[Twinkletoes]

Did anyone here start a family and then get a dog or was it the other way around? How did your dobie settle with a new addition to the family?

I always hear horror stries about infants and children being mauled to death or near death and its scary (even if it was a stupid owners fault) I look at Harvey and i cannot imagine him showing any aggression ever..he never has the whole time we have had him. I understand dogs can act a little skittish around new little people i have heard its something to do with the jerky movements and crying etc

Maybe i dont the whole dog thing backwards an i should have considered having an family before owning a dog but i have Harvey now and wouldnt change him for the world. Im not planning on having children yet ..we have spoken about it but to be honest im more a 'dog' person lol and cant imagine being a mother

What 'pre-cautions' did you take when raising your child in the home?
How did your dog react to the newbie?
Any advice on preparing a dog for a new arrival?

 

[TracyJo]

There is a book by Dr. Ian Dunbar I think it's called "The Dog Who Loved Too Much" that I read when I was pregnant with Jordan. At that time we had Storm (our pitbull) and a little corgi mix, Max. The book contains several scenarios of "problem" dogs and one was that of a young couple having problems introducing their baby to the family dogs, I think it was a pair of English Springers. He advised them to really bone up on the basic obedience commands and gradually introduce baby stuff before the baby actually came... I really wish I could remember how it ended exactly but I'm sure it worked out in the end
I followed that advice and never had one ounce of trepidation when I brought Jordan home. Both dogs were excellent from day one. They loved to try to steal and eat the dirty diapers though!
If you think of it, next time you're at the library look for that book or buy it, it's certainly worth it, in my opinion

 

[Lexus]

I have heard also that it is good to bring baby items home from the hospital to introduce the smell to your dog. Maybe a blanket for them to lay on.

Sounds like a great book that Tracy recommended! My kids were all older when we got dogs.

 

[TracyJo]

Sorry correct title, wrong author... It is by Nicholas Dodman and sells used on Amazon for $2.55

 

[Ann]

I don't have children but have always heard just to include the dog and let them near and smell the baby. and remember they were the no. 1 .

 

[TakirasDad]

My youngest will be 3 in march and her and Takira are best buds. Sometimes Carli my youngest she can be so rough on Takira so I always supervise them, never ever ever do I let them alone without me or my wife looking on. It is hard...really hard but we absolutley make sure no if's and's or butts someone is there to watch or the dog either goes out or into another room with us! I trust Takira but I dont trust my evil daughter not to poke her eyes out or rip her ears off or something. She also has a thing about trying to grab Takiras nipples...lol

TD

 

[Lexus]

She also has a thing about trying to grab Takiras nipples...lol

OUCH! I can see how that might not go over well for even the sweetest of dogs!!

 

[CoAl-s-Mom]

The only thing I did was have ex take home a blanket with the babies smell on it. When I got home from the hospital, I let the dogs greet me first and then basically held the baby low so they could sniff her. I never kept her a "secret" and included them in everything. They weren't banned from the nursery or anything like that. I think if you try to keep the baby away it makes it worse for the dog. I did however socialize the crap out my dogs when they were puppies with alot of kids and babies just in case I ever did get pregnant. It is also very important to teach the child what is and isn't acceptable as well as the dog. Cole is fab with my 4 yr old daughter and my 1 yr old son. My daughter has even stuck her finger up his butt and he didn't even flinch! "That" was one of those times I had to teach her what is and isn't acceptable! Honestly, she has been much harder to train than Cole has been.

 

[Twinkletoes]

My daughter has even stuck her finger up his butt and he didn't even flinch! "That" was one of those times I had to teach her what is and isn't acceptable! Honestly, she has been much harder to train than Cole has been.

OMG ... children and there curiosity lol

 

[TomAndKing]

Well, I got king after i got custody of my nephew so i guess i cant really answer all of your questions. A few things that i did when i got king were; I got Wryley to play in kings food dish while he was eating, got him to take kings toys from him, let king and wryley play and i would just stop them after 5-10 min to let them settle down a bit(only because both kids and dogs can get carried away when really excited), Wryley always ate before king, always left before king, always came in before king, always got the couch before king, stuff like that. Now King sees Wryley as being higher in the pack, which he should, and there is no possession agression, wryley can hurt king and all he does is whine(i dont let him do that, wryley gets in trouble, i was just pointing out that king doesnt bite him), king plays with wryley like they are brothers, they sleep together, and just generally love eachother.

i hope that helps.

 

[CoAl-s-Mom]

OMG ... children and there curiosity lol

It's only a guess, but I think she must have seen me doing his anal glands. I have to do his internally, but I at least use some lube on him unlike my daughter.

 

[Twinkletoes]

LMAO..the poor guy..atleast when you daughters old enough she can take over the anal gland duties