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Original poster

Introducing a baby to the dogs

10 replies

SpaceHopperHayls · 25/01/2008 16:16

Hi - our first baby is due on March 2, and I would appreciate any advice, or stories about introducing the baby to dogs for the first time.

We've got two (and I'm almost nervous to put this because of the latest round of hysterical news stories) rottweilers. The male is two and a half, and the female will be two the day after my due date. Both are calm, well trained, loving dogs, but my concern is that they are also big, and can be a bit boisterous occasionally.

I understand that it is necessary for the dogs to understand that the baby is part of the pack, and not to feel that it is a threat to them in any way. Obviously the baby will NEVER be left alone with them either.

I love my dogs, and am completely confident that they will accept and love the baby as part of their family. Neither has ever displayed any agressive tendencies, and DH and I have worked very hard to ensure that they are impeccably trained and know exactly where their places are in the pack (right at the bottom!).

If anyone has experience of introducing a newborn to big dogs, I would be really grateful for some advice.

Thanks

OP posts:

lucyellensmum · 25/01/2008 17:22

congratulations on your baby

I used to have rotties, i think they are great dogs. Our first rottie we got when DD1 was about 2 and he was always a star. Our second was a bit of a problem, he was a rescue dog and had behavioural issues (aggression and possesion) so were VERY worried about him. To be fair to him, he accepted DD very well, however before she was really mobile he sadly needed to be put to sleep. I have to be honest, we were thinking about rehoming him, but this was more to do with his past than his breed.

It sounds like you have a great pair of dogs. I would say though you do have to be very careful, particularly because there are two. If your set up is that you can keep them separate then great. To be fair, when the baby is a baby, i dont see much of a problem it is when the child is mobile it becomes more of an issue, can you garuntee they will NEVER be alone together. We couldnt which was why i wanted to rehome him. This does give you some time to assess the dogs reaction though. Just over a year!!
If you were introducing a toddler then it would be a no no, but by the time your baby is running around the dogs will be used to the baby and should know not to be rough with him/her.

I would really just treat the dogs as much as normal as you possibly can. I wouldnt try and make them feel inferior to the baby actually. You sound like they know their place in the pack already. As the baby gets older they will be protective and know not to hurt him/her. This can be a problem in itself. I woudlnt insist on them never having contact either. My HV was horrified to see my big old boy giving my six week old baby a wash!! I really tried not to push yazz away when i was holding DD, he was naturally curious. So i would often have baby on one knee, dogs head on the other.

If you get in contact with your local dog trainer they may be able to give you a baby sounds CD for the dogs to listen to. Personally, my dog took no notice whatsoever, but they seem to think it helps them accustimise themselves to the sounds . If i find my CD, im having a sort out this weekend, you can have mine if you like.

Im not going to say, yeah, no problems because like you say, they are BIG dogs, with great big blardy paws!! That was the worry with yazz actually, he was a big paw giver and we were always worried he was going to knock the baby senseless I just think you have to be vigilent. Have somewhere for the dogs to escape to and see how it goes.

Good luck im sure they will be fine and just love their new brother or sister xx

Original poster

SpaceHopperHayls · 26/01/2008 11:03

Thank you.

I know they are going to love the baby - already they are very interested in the bump, but in a gentle way. Definitely agree that insisting on no contact is silly - I am perfectly happy to have them lick and kiss me, so it would be ridiculous to stop them doing the same to the baby.

I think they are bound to be curious, so our best bet is to let them investigate (supervised, obviously). the more we let the baby change their routines, the more likely they are to resent it.

Sorry about your second dog. I would love to give a rescue dog a home, but you can't be too careful with a powerful dog if you're unsure about his past. We've had ours from pups, so can guess pretty well how they are likely to react to most situations.

Thanks again

OP posts:

magnolia74 · 26/01/2008 11:22

We have 2 dogs, one is a staffie and also a staffie cross.
I have 5 kids but the dogs came after #4.
When I was pregnant I got my dogs used to not being in the lounge all the time, I gradually built up the amount of time they spent in the kitchen and garden. I have a very large kitchen so lots of space and a secure garden and they have each other so I didn't feel too bad about making them spend slightly less time with us.

When I had ds1 I gave dh a babygrow that ds1 had worn in hops and he took it home and put it on a baby annabel Popped it into the baby chair at home and switched it on.
The dogs were allowed in and were curious and sniffed/licked ect.... I was in hospital for 5 days so dh also got the pram out and moses basket ect.. so the dogs could get used to baby stuff being around.

When I came home we let one dog in at a time, let them sniff ect... and they were fine.
Ours are still not allowed in the front room all of the time as ds1 is 14 months and one of our dogs is pretty bouncy

I second the cd with different sounds or record a baby crying and then play it lots before you come home with the baby.

NutterlyUts · 27/01/2008 02:01

Baby sounds CD, going right up to full volume. Get a doll, carry it round a lot and talk to it like a baby, sit with it like a baby and set the rules you want around the baby using the doll (for example if you don't want any jumping onto your lap with the baby around, whenever you have the doll, the dog isn't allowed to do it)

FOURBOYZ · 27/01/2008 02:17

We had a french mastiff at the time of my second born,he was the same age as your male.
He used to get really concerned when the baby cried, but I was always nervous of him being around the house when BF was out, because he was so boystrous...

hercules1 · 27/01/2008 16:41

Please dont let your 2 rottweilers lick and kiss your baby. Really and I have 2 giant dogs and a little one.
I've known some rottweiler breeders and they have said that they dont get on well with the noisiness of young children. I would get professionala advice rather than a chat room on the internet.

Original poster

SpaceHopperHayls · 04/02/2008 21:35

We've been playing baby sounds to them, and they don't seem especially bothered by the noise. Obviously it'll be different when the noise is coming from an actual baby, but I'm confident they'll be ok with it. FOURBOYZ, I know what you mean, but I have done enough work with both dogs to know that I can handle any boisterousness. I wouldn't have a dog that made me nervous in the house.
hercules1 - I can assure you that I haven't just been seeking advice in a chatroom.

OP posts:

kaa0901 · 14/02/2008 22:47

having two fab rescue dogs i too was nervous when we brought ds home but we introduced them slowly and they love him. i totally agree about letting the dogs have their own space so they can hide when the screaming gets tooo much. as for licking the baby, they werent allowed to lick his face when he was little but now he sucks my older dog's ears so i've given up trying to stop the licking. my older dog (5yrs) is my dog and he just sees ds as an extension of me and is very protective when strangers go up to him - not aggressive but watchful.

hth - good luck with your new lo

JossStick · 14/02/2008 22:58

We found it helped when our collie / lurcher cross was allowed to sniff & lick DS1's nappy when it came off.

What's that noise? Oh! My MIL had just fainted .

BroccoliSpears · 14/02/2008 22:58

We made sure that I wasn't the one carying the baby when we came home from the hosp: didn't want the dog's first experience of the new baby to be me pushing her away when she raced to greet me.

I let her sniff the baby and never told her to back away.

I still included her in my day (she was my breastfeeding footrest!)

Some people suggest sending dp home with a vest worn by the baby and giving it / showing it to the dog so the dog knows the smell before ever meeting the baby. We didn't bother as our dog is not in the least neurotic and we weren't particularly concerned about how she would react to the new babe - she's a lab.

Now have a nearly-2 year old and dog who are the best friends in the world. Dog firmly believes herself to be below dd in the pack, and utterly adores her. (Dd, being a toddler, believes herself to be head of the pack of course...)

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