Pets

JulesET · December 2011

I am a little nervious because I have two dogs and a cat. One of my dogs and the cat are very laid back and great with people and children. My other dog is another story. She is a 2.5 year old basset hound and is very hyper, needy and very strong. She constantly has to have attention and is trying to sit on DH's lap or jumping on him trying to get attention. She does it to me too but I don't tolerate it so she stops quicker with me. So, I'm nervous that when baby is here she is going to unintentionally hurt the baby somehow. She would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose but I am still worried about it. We have tried training classes but have been told by several trainers, the vet, and a friend that is a breeder that basset's are just VERY stubborn and will do what they want until they get older and calm down. Any suggestions on how to "prepare" the animals for a baby? Anyone else worried about this with their own pets?

tyla1111 · December 2011

I don't see it being a problem for us and our dog, but I have noticed in other threads that there are a lot of things that can be done to help your dog adjust to a new baby. I would do some online research to find out what is available. And I don't think that it is hard to keep a baby and a dog separate when the baby is small.

justlld · December 2011

I'm just a lurker on this board, but the FAQs on the Nest Pets board has some great info, and a link to a blog about kids and dogs. That would also be a good place to check out for training tips. Good luck!

Otterama · December 2011

stargazertechie:
Another nestie (PittieBoo) has a great blog about preparing dog for baby (and training kids too)
Babiesandbeasts.blogspot.com

To piggyback on this, you'll especially want to read this post!

Hi725 · December 2011

Forget training classes, go with a private trainer or behaviorist recommended by your vet.

Install and use baby gates to keep the dogs separate from the baby.

Do not let the dogs, even the well behaved one, near your baby if you aren't there to supervise.

As soon as you have things like strollers, swings, pack n plays, etc, set them up so the dogs can get used to them. The same goes for noisy toys.

When the baby becomes mobile, do not allow him or her to climb on the dogs, pull tails/ears or get in the dogs' faces. Don't allow the baby to go near the food/water bowls, or enter the dogs' crates if you use them.

I have 3 large dogs and I was concerned about them prior to my son being born. I did all of the above (and then some), and we have never had any issue at all, aside from one of the dogs occasionally eating a toy that gets tossed over a baby gate.

JustcallmeGG2 · December 2011

I am going to second Pets Meet Baby. Also, its great to get some general obedience under your belt before baby comes (if you haven't already). You can always ask the Pets board on The Nest. I used to be a regular and they are great there.

MrsOjoButtons · December 2011

Everyone else covered the basics, but I want to add, FIRE anybody who shrugs off the behavior and says it's because your dog is a stubborn breed. Get a new vet and a new trainer if that's how they work, because at the end of the day, she's still a DOG and will respond to NILIF and will learn if you (and your husband) quit enabling her and encouraging her behavior.

J's Jen · December 2011

We have two pugs who were my babies before my son was born. They deal with him really well and we haven't had any concerns with them being around my son. My son started walking in October and one of the dogs just stays away from him, and the other lets him climb, hug, or pull on him. When my son was really little, there would be one pug on my lap and I would set the baby on top of him.

twirl&whirl · December 2011

I agree with all of the above posts I just wanted to add that after I had DD, DH brought home the hat DD was wearing in the hospital and let our boston terrier smell it and he left it on the coffee table so it was around her for a few days before we got home. We also let our dog smell and see the baby, we didn't want her to be jealous or angry, (she's not an angry dog by any measure but we were a little worried about jealousy). Make sure when baby is sleeping to give all your pets some much needed attention and love. Even the most easygoing pets can get resentful at the amount of attention a new baby gets.

temporalrobe · December 2011

we are taking our one dog to a reactive dog training class b/c she tends to be skittish.

they also have a class at this place that prepares you and your home for a baby and pet relationship.

michaela080 · December 2011

Yes, I have 3 dogs and a cat. All my dogs are lap dogs (even though they are 50-90 pounds). My one dog especially is an attention hog. Do you have crates for them? If my dogs won't calm down we can always put them in their crates. I also plan on putting up baby gates so they can have a bigger area. When they are out with us, we're just going to have to be very careful with the baby around them.

doggie mama · December 2011

We have two dogs. One is not good with people unless he knows them really well, so I think once he gets used to the baby it'll be okay. The other is a lab pit mix and is very playful and doesn't have a sense of her own size.

My husband is reading a book called Baby Makes Four. And someone on the boards (I'm sorry I don't remember who!) posted this https://familypaws.com/our-programs/ and it has a lot of information. Through that site we set up a training session next week on what to do to prepare our dogs.

We've taken our first dog to a few classes. I never reallly vibed with the person running them and I think that was a huge part of the problem. We just found a new trainer, and it seems like he is a much better fit. He's coming to our house in a couple weeks. The other thing is, both our dogs spend the days while we are at work at my in-laws and they undid a lot of the work that we did. They didn't introduce him to people the way we instructed. Then about a month ago my MIL said to me, isn't there anything you can do to make him better with people? I wanted to scream. She complains about him jumping on her, but she pets him when he does, which is exactly what he wants! She complains that he's hyper, but she winds him up with the way she interacts with him. So I think they are going to spend more time alone. What I'm trying to say is that anyone who spends a lot of time with the dog should be completely on board with the training.

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