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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:
Viviennemary · 09/08/2021 10:20

Added to that it is a breed not recommended for families with younger children. What more advice do you need.

ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 10:21

Have you taken on board the fact that the trainer says this breed of dog does not make a good family pet

GetTaeFuck · 09/08/2021 10:25

I despair, I really do.

Original poster
Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 10:27

@ineedaholidaynow yes! I have definitely but my partner who owed a few shar peis in past said that this is bollocks and this can be done.
He tries training her himself which he honestly has done a good job, but sometimes I think a professional is indeed needed too.

OP posts:
NinaBallerinaShoes · 09/08/2021 10:30

@GetTaeFuck

I despair, I really do.
I agree.
HighPressureDays · 09/08/2021 10:31

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

The response from the dog trainer is strange & dominance theory in dogs has been debunked as I understand.

However the breed is known for being tricky to train and also can be prone to dog reactivity if not socialised properly and often as they were bred for guarding.

Agree with everything ‘in the night’ said. I think you should make good use of stair-gates or depending on your set up make use of a room divider so that when the baby is on the floor being changed or you need space to deal with the baby they are separated. Practice this before the baby is born so that the dog is used to this. If you want to use the Crate you’ll need to invest a lot of time in training her to be settled in it.

Make sure you have lots of mentally stimulating activities for the dog to do during the day while you are occupied - licky matts, snuffle matts, kongs, puzzles, long lasting chews etc. Licking/chewing for a dog can be calming.

A good bed command will be really important, as well as a release cue so that she doesnt leave the bed until told.
You might want to consider a dog walker if you can afford it as will give you both some space during the day.

CutePanda · 09/08/2021 10:33

How many weeks gone were you before you found out you were pregnant? You cannot have an unruly disobedient puppy in the same room as a baby or young child. The dog could lick or bite your child or knock him over. This means you’d have to either keep them in separate rooms until your DC is no longer a toddler, or get rid of the dog. Neither is ideal, but you have to consider the dog’s best interest and your DC’s safety.

Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 10:34

[quote Laurashakey]@ineedaholidaynow yes! I have definitely but my partner who owed a few shar peis in past said that this is bollocks and this can be done.
He tries training her himself which he honestly has done a good job, but sometimes I think a professional is indeed needed too.[/quote]
Then why is his dog still licking people's faces?

How has he never communicated to you, signs of stress, unhappiness etc?

He has owned a few. And kept them all from puppies until they passed away?

romdowa · 09/08/2021 10:37

The dog sounds like it's full of energy. That's what you need to tackle first, plenty exercise , reduce down the energy levels. Next is training the basics , sit, stay and not jumping. What motivates the dog? Food? Toys? This will be your key to training.

SimonJT · 09/08/2021 10:40

Any breed of dog can be trained, we have a Shiba Inu, he has fantastic recall and can be safely and reliably off lead, despite people saying they can’t be trained, they can, but the effort puts people off.

Dogs ideally shouldn’t jump up people, this was the hardest thing to train ours, he can jump very high as well. Ours is trained to sit and he knows until he is sitting nicely he won’t get any attention, if he then starts jumping again the attention stops. He now very rarely jumps up, and I don’t think he has done it at all in the last few weeks. He definitely knows not to grab, for him this was taught by teaching him a drop command and then moving on to him either asking to take something or us signalling that he can take.

What things does your dog know and reliably do?

Have you looked at obsidiank9? They’re very good.

Original poster
Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 10:42

@HighPressureDays thank you so much.

Yes we have taught her the command ‘bed’ she does go into her crate but then cries out loud when she sees us in the same room or even kitchen. When we disapear from the view etc go toilet she leaves her bed and go to follow us until we tell her to go into her bed again and again and it’s just in circles, she be whining when has to stay in her bed and when we disappear from the view she leaves her bed. My partner thinks it’s because she’s a puppy and she will learn, in my opinion it’s a bit more to it just than ‘she’s a puppy she will learn eventually, she’s still a baby’ which yes she is.

@CutePanda I was just gone 9 weeks when I found out. I have irregular circles so I wasn’t concerned reallt when I didn’t get my period at first if that makes sense.

@Hekatestorch he hasn’t no, I think for some reason he thought this meant friendliness, that’s right he has one of them is still with his mum however does not like other dogs.

OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 09/08/2021 10:43

I’m assuming some forms of exercise are limited as it is still a growing puppy

liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 10:46

To add, lots of exercise isn't always the. Eat way to reduce energy levels. Training and mind games is actually very good for this too. If you keep walking a dog what you end up with is a fitter dog that needs more and more exercise as time goes on. Of course they need enough physical exercise but lots isn't always best either it can also excite them more. Things that excite your dog build up then can spill out as unwanted behaviour known as trigger stacking. Absolute dogs do a good example in their bucket analogy which you can google

Original poster
Laurashakey · 09/08/2021 10:48

@liveforsummer thank you, I will definitely look into it today!

OP posts:
Tlollj · 09/08/2021 10:50

I wouldn’t want to be any where near a dog that jumped up and licked me let alone a baby.

liveforsummer · 09/08/2021 10:50

I believe the dog training advice and support FB page actually have a unit about introducing babies to dogs. They actually have units on almost anything you can think of it's well worth a read.

Mammyofasuperbaby · 09/08/2021 10:58

@Laurashakey, when you say your partner has owned several dogs, did he own them independently. As in in his own home as an adult and trained them to be calm, obedient, social dogs or were they his parents dogs that he grew up with and he thinks that he knows what he is doing.
I'm asking because I grew up with rottweilers and Japanese akitas which are big, powerful dogs, who are head strong and very intelligent. They were all sweet family pets l, who were impeccably trained by my parents. Training started the moment they came home. I knew how to live with them and command them but I don't know how to train them. There's a huge difference.

RIPwalter · 09/08/2021 10:59

My dog was 15 months when DD was born. I bought a special new toy (squeaky teddy bear) which I stashed in the porch ready.

When we got home with DD, DH waited back at the car with DD I went in and greeted the dog with his new toy and we played with it for a few minutes then DH bought DD in, we kept her in the car seat for a bit and the dog came and sniffed her and then went back to his new toy. The next day it snowed so I took the dog for a walk on my own (only minutes away from the house) to play in the snow and I have always tried to prioritise the dog by playing with him for a bit at nap time, before doing anything more important like housework. Dog has never been jealous of DD.

DD is now 3.5 and best friends with her "doggy brother" as she called him this morning, and our dog adores DD.

Hekatestorch · 09/08/2021 10:59

Hekatestorchhe hasn’t no, I think for some reason he thought this meant friendliness, that’s right he has one of them is still with his mum however does not like other dogs

Then he isn't an authority on dogs or this breed.

So how many shar peis has he had? One now lives with his mum, because they don't like dogs? But you didn't have another dog til 10 months ago.

So he has this one, whose training hasn't been great. He doesn't understand dogs body language.

He has another that actually isn't his, it lives with him mum? So he couldn't overcome socialisation problems.

How many more has he had great success with? And where are they now?

Because this sounds more and more like you dp just likes these dogs (because of the image?) Has no clue what he doing, with them but claims to be an expert and is causing all sorts of problems. Despite him having had several and non of them being a success.

Garfunkle · 09/08/2021 11:08

OP you state your DP is doing well with training your dog. What has the dog learnt so far as regards walking on lead, recall, how does she settle at home, what are the rules about dog being on the furniture, how does the dog react when people are invited into your home, how is the dog around other dogs, what is your role as regards training? How long does the dog spend, per day, on its own, how often is she walked? Has she learnt any tricks, is she played with, How does she react around food, does she show signs of resource guarding?

TooOldandTired · 09/08/2021 11:14

Please don't let this dog sniff your baby or jump up and lick anyone especially a newborn baby. I'm surprised your friend didn't leave your house straight away as I know I would have. I really think you should consider rehoming you dog asap.

bunnygeek · 09/08/2021 14:10

There's some advice on Dogs Trust's website here:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/training/preparing-your-dog-for-a-new-baby

But you need to team this advice with training a puppy going through their cheeky, boundary pushing, "teenage" phase, plus being a Shar Pei they're stubborn to boot.

There's some advice on jumping up here:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/training/jumping-up-training

And settle training is a must as well:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/training/settle-training

Is it just going to be the two of you plus baby? Do you have family that can help with training or even "dog sit" for a few weeks with daytime visits when baby first arrives, to give you guys a break and to get into a routine without juggling baby and dog at the same time.

Viviennemary · 22/07/2022 12:41

Its a recipe for sisaster. I just wouldn't take the risk of a new born with a badly behehaved boisterous dog.

Alela · 01/09/2022 03:11

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

ClaryFairchild · 01/09/2022 05:26

Given how long ago the op posted she has either succeed with the training or got rid of the dog.....

Zombie thread.

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