Mums to be that are dog owners sharing wisdom and stories

[Slippysnow]

Hi everybody.

I thought I could start a thread for dog owners that are at various stages of pregnancy. Reason being I was slightly nervous about how my dog (4yo staffy) would behave around me during pregnancy. He's pretty energetic and is welcome on the sofa he's a very oversized lap dog to be honest. So far so good, I do sheild my tummy occasionally.

We bought the book telling your dog your pregnant which I recommend. But would love to hear other people's experiences and share ideas of how to make the new arrival fit in smoothly with our pups

The thread May or may not be successful... Time will tell

How will I know if our Dog has to go?

We love him like crazy, and we got him as a puppy (8 weeks old) however our DS doesn't like him still (after having him for nearly 9 months) and now we're pregnant again.

at what point do you give up? I really love him, and I think we would love to have him, but I feel that he would enjoy a whole family who appreciated him, not just 2/3 people.

Why do you want to give him up? Just because your son isn't keen?

So if your son isn't keen on the new baby will you give that up too?!

Sorry but I feel massively strongly about dogs being 'given up'. If you do go down this route please rehome him straight to someone who will keep him for the rest of his natural life. I have 2 rescues and know first hand the utter disaster zone of dogs who've had multiple homes and been in kennels. My 9 month JRT had been in 5 homes when she came to us. It's taken us 2 years to get her mentally ok.

I'm not trying to be harsh but it upsets me greatly

I also have two rescue dogs and implore you to do everything you can to hold on to your boy Queen. It is traumatising for dogs to leave the home they like and Luna, our lab cross, still frets whenever we leave her, even four years after being with us.
Dogs are hard work, just like kids. In fact, we are due our first in a few weeks and feel like the dogs have been a great preparation (only difference seems we have friends and family already lined up to babysit the human!) I know we don't have our baby yet but our dogs are staying despite the fact that they are both pains!
Could you perhaps try doing some fun things with dog and son - maybe some simple training with treats, some games of catch, even just five minutes of supervised stroking/tummy rubbing time? Might help with the bonding process. I think your son will follow your lead so if you make some dog time exciting and fun it should rub off. Good luck :)

I don't want to give up on the dog, in fact husband and I are soo very sad that our DS hasn't taken to Milo despite wanting a dog most of his life. Our son has a particular disability--his frame of mind may not change in regards to the dog.

Milo means the world to us, he truly truly does. I'm just worried about our sons treatment of Milo as our son grows up. Our son was much bigger than Milo when we brought Milo home. (Labrador) Milo has since grown and is much larger than our DS (who is 4). We tested out having a labrador for a few weeks over the summer before we decided to get Milo--and our Son was over the moon with that dog.

I honestly feel that once Milo has been neutered and grown a bit (calmed down) their relationship will be better; however if I cannot control Ds's behaviour+attitude towards Milo I will then become worried for Milo's safety and happiness.

Milo is the funnest, sweetest, kindest animal we have ever met--and he has restored our faith in ourselves (when our DS was dx'd with a disability my dh and I naturally felt responsible for our bad parenting skills).

It's difficult enough to get our son to be mindful of his toys---just soo worried how he'll treat Milo as he gets older.

Maybe a bit of expert help from someone who knows about assistance dogs or works with children with specific needs? My dog is a PAT dog but I don't know much more about anything specific I'm afraid.

As regards neutering he can be done at about a year old but talk to your vet if you think you'd like it done sooner. Some dogs are mature enough earlier than that.

I've seen so many examples where, with the right help, children with specific needs blossom with a dog in their lives. Would be worth getting help now tho

Yeah, I have been trying to get the right training. However in our area--it's close to £1k for special needs training.

Aw Queen that sounds really hard. I wonder if there are any charities which could help. I'm not sure where you would start though. I certainly think getting the dog neutered would be a good start - it will almost certainly calm him down a bit although labs can be quite giddy when young. Is there anything your son really enjoys doing which you could try to somehow involve the dog in? Other than that if the dog seems happy and is getting love from you and your OH, maybe over time your son will accept him. Everything crossed for you.

I have a Gordon setter, black lab cross. He's lovely :) I also have a 5 and a bit month old baby, he's also lovely. My dog is a barker when playing, when someone comes to the door and when we get his lead out. It's never bothered the baby I think he was used to the sound.

My husband took a babygro home from the hospital and came home at night to look after the dog. When I got home the dog was very happy to see me and I took him on a very quick walk approx 5 minutes. After that once I'd had a few day r&r at home, (straightforward birth only 7 stitches) I'd wear the baby in a sling(caboo) when walking the dog. I have a baby that wanted to be held a lot and a strong dog. I don't need to use the sling anymore but it was essential at the start.