Introducing a dog and baby

[Nikki Robinson]

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Hi Everyone,

I am thinking of starting a family in the new year and i have a 5 year old GSD who is 6 in December, he is gorgeous and have never had any problems with him. we have been very lucky

He is not possessive or jealous but i worry when i bring a baby into the mix how he will be as he has not grown up with any children and he is still an animal who has always had mine and my partners attention, hes interested in smelling babies and gets frustrated with toddlers i constantly have to tell the children and their parents to leave him be or put him in another room but he has never hurt them.

Any advise would be appreciated with any tips if anyone has gone through this would be great

Thank you for your time

Nikki Robinson

 

[hanneroon]

hiya, i've not had a baby myself, and am lucky to have a rescue dog who is really good around babies and kiddies. But i see no-ones got back to yet, so i thought i'd start folk off....

I think german sheperds are meant to be good around family and babies, i know the female ones can be very 'mothery'. Dogs have an innate sense of family in my opinion, they seem to understand when a person or dog is pregnant, and are very keen to meet new memebers of the family: gsd's are a protective breed so i think it should be all ok. I think as long as you do allow the dog some part to play in the changing family, and controlled access to the baby, so it doesn't feel left out, everything should be fine.There are many bits of advice around on how to do the actual introductions, i.e. bringing the baby home type scenarios.

But i would use the time you have now, to try and get your dog used to being calm around children, maybe take him past the kiddy bit at the park, and get him to hang around and ignore them for treats, and maybe practise some games where you get the dog to wait, or leave an item alone, or avoid a certain area, so that when baby arrives you already have the skills to control the dog, and his access to stuff. I'm thinking smelly nappies and baby toys/food etc....

You say he gets frustrated around toddlers.... could you clarify what you mean by that? how are he and the toddlers interacting? would you say he was stressed by their general presence or is their behaviour annoying him? My dog loves kids, he really loves sniffing babies too, he would bee-line for push chairs when i first got him. he has always been good around my little niece and nephew, but the other day i had to rescue him from them as they were standing over him barking and screaming at him, poor chap was very stressed and confused.... my point is, kids are annoying!

I reckon the fact that you are considering all this now is a good thing, you sound like a considerate owner, i'm sure it will all be fine....

Good luck, i'm sure someone will be along soon with some good advice, who has been through it

p.s. have you ever strayed into the area of youtube with babies and dogs being all cute together? worth a look i reckon

 

[lurcherman]

Simple thing for me to say never take ur eyes off dog and child.

 

[Nikki Robinson]

hanneroon Thank you so much for your advise that is really helpful and helped put my mind at ease that im not worrying to much, i think your right in with the idea of taking him round parks to get used to the noise and the unpredictable that comes with children, With toddlers he seems like hes not very comfortable with them hes never hurt one but he seems nervous he will play with them but hes always watching them in case they fall on him or grab him or something. thank you again i appreciate it everything helps lurcherman i would never leave a child on there own with any animal that is why im asking for advise, but i don't want him or my child to grow up with tension or on edge as this can not always help the situation so if you have anything helpful as like the above post then i am all ears thanks for your time

 

[Super Woofers]

Hi, advice I have read and makes perfect sense from a dogs perspective is that when the baby arrives try not isolate the dog. Every parent wants to be protective over their little one but this can inadvertently send the dog the wrong message.

If everytime your baby appears the dog is put away or scolded for being inquisitive, he will very quickly learn that the presence of a baby means trouble for him.

If on the other hand everytime your baby is around him he gets rewarded then he will relish the company of the little one. With regards to controlling him when you are changing the baby, just let the dog know what you'd like him to do instead of sniffing around the baby. For example when changing, get him to sit (or lie down) and reward him for this everytime. You will soon find the dog dropping into a sit/down everytime you reach for the nappy bag!

Similar advice really for when he is around toddlers, if he associates them with a positive experience eg food/favourite toy he will soon learn to relax around them.

If hes a GSD he'll get it in no time!!

 

[chelynnah]

Any changes to his routine that will be associated to the baby should be started now. If he has previously had access to the room that's going to be the nursery block that access now, get the furniture up, do the decorating well in advance of the baby. If there are privileges that will be lost once the baby arrives, lose them now, that way he doesn't associate those changes with the baby.

Silly thing, but a lot of people with dogs have had their OH bring home a smelly diaper and baby blanket from the hospital while baby is still there - this brings baby's smell into the home in a non-threatening way before baby actually gets there.

And never ever ever leave them alone in a room together - not even for a second. Accidents happen.