Pets and the new arrival

[flagger]

I know there are all sorts of books and suggestions about introducing pets to the baby, but I thought I would ask for some real world experiences.

We have raised weimaraners since first being married and now have three. The most rambunctious teenager of them is currently in Texas with our breeder as we try to get a championship on her. It also has helped Ms. Flagger's sanity not having a jumping hyper dog around the house. Though she misses her "baby" immensely, as do I.

I am already fretting about the boarding kennel and getting them their during delivery. She has a co-worker at work that wants to be assistant-coach (in case I faint) that I will probably call on. These are inside dogs, so I cannot just pitch them outside with a bowl of water and kibble as we dash off to the hospital.

I know they will take a back seat big time, when our baby comes, I just want to make the transition as easy as possible. We are a mere 10 minutes from the hospital, so we have that route covered down pat. ;)

[Rachels]

In all likelihood, you'll have plenty of time! Early labor for first babies is usually slow and irregular, and it's a while before contractions get intense. I was fine laboring alone for a number of hours until everything really got cranking. I even went out to buy film and snacks myself. Dropping off dogs, if you do it early, should be no big deal. A backup plan is good because there are those rare 2-hour labors, but chances are excellent that you will have quite a bit more time than that.

Dogs often do really well with new babies. When you get the nursery set up, etc, think about rubbing some cloth diapers with whatever soaps, creams, etc you plan to use on the baby, and let the dogs sniff those to get used to her scent. Then when you bring her home, put her down at dog-level right away and let them smell her.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[mama2be]

I am in very much the same situation...we have three retrievers that are totally my babies. They are spoiled to sweetness. they love the nursery, follow mommy around everywhere and I know will love the baby.

I am hiring a neighborhood teenager to watch them while we are in labor (but I am going to a birthing center so I won't be gone as long as you guys are if all goes as planned)...this teenager has great parents that also make sure that she is doing what she needs to do.

I plan on spoiling my pups even more when the baby comes home so they do not get jealous. Just like I am stocking up on baby items I am also stocking up on Frosty Paws (doggy ice cream, in the ice cream section of nice grocery stores), and other little treats. The way I look at it if they are good to by baby I will love them even more. I for one will never block them from being a part of the baby or sniffing etc...

I also will totally allow them in the nursery and plan for them to be a part of the babies life. If you can get someone to come to your home vs kennel that might help you too...

Also I tell everyone this, when my neice was young one of my dogs would lick her face and she would break out for a few minutes and get all red (thank god her mom was not one of those that freaks out over everything...and thus I think that is why she is one of the most rounded greatest children I have ever seen)...but most would assume allergy and dump the pup...and just want you to know that she grew out of that it was not an allergy.

I meant to bring to your attetnion...I notice that you felt like you should put an alias to protect your babies privacy...it is not required to submit the names of our children on here if that helps. On one of your post you supplied a web site about your pups and it has alot of personall info about you all... a web site with your names and where you all lived etc... etc... and would think that would be a lot more anti privacy than the name of a newborn on a post. I enjoyed your web site gorgoeus pups...but if you are that concerned I would worry a lot more about that...just wanted to bring that to your attention incase you didn't notice.

Good luck!!!...and again gorgeous pups!!!

[newbelly2002]

We have a cat, a wonderful, rambunctious, shepard-rottweiler mix--and now a lovely 5.5 mth old son. We too were a little worried about the initial phases, but to date all has been wonderful. DS grew accustomed to hearing Chaucer (the dog) bark when he (DS not Chaucer) was "on the inside" and thus is rarely startled by the noise.

My DH brought DS's first blanket home from the hospital the morning after DS was born so that Chaucer could smell the baby. When I arrived, I greeted Chaucer first, alone and without DS. This gave Chaucer a chance to greet Mommy sans baby. Then we all came in together.

We taught Chaucer to kiss on command and in the initial weeks (much to my parents chagrin), encouraged him to kiss DS's hand--to accustom them both. Now DS is at the stage where he sticks out his own hand and Chaucer knows (usually) to lick it. DS giggles with glee. As DS makes his way across the floor, Chaucer will often lick his face and DS again thinks it's the best thing in the world.

The biggest thing is making sure that the dog still receives both together (with baby) time and alone time. We currently have been in the habit of watching a movie a few nights a week once DS is in bed. Chaucer really seems to look forward to this time, following us around until we invite him up on the bed to snuggle, sans baby.

As far as the logistics of labor. . .we lived 40 minutes from the hospital. So we had asked a petsitter to be on standby to come by and let the dog out in the morning and evening if need be. As it worked out, I went into labor about 4 AM and since we lived on a farm and walking is good for labor, we (Steve, Chaucer and I) went for a 20 minute walk before driving to the hospital. Then we called the petsitter and had her come that night and the next AM. The second night in the hospital, Steve drove home to let Chaucer out and to play and then drove back.

Sorry for the long-winded answer. Good luck!
Paula

[egoldber]

If your dogs are not obedience trained to at least the basic commands like sit, down and stay, I would work on that ASAP. I think that is essential for all dogs with a baby in the house. If your dogs are jumpers, I would also work with a trainer to correct that behavior.

To be honest, I don't think the issues with dogs arise until your baby becomes mobile. Most pets find the babies uninteresting once the initial novelty of the screaming infant wears off.

BUT that ALL changes when baby becomes mobile and starts chasing your pooches around the sofa. Even the most mild mannered of dogs can become irritated by this and snap at or bite a child. I know many people with dogs and babies and for all of us, the trouble didn't start until the babies started to crawl and walk.

My beloved, mild mannered, sweet, affectionate, obedience titled Pembroke Welsh Corgi of 9 years did this to Sarah twice. Once she snapped at her, and a second time she actually broke skin. I had to give her an incredibly fierce collar correction to stop the behavior. It has never happened since.

So ALWAYS keep an eye on your dogs and NEVER leave them alone with the baby. Don't want to be scary, but a dog, especially a large dog, can do a lot of harm to a baby in a split second. With both incidents with my dog, I was in the room, right there by the dog and the baby at the time and I couldn't move fast enough to stop it.

HTH,

[egoldber]

I just noticed that your due date is 5/23 which is over Memorial Day weekend. Do you have a kennel reservation already? If not, I would make it now. I know that the good boarding kennels around me fill up for holiday weekends months in advance.

HTH,

[flagger]

>I just noticed that your due date is 5/23 which is over
>Memorial Day weekend. Do you have a kennel reservation
>already? If not, I would make it now. I know that the good
>boarding kennels around me fill up for holiday weekends
>months in advance.

Being repeat customers, I should be able to get space even this far away from the due date (the one we use has lots and lots of runs). I plan on seeing them this week to arrange the time. The dogs love the kennel, it is like doggy camp.

[flagger]

>I meant to bring to your attetnion...I notice that you felt
>like you should put an alias to protect your babies
>privacy...it is not required to submit the names of our
>children on here if that helps. On one of your post you
>supplied a web site about your pups and it has alot of
>personall info about you all... a web site with your names
>and where you all lived etc... etc... and would think that
>would be a lot more anti privacy than the name of a newborn
>on a post. I enjoyed your web site gorgoeus pups...but if
>you are that concerned I would worry a lot more about
>that...just wanted to bring that to your attention incase
>you didn't notice.

Actually I don't mind our names on the website at all. We just want to protect our baby's name from those troublesome marketers. Scary though, the fake name we have been using has started to grow on us. ;)

Thanks for the nice comment about the dogs.

[mama2be]

The name does make me think of one of my favorite gals...Coco Channel!!!! :)

[flagger]

Just as a follow-up, I just booked all three from the 22nd of May through the 28th. They know Ms. Flagger is pregnant and at least I have the runs reserved and will call back closer to EDD to make adjustments.

Thanks for the reminder.

[jd11365]

We too have a weimaraner who has been our "baby" for 4 years. The only thing we worry about with him is his hyperactivity (I don't need to tell you!) The dog wouldn't hurt a fly...but he is a rambunctious jumper when he's excited. He might not mean it, but I get afraid he's going to step on the baby or something. I'm sure it will all turn out fine. I was told not to "shoo" the dog away when holding the baby as though the dog is bad, but to let it sniff until content so the dog doesn't feel slighted by the new bundle of joy. Also, I was told to have my husband bring a t-shirt or blanket home that the baby has slept on/in before she comes home, so the dog can smell it and be familiar with the baby scent before she comes home the next day. (We live 5 minutes from the hospital so that won't be a problem for us.)

jd
EDD 5/12/03

[Momof3Labs]

In addition to all of the great suggestions you have already received, I wanted to offer a few.

Get your dogs used to being with you but not being the center of attention. You will spend a lot more time at home with a baby, but will have less time to spend with the dogs.

Train your dogs to respond to verbal commands - at least one should be near perfect response. This allows you to stop a behavior even if you don't have a free hand.

Break any jumping habits, including jumping on furniture. If you still want the dogs on the couch or in bed with you, teach them a special command.

Never, ever leave the dogs alone with the baby. In fact, the guideline given by many rescue groups is to never leave them alone until the child is 5 years old. Even then, supervision is required, of course.

Make sure that your dogs get plenty of exercise after baby comes along! A tired dog is usually a good dog!

If your dogs are toy-oriented, start thinking about how you will distinguish between baby toys and doggie toys.

These tips should help you get through the first few months - mobile babies are a completely new game!

Hope this helps!

Lori & Colin 9/28/02