So our little man is arriving in eight wks. And I'm starting to worry about how our 7 yr old dog Leni is going to react.I want to make sure that he doesn't feel left out and jealous and then resent the baby.we already have baby doll that we have been changing, dressing cuddling ,passing to and from etc, and he hasn't shown much interest in it at all!has anyone got any tips please? : )
any ideas for helping dogs with new arrival?
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Hemera
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I'm really not sure I'm afraid, just try as far as possible to give him the same routine he's used to and make sure you still have dog time 
I have 2 cats and i'm also worried how they are going to take to their 'baby brother' but as with all things i'm sure they will get used to it eventually
I have 2 cats and i'm also worried how they are going to take to their 'baby brother' but as with all things i'm sure they will get used to it eventually
Sarah13
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I have the same worry as my boxer is my baby just now! I've been doing the same as you with a doll and have let her see and sniff the pram! She already gets jealous of the bump when my hubby or teenage daughter talks to it and pushes in putting her head on my bump! I know there is someone on here who's a dog trainer or breeder and has given advice to other people on here, can't remember who it was though so maybe try reposting this in pregnancy chat as well.
NatEvz
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When i came home from the hospital, id been gone for 5 days, so hubby carried the little man in the house, as id read this somewhere, and i fussed my furry babies for a good half an hour until they settled and thats was it really!They gave sam a good sniff and licked his feet and have loved him ever since!It is true what they say about staffs being the nanny dog xxx
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BabyNumber1
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We have a 3 year old Border Terrier who was pretty much the man of the household until Francesca arrived 4 weeks ago and hes been fine... when we first came home with her we put her on the floor in her car seat so he could have a sniff and then we just made sure we still take him out (luckily one of our good friends takes him out quite a lot when we are at work so thats one thing we didnt have to worry about) and make sure we didnt push him away every time he came near her...
My mums dog however is a Lab cross with a Weinerana so hes pretty big and gets really jealous if i even hug my mum.... so we waited until my dad was around before we introduced them... and hes been ok aswell.. just really giddy around her but calms down after a while...
We found that as long as we gave the same attention to the dog and didnt push them out making them feel like this little thing had come into the house and changed everything, then they have been fine!
Just make sure they know their boundaries (our border gets up on his hind legs and peers over the moses basket at her but never puts his paws on the basket - something we have never taught him, he just knows thats his boundary)..
Hope it goes well xx
My mums dog however is a Lab cross with a Weinerana so hes pretty big and gets really jealous if i even hug my mum.... so we waited until my dad was around before we introduced them... and hes been ok aswell.. just really giddy around her but calms down after a while...
We found that as long as we gave the same attention to the dog and didnt push them out making them feel like this little thing had come into the house and changed everything, then they have been fine!
Just make sure they know their boundaries (our border gets up on his hind legs and peers over the moses basket at her but never puts his paws on the basket - something we have never taught him, he just knows thats his boundary)..
Hope it goes well
xx
Cazza
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There's lots you can do to help prepare your dog for the new arrivel - some good advice on here already.
If you have a daily routine (ie time of walks/feeding etc) start to vary it now, dogs do love routine and certainly have a sense of timing, so breaking their little routines by half an hour here or there will help.
Does your dog sleep in a convienient place? If not buy another bed and place it somewhere better for your dog to get used to. Also teach the dog to go to bed when told then you have a way of having space to do what you need to.
Borrow a pushchair/buggy and take it for walks with you.
Place your Moses basket/carry cot in a room and teach your dog 'leave it'.
If you have an anxious dog have a chat with your vet about DAP (Dog Appeasing pheremone) diffuser. It plugs into a socket and emits a soothing smell for yout dog. It also comes in a collar form too, but plug in's are better. Get one 2 weeks before the arrival if you can.
Zylkene is a herbal tablet that contains the enzyme bitches have in their milk which soothes puppies, these capsules are fab and won't cause any long term effects.
Finally one really important thing to do........start spending a little less time with your dog now. Build up the time slowly, even closing a door behind you if you can. This will accustom your dog to being seperated from you (even if only for a short time) and will ease any anxiety.
HTH!!!
If you have a daily routine (ie time of walks/feeding etc) start to vary it now, dogs do love routine and certainly have a sense of timing, so breaking their little routines by half an hour here or there will help.
Does your dog sleep in a convienient place? If not buy another bed and place it somewhere better for your dog to get used to. Also teach the dog to go to bed when told then you have a way of having space to do what you need to.
Borrow a pushchair/buggy and take it for walks with you.
Place your Moses basket/carry cot in a room and teach your dog 'leave it'.
If you have an anxious dog have a chat with your vet about DAP (Dog Appeasing pheremone) diffuser. It plugs into a socket and emits a soothing smell for yout dog. It also comes in a collar form too, but plug in's are better. Get one 2 weeks before the arrival if you can.
Zylkene is a herbal tablet that contains the enzyme bitches have in their milk which soothes puppies, these capsules are fab and won't cause any long term effects.
Finally one really important thing to do........start spending a little less time with your dog now. Build up the time slowly, even closing a door behind you if you can. This will accustom your dog to being seperated from you (even if only for a short time) and will ease any anxiety.
HTH!!!
I am a gundog trainer and the everything here that people say is pretty much bang-on, the only extra thing I would def do is find an old t-shirt that you don't mind losing, sleep in it and then when your baby is born rub it on the baby/leave the baby sleeping on it so that it smells of both of you and baby and then let your OH take it home and let the dogs sleep on it - this helps it to become their smell and a smell that is not alien by the time you get your LO home.
My only other advice is NEVER leave your dog alone with your baby, it is not fair to put that kind of responsibility on them - they may never mean to intentionally hurt your baby but you never know what they are thinking or feeling - especially if you have bitches as they are often overtaken by their natural instincts: I have met a woman whose lovely dog bit her baby because the baby had a wet nappy and the bitch was trying to take her nappy off and in the process nipped her on the arm - bitches can't bear the smell of wee and poo as with their own pups they would eat it/lick them to keep their nest and puppies clean, in the case of the woman above she kept the dog but the dog lived outside from then on - the poor dog was only doing what her instincts told her to.
I'm not trying to scare anyone because dogs and babies can be fab together and I have every intention of keeping all our dogs inside and around the baby however, sometimes I think we put too much responsibility on our animals when actually we shouldn't put them in that kind of position in the first place, especially as we can't explain to them whats going on!!
Good luck - I can't wait for my dogs to meet the new addition to our family! x
My only other advice is NEVER leave your dog alone with your baby, it is not fair to put that kind of responsibility on them - they may never mean to intentionally hurt your baby but you never know what they are thinking or feeling - especially if you have bitches as they are often overtaken by their natural instincts: I have met a woman whose lovely dog bit her baby because the baby had a wet nappy and the bitch was trying to take her nappy off and in the process nipped her on the arm - bitches can't bear the smell of wee and poo as with their own pups they would eat it/lick them to keep their nest and puppies clean, in the case of the woman above she kept the dog but the dog lived outside from then on - the poor dog was only doing what her instincts told her to.
I'm not trying to scare anyone because dogs and babies can be fab together and I have every intention of keeping all our dogs inside and around the baby however, sometimes I think we put too much responsibility on our animals when actually we shouldn't put them in that kind of position in the first place, especially as we can't explain to them whats going on!!
Good luck - I can't wait for my dogs to meet the new addition to our family! x
suzzi
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we have 3 dogs and i feel fine with my labrador as he is as gentle as anything x the other 2 are greyhounds and im more apprehensive about these x i wont be leaving any of them near baby as your cant judge how they will react,
our dogs live in the utility room as they have a dog flap to outside so they are used to being away from us for periods of time, also they arent allowed in our lounge or upstairs, only utility back reception room and kitchen x so we have dog free places for baby to be x
our dogs live in the utility room as they have a dog flap to outside so they are used to being away from us for periods of time, also they arent allowed in our lounge or upstairs, only utility back reception room and kitchen x so we have dog free places for baby to be x
