I'm pregnant and my dog has never met a baby

[MoonlightMojitos]

I suppose I've never really thought about it before!

So, as an intro: My dog is 9 and I've had him since he was 10 weeks old. He is my baby, I'm not going to lie, he is very spoilt and very attached to me. He does have mild separation anxiety but I've tried alot and it's now just to the point where he sits by the door watching/listening for me to return and doesn't really relax when I'm gone (he was ok before we moved house earlier in the year then he started to pace and bark and chew things so is alot better now, slowly getting there). He follows me everywhere when I am at home eg when I go to the toilet he follows me and sits outside!

There are no children in my immediate family and I have no friends with children yet so one has never been in our house. He must have seen toddlers and small children about on walks and a few older children have petted him over the years. But now I think about it he never would have really seen a baby?

I am now pregnant and wondering if there is anything I should be doing in preparation for when the baby arrives in terms of him possibly struggling with not being the centre of my undivided attention and also wondering what the heck this tiny screaming thing is in his house! He doesn't seem to have any clue that I am pregnant btw in terms of acting any differently (I thought maybe he would smell the change of hormones or something but obviously not!)

I know a new baby in the house can be difficult for dogs at the best of times and he did struggle for a long time before settling after we moved house so thanks for any advice on how best to prepare:).

Anyone? Bump :)

We have a fear aggressive dog and a lovely one, both had never set eyes on a baby before!

Firstly we got a trainer to assess the situation but her main points were to start bringing baby stuff in now. Play the toys with loud music, push the pram, use the steriliser and play crying sounds. The aim of the game being to introduce everything now so it's not a huge shock all at once and so if something does scare the dog it doesn't associate scary thing with the baby.

We also started teaching ours that they can be shut out for short periods. We did a few kitchen hours here and there and built it up. You could crate train or put up a baby gate and just sit beside him and gradually move away and make the space you put him the best place ever- full of whatever it is he loves.

Once baby came they really didn't care one bit and ignore everything he does unless he has food. They did have a sniff at first but we distracted them with a stag bar and treats and they realised he wasn't anything to do with them. We didn't change our routine too much though, they still sleep where they want and get 2 walks a day so they are happy

Hope it works out for you!

We did the same - assembled the pram and left it up and pushed it around for a while, left the car seats on the floor etc. I had twins and they were in hospital for a while so I also took home some of their dirty clothes so he could get used to the smell.

Ddog is a terrier - he loves the kids and used to guard them in the beginning and he still looks for them first thing in the morning.

I had a playpen and would put the babies on their in their bouncy chairs if I went for a shower / into the kitchen etc just in case. I don't think he would have hurt them but he would have licked them which perhaps would be the best hygiene with tiny prem babies!

I had 2 older dogs last year when my baby was born. They hadn't had much to do with babies or kids. A pointer bitch and a border terrier dog. The pointer was great she was lovely with her and she used to come and sit with me when I was up in the middle of the night with the baby, was lovely to have some company! She has passed away now though.

My little dog hasn't found it quite as easy. First he totally ignored her and then he used to pear into the moses and was a bit obsessed with her. He used to rush at her in a fussy was sort of but also a bit like he might want to eat her! So it was a bit of a worrying time. He calmed down but then started doing in when she started crawling. I think she just freaks him out a bit! But he's fine now. See how he copes with number 2 coming in Feb.

I'm sure your dog will be fine. What kind of dog is he? You'll just have to make sure you have enough love and attention to go around.

I had two dogs a lurcher and a Jack Russell when I had ds my ddogs both treated baby as an extension of me the Jack especially adored him, watched him constantly and later when my second baby my dd was three months old and stop breathing during a febrile convulsion my ddog alerted us and saved her life. Remember that baby will smell like you and be very familiar to your dog, dogs are also pack animals and very indulgent with their own offspring.

InfiniteSheldon that's a wonderful story! I hope you gave the dog a steak for tea :)

Thanks for all your stories, it's very reassuring and infinite that's lovely! My mum had a Alsatian when I was born and she says he was very protective of me (used to sit by the cot all day and guard me!) So fx everything will go well for me too. I'll start with some of the tips eg buggy closer to the time :)