How to introduce new baby to the dogs?

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I am 34 weeks pregnant with our first and it is all suddenly becoming quite real. My newest stress is just how to introduce baby to the dogs. We have a 5 1/2 yr old border collie and a 5 yr old cocker spaniel.

Cocker spaniel is soft as anything and a complete tart. Is happy to be petted and have his ears pulled by the most boisterous of our friend's kids. But also thinks he has the right to pop up and sit on my lap whenever he feels like it. Not good if I'm trying to feed a baby!

The collie is lovely but a bit scatty. She had her nose put out of joint a bit when my 6 month old nephew came to visit the other weekend and sulked. I think because she wasn't the centre of attention and people weren't throwing toys for her to constantly fetch. She is also alarmed quite easily which sets her off barking. (am thinking of ear plugs for baby.....joke!!)

So am after any and all advise as to how to easily introduce baby into our home without upsetting the dogs.

The truth?
I would rehome the dogs.
Not the answer you were looking for, I know, but I am sure many others will share this view

@ franklampoon, there is no need to be so ridiculously alarmist.

OP I'm sure your dogs and baby will al get on very nicely with a bit of preparation.

Get lots of the new things out now for the dogs to smell, things you will use when changing a nappy, bathing etc, also set up baby equiptment, pushchair, bouncer, cot etc, so the dogs can investigate it and get used to it's presence pre-baby.

If you can do it without feeling stupid, sit with a doll wrapped in a blanket and pretend to feed, talk to the doll as you would your new baby, so the dogs can get used to you in a new role, (they won't be fooled for a minute, but it will give them a start). While you are mock feeding/cuddling encorage the dogd to like quietly with a tastly bone or a stream of treats, so they see you in this new role as something positive for them.

If you can persuade the parents, see if you can get a recording of your nephew crying, initially this can be played very quietly while the dogs are eating or relaxing, then the volume gradually increased over many days until it is quite loud, ignore the dogs for reacting to it, praise them for ignoring it.

I would recommend you get yourself a good book, try Amazon, I came up with this one, though I haven't seen it myself.

I'm sure other people will come along with more advice, please ignore the alarmists, dogs are very good for children.

Sorry about all the typos, bot quiye with it this morning.

Well, for a start dogs do pose a potential hazard to children, but then so do kettles, tired parents, house fires and foxes :). So it's a risk, but like many other risks we meet in life it is manageable in the majority of cases.

You need to look at the dogs' daily routine now and realistically see what may alter when the baby comes. If you currently walk them for an hour 3 times a day then I suspect, unless you pay a dog walker, that this isn't going to be sustainable for a while. If you spend half an hour each evening training them then again, this may not be feasible after the baby arrives. So now is the time to gradually start withdrawing a little bit of attention, and using alternative means of stimulation (chew toys/raw hide/getting a friend to walk them).

Setting up baby paraphernalia now is also a good idea - moses basket, cot etc. We also put a stairgate at the bottom of the stairs so the dogs couldn't get up there and taught them to stay off the sofa. 6 weeks is enough time to teach this if you're committed :)

When it came to the birth I kennelled the dogs so that they were out of the house for a few days. It gave me a chance to get home and settled before their return. It meant I didn't have to worry about feeding/exercising them. When they did come back I treated them pretty normally and if they wanted to sniff the baby in my arms etc just stayed really calm and praised them for calm behaviour.

I think it's important to ignore any of this pack theory crap you get - you know the thing, eat a cracker before you give them their dinner, show them who's boss, teach them that the baby's "above" them in the pack - it's nonsense and has been widely discredited now that we have a better understanding of dog behaviour. The stress of a new baby comes from a change of routine and a lack of understanding of a dog's needs. TBH a newborn isn't nearly as hard for a dog to deal with as a crawling baby, or one who is starting to pull themselves up and toddle. The unpredictable movements and low level of the baby can be threatening and frightening to a dog and this is the stage at which the risk is really high IMO.

I set up a travel cot which DS was put in if I wasn't in the room, and basically never ever left the dogs together with him unless I was there. We also rearranged the room so there was a corner the dogs could access by jumping over the arm of the sofa but DS couldn't get to - you could do the same by providing crates but making them somehow inaccessible to baby. But this is more for when the baby is moving.

Sorry, this is a bit of a stream of consciousness ramble, but basically never ever leave them together unsupervised, praise calm behaviour and stay calm yourself :)

Dogs Trust fact sheet

Franklin there is always one! When the dc gets difficult you can always rehome them too.

You have got plenty of time to get the dogs ready for this. Get a doll and carry it about the house with you. When you are holding the doll the dogs must learn to leave you alone. They will learn very quickly.If you are consistent you have two very bright dogs there!

Get a baby crying noise you can get downloads from the internet and play it at intervals. Ignore the crying and the dogs will learn that they two shold take no notice. This is quite important as when you have the realy thing you will react to the crying obviously and the dogs can get upset by your reaction.

Good idea to get cot and baby stuff up in the house so the dogs again get used to it. If you do not want them in a certain room or near the cot and pram etc now is the time to teach this.

When the baby arrives if they are born in hospital can you get partner to bring clothes home that the baby has worn and just leave around the house.

When baby comes can you make plans for extra walks for the dogs so they are so tired they really do not care about the goings on in teh house for a week or two. Onviously you will be busy! but maybe think of getting a dog walker to give them an extra walk each day for a bit.

Good luck on new baby if you have brought up two dogs it will be a breeze!

Great advice from ThatDamnDog and WTWTW

Best of luck - I'm sure they'll be very happy with each other in no time.

good luck with all that.

I meant to add:

My pet hate is people who wax lyrical about how good their dog is with kids, in the vein of "He'll let them climb all over him and pull his tail and poke him in the eye" etc. These are the dogs who will bite your child eventually. It is your responsibility to protect your dog from your child, and putting up with being manhandled and prodded by kids is more than you should expect of any dog. The children should never be allowed to treat dogs like this, and if they are doing this they're either unsupervised (unacceptable) or haven't been taught not to (unacceptable).

Sorry, lecture over :)

I should really butt out, and I apologise if I seem hysterical.

I am the most relaxed parent I know but would never ever trust ANY dog around a newborn, and have never had the energy/inclination to give myself the extra work involved in supervising dogs with little children.

I know of three cases where "perfect family pets' mauled babies

Cesar Milan's book 'A Member of the Family' has good advice, though some of it doesn't work great when your dogs don't live outside the house! But there's some really good advice on making the baby higher in the pack than the dog, and on introducing the baby smell with clothes.

Never leave a dog unsupervised with a baby or small child. Even if you think your dog is predictable, the child isn't. You don't know what they might do that could cause the dog to lash out.

Start dealing with spoilt dog behaviours asap. They have to learn that they can't always be on your lap, that they can't always be in the same room as you and that food and toys can be taken away at any point (with no negative reaction).

We're getting extra baby-gates so that the dog will never be allowed in the nursery, and so we can limit where he goes easily. We're also getting a playpen to put the play-gym/bouncer in so that I can put the baby down and know that she's out of the dog's reach.

Someone to walk the dogs lot is definitely a good idea, whether it's a friend, family or a professional. Tired dogs are less likely to be hyper and have behavioural issues.

Apparently babies react less to sudden or loud noises that they've heard in the womb, so we'll see if barking sets the baby off!

Please, please, please take any Cesar Millan advice with a huge pinch of salt. He's been widely criticised by a large number of animal welfare, behaviour and veterinary organisations (including the Dog's Trust, the Blue Cross, the RSPCA, Wood Green Animal Shelter, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the British Veterinary Association, the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the World Society for the Protection of Animals, among others - all highly respected organisations in the canine welfare field) for using outdated aversive techniques which can be harmful to the wellbeing of dogs. For more information see this link.

Personally and more importantly I feel that his approaches are likely to increase any risk posed to a child in the vicinity of the dog. I urge you to treat his advice and approaches, and any pack-based advice in general, with extreme caution.

Cesar Milan needs shooting . But every-one else has given excellent advice. I had a JRT when I had dd1 and dd2 and she was great with them.

One thing I can say is try and keep the dogs routine as close as possible to how it is now. If you think that their routine will need to change start making those changes gradually before the baby comes.

very interesting thread - thanks to all who have posted. woke up this morning and couldn't get back to sleep due to various things playing on my mind - including this.
well done to those who've managed and good luck to those who are about to deal with it (i'm being induced in 2 weeks 3 days and have a nearly 3 yr old border terrier)

I really would not worry. Most dogs are pretty adaptable that is why they get on so well with humans in the first place. If they have what they need eg food exercise and some affection most dogs will not mind at all.

Enjoy your babies and get some relaxation out walking the dogs

Agree ignore Cesar Milan!