How did your dog react to the baby?

What are some good ways to ease the dog into a new baby in the house? We have a 1 and half year old shephard mix. She is very gentle but also has major separation anxiety. She follows us around in the house and is always at our feet.

One suggestion my DH found was to carry around a baby doll the last 2-3 months of pregnancy so the dog sees you carrying something and can get used to it. I am going to try this. But what else can i do? She won't be the top dog in the house anymore? Suggestions?

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

I've also heard you should bring home a blanket that the baby has been wrapped in so the dog can get used to the smell. We have a 1.5 year old cavapoo and this is what we plan to do.

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

we have a long hair chihuahua who is not good at all with small children - he has never bit anyone but he definitely growls and nips.
With DC 1 we pretended to carry a baby around so he would get use to me holding something without trying to attack it.
DH brought home an article of clothing or blanket every night from the hospital that the baby wore that day.
When we arrived home we left the baby in the infant car seat and let the dog approach her slowly and sniff her for as long as he wanted. We did not yell at him or tell him no when he placed his feet on the infant seat (he is only 7 pounds) and sniffed and licked his face.
we still tried to pay as much attention to him as possible when the baby was napping
Our dog did have a little bit of an adjustment period - he peed and pooped in the house the first two days but after that he was good.
DD is 18 months now and he treats her like his little sister he is never mean to her but we also are really on top of DD to treat the dog nicely
I am surprised how well the dog has adjusted to DD - I honestly think they just realize they are part of the family. He is really protective of her and for the most part just stays out of her.

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

My cocker spaniel was just over 2 when our DD came home and she went from being our little baby to being the dog. She actually handled it quite well thankfully.

Honestly, she was SO good with her............she is still AMAZING with her and my DD is now 3. It's like she just knew that you needed to be gentle and delicate with a baby. She would lay next to her and sniff her gently. She has always been very sweet and very tolerant, even when my DD was going through a phase of ear yanking!

We took home a blanket before we came home although I don't think that made too much of a difference. I do recommend though that when you come home with the baby, let your DH bring the baby in the house for the first time. You go in first, greet your dog, give him some love, and then have your DH bring the baby in. I think that helped too because she really missed me and I wanted to make sure she got some attention before introducing her to the new member of the family.

*Most* dogs are pretty good and will figure out really quickly how to behave around the baby. Now our dog and my DD are best buddies, my DD is beyond in love with her. It's adorable to see them together.

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

my american eskimo was about 1.5 when we brought DS home. we also have a cat that needed to be acclimated

i made sure i had the nursery set up and baby items around teh house for a bit before the baby came home. i let them both in the room to explore and take in the new smells.

DH brought home a blanket while i was in the hospital that the dog smelled every night.

when i came home, we left DS outside and i came in and played with the pup for a bit. then i brought the car seat in and stood next to it, he barked and growled at the baby. i sat next to the baby and kept telling my dog its ok. then while sitting on the floor i held the baby and let him sniff around. he quickly warmed up to the baby.

i read somewhere that you shouldnt shoo your dog away when you have the baby because the dog will associate the baby with negative feelings like "i cant be near my owner when the baby is around" and that can cause aggressive resentment. i always try to allow the dog near me and the baby.

it seems to have worked because my dog loves DS and DS is infatuated with the dog. they are like bff's now and ds is only 7 months.

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

Our boxer was 9 months old when we brought DD home from the hospital. DH brought blankets home for 3 nights while I was still in the hospital so he could get used to her smell. We brought her in the house, an immediately put her on the floor in her carseat and unwrapped her and let him go to town sniffing her. We had no issues at all, they are the best of friends I don't anticipate any issues with our next DD either. I am sure he will love her just as much as her big sister!

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

I have a german shepherd who was11 months old when we brought our ds home. She was extremely playful still and was 85 pounds already but thought she was a lap dog. I was very nervous but it was like she just knew and was very gentle with the baby. My husband did bring home blankets and dirty diapers from the hospital but I dint know if that really had anything to do with it. We were just cautious not to forget about her. We would make sure to always show her affection and make time ti play with her. I know its nerve rattling but if you have any other questions feel free to fm me. GL
ETA: I agree with pp and dont shoooo the dog away. Let it sniff the baby. Two words to teach the dog ahead of time are "gentle" and "leave it" which will also come in handy later with the babies toys.. My dog never once touched any of my sons toys, not even a ball that was not hers and she loves all balls.

Message edited 1/17/2012 11:12:18 AM.

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

I am glad you asked this question, I have been worried about this for weeks now! We have 2 dogs, a mini poodle and a boston. We're not worried about the mini poodle at all. He is older, calmer, and doesn't bother with anyones kids. However, our Boston is younger, super active and hyper. Whenever she is around kids, she just wants to jump all over them (to play and lick them). She usually ends up knocking them over...bloody nose and all. I am SOOOOO afraid she will do this when the baby is a newborn and hurt.

A friend of mine from work did the thing with DH bringing the baby blanket home and wearing it on his body, letting the dog sniff it. Their hyper dog was totally OK with the baby when he got home. I am hoping that trick works for us too!

Re: How did your dog react to the baby?

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