for 3 days, so I had DH walk in with the baby in the car seat and I walked in and let them get their excitement out.  When they started to calm down we called them over to the couch, where DH was with the baby, still in the car seat.  We let them sniff and look and gave them lots of praise and their favorite liver treats. 

Then we moved the baby, still in the seat, to the floor and DH and I sat on either side of the seat.  So the dogs could get an even better look.  They sniffed him and licked his feet and again we gave them lots of praise and treats.

We finally took the baby out of the seat and get into the "normal life" stuff.  And without even having to be told, the dogs have been  so good at respecting boundaries.  They will get close to the baby but will look at me to give them the OK before they touch or lick him.  I've been so proud of them!! 

Our dogs are a huge part of our family, and we just have to make some adjustments, but so far things have been really good!!!  They haven't been jumping when we come through the door.  I just have DH carry in the car seat and I follow and say hi to the dogs. 

Good luck to you!!!  I hope your dogs come through like superstars too!!!   

Mrs.AmyDylan

Good ideas already. One thing I read in my dog/baby book was upon retuning from the hospital, have DH hold baby so you can greet your pack. Once they have calmed down, intruduce baby and let them sniff. 

jessager

mdiblasi10:

beth0874:

mdiblasi10:

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

We have been saying "NO" and then have him sit and then praise him when he is sitting but the part from the "NO" to the sit is usually a loooong process. 

If you don't mind, can I give you some other options that I think will work better and probably quicker too?

When you walk in the front door and he jumps on you, turn your body away from him or back up so that he doesn't have you to put his feet on. Then close the door and go back outside. Don't touch him or push him away. Do not say anything. Even though you are saying "no" in a stern voice or maybe pushing him off of you, you are unknowingly giving him reinforcement by doing that. Open the door and walk in again. If he jumps on you, do the same thing again. Repeat until he doesn't jump on you when you walk in. It may take several attempts, but stay consistent.

Do you use a clicker for training? They help mark behaviors you want. I love them. You can also just use a pat or a treat to reinforcement.  Whatever you want to use, have it in hand so that when he does NOT jump on you, you can reinforce positively with LOTS of praise and/or treats, or a click and treat. He will begin to understand that if he doesn't jump on you every time you walk in the door, good things will happen

Hopefully I made sense and I really hope it helps! I think you have enough time to get this fixed even before you bring baby home. You may want to introduce the new baby after someone has come into the house already though because of course the dogs will be very excited to smell the new little one Perhaps Dad goes in first, then you can come in. I don't think a crate or leash is a must, but maybe one dog at a time would be best.

Good luck!!

AWESOME advice.

beth0874

naybird:

We have little dogs, but they still jump when we walk in the door.  I'm very close with my chihuahua, so I wasn't sure how he would act when we brought home the baby, since Spikey has been my baby for the last 5 years.  But both dogs did great, and have been doing really great.

DH would bring home a blankey or hat, or something with the baby's smell on it every night while I was in the hospital to get the dogs use to the smell.

I knew they would spaz out when I walked through the door, since they hadn't seen me for 3 days, so I had DH walk in with the baby in the car seat and I walked in and let them get their excitement out.  When they started to calm down we called them over to the couch, where DH was with the baby, still in the car seat.  We let them sniff and look and gave them lots of praise and their favorite liver treats. 

Then we moved the baby, still in the seat, to the floor and DH and I sat on either side of the seat.  So the dogs could get an even better look.  They sniffed him and licked his feet and again we gave them lots of praise and treats.

We finally took the baby out of the seat and get into the "normal life" stuff.  And without even having to be told, the dogs have been  so good at respecting boundaries.  They will get close to the baby but will look at me to give them the OK before they touch or lick him.  I've been so proud of them!! 

Our dogs are a huge part of our family, and we just have to make some adjustments, but so far things have been really good!!!  They haven't been jumping when we come through the door.  I just have DH carry in the car seat and I follow and say hi to the dogs. 

Good luck to you!!!  I hope your dogs come through like superstars too!!!   

 

Thanks!  I am glad it went smoothly for you!  And welcome home to you and your LO!!!! 

beth0874

Thank you everyone.  Here is hoping for a easy introduction!

mdiblasi10

TJ1979:

mdiblasi10:

beth0874:

mdiblasi10:

It sounds like you are doing a good job at preparing them. I am really passionate about dog behavior and positive reinforcement training, and the jumping thing is pretty easy to remedy. You just have to be very consistent. That's most important with dogs. They want to please you - it's in their nature - but they have to understand what you want

What are you doing when your dog jumps on you when you come home?

We have been saying "NO" and then have him sit and then praise him when he is sitting but the part from the "NO" to the sit is usually a loooong process. 

If you don't mind, can I give you some other options that I think will work better and probably quicker too?

When you walk in the front door and he jumps on you, turn your body away from him or back up so that he doesn't have you to put his feet on. Then close the door and go back outside. Don't touch him or push him away. Do not say anything. Even though you are saying "no" in a stern voice or maybe pushing him off of you, you are unknowingly giving him reinforcement by doing that. Open the door and walk in again. If he jumps on you, do the same thing again. Repeat until he doesn't jump on you when you walk in. It may take several attempts, but stay consistent.

Do you use a clicker for training? They help mark behaviors you want. I love them. You can also just use a pat or a treat to reinforcement.  Whatever you want to use, have it in hand so that when he does NOT jump on you, you can reinforce positively with LOTS of praise and/or treats, or a click and treat. He will begin to understand that if he doesn't jump on you every time you walk in the door, good things will happen

Hopefully I made sense and I really hope it helps! I think you have enough time to get this fixed even before you bring baby home. You may want to introduce the new baby after someone has come into the house already though because of course the dogs will be very excited to smell the new little one Perhaps Dad goes in first, then you can come in. I don't think a crate or leash is a must, but maybe one dog at a time would be best.

Good luck!!

I agree.  I plan to do the same since mine are 65 and 80 lbs.  (I used to say they outweighed me, but I guess they don't anymore.  )

Our dog is 180 lbs (Mastiff) and I outweigh him now hahaha

Good luck again, beth! I'm sure they will surprise you with how well they do with the new baby

DeputiesWife

My MIL came down the day after DD was born and was staying with our dogs....we had her bring a blanket home to them to smell. 

When we arrived home, the girls were outside, DH and I walked in first through the gate and both of them sat by the gate instead of following us in. They KNEW something else was coming, DH carried the baby carrier into the yard and let them smell her and look at her. They were fine. Until she cried.

 One dog didnt know what to do so she was pacing and whimpering along with her. It was kind of cute. Neither dog jumped on the carrier or us, both of them just smelled her and went on with their business. They eventually stopped coming up to her and looking at her. 

Because you mention the jumping -- If he is ok with being on a leash and all, then yes, i'd do that so he doesnt jump on you, LO or your DH.