Big Dog, Little baby - Any tips?

[Thumbtack]

Just to clarify - I would never leave baby and dog together unsupervised.

My 5 mo DS is going to get mobile soon and my bull mastiff is very placid, in fact she has shown some protective tendencies toward me and baby (she was scared of loud noises such as fireworks and crow scarers and used to run off home but now 'escorts' me and baby home even though she is visibally frightened!) and I dont allow actual contact but she tries to tenderly lick his little hand.

DS is very interested in her - I can imagine he will try to be all over her when he gets mobile, is there anything i need to be aware of? - such as her claws when she plays etc etc

What experiences have people had with big dogs little babies?

I had two big labs when DD was born, and was reasonably concerned in case things didn't go to plan. Actually, things went really really well. DD was very interested in the dogs, loved stroking them, and they were both brilliant, very placid and easygoing, gentle with her at all times

DD was far more interested in the cats, as they ran away when she approached, making them more attractive.

I have vivid memories of DD learning to get on the sofa from the floor by climbing onto a labrador. And she also got massive enjoyment from their waterbowl, something to bear in mind perhaps?

I found the trickiest age was about 2-3 years really, when DD wasn't always that nice to the dogs, so it was constant supervision, and lots of distraction. and showing DD how to be nice to the dogs. I made sure the dogs always had a safe place to go and be undisturbed.

Sorry just wanted to add if anyone has some nice feel good stories of big dogs and children that would be nice to hear - i think i need reassuring!

Thank you hindsight! Waterbowl tip is helpful (love your username btw)

Last dog was in between lab and greyhound size, I got him when DS was about 2 and 2 years before DD was born (previous big dog was only around while DS was tiny) because he was a rescue I was very careful never to leave them alone for months, the first time I did I nipped out of the room room for a pee as DS was watching tv and the dog was asleep... I came back and DS was standing on the dog to look out of the window the poor dog was just lying there with a pained look on his face, lol.

When DD started crawling she developed a fascination with the dog's eyes, she'd head towards them with a determined pokey look and the poor dog would wait till she was about a foot away and then move, for her to change direction and start again... Once I stopped her doing that though it was all fine.

He was fantastic with them, played well with them, let them pick on him horribly without ever complaining and they could hold his lead even as toddlers, he was a brilliant dog though...current puppy is still a work in progress, lol

Both replies have elements of Dcs climbing on said dogs which makes laugh, my bull mastiff is also a rescue so yes I'm keeping extra vigilant, I've had her 4 years before ds was born but I figure you can't be too careful? I do love having her around for company and she always gets a delighted smile from my son :) She has her own 'corner' which I'll try and keep 'baby free' so she can retreat if she needs to.

I have a greyhound and a 21mo toddler, we got the dog when DD was 7.5mo, it hasn't been too difficult because he prefers his own space and tends to spend most of his day upstairs asleep. I never ever ever ever leave them alone together, the dog is quite wary of DD (she's loud, fast and high pitched) and she is very interested in him so I dread to think what could happen if I did. His bowls have never been a problem, they are by the back door which is through the kitchen and the kirchen is gated so DD has no access to them. Hound has a separate water bowl upstairs too.

Please don't ever allow your DS to climb on your dog, or pull her ears/tail/fur etc, even if your dog doesn't seem to mind, chances are, she won't like it and may not tolerate it for long.

I have a rhodesian ridgeback, he's bleeding adorable with my 5 yr old (I got him when DS was 18 mo) and my now 22 month old, he was here when she was born obviously. If your dog is a nice dog, don't worry, obviously, don't let her clamber on him, in case he's got a pain you don't know about, but if you're not leaving them together then please don't worry.

Big dogs are less of a worry than little dogs in my experience.

Thanks everyone, I'll heed your warning about clambering all over her, as much as I love dogs, you never know when something might push her button . . And she is a big dog! Even when she is playing nicely accidents can happen with big paws and claws . .

Oh yes Thumb, there's BM that lives down our street, she's a gorgeous dog, so friendly and placid, but she's just so big! Her head is HUGE! And because she's so big and strong her owner walks her on one of those shock absorbant leads (basically bungee elastics) as a normal lead would just pull her owner straight over!

We have a great dane. She has been with us since we had 2 babies/toddlers.
She has been great. Used to tip toe over them when they were crawling. I second making sure your children do not think the dog is a plaything. Also make sure the dog has somewhere 'safe'to go away from the children

Dogmatic lead is great

Those of you whose children climb on dogs, please please don't allow this. Some of the above comments are chilling. The vast majority of dog bites happen in family homes and involved familiar dogs.

www.liamjperkfoundation.org/stress.html

If I caught the DC climbing on the current dog I'd kill them, DS is 6 feet tall... Lol

I think it was pretty obvious that mine weren't allowed to - but children do seem to like to climb on dogs, poke them and pull at bits of them, so yes watch out for it. Even with the most tolerant of dogs, you don't want children hurting them anyway.

We've had a German shepherd ten years from rehoming centre. I've had two dds since we got her. Only one incident when she jumped up to me and scaratched my daughters leg who I was holding it wasn't bad but yes mind the claws. we use babygates to keep a dog area for her so kids can't bother her too much especially now she's getting old. We don't allow anytime alone with child and dog even with the eldest who is 9.

They both stroke her and give her treats but def no climbing on her!

Thank you for the link trekxc very interesting

My kids have both been brought up to respect all animals, they would never climb on a dog, or pull his ears, you wouldn't let them do it to a human, so why a potentially life threatening animal?

Thumbtack it is so nice to read how you want them to have a good relationship . So many people have dogs they dote on and when baby comes along they get very little attention and get shut out of family life then wonder why dog is unhappy . Good for you for wanting the best for all .
We have 2 elderly staffys (12 and 16) and 3 grandchildren who visit often and they get on great .

Furbaby thank you soooo much for your post! Made my day! It is tricky making sure my great big dog still feels included, I watch her body language all the time and I'm quite anxious that we get it right for both baby and dog, I think I overcompensate sometimes but it's worth it.

I am sure all will be fine . I do think most dogs are good with youngsters .
We used to have an old english mastiff where I worked and my daughter would come to work with me from about 3 years old , this dog was always so gentle with her mind you he was a bugger with men and often tried to bite bottoms as they left the room . Not what you want from a 13 stone dog but he was a rescue and think he had a bad time as a pup .
I am sure your dog and dc will love each other .

We have a Rottie/Alsatian cross, who we had had for just over a year when our wee one was born. We worried a lot too, especially as ours was effectively a rescue. However, it's been a lot better than I anticipated, despite the odd early panic.

The main things we have found important are:

always respect the dog's need for space- and provide it (can be a bit of a juggling act!) without seeming to punish it. Part of this is to really listen out for cues and be careful of over-reacting to a growl, as this is an important means of communication for the dog so it's better to not try to remove it, IYSWIM.

take the dog out on fun walks with the baby. Cannot recommend this enough- I got a sling especially so as to make this easier. She actually walked far better for me in those early months than she did for my partner (who is definitely her Alpha), as I think she was being careful with both of us and behaved better.*

make time for your dog, make a fuss of it whenever you get the chance so as to re-assure it. Teach your baby how to pay it positive attention gently, along with you- though obviously pay attention to the dog and don't force it.

Keep the dog out of the room if the baby has food. As much as anything, this is because your dog will get fat as babies/toddlers seem to love sharing their food with them..!

My sprog is not 2 yet though, so no doubt we still have some challenges ahead..!

• Although, this could occasionally cause her to be more protective than normal, which could be awkward if she sensed another dog to be any sort of a threat etc. Make sure you're physically ready to deal with your dog, if there's any chance of this!

(Oh, and just to point out in case it isn't obvious, the main gist of my post is that it's important not to exclude the dog too much, make sure it still feels included in the unit: I think our dog has actually settled more in some ways as she feels part of a 'stronger pack', if that makes any sense?)