I'm only just pregnant (coming up for 8 weeks) but I have one big worry I may need to plan well in advance for.
We have 2 dogs. One is a very large, good natured but clumsy lurcher. The other dog is a much bigger concern to me.
Jack is a patterdale rescued terrier who is very aggressive with cats, dogs he doesn't know and anyone who knocks at the door. On the flip side he has never even growled at anybody invited into the house, never fought with a dog he knows (actually he usually gets bullied a bit), and never nipped from losing his temper.
His dark side is very dark though - after numerous attempts to sort his behaviour out with strange dogs or cats eventually the only safe answer was to give up and ensure he doesn't meet them in the first place. I have been to 3 dog trainers over 10 years so it's not because we didn't try with him.
If he views the baby as part of the family all his history suggests he would be fine. But if he sees the baby as something to hunt or as a threat he wouldn't be safe.
I don't think trying to rehome him would be fair, he's very attached to the other dog, very difficult to keep and gets so stressed with big changes. There are a few people who know him really well and all are agreed putting him down would be fairer than rehoming him but it feels inconceivable to put him down before even seeing what he's like with the baby. On the other hand the risk of it going wrong is very scary.
I'd be interested to hear about any and all dogs reactions to the new babies and whether they had been around kids beforehand (Jack hasn't because I wasn't sure enough of his temperament).
I'm going to ask dog experts as well - this is just a start.
We have 2 dogs. One is a very large, good natured but clumsy lurcher. The other dog is a much bigger concern to me.
Jack is a patterdale rescued terrier who is very aggressive with cats, dogs he doesn't know and anyone who knocks at the door. On the flip side he has never even growled at anybody invited into the house, never fought with a dog he knows (actually he usually gets bullied a bit), and never nipped from losing his temper.
His dark side is very dark though - after numerous attempts to sort his behaviour out with strange dogs or cats eventually the only safe answer was to give up and ensure he doesn't meet them in the first place. I have been to 3 dog trainers over 10 years so it's not because we didn't try with him.
If he views the baby as part of the family all his history suggests he would be fine. But if he sees the baby as something to hunt or as a threat he wouldn't be safe.
I don't think trying to rehome him would be fair, he's very attached to the other dog, very difficult to keep and gets so stressed with big changes. There are a few people who know him really well and all are agreed putting him down would be fairer than rehoming him but it feels inconceivable to put him down before even seeing what he's like with the baby. On the other hand the risk of it going wrong is very scary.
I'd be interested to hear about any and all dogs reactions to the new babies and whether they had been around kids beforehand (Jack hasn't because I wasn't sure enough of his temperament).
I'm going to ask dog experts as well - this is just a start.