PDA

View Full Version : Babyproofing your dog(s)



nitaghei
11-20-2002, 03:20 PM
This might be of interest to those of you who have dogs. Terry Ryan (a dog trainer) has a CD with crying infants on it. It would be helpful getting your dogs desensitized to the sound before baby arrives. It's available at
www.dogwise.com
Search under "Terry Ryan" as AUTHOR
At a recent dog-show, the owner of dogwise said they might be discontinuing the CD - so I thought I pass the information along. There is another CD that dogwise carries, which has a mix of sounds, including crying infants.
I was going to get this, but a friend of mine made me a tape, which I'm using right now. (My cocker is the ultimate nanny dog - he's extremely concerned even if hears a baby crying on TV!)
HTH

Nita
expecting our first 01/03

egoldber
11-20-2002, 04:02 PM
We have a dog and the dog had absolutely no difficulty adjusting UNTIL DD started crawling. Then she would mercilessly chase the dog around the house. One day the dog got tired of it and snapped at her, actually breaking the skin. I was almost hysterical (even though no damage was done). It happened right underneath my feet, but it happened in a split second. I then kept a very careful watch on the dog. When the dog went to do it again a few days later, I gave the dog the hardest, longest collar correction I have EVER given my dog. It has not happened since, but my dog runs whenever Sarah comes over to her now. Sad, but better than the alternatives, IMO.

Word to the wise, keep an eye on your dog NO MATTER HOW SAFE AND GENTLE you think your pet it.

nitaghei
11-20-2002, 05:41 PM
I totally agree about supervision. My cocker is fantastic - loves kids, is a certified Therapy Dog, and has an obedience title - but I would NEVER leave even him and a baby unsupervised (and this is a dog that has let a kid roll up his eyelids!).
My goal with the desensitization is reduce the probability of the dogs howling every time the baby cries, for my sanity, more than anything else!
BTW - if you want to see my cocker, check out

http://cockeradoption.com/max1.htm

even though the story needs to be updated.

Nita
expecting our first 01/03

egoldber
11-20-2002, 07:57 PM
It's not just supervision. My dog and my child were literally at my feet when it happened. She was chasing the dog around my feet and the dog finally said enough is enough in the only way she knows how. I think our problem was that I had become complacent that our dog (a very sweet tempered Pembroke Welsh Corgi who does has a CD obedience title and one leg toward a CDX that we never finished, although too excitable to be a Therapy Dog material) was fine with Sarah. And she was until Sarah started chasing her. This happened when DD was about 12 months old.

So in addition to supervision, I should have been more sensitive to my dog's needs as well and made sure that Sarah didn't bother her. But truthfully, it is impossible to watch them 100% of the time, unless you keep your pet and child separated. My dog needed to learn that Sarah was superior to her (the dog) in the pack hierarchy and that aggression toward Sarah was NEVER acceptable. It took a severe correction for my dog to learn that.

Just my 2 cents to be alert to this situation. And I hope you realize I don't mean for you, specifically, to worry about your dog, but I want others to be aware of what could happen, especially those with dogs that may not be as well trained and well socialized as yours is. :) And your dog is a real cutie! :)

HTH,

mama2be
11-20-2002, 08:59 PM
I don't know what I did wrong but meant to post this under egoldbear's post that ends with "better than the alternative"...:)

Definitly better than the alternative...:) I am so happy that you were willing to dicipline the pup enough to teach it and not to give up on it like so many people do...:)

I used to work near you ar Fairfax in the ER (and Mount Vernon) and have unfortunatly seen the result of quick dog bites from nice dogs a lot. A good dog (which most are) will learn if you let them know they have crushed you...

mama2be
11-20-2002, 09:01 PM
What a precious pup!!!! I do dog rescue and am happy to see that this little fella found such a great home!!!!

Glad you supervise if alittle kid is rolling up cockers eyelids :(:(:( Gosh I look back on my child hood and have a picture of me hugging a cat so hard that it looks like I am killing it, I'm loving every second of it and the cat is like "HELP ME"....

Our little pets put up with a lot don't they...

egoldber
11-20-2002, 09:29 PM
Fortunately, Sarah had only a minor surface scratch, but it was right above her eye. It was weeks before I could stop thinking about what might have happened if I hadn't been RIGHT there, or if my dog had been a little bit angrier or a little bit bigger. It still makes me queasy thinking about it even today... As much as I love my dog and we will have had her (the dog) for 10 years in January, if she had seriously hurt Sarah....

dd_ani
11-20-2002, 10:14 PM
As a veterinarian and a mom, I strongly recommend the book, "Childproofing Your Dog" by Brian Killcommons. It has a lot of good suggestions for how to work with your dog and your kids (as they get a little older)to make things work. And it is short, because, as I tell all the folks I recommend this book to (literally every day) if you have kids and dogs, you don't have a lot of time to read. :)

As the other folks have said, I cannot emphasize supervision of your dogs - and your kids- enough. But don't get too panicked about how things will work out -- usually things work out fine, but it just takes a little care.

One thing to bear in mind: Your dog has often been your first baby, so there will be a little "sibling rivalry" at first. To be sure your furry kids don't feel replaced, be sure to make a fuss over them whenever the baby is around so the baby is associated with good things. (Its great if you have another adult around to help with this.)

Another big mistake people make is paying a lot of attention to the dogs before the baby arrives with the idea being that you won't have the time when the new little guy is here. Although it is certainly true that you won't have the time, this is a bad idea because what you are actually doing is getting the dog used to having even more of your attention. Then, when you are occupied by the baby, it is even more of a shock to the dog. Good intentions, but bad results.

And then there is my biggest complaint (which I am sure doesn't apply to anyone on this list, because you are all trying to do the right things!): the people who get a dog to "practice having kids" and then dump the dog as soon as they have a baby. So, when they have a second baby, do they dump the first one at an orphanage? Sure, if things just aren't working out with the dog and the new baby, it may be best to place the dog in a home where everyone - especially the dog - may be happier. But be responsible, please.

(Sorry for the longwinded reply. Hope it helps someone, anyway.)

Michelle