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2 dogs and a baby?
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13-12-2016 3:33pm#1
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First off congrats! I'm no expert on dogs, but I do have kids. The one thing that comes into my mind is, do you work? In the early weeks when your partner is recovering from birth and baby needs to be fed and winded every couple of hours day and night will you be there to take the dogs for a walk? It would obviously be extremely difficult to have the time, plus logistically two dogs on a lead & wearing or pushing a baby wouldn't work.
If you don't decide to change their living arrangements, do let them get used to any impending changes from now. I.e., more outside time, only allowed in kitchen/hallway, no more sleeping upstairs with you, get them used to cots being around, some parents put the Moses basket into a travel cot to stop curious dogs jumping up for a look. They'll also be less curious if they're used to these big items being around before the loud new human arrives
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It's very manageable. I have 3 setters, high energy dogs, all in around 25kgs and we had a baby last year. I also mind dogs so we had to be more prepped than most!
1/ Stairgates - everywhere. Put them up before baby arrives, get the dogs used to them. You can get tall pet specific ones as your dogs may be able to jump the regular kind.
2/ Get the dogs used to having their own designated area. Be that the kitchen, or utility, or hallway - are they crate trained? Very handy, particularly in the early days when you might have loads of visitors coming over to see the new arrival. It's a retreat where they can go with a treat to relax.
3/ Get your equipment up and assembled early, buggy/pram, cot, changer, push the buggy around so it's not a strange moving metal thing when you finally get to put the baby in it. (You'd be surprised how many dogs may be scared of them)
4/ You can play sounds of baby crying (youtube) and carry a doll about in your arms - again so it's not a big deal when you're carrying a real infant! Are either of your dogs prone to jumping? If they are, it might be worth investing in some training to stop it. One of mine was a brat for jumping, and I trained him to stop jumping on me, but my husband didn't get onboard with the concept until the dog knocked his phone out of his hand and smashed the screen;)
5/ Bring the baby clothes home from the hospital and make sure they can smell the scent. And I would be doing some gentle introductions from the get go - rather than keeping them apart. Of course they'll need to be fully supervised but I wouldn't be excluding them from family time, a newborn can't do much other than cry, so once the baby is in a safe space in the living room (ie in a moses basket or pram) then there's no reason that they can't be in the same room once you're there. It's not until baby starts moving about and gets more dexterous with their hands is when you'll need eyes in the back of your head
I would imagine that if your parents are the "get rid of the dogs" type, then they would be of the notion that if you do keep them that they'll be out the back garden because they're "too dirty" to have around a baby. It's been scientifically proven that babies and children that grow up with pets as part of the family have a far stronger immune system and suffer from less respiratory illnesses such as asthma. As a bit of anecdotal evidence, my 15 month old has only been to the doctor for her vaccinations, and has only caught one cold, which wasn't even that bad of a cold!0 -
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Congrats on your fantastic news. The dogs are very clearly part of your family for the way you speak of them. Would you consider involving a dog trainer closer to the time to help ye and the dogs prepare? I'm sure they would have some very practical advice for ye in terms of introducing the dogs and keeping every one safe and calm. They might also be able to help you get the dogs used to walking along with a pram etc.
It would be more advisable to start preparing now, makes the transition much more smooth and less sudden.
A good trainer may be useful closer to time (also depends on how close you're thinking), but they mightn't be a huge amount of use without a bit of work having been done already.
OP, ensure you can have an routine that you can stick to in terms of exercise for your dogs, it's the change in their routine that they can struggle with. If you're inclined to be the only one walking the dogs on a regular basis, or you usually walk them together, try and have your dogs used to being walked just by your partner.
Youtube videos of babies crying, reward calm behaviour when holding a baby doll (if you can get a blanket from a family member or close friend who currently has a baby it can help in terms of smells), start training your dogs not to jump up on you, especially if you're holding anything in your arms.
Baby gates and crate training may be useful to you as well if you do not have them crate trained already. Creating a safe place for them to go can be VERY useful if you have a newborn. You can start simply by having a crate for them each and feeding them in it (without shutting the door) to build up the enjoyment of the area, and make small steps along the way to reinforce it.
Think about where your dogs sleep now, are they in your bedroom or downstairs? Also, are you going to have a room just for the baby? Put a babygate up there now so the dogs get used to not entering that room.
Also, congrats![Dog Training + Behaviour Nerd]
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Neither of my dogs jump up - thank god. We have put quite a bit of work into training them already and have a dog trainer that knows both our dogs IF we feel we will need help with anything major.
With regards to baby gates, we might need to put one on the kitchen door so that can be their room if we need them to be away for any particular reason.
One of the dogs is already crate trained but our other dog is quite fearful of enclosed spaces so I don't know if it would ever work - also fitting another large crate in the house isn't really an option, they are too big BUT I will say that he is the better trained of the 2 dogs and so is more responsive to commands etc. so I don't think he would need it. I could maybe benefit from a couple of training classes to sharpen their memory and the whole buggy and doll idea is great so will definitely incorporate this into their training as of January (and when I buy a buggy, too afraid to buy anything prematurely).
The baby noises don't phase them at all.
The dogs are not allowed upstairs and that is where baby will sleep etc so that shouldn't be an issue either. And if they do happen to go upstairs they know they are not allowed into the rooms without being called in and so will happily lie out on the landing.
As you can tell, both dogs have manners and I have put the work into teaching them most the basics etc so its so frustrating to think that my parents are so against the idea of keeping them when baby comes along.
Really appreciate all the replies.
You sound like you're on the right track, you'll be grand. Often the bigger struggle is when a baby starts crawling/grabbing things, that's when parents probably feel like they need a whole new set of eyes on the back of their head. Easy enough to teach a dog to behave, much harder to teach a toddler! [Dog Training + Behaviour Nerd]
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Neither of my dogs jump up - thank god. We have put quite a bit of work into training them already and have a dog trainer that knows both our dogs IF we feel we will need help with anything major.
With regards to baby gates, we might need to put one on the kitchen door so that can be their room if we need them to be away for any particular reason.
The great thing about stairgates is that the dogs can see you and be close to you but separate if needs be. Something as simple as running to the bathroom when you have a newborn can be hard enough, you want to leave the door open so you can listen out so closing the door to keep the dogs out of the room isn't feasible (and baby might have supersonic hearing and might stir if you close the door!;)).One of the dogs is already crate trained but our other dog is quite fearful of enclosed spaces so I don't know if it would ever work - also fitting another large crate in the house isn't really an option, they are too big BUT I will say that he is the better trained of the 2 dogs and so is more responsive to commands etc. so I don't think he would need it. I could maybe benefit from a couple of training classes to sharpen their memory and the whole buggy and doll idea is great so will definitely incorporate this into their training as of January (and when I buy a buggy, too afraid to buy anything prematurely).
The baby noises don't phase them at all.
Can you borrow a buggy off a friend/family member to see how they react when you move it around? Depending on if they're fearful you might need to spend a bit longer desensitising them. If they aren't perturbed at all then you can leave if until maybe a month to go, just so it's a familiar item in the household. If lots of new things start appearing the week you bring the baby home it may stress them out. It's not a certainty, it may not bother them in the slightest, but you want to try and minimise any stress they may feel.The dogs are not allowed upstairs and that is where baby will sleep etc so that shouldn't be an issue either. And if they do happen to go upstairs they know they are not allowed into the rooms without being called in and so will happily lie out on the landing.
Your baby will sleep a lot of the day, and the handiest place for that may be close to you if you're downstairs! My baby never napped in the bedroom, always either in her pram or in a travel cot that I got for the living room when she outgrew the pram. Most standard travel cots are square, but you can get them cot size so you can put a standard cot mattress in it. I got mine on amazon and the mattress in IKEA. She still uses it everyday. (and its a great place to tidy away all the toys at the end of the day)As you can tell, both dogs have manners and I have put the work into teaching them most the basics etc so its so frustrating to think that my parents are so against the idea of keeping them when baby comes along.
Really appreciate all the replies.
Different generations have different views on pets, older generations tend to be stuck in their views and their way is the only way. Your pets are your responsibility and you know they're not disposable for when the baby comes along, you just need to articulate that to your parents. Be firm and insistant, and also point out the benefits that pets bring to children - the boost to their immune system, the development of personal responsibility and empathy etc.
And besides, when the baby comes, you'll find you'll have to be more persistent with your views on raising him/her. Grandparents always mean well but you'll find you'll be clashing over everything, from sleeping arrangements, feeding, weaning, even if you wanted to take infant swimming lessons (the horror, how could you put an infant into a dirty swimming pool!!) Don't worry, you'll know best for your baby 0 -
We have 2 dogs (boxers), both female, Brodi is 7 and Piper is 2, Aoife arrived in July.
The first day she was brought home we put her on the floor in her car seat and let the dogs sniff her, didn't exclude them in ANY way at all
They both love her to bits, Brodi is more like "Meh, the babay's crying" but Piper is all over her, wherever we go with her she follows.
When she goes up to her cot at night 1 of them will periodically go upstairs to look at her, she loves them too i think, she laughs when they lick her hands and she rams her hands into their mouths, they're toally fine with her
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Another thing that you might consider is using a dog walker for the early days. At the start it can be difficult (and sometimes daunting) getting out and about with a newborn (and all the paraphenalia that goes with them!). Also timing is of the essence with feeding on demand or every couple of hours in the first few weeks so the dogs walking routine may be a little out of kilter and take a little while to establish.
Even in the latter stages of pregnancy you could get your dogs used to a local dog walker, so if you have a day that you're sleep deprived or even a day like today with relentless rain that the dogs are tired out and relaxed and you don't get stressed about it. It could be a lifesaving number to have in your phone. 0
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