Bit of advise re dogs behaviour

Phenix

hi,
this will prob be a long post so please bear with me. a bit of backround. we got our beautiful dog from a rescue 3 and a half years ago. he'd ended up there as the couple who ownd him started a family and when second child came along they said they didnt have time for him and wanted him rehomed.
anyway, my hubby and I are due our first child in 2 months now and as time goes on i can see more and more changes in my dogs behaviour. as soon as we found out abt the pregnancy, we started to make gradual changes ie where he sleeps (he used to sleep in the spare room but isnt allowed in there any more, unless one of us is in there) but is quite happy sleeping on the landing etc. i used to be the main dog walker, getting up an hour earlier in the mornings etc to bring him but hubby has been doing this now since last summer and most often we both do the evening walks. but as i said his behaviour seems to be changing. he seems a bit down, is boarderline frantic if i go out (hubby said he was v anxious when i went out for 2 hours yest evening), he goes to daycare a couple of days a week but he wont get in the car in the mornings and is generally stuck to one of us like glue (he lost sight of hubby for a couple of seconds this morn on walk and complely panicked) he just looks a bit sad really . what im wondering is, how much can they associate? does he remember being put in a rescue, would he associate this with any behaviour changes with us? he still gets all the attention/exercise he always has. is he just anxious coz he know's something is changing but dosn't know what it is? anyone any experience with this? i must stress that he's not 'acting up' or disobedient in anyway he just seems so sad at the moment and i feel so sorry for him.

ISDW

Wow, what a post. The poor dog was rehomed because of a new baby, now in this home, a new baby comes along, and the difference in how the dog is perceived is incredible. No talking of getting rid, but wanting to do everything right, and work with the dog. Lovely to read.:D

I honestly don't know the answer, but I do believe that dogs pick up on things that we don't realise. So yes, I think there is a strong possibility that he knows you are pregnant, humans do give off different smells with different hormones etc. So, he may not necessarily be remembering what happening in his previous home was related to the pregnancy, but he could be picking up on the fact that things are different, and it is unsettling him.

Hopefully others will have advice for you, but I would suggest not making a big deal out of his insecurities. If he panics, you and your OH just act as normal, don't pet him, or try to reassure him.

Best of luck with the new family member.

Phenix

thanks ISDW for your lovely reply, and you have it in a nut shell. just incase any other readers are mistaken.....under no circumstances will he be leaving my home!! we love him to bits, he's part of the family and there is honestly not one situation i can think of that would make me give him up. I know he will be ok when baby arrives and sees that he is still very much part of the family. i just hope he knows he's not going to be left out (believe me, i walk around talking to him constantly telling him this...something my OH finds hilarious). IMHO he's far cleverer than other dogs (:P) and has associated 'pregnant mammy' with 'turfed out and have to find a new home' but i dont think its possible for him to do that. but like you said he know's somethign is up and is most likely just worried. we'll continue to keep his routine as normal as possible and fingers crossed he'll settle.
thanks again

tk123

TooManyDogs always gives brilliant advise on dogs and babies OP! Well done trying to work through this with him - you sound like a great mammy so the dog and baba have nothing to worry about!:)

Phenix

thanks TK123
will have a look at them. im also going to have a chat with his doggy daycare staff who are great also!

fenris

Start making the changes in routine now rather than when the baby arrives so that when the baby lands the changes are not associated with the baby and also a new sprog is excitement enough without trying to figure out if the dog is allowed on the sofa etc!

Things to do would include:

- arbitrarily getting the dog to leave the room / get off the sofa etc.
- a lot of work on "leave it"
- some work on long down stays
- stop/recall and stop and down work
- lots of getting use to the hover and noise in general
- a different / disrupted exercise routine, move you walk times about
- introduce some focused doggie time on a regular basis (training some of the items above maybe)
- having a place that the dog can go and be safe - this is critical, the dog has to have a place that is knows that it will be left alone and can go if it is under pressure and it is okay to knock over a toddler to get there.

The idea is to get the patterns in place now, we did this with our GSD and lab before our first kid arrived and never had any problems. It all about structure and routine which will be enforced anyway on both yourselves and the dog when the baby arrives!

My daughter learned to walk by using our GSD as a walking frame, she would pull herself upright near his back leg and "cruise" up towards thew really soft fur at his neck, then he would take a single step forward and she learned that taking steps was a good way of not ending up sitting on the ground and so ended up walking quite well at ten months!

Good luck!

runawaybishop

Act as though the baby is already in the house. If there will be some areas the dog is not allowed (baby room, up on the couch etc) enforce this now. This will help reduce the upset when the baby does arrive.