Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

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:
Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 09:48

Thanks all for advices!

@ineedaholidaynow me and my partner have both been putting effort and training for the dog since we had her and she has learnt loads and is very intelligent. If you read, shar peis are a stubborn bread and it’s very hard to train them and like we have, put effort in whist going to work, (probably going to get slated now for going to work) but we try our bests every day. We contacted a few trainers who have advised us they either don’t deal with shar peis, or not able to train as that bread is untrainable. This is the answers we have been getting from 4 trainiers so far, but we keep trying and pushing.

OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 09:48

www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/medium-dogs/shar-pei

It would appear this particular breed of dog is not recommended for families with young children.

Have you owned a dog before @Laurashakey, if not, seems a tough dog for a novice owner?

GetTaeFuck · 09/08/2021 09:49

@liveforsummer

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.

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

Exactly this.

It’s the OPs attitude and cluelessness that’s the concern.

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 09:50

If you can’t find a trainer who can help then I would seriously be contacting the breeder, it is too much of a liability to have around a newborn

scochran · 09/08/2021 09:50

I've always had dogs and children/ babies together and actually the routine of being up and out exercising the dogs first thing has saved me from going nuts. All the fresh air was good for babies and toddlers too and I look back at those years very fondly. Didn't spend much time at soft play for starters!
You've noticed something that might be a problem and I too would say a professional trainer starting now should set you on right path. Good luck with pup and baby!

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 09:52

Regarding the licking. I am sorry. I didn’t know specific behaviours in dogs could mean distress, I thought this meant that the dog is being friendly and accepting. It’s not like we meant any harm, especially if my friend wasn’t concerned. I have been told dog’s saliva is more clean than human saliva.

OP posts:
BeaBeaBuzz · 09/08/2021 09:53

Please speak to the breeder (assuming reputable one?) about your change in circumstances and ask their advice. There are some many red flags here that it’s quite a worry. My dog is just under a year, super trainable, family friendly, one of the most gentle breeds and I’d be stressed about her in your scenario never mind an ‘untrainable’ sharpei

Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 09:55

I think most that the OP has probably, not trained the dog as much as she should. Op probably does too, now. A dog licking faces for attention is not funny or cute. It's also a shame she didn't start to tackle this when she first found out she was pregnant

However, she has now realised there's a potential problem. Better now than in 3 months and 1 week.

At least she has realised and I don't see how berating her for now seeking help will help the dog or op.

She has made some mistakes. But now trying to fix them.

wetotter · 09/08/2021 09:56

The OP's apparent lack of action in training her puppy so far is why I suggest a trainer, because there isn't that long to go until the baby arrives, and the puppy is approaching the difficult 'teenage' months.

Yes, you can find the info and train your own dog well, making progress in weeks, and then maintaining it. But OP does not seem to have been self-motivated to do this, and a trainer could well be the nudge to make to happen. Plus a good trainer should also be a source of reassurance to the owner

liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 09:57

My dog licks when she's heightened- she's excited rather than stressed mostly but that makes no difference to the potential danger to a baby or small child.

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 09:58

Thank you all for your advices i honestly do appreciate.

Regarding the licking we would let her sniff first, then she would lick straight away, we made sure it’s not constant licking if that makes sense.
It wasn’t as in she would be led there licking the newborn for minutes!
Sorry if that came across wrong.

OP posts:
lawofdistraction · 09/08/2021 09:58

You let your dog lick a newborn?! And their parent didn't care?!

Struggling to believe this happened tbh.

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 09:59

You need to learn the signs of distress in a dog. All dog owners should know them. Yawning is another sign. This is particularly important when children are in the picture too.

How big is your house, will you have space to separate dog and baby, but still have plenty of space for the dog? Will you be able to exercise the dog sufficiently every day whilst still looking after the baby?

Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 09:59

@Laurashakey

Regarding the licking. I am sorry. I didn’t know specific behaviours in dogs could mean distress, I thought this meant that the dog is being friendly and accepting. It’s not like we meant any harm, especially if my friend wasn’t concerned. I have been told dog’s saliva is more clean than human saliva.
Op I think you need to do alot of research about the breed you got AND dog behaviour in general.

Yoh may have done a lot of training, but its clear its not enough.

I think people should help not berate. But if you chose a breed that was difficult to train, have never looked at signs that dogs are happy, unhappy or stressed etc how would you ever know where to focus training?

I have never heard a trainer won't train a certain breed. They would usually meet the dog first.

InTheNightWeWillWish · 09/08/2021 10:00

We have a 1 year old pup and I’m due later in the year. You need to work hard on training over the next few months. Shar peis are difficult breeds and training them is hard work at the best of times, so I think you need a professional trainer in addition to what I’m going to say.

First, jumping and licking. She can’t do that to anyone, which is generally a good thing to get in the habit of anyway regardless of having a newborn. Any time she jumps, you move out of the way or gently push her off with a strong “off” command. Don’t give her a fuss until she is sat. Stop fussing if she stands up. Everyone in the house needs to do this, as does everyone visiting the house. Same with licking. She can’t do this on walks either, it’s harder on walks because some people will say “oh I don’t mind” but you need to insist and explain that you’re pregnant and therefore she can’t jump. If she wants a fuss, she needs to be calm.

You need to get her used to being in another room without you or in her crate. Kongs and lickimats. Start small, 5 minutes here and there. Build up to half an hour, an hour. She should see it as her time to just be alone and get some sleep. She doesn’t have to be in her crate, you can just use a stair gate to separate rooms. You’ll need to keep the dog and baby separate and so she she needs to be OK in another room. I actually have two dogs and I would absolutely trust my older one with the newborn but she will still not be left alone with the baby, no matter how much I trust her. Both of mine are happy being shut in the kitchen if I need to (granted they’ll give me puppy dog eyes through the glass of the door but will happily accept being in there by themselves).

More specifically, you’ll want to get dog used to baby things like sounds, smells and the stuff that comes with a baby. You’ll need to play baby crying sounds to get the dog used to the noise. Play it a lot and loudly. As you get the pram/car seat you want to have these in the house to get the dog used to them. Practice putting the pram up and down and the dog waiting patiently or ideally just ignoring it. Or dog waiting in the car until they are told to come out so you can safely put the pram up, get the baby in, then get the dog out. Get dog used to walking nicely next to the pram, not pulling. If dog goes in baby’s room, you need to stop access now. Same with your room. You want to introduce things slowly and start doing it now. Be prepared you might need to retrace your steps and go over something again as you have a dog approaching adolescence and they tend to (purposefully or accidentally) forget their training and need a reminder.

I would also introduce a ‘bed’ command to your dog. So that when someone comes to the door, you send her to her bed. This can be the crate or another bed. She then stays on her bed until you tell her off. So when you’re inundated with visitors, she isn’t jumping at your visitors and the midwife/HV can come into the house (assuming they can then) without being jumped on by the dog. You’ll also want a good ‘drop’ and a good ‘leave it’. So if the baby drops something you can make sure the dog doesn’t pick it up and if they do, you can get it back for them.

You also might want to look at activities you can do to tire your dog out that don’t involve you moving too much (in case of a c-section or particularly bad recovery). You want something that she can use her brain for without you having to walk for miles and miles and preferably something you can do with little to no sleep. Our dogs will be doing a lot of scent work, they’ll be chasing a ball for a couple of times in the garden, DH might be up for playing a bit of football with them, we’ll be doing snuffle mats and food puzzles for them. We also have a dog walker who will be continuing and we may have to bite the bullet of costs and increase the amount of walks they have (which isn’t a hardship for them) and we can prioritise other things.

SprayedWithDettol · 09/08/2021 10:01

@Laurashakey

Regarding the licking. I am sorry. I didn’t know specific behaviours in dogs could mean distress, I thought this meant that the dog is being friendly and accepting. It’s not like we meant any harm, especially if my friend wasn’t concerned. I have been told dog’s saliva is more clean than human saliva.
You are been told a load of bollocks.

I suggest you do a small amount of googling to discover health issues for humans with dog saliva.

Btw I am an experienced dog owner and I love my girl. I’m not anti dog at all.

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 10:01

@Hekatestorch

Thank you so much.

It’s been difficult with finding trainers, here is one of the few responses we had from a professional trainer.

Introducing a puppy to newborn, any tips?
OP posts:
SGChome20 · 09/08/2021 10:02

I was in a similar position to you OP. Didn’t think I could get pregnant and had reserved a dog. The baby is now here and we decided against getting the dog. I am 100% certain now that we made the right choice. I really don’t think I could have coped with both. It’s really sad but I would honestly give consideration to re-homing your dog. Maybe even to a family member so that you can still see the dog?

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 10:03

Why did you choose this particular breed @Laurashakey?

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 10:03

@InTheNightWeWillWish thank you so much for that advice.

OP posts:
liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 10:04

You shouldn't be letting her sniff the baby either, what if the baby moved and she got excited and suddenly lunged. You need to teach her to totally ignore a newborn. It's lucky it was just a kick and not a claw in the eye. She should be in any sort of proximity to a small baby to be able to lick

Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 10:06

@liveforsummer thank you.

There is so many different opinions on everything.
I’ve been told that I need to let the dog sniff the baby as she will become aggressive and jealous and will see the baby as a potential danger to her.

OP posts:
Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 10:11

[quote Laurashakey]@Hekatestorch

Thank you so much.

It’s been difficult with finding trainers, here is one of the few responses we had from a professional trainer.[/quote]
To be fair he doesn't say he won't train the breed. He says you have left it too late. That this breed takes extra time. Not that he doesn't train the breed at all.

Again, I find it odd because while breed traits should be taken into consideration, its never true for ever dog of that breed.

But I get his point. This could be a potentially dangerous situation. If he thinks 3 months isn't enough, he probably doesn't want his name or business involved.

Did you do any classes with the dog, when lockdoens allowed?

I did a puppy course with dogs trust. Alot of it centered on teaching the owners. Especially about signs of stress, danger signs etc.

liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 10:12

If they dog is going to become aggressive and jealous it's far better to happen from a distance that within sniffing distance of their face. I'd watch who you listen to for advice. Try joining the page on Facebook 'dog training and advice' they give very good no nonsense advice in the way of files you can read for every subject plus you can ask individual questions too. It's worth listening also to trainers who are talking from learned experience too. These dogs are not recommended as family dogs for a reason so you do need to process with more caution than you might with a spaniel or Labrador

Viviennemary · 09/08/2021 10:13

Its a recipe for disaster. I wouldn't take the risk with a boisterous disobedient dog.