Baby and dog.

[PoppingOneOutIn2020]

Just looking for some advice really.

I'm 18 weeks pregnant, due in January. I'm starting to worry about our dog with the baby. Hes an absolute gem of a dog despite being a chihuahua he never bites or nips, he doesnt bark, he never taps even if someone comes to the door. Hes a genuinely lovely little bugger. But hes only just over 1 years old and still has puppy traits, hes quite a handful, runs around, has a lot of energy.. his worst trait is that he is very, very licky. We've tried everything to stop him being licky but nothing has ever changed, he was so easy to train, we took him to puppy classes and he does the sit, stay, wait, 99% of the time..

He also eats his poo still, I've grown up with dogs and some do it more than others, but he does it almost everytime of we can get out quick enough to pick it up..

Obviously with baby on the way, I've expressed my concerns to DP about how we absolutely cannot let dog near baby and risk him licking her hands, face or anything else with a poo-ey mouth, it's so so so dangerous.

So this means, having a play mat will be a nightmare, he'll be excited to see baby and want to investigate like he doesnt with absolutely everything. But I cannot risk him being near her which makes me really sad :( I'd love for them to grow up together as friends but in absolutely terrified of his pooey germs near baby.

Is there anything I can do to stop it?

We went through a phase of literally standing with him in the garden while he went and picking it up before he had chance to turn around, we did this for ages and he never stopped turning around and licking the grass where it was. It feels like an unbreakable habit.

Is there anything I can do to stop him or make my life easier when baby comes along, because I want baby to have a playmat and be able to have tummy time on the floor without having the push the dog away every few seconds.

Dogs sent just for Christmas, I cant just give him up. If he was a danger to baby as in biting and nasty then that's a different situation. My situation feels controllable, but challenging.

The only solution I can think of is getting a play pen to put babys playmat ect in so that the dog cant get to her? But then it's her home and she should be able to explore when old enough to crawl/shuffle.

Any advice would be welcome with open arms.

I can understand why this is worrying you, my dog (Labrador) was only a pup when our daughter was born (18mths now and BEST friends, she still try’s licking if I’m not watching though! Especially after jam sandwiches!!) First of all, try to find out WHY? Why does your dog eat poop? Try reading, and googling ways of managing behaviour, www.cesarsway.com/dog-eating-
And then try to manage it before baby gets here, a little bit of licking is ok, but yeah, sort the poop eating problem if you can first! Good luck xx

What are you feeding him? Generally dogs eat poo if they are feed poor quality food as the food isn't properly digested so smells like food when it comes back out. I would reevaluate his diet and work on training him before baby is here. Revisit the basics like sit, lie down, leave it and come. This will help you manage his interactions with baby.
Ensure he is getting enough exercise as well as mental stimulation I.e hide treats around for him to find in order to help burn his energy. Well done for wanting to work with your dog rather than rehoming as many people sadly do when they become pregnant. You'll have him off poo and the perfect furry brother in time x

My friends have two dogs and one baby, they have stair gates to keep the two separate so each can be free in their allocated parts of the home.

Please never take the dog's kind nature for granted. My godmother's dog had grown up with her first two children, when the third was a few months old the dog woke up from a nap, walked over to the baby and bit a chunk out of the baby's face. The dog was put down and the baby was scarred for life.

@DC90 hes fed the Royal Canin food that the vet recommended so I'm not sure that's the problem as they say he looks lovely and healthy when we take him for nail clippings, treatment and boosters.
Thank you, I was abit worried about posting as I know things like this can get a bit of a bashing!

@kellyhall as much as I trust my dog, I've never been the 'my dog would never hurt a fly' type.
I know he would never mean to hurt a fly and is in no sense a vicious animal. But I'm fully aware that hes an animal at the end of the day and could turn for any reason. I would never, in a million years leave my, or any dog unattended, or too close to a child, its asking for trouble. Prevention is better than treatment.

Dogs are revolting creatures

Have you tried mixing pineapple chunks with his food? Apparently it makes the poo taste bad! It works though.

Do make sure he is worked regularly as toxicara canis is the biggest risk from dogs licking and dog poo. It is preventable with a good working regime. Obviously there are bacteria also. You sound like a really vigilant owner do I'm sure you're on that already.

Unfortunately that isn't actually a very good food despite being suggested by the vet.

@mydogsnotfat any recommendation on a good food? Why on earth to the reccomend something that isn't that healthy.. and its bloody expensive!

My friend’s dog was eating his poo and they got a supplement to add to his food which stopped him eating it. I’m not sure what it was but they got it from a pet shop/online. I’m sure if you googled it you’d find something.

In terms of baby going on a play mat, have you thought about getting a play pen for the baby? Our dog is also very licky so we are getting room dividers custom made so we can section off the lounge so that when our baby goes on the floor in the lounge we can keep the dog separate.

Here's some advice from Dogs Trust on coprophagia (please avoid Cesar Millan like the plague - he's a pariah in the dog training world and for good reason)

I agree that Royal Canin is a very low quality dog food. I wouldn't feed it to my dog if it was free. Www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk is an excellent independent comparison website for dog foods - I'll guarantee that you can find a food that's both cheaper and better quality nutrition than Royal Canin.

If you're still struggling with the coprophagia, it would be worthwhile getting a behaviourist in for a session. Make sure they're APBC or CCAB accredited - there's a lot of charlatans out there as literally anyone can call themselves a behaviourist. They're often not as expensive as you would think and depending on your insurance cover they may cover it.