Calling all pregnant/new mum dog owners

[SeriousStuff]

I have just had my 12 week scan and am already thinking of buying a pram and I need some advice.

Basically, we have a dog which we got as a rescue puppy. He is great - fun loving personality, protective, and incredibly intelligent (he's a border collie) - but, he didn't have the best start in life which means he's very anxious and isn't a fan of unfamiliar, strange moving things! Such as prams...

He once circled a pram whilst on a walk for 10 whole minutes, as if he was trying to herd it. He would never bite or hurt anyone, but try telling that to young parents observing this mad dog circling their young baby! It was awful!

We thought, if we bought the pram now, we could start getting him used to it before the baby comes. But it's one thing to just place it in the kitchen with him, as soon as it moves, I know he'll scurry away and start barking at it, and will try and nip at the wheels!

Has anyone had a similar experience, and if so, how did you overcome it? I would hate it if I couldn't take our baby and dog for a walk at the same time.

[HarderToKidnap]

I second the sling (and backpack now DS is a bit older). Even the most sooperest dooperest pram really doesn't go far in thick mud. Sling much better.

[BabyHMummy]

Tinkypeet - that ia good to know thanks!! Mine is crossed with a jack russell so is extra crackers but i wouldn't be without her now. she has play nipped the older 2 but only cos she jumps and catches them rather than deliberately doing it iykwim

[TinkyPeet]

-ps she is also quite possessive of her toys but not towards the kids, if they touch her toys she just sulks rather than trying to take them back (as she does with me if I take them) she also lets them go near her food bowl without batting an eyelid and if I am playing rough with her (she play bites me) and the kids get involved she 'noses' them rather than play bites iykwim. She's very conscious of their presence at all times :)

[TinkyPeet]

BabyH I have a patterdale too, she's great with the kids and when I had dd she sat at the side of the Moses basket and if I left the room she would 'stand guard' at the door. She did have to have a good sniff of dd when we brought her home but was just as excited to have her as ds lol. X

[BabyHMummy]

3littlewoman - my patterdale terrier does the same thing, she follows me to the loo, insists on sitting on my lap with her nose at groin level tries to sniff and lick me there and stuffs her nose too close when she insists on following me to the bathroom - tried shutting her out but i live in a block of flats and at 3am no one wants to hear her bark like mad cos i have shut her out the bathroom! She has now graduated to stealing my underwear out of the laundry basket and running off with them (although she has started to do this with DP's also) I keep finding them under the bed, in her bed, under the sofa, dining table etc. It was quite funny at first but now it is driving me nuts! She is nesting worse than I am!!

We got the dog in November last year and I found out I was pregnant 4 weeks later, so far she has been great with DP's other kids so I am hopeful she will be good with the baby.

I grew up with cats so love the idea that my bean is going to grow up with our dog as its first friend. Just got to get her to leave the toys alone as she is quite possessive!

[IdaClair]

I have a baby and a dog, but wouldn't take a pram on a dog walk. Have you considered not using a pram if the dog is wary?

[worsestershiresauce]

Not a fan of the rattling coke can thing myself with collies, and definitely not if they have an fear issues. It masks the problem, doesn't solve it. Positive training methods are much much more suitable. Post on the dog house for some great advice.

Fishybits I totally agree about not getting non-family friendly dogs, but life doesn't always go to plan. My dogs pre date my family, and I didn't expect to have dcs.

[3littlewomen]

That is so true serious. The relationship is so pure and innocent. It sounds like you have a lovely canine relationship from childhood to emulate.

Enjoy every moment of your pregnancy, the 1st is so special.

[SeriousStuff]

She sounds absolutely adorable!

We can't wait for our baby to grow up with our dog. When it works well, there is something incredibly touching about the innocence of a relationship between child and pet. They act on instinct and they can sense things that adults have become immune to.

My grandparents bought a dog only a few weeks after I was born and we were inseparable. It was heartbreaking when she died but I was so proud of having been around for the same amount of time as her.

[3littlewomen]

The nest I fear sounds sweeter then it is in reality.... think a circle of dirty smelly clothes stolen from laundry baskets, which is noisily rearranged for about an hour each night under my bed, and much admired by geriatric dog with bad eyesight in anticipation of her human baby. I think we may buy her a doll and wrap it in the babies first blanket , which we always give to her to cherish and love whilst she waits for me to come home from hospital.

She always knows i am pregnant before I do, and insists on accompanying me to the loo so she can rest her head on me and sniff (according to our vet she can tell more about me from smell then any dipstick). She is notoriously skeptical of the public health nurses/doctors skills, and really does not like anyone outside her family touching the baby. Actually at times I sense she is not sure of my skills and it quite relieved she is allowed to sniff/rub/sneak in the odd lick of the baby. Her pride in walking beside the pram and watching as people admire is hilarious!

I do wonder how she would react if i had a home birth (she would probably insist on trying to get in the pool).....

I would like to add we never leave her unsupervised with the baby, and we ensure she is wormed/vaccinated etc...

[foolserrand]

Have you considered wraps and carriers instead? We have 2 big dogs and, although both are calm and good on lead, I cba pushing a pram and dealing with them on lead again (ds had a buggy). Dd has been in wraps since day dot as a result. Much easier to walk across fields etc. You can buy wraps cheaper than buggies too.

[MeerkatMerkin]

3little that is the most adorable thing I have ever read; a nest! What a sweet dog she sounds. :)

[SeriousStuff]

Lions that's so sweet!

3little Your post made me so teary! What a wonderful dog. Ours already knows something's up - whenever he's in the kitchen, he sniffs my crotch every single time I go in to see/get him which he never used to do. It must smell different to him...also, the day we got our BFP, he cuddled up with me on the sofa for 20mins (the longest he'd done that before was 5 seconds as he's always wanting to play!)

[bogwoppitinatree]

I would be weary of the coke can if there is any fear linked to his reasons for herding. Could make him more afraid. Can he be distracted? COuld you give a command and reward (with food or a toy) for coming away from the prams - re enforces positively then rather than possibly putting more fear in there.
Depends on your dog though - one of ours wouldn't even blink at a rattle can/bottle, the other would hide...

[3littlewomen]

Seriousstuff hope you and your dog have a lovely time with the new baby - it is great you are identifying potential problems and looking at ways to prevent these. Our dogs have always being a really positive addition to our DC lives, we too worked hard training hem and respecting their individual breeds.

I am currently lying here next to my dozing elderly boxer dog (her snoring is keeping me awake) as DH is away. We are expecting no 5, and our dog is so involved....

She is currently working on a nest under our bed (expect thread on how to explain to dog - I understand you have worked hard on collecting and arranging the lovely dirty clothes for your nest, yes, you are very proud of it BUT no, the baby is not going to sleep in it with you) and spends each evening on the sofa with me with her head resting gently on the bump just sniffing and licking! This is her 3rd human baby and she loves them.

I am looking forward to breastfeeding with her big head gently resting on my spare knee, ensuring both me and baby are okay, her worried look if the baby cries and how with our 4th DC she would sleep beside the cot getting up and leaning against cot to have her ear rubbed by a sleepy baby who needed comfort.

Our girl is getting on now, as am I. This will be our last DC, and I am so glad she is here with us for this happy family event.

[Lionsntigersnbears]

Not really on topic, but after DD was born there came a day I couldn't find our elderly deerhound (size of a hairy greyhound). Called up and down house and yard and was just getting ready to get DD together to go find him and, yep, he was fast asleep in the pram.

[SeriousStuff]

BabyH thanks for that - I'll definitely try it if all else fails and he starts herding again. He's just lying here now, not wanting to go out because of the wind...butter wouldn't melt!

[BabyHMummy]

Op - was chatting to my mum earlier and mentions ur comments. The rescue place she got her dogs from recommended using an empty coke bottle with some gravel in it. When the dog does something you don't want it to just rattle the bottle the distraction breaks their concentration enough to move on and eventually the behavior stop completely.

I should point out that this tactic failed miserably with my terrier but on both mum's border collies it work miracles

[SeriousStuff]

The situation with us is that as a puppy, he was the runt of the litter and was treated badly by his farming owner who had no use for him. We came across him at a rescue centre, and although he would never work (because of the anxieties that had set in from not socialising with anyone and being shut up in a shed for the first 8 weeks of his life), my DH and I are very active (DH takes him out running and we both love long challenging walks), and we have some land so he's out all day rather than being cooped up in a tiny garden or in the house.

We knew the risks before taking him on as a lot of my family do farm and have working collies, but we just felt we could give him the next best thing after he was rejected the way he was.

He will be great with the baby, as he is with us - very loving and adequately protective. And of course, even if he was the most docile thing in the world, I would never leave a dog alone with a baby. It's just wheels that's the problem!

[fishybits]

I am very mildly discombobulated by people taking on dogs that are usually pretty unsuitable for a typical family life. Not having a go OP, you at least are asking for and getting some great advice.

I have two working dogs.

[worsestershiresauce]

Fishybits - you obviously have never spent any time with a working strain collie! Comments like that make me a little mad. They are very very different to the majority of pet breeds. The issue is not one of familiarising the dog with the pram, it is curbing the instinct to herd anything with wheels, a much harder nut to crack.

I have a collie with dog fear aggression and herding instinct - a double whammy. It has taken literally £1000s in behaviourists fees, residential courses, constant exposure to and socialisation with other dogs, and daily training to get him even half civilised. I am not 'making things a problem'.... believe me, and I can bet he has had considerably more training than your well behaved pets.

[SeriousStuff]

Loving all this advice! Thank you all.

Yes, collies are certainly unique - mine is too intelligent for his own good and the herding instinct is incredibly ingrained in him. When he sees a sheep, I may as well not exist, he just looks right through me and doesn't take his focus away for anything! We never drew his attention to sheep or made a big deal of them, but he still approaches them differently to any other animal.

[mamabrownbear]

First of all read "Tell your dog you're Pregnant' so useful and has a section which helps you identify what sort of dog you have ie. how it copes around crying babies etc. Then it will help you identify how to prepare your own dog for the arrival. It works really well.

Then, as with above suggestions, familarise your pooch with all the new baby stuff. We started after 20 weeks with our westie but she doesn't mind the pram now, know the cot in the bedroom isn't anything strange and that I have a special chair that only I sit on and she can still snuggle me on the sofa. Takes a wee while but your dog still needs to feel secure and know it's boundaries so it all helps. My fur child is still number 1 in my heart, and she will have a little sister soon too.

[ExpatAl]

Collies are different though fishybit and they have very specific training needs.