Dogs and Newborns

[aubie]

Dogs and kids can be great! Just keep an eye on them, accidents can always happen. We don't have kids, but Anna is very protective of our little nephew. She always keeps him in her sight when we go visit them. The dad is amazed at it and says they should have got a GSD instead of their Frenchie!! lol

I think it's vitally important to have the dog around the child though so they get used to each other. One of my DH's coworkers is now trying to re-introduce their dog to their kid after throwing the dog outside when the baby was born....

[AndreaG]

Newborns, as others have said, are exciting first, but then not all that interesting. Our son is 8 months old now and just started to explore the world, touch and grab things (tails, fur, nose included, so supervision is a must!), it just started to be a lot more interesting. So far what I have seen is that dogs really "adopt" the family kid, and other than accidentally knocking him over, no problems at all. Well, unless you count the dog hair in the baby's mouth. LOL.
Stuff that helps: babygates, good vacuum, and most of all: good obedience for the dogs, so you can send them away before you step on them with the baby in your hands! That has been the only real "issue": they want to be where you are, and I almost tripped over them a couple of times.
There are books out there, how you should bring home the baby smell, play them baby cries from tape, etc.... It really doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as I thought it will be.
Oh and just be prepared for well-meaning but annoying advice about why aren;t you affraid that your dogs will eat the baby and aren't you going to get rid of them? Drove me freakin' crazy when I was pg.

[Chicagocanine]

I just wanted to mention that there is a lot you can do to help prepare your dogs for your baby's arrival. It is a good idea to prepare your dogs now, before they baby comes.

Here is some info on doing this:

http://www.dogobediencegroup.com/babyprep.html

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/babyprep.html

And Baby Makes Four: A Trimester-by-Trimester Guide to a Baby-Friendly Dog

[chuckstar158]

Congratulations!!!

My daughter just turned 7 months and everything has been smooth here with our 2 GSDs.

Katie was more interested in my pregnancy than Otto but we did the "bring home a blanket and let them sniff" exercise. We didn't carry a fake baby or tapes of cries or anything like that.

We brought Sarah home from the hospital and while she was still in the car seat, we sat on the floor with the dogs and let them really sniff her. They were super interested and Katie "adopted" Sarah immediately. She was always fretting and very worried about her. She stood between non-family and the baby (not growling or anything like that but she'd just position her body between them). If she knew you well... she'd show off Sarah like she was so proud. Otto was careful but fairly indifferent to the daily chores of having a newborn. That being said...both dogs would always be nearby and check on her all the time.

Once she noticed them (4 months-ish), it was a whole new ball game. She laughs whenever she sees them and now that she's 7 months and covered with food or crawling... all three are best buds.

We haven't had any accidents but Katie was just diagnosed with DM this week () . She's a little wobbly in her hind quarters so I'm watching that more carefully.

GSDs + baby =

First minutes home:







Sarah a little older:





Sarah video from last month:

Sarah and Katie video

[bkathryn]

Thanks everyone!! Ive really enjoyed reading the stories and the pictures are all so adorable!!! And Andrea Ive already started getting the comments and questions about getting rid of the dogs before the baby comes!! I absolutely hate it!!! "What are you going to do with Cooper?"... hmmm nothing?? And I HATE HATE people who think GSDs are dangerous just because of the breed.. hello people! Dont you know ANY dog can be aggressive? Whether its a great dane or a yorkie, if they arent trained any dog can hurt someone!

[L_Dan]

NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER leave an infant or toddler alone with any dog. Why take a chance?

It's as dangerous as leaving a kid alone in a car with the motor running.

[SunCzarina]

Can't say I like it much that everyone asks about "getting rid of" (ggrrrrr I hated that too) the GSD but thinks the lab should be perfect with the baby.

Be vigilant, let the dogs know what behavior is to be expected, don't leave them alone with the baby and it'll all be good. You'll have some fun pictures of your own in no time. My favorite pictures of my children as infants include Morgan, she always made them giggle. So devoted to them, still is.

[Jax08]

Pple are idiots. There is a lab who has been kenneled outside for years. A sign goes up in the front yard welcoming the new baby and the next week there is a sign out to sell the lab. The lab is still in the kennel and the sign is still up. Been there for weeks.