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bookworm
Two Little Rosebuds
Member since 8/09 2106 total posts
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Dogs and Babies
I'm really struggling with my dog, y'all.
* Since having our twins in March, there is no time for her. I used to run with her routinely, but now I have to take the kids with me in order to make time for that. Since I live on a residential street between two major thoroughfares, there isn't really a safe place to walk them close to home. There have been multiple pedestrian fatalities in recent years on the northern thoroughfare, and when I walk them on the road to the south, 9 million jackholes coast out of strip mall aprons without looking and have almost hit us. There is no safe crosswalk or light to get across into the larger residential neighborhood. I basically have to pack them up in the car to walk, and there just isn't room for the dog, the double stroller, and both car seats. So the dog is acting out in a number of ways because she doesn't get enough exercise/attention, which I deal with all day instead of being at work, and I go back and forth between feeling terribly sorry for her and wanting to wring her neck.
* The kids are getting super close to crawling. We do not have a play room, so we are going to have to childproof and gate off our living room and dining room for them. We have hardwood floors and an area rug that is already full of dander/hair. The kids are already pretty sneezy. I can shampoo and vacuum regularly and have ppl take off their shoes to keep that area baby-clean, but that means cordoning the dog out of the family area and exacerbating the first problem. To make matters worse, she is a large dog with no self-awareness, and when I have had her with us while supervising play time on the floor, she has almost stepped on them a few times. I had to block her with my body and push her out of the way...so also a safety issue.
Help! How did you handle your dogs when the babies came along?
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Posted 10/24/17 9:23 AM  |
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Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
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Re: Dogs and Babies
I would get a dog walker, even a HS kid, to help out. Take the dog for a few walks to get out the energy. A tired dog is a good dog, lol.
As for the play area, my son and my dog were always in the same place, and I never worried about the dog hair, etc.
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| Posted 10/24/17 9:43 AM |
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Momma2015
Mommax2
Member since 12/12 6655 total posts
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Re: Dogs and Babies
We have two giant dogs- a pit mix and a golden retrieiver/collie mix. So I hear ya about the pet hair. It's never ending! We don't have any area rugs because of this and we have wood/laminate throughout the house. This really helps keep it manageable. Or more manageable anyway. As for playing with the dogs, they can be... not rough... but they don't realize the baby is there and they knock her over her just by walking past her. She's used to it. She's fallen on her butt a few times, but she's never hurt herself. It's funny, now she says "Scuse me" when they're in her way. Which is an improvement from before when it was "move."  I always make sure I'm in the room when the dogs are with her, but if she's playing by herself, I keep the dogs gated in the kitchen/back room with me while DD has the run of the living room/dining room... or vice versa.
As for the acting out... this is the hardest part... especially with winter coming. We made a point to spend more time in the yard with them during the warmer months, but it's tough in the winter. It helps a little that they are older (11 and 12 years old) so they are more mellow and DD does LOVE the dogs so she throws their toys for them to play fetch and everyone gets worn out all at once.
It's hard, but it gets easier, and it's worth it for us because she loves her "dogdogs" sooo much.
Message edited 10/24/2017 10:12:42 AM.
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| Posted 10/24/17 10:12 AM |
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SnickNNick
In our new house!!
Member since 8/08 2119 total posts
Name:
Nicole
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Re: Dogs and Babies
Posted by Straightarrow
I would get a dog walker, even a HS kid, to help out. Take the dog for a few walks to get out the energy. A tired dog is a good dog, lol.
As for the play area, my son and my dog were always in the same place, and I never worried about the dog hair, etc.
Agree with this. I always used to run with my dog before baby (now 19 months old), but hadn't been able to as much. Once DD got more mobile, it got harder for our dog. Once I was no longer nursing, it became easier for DH to put baby to bed some nights, so I have made it a priority to switch off and at least 3 nights/week I do a long walk or run with our dog. On the other nights, if the weather is good, we try to at least play in the yard with DD and the dog, or go for a walk with DD in the backpack and the dog on the leash. Both girls love this. That said, we are in a quiet neighborhood so it's easy for me to do this - sounds like that would be difficult for you with 2 kiddos and a busy area. I think the real key is getting the dog enough activity, so a dog walker might help. Our neighbor's dog recently passed away and she loves our dog, she's retired and sometimes takes our dog over for playtime midday (after texting to ask first, but she has a key to our house as she often watches our dog when we are away).
ETA: Saw you said money is tight on the other thread. Any neighborhood young kids who might be interested? One of our neighbors when I was a kid had another neighborhood kid who was like 12 come and walk their dog every day after school. The kid didn't have a dog and loved to play with their dog, I think they paid him but it was a really small amount. Any chance for something like that?
Message edited 10/24/2017 2:28:35 PM.
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| Posted 10/24/17 1:47 PM |
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MrsG823
Just call me Mommy.
Member since 1/11 5570 total posts
Name:
S
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Dogs and Babies
I agree with getting a dog walker. Your dog needs to get exercise too. I would also recommend toys to keep her busy. A frozen Kong stuffed with her meal is a great way to keep her busy.
Is it possible to work on training her to be more aware? Impulse control games are an easy way to spend a few minutes interacting with the dog that is rewarding and teaches them to chill out.
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| Posted 10/24/17 9:29 PM |
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