HELP - newborn baby and 8mth old pup

[Simplelife78]

Please bear with me as Ive had no sleep.

I got a cockapoo in November. He’s been slow to train but on the whole is fine. He usually sleeps on his own downstairs of a night. As soon as you switch tv and lights off he’s ready for bed and sleeps until around 6am.

Not long after I got him, dd1 found out she was pregnant. Long story short, baby dad not interested, dd then got evicted and had to move into supported accommodation. They were meant to help her find something more permanent by the time baby arrived (we tried too) but couldn’t and so she’s back in my box room.

My adorable granddaughter was born on Sunday and mom and baby came home last night.
We had previously used a doll that cried to try and get the dog ready and also bought a hat of the baby’s home for him to sniff.
He was ok whilst we were all around downstairs, had a little sniff of baby, got down when told but then it all went to shit.

We all went up to bed and he barked, cried, howled. I came down and settled him and went back but he was then worse. I tried putting him in with me but he was just the same.
I think eventually we fell asleep for an hour and then he woke and started again.
Took him out for a wee, put white noise on, but nothing worked.

I ended up coming downstairs and sleeping on sofa with him. Managed to get a couple of hours.

Not sure what to do about this. We had anticipated him being jumpy and curious but not this.
Im trying to split myself in 2, helping dd and sorting the dog.

Any advice would be great x

Meant to add, we had new neighbours move in yesterday so I’m very conscious of the amount of noise.

Congratulations on the birth of your Grandchild.
Sounds like you tried to prepare your pup. Hard to fully prepare for the reality.
It’s very early days and new routines and situations for all of you. Where possible I’d try to stick to your pup’s routines for consistency.
Appreciate you worrying about the noise.

Good advice on here

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/life-with-your-dog/at-home/preparing-dog-for-new-baby

Thank you ☺️

Will have a look at the link, thank you for that .

Hey OP! Congratulations on your new granddaughter, what a wonderful time for you all.

You’ve got an adolescent dog, which can be tricky in and of itself, and it sounds like his routine and normalcy has been upended a bit with your lovely new arrival.

It’s super new for everyone so cut yourself some slack! An adolescent dog will learn best with boundaries and routine. Things might be a little unsettled/loud for a bit (you can always pop some chocolates and earplugs round to the neighbours and explain you’re all just settling into this new normal!) but bear with it and I am sure you will all get there.

The great news is he’s still so young that I’m sure he’ll pick up on the new situation soon enough.

My advice would be decide on a nighttime routine and stick to it. Persevere even when it’s a bit uncomfortable. Lots of positive fuss in the day time when he’s around you all and the baby. He will learn the new normal soon enough!

Congrats!
As others have said, he needs time to settle. His world has been turned upside down, and he needs some time to adjust. Routine and consistency are key.

Unfortunately, cockerpoos are often quite highly strung and sensitive - so he'll probably need lots of reassurance. Positive praise and lots of high value treats for calm behaviour too - as that is what you want to be reinforcing.

I had a dog that literally screamed for the first evening I was home with my newborn. I was not prepared for that at all. It took her a few days and she settled. So there is hope x

How are they going to stick to a nighttime routine with a newborn!

Is dog crate sleeping? Giving pup more secure accommodation can often help them feel better. I drape a blanket over mine so it's like a cave

Thank you so much for all of the advice and the congratulations. This is my first grandchild and I’m smitten, she is just so adorable ☺️

Im pleased to report that since we all stopped stressing and overthinking it he has been so much better. He’s been getting lots of praise when he is behaving how we want and he slept downstairs alone last night with no repeat of Thursday nights performance ☺️

Glad everything was more settled last night. Our first night home with baby and our 5 year old labrador was stressful. I think my hormones, lack of sleep, stress about the unknown on how my dog would react and me and hubby worrying about dog getting too close to baby, it made for a high stress environment. Like you though, after that first night we've had no issues. Baby is 4 months and my dog adores her.
Congratulations

Glad everything settled OP! Our dog was exactly the same when our first baby came home and it was just because he wanted to be near her, I’m not sure he trusted us to look after her without him present 😂 he now sleeps on the floor outside of her bedroom door!