Introducing baby and dog

[Nelbert19]

We are expecting our first baby in the summer and, as I sit here cradling the dog in my arms like an infant, it occurred to me that I should maybe start preparing her for the newcomer!

She is 2 year old mini schnauzer - very soft and loving, but also very attached to me. She will climb on me for a cuddle as soon as I sit down most of the time and doesn’t like it when I pet another dog. She never gets aggressive, but she yaps at me and looks very disconcerted! She has also barked at me when holding my friends baby, so has potential to be jealous.

She doesn’t have much exposure to children most days, but when we come across them in the park, she’s very interested in them and very gentle. Another friend once bought a very rough and loud toddler to our house, who screamed at her and threw toys at her and pulled her tail and she was VERY patient, not a sign of aggression (although I think I was growling at the kid by the end 🙄)

So in a very gentle dog who is likely to be confused and jealous that she is getting far less attention... any tips on how to prepare her? And how to do the initial introduction?

(PS she sleeps downstairs in her basket so overnight won’t be an issue. I’d also NEVER leave dog and baby unattended no matter how trustworthy she appears)

Here she is modelling her belly for you

Stop worrying.. She'll be fine. She'll get used to new arrival I'm sure. Bring baby home and let your dog snuff baby... Job done

Sniff

I have a chihuahua who is very much the same, follow me everywhere and loves a cuddle. My baby is due in January but is probably going to come by c section within the next 10 days.

So far we’ve just about cut out the climbing on the sofa only done this as I’m worried he might jump up on my fresh c section wound, and because while I’m feeding baby I won’t have any hands to push him away and he’s very licky and annoying.

We’re also taking him to have a doggy holiday at my DP’s dads house, he has two other chihuahuas and our pieces going there so he will spend a week or so there while we settle in, and I personally think that you should bring the dog into the house when baby is already there, to show pooch that the small human is essentially a ‘leader/boss/owner’ type thing. I think bringing baby home to the dog could have the potential to cause territorial behaviour once a clingy dog realises that baby needs a lot of attention.

I’ve played baby crying noises and he doesn’t even flinch and I have a toddler niece who he adores and is very patient with her (she’s very gentle but if he jumps up she will push him down and shout no) but he’s never got snappy, he knows no means no so once he’s told then problem is resolved.

I wish you the best of luck! Be sure to have plenty of treats for good behaviour

I'd suggest to stop letting him on sofas, beds etc. When you have the baby you don't want the dog jumping on when ever he feels like it. And it's better to stop now than when baby arrives so as not to connect the change with the baby which could result in jealousy. We did this with our dogs who used to be our babies, sleep in our bed etc. Though they have always been friendly, I didn't want to risk any jealousy and wanted them to know the pecking order. All went well. Good luck!

@Nelbert19 if you join the 'dog training advice and support' Facebook group they've got loads of information on how to prepare your dog for the arrival of a baby! I'm working my way through it now with mine

Thank you for the tips everyone

@sassenach84 that’s a good idea - Male changes before baby so she doesn’t connect the two

@SexlessBoulderBelly my sister will be dog sitting when I go into labour. I think when she brings pup back, DH can hold the baby so I can fuss the dog and hold her while she meets baby. Bit less overwhelming for her! I’ll ask my sister to keep her an extra few days though so baby smell is established in the house so pup knows it’s one of the family!

Honestly... We brought ours home. Our dog loved it as a newborn, we have a large, clumsy rottweiler Cross collie. Looks more like a rottweiler but not as fat as the usual rottweilers.

Now the kid is a toddler, thats where the problems begin!! Dog accepted the new member of the pack easily. I just have to warn my toddler to be gentle sometimes. He thinks it's funny to chase the dog sometimes, or to put crayons on her etc.

Baby gates are your friend here!

There will be times when you need to put the dog out of the room etc - this is a safe way for dog and baby to interact.

I started early though, dog off bed, sofa etc, start locking the dogs out of the room just for a few minutes so its not a massive shock when the baby arrives!

good luck!

She'll be fine, my mum has a staffy that's so spoiled by her it's unreal. He's honestly the biggest softy ever we were living with them when I had my little girl and he just loved coming over to sniff her or would curl up on beside me whilst I was holding her.

She should be fine but do introductions slowly. We have a rescue staffy he’s a senior dog we don’t know his background. We got him last May / June after my previous dog sadly had to be put down. When I had my baby in March it was a stressful 2 weeks or so as the dog was constantly crying and whining through the night & when the baby was crying he would start up too. I guess he was confused what was going on and what this thing was. It took some time but he is ok with baby now. In hindsight it would have been best to get the dog use to not sitting on the couch etc in advance but it’s been ok to train him up that way now and he’s taken to it well. Might take some time depending on dog’s temperament but you will be ok with some patience.