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Original poster

Introducing a puppy to newborn, any tips?

78 replies

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 08:59

Hiya!

I’ve got a 7 month old shar pei, she will be 10 when the baby is here, she is very boisterous, and loves her attention and gets suspicious and a little bit ‘cute’ jealous if someone else is getting more attention rather than her, she ends up coming up and licking the faces hehe! :D
She is good as gold however does not bark much and is cuddly.
I had my friend visiting us with her newborn on the weekend and the dog was fine with it kept on licking however was too excited and kept on jumping on the person who was holding the newborn almost as high as where the newborn was held. She kept on licking the baby which is a good sign! But when the baby put down to get changed she was way too excited and hyperactive around the baby we needed another person to hold her and kept on introducing her slowly but she was still super hyper.
When my friend came downstairs with the newborn she would keep on jumping on my friend I had to go over and hold her, and ended up putting her in her crate but then again she is so loud as she doesn’t like to be in her crate when we are downstairs she cries out loud same when we put her outside for a bit to calm down.
Any tips what can be done in this situation please so is not as hyper active around the new baby in 3 months?
I need some advice as I am going to be home alone with her and the baby and don’t want to be scared to go downstairs, and there will be no one to hold her for me until she calms down.
Tia :)

OP posts:

BeaBeaBuzz · 09/08/2021 09:04

Why on earth did you think a puppy and a newborn was a good idea?

I’d start with getting dig happy to be in crate. Filled kong/licki mat or similar to help her calm down. That will help as a start.

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 09:06

Why would you get a puppy when you are having a baby?

Original poster

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 09:11

I got her when I didn’t know I was pregnant.
I was told I can not get pregnant.

OP posts:

BeaBeaBuzz · 09/08/2021 09:14

Even if you picked her up at 8 weeks old surely you were already pregnant if she’ll be 10months when baby arrives? Madness!

NinaBallerinaShoes · 09/08/2021 09:15

I would not be happy that any dog was licking my baby. I would seriously consider rehoming your dog as you cannot be on constant alert and watching for aggression when you have a new born.

Original poster

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 09:17

@BeaBeaBuzz I came here to look for an advice, not to tell my full life story. I did not find out I was pregnant until May. I picked her up in March.

OP posts:

youaresunshine · 09/08/2021 09:17

I would rehome the dog too. As much as that would pain me.

Crocky · 09/08/2021 09:19

Three months is time to work on calm and boundary games. I bought a set of games from absolute dogs and they have a helpful Facebook page but I am sure there will be help on you tube etc.

HerMammy · 09/08/2021 09:20

I think you need to get some training in place to stop the jumping and licking and get rid of your hehe attitude, a poorly behaved dog isn’t funny.
Shar Peis were bred for guarding and can be very headstrong dogs and need to be well trained with boundaries, sadly many end up in rescue due to cute puppy/not trained mentality of ‘owners’

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 09:21

I would be having a chat with the breeder or find a qualified trainer to help you before the baby arrives

Querty123456 · 09/08/2021 09:24

The dog sounds under exercised to me. How much walking does she get at the moment and how much walking will she get when the baby is born? Will you have someone to take her out twice a day? If she won’t get out for a good run twice a day then sadly I’d say finding her a new home would be kinder

Bells3032 · 09/08/2021 09:24

@BeaBeaBuzz if she was 8 week old when she picked her up and she'll be ten months when the baby is born that means she was less than 4 weeks pregnant when she bought the dog so unlikely she would have known). OP has said she didn't think she could get pregnant so assuming she didn't know before her missed period (we were trying and i didn't find out til i was 7 weeks along due to messed up cycles.

And those just saying get rid of the dog....shame on you!!! i know lots of people who have dogs and babies. She doesn't sound aggressive so there should be no need.

OP- i'd get in touch with a local trainer and see if you can work on techniques to stop her jumping etc. three months is plenty of time to get this sorted. Also when baby arrives make sure visitors pet her first and pay attention to her lots so she doesn't feel jealous!

Good luck with everything.

SprayedWithDettol · 09/08/2021 09:27

Dogs should not lick babies.

doggysaurus.com/dog-licks-baby-saliva-harmful/

liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 09:28

Licking isn't good, it's usually a sign of stress. and the 'cute' jealous behaviour is the start of potentially dangerous resource guarding. I'd get a trainer in now as you have time. Work on calm, boundaries and I'd probably in this case keep the dog off the furniture. Look in to crate training too and get baby gates so you can keep them separate. You can make this possible but it will be a lot of work!

Heyha · 09/08/2021 09:29

I agree with the others, you've got a couple of months to train your dog to be a family pet rather than an unruly puppy so I'd bite the bullet and buy in some in-person support, especially for the crate training as I think you'll need to use that.

We have an older, soppy spaniel that's well used to small children but even he was a bit put out by a new baby, he found the crying worrisome bless him, so it's a lot for any dog to take on board never mind one that's been allowed to please itself up til then.

There is no way I'd let a dog lick my newborn, I say this as a 'rural' person, and if you were allowing it I wouldn't be back visiting you any time soon. Your dog needs some boundaries and quickly so it has a fair chance of settling and being part of your new family.

GetTaeFuck · 09/08/2021 09:32

If I were your friend I’d have left after the first licking incident. Gross. Can’t believe she stayed and continued to allow it to happen, or that you, as the dog owner, allowed it and think it’s cute and a good sign.

Rehome the dog, you have no idea what you’re doing.

BeaBeaBuzz · 09/08/2021 09:33

Most people find out they are pregnant at around 4 weeks these days. It wasn’t exactly a crazy assumption to make.

In terms of practical advice I would definitely get some regular (weekly) 1:1 training in person to support you setting boundaries and reinforcing good behaviour as well as crate training.

Could you also organise some doggy daycare for when baby arrives to give you some space with the newborn maybe a couple of days a week? Otherwise I think it’ll be very intense for all involved.

Azilliondegrees · 09/08/2021 09:33

The only person I know who was in this situation, albeit with a different dog breed, ended up having to rehome said dog a couple of years later when it bit a child.

Theirs was a similar situation; picked a pup because pregnancy seemed increasingly unlikely, ended up with a puppy and a newborn. The pup was too active and too boisterous, and it was stressful to meet the needs of a baby and a high energy dog.

wetotter · 09/08/2021 09:34

Ok - you need to do considerably more training of the dog - no more 'hehe!' about unwanted behaviour such as licking faces.

The dog needs to learn not to jump up at people or jump on to people sitting down. She needs proper crate training, and you perhaps need gates between rooms so you can enforce separation.

You will not be able to leave the baby and the dog together at all for the first years, and then with close (same room) supervision for a few more years after that.

I would recommend you find a good accredited trainer asap

Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 09:35

I would get a trainer in. Search for a good one that's highly recommended in your area.

3 months isn't that long to sort this out.

I found out I was pregnant the after week we got puppy. We made the decision to send him back to the breeder. In my first pregnancy I had HG. It was likely I was going to again (and did). It was heart breaking.

So I do get what people are saying, but with a good trainer and dedication you can change this. But you need to remember, 3 months isn't long and you will need to be consistent with training after your baby is born. It really is worth thinking about, wether you can realistically do both.

Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 09:36

Oh and yes, a dog kicking a babies face isn't 'he he' it shouldn't be happening at all.

AlternativePerspective · 09/08/2021 09:36

Can we move away from the hysteria/cries for the dog to be rehomed/judgements on the OP who got a puppy when she didn’t yet know she was pregnant and thought she couldn’t have children. Lots of people have puppies and babies but most of them would probably never dare post here because of the attitudes here.

OP, 3 months is plenty of time to work on boundaries.

The dog needs to learn that no, jumping up isn’t ok. This is actually fairly easy to teach even without the need for a trainer. Dog jumps, you remove the dog and make sure all paws are on the floor, keep calm, and when the dog has calmed down you reward. I managed to teach my sister’s springer spaniel to do that in about 15 minutes recently, if everyone is consistent then your dog will learn quickly.

It’s better to teach calm than to always confine the dog to a crate when it’s not behaving. Crates do have a place in that they can be the dog’s place to go to, but you should be careful not to essentially use them as a form of punishment or because you can’t handle the dog. The dog needs to see the crate as a positive not a negative.

It absolutely can be done. And 3 months is more than long enough.

BeaBeaBuzz · 09/08/2021 09:39

Don’t think anyone suggested the crate as punishment? More that OP needs to get dig happy I. Crate so it can be put there when necessary without crying the house down

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 09:41

@AlternativePerspective the problem is the OP obviously hasn’t been putting in the training yet and thinks the dog jumping up and licking a baby’s face is cute and funny.

liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 09:41

I think it's the OP's rather relaxed attitude to something so potentially dangerous and her idea that potentially worrying behaviour is 'cute' and a good sign that is the problem here, rather than the situation which possibly can be dealt with. Do you honestly think it's ok for a large boisterous dog to be licking a newborns face. Would you allow that to happen to your newborn? I didn't say OP definitely had to rehome the dog but she desperately needs to learn more about dog behaviour and have help from a professional if this is not to go badly wrong

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