Dogs and Newborns

[bkathryn]

Hello everyone!! I am a frequent visitor to this site.. but I havent posted in months! I have a 2 year old male GSD named Cooper.. and a 1 and a half yo yellow lab, Maddie. Im just curious on everyones experiences on bringing home a new baby. I am 17 weeks pregnant and I am almost positive that my furbabies know that theres a baby in there! lol anyway.. My best friend has a 3 month old baby who stayed the night with me a few nights ago... I had trouble with Maddie licking her head.. no aggression at all, just too much love! But I was so shocked with my GSD cooper!! The baby was in her bouncer on the floor and whenever she would make noises (cooing, babbling) Cooper would crawl over to her, rest his head on the bouncer and just stare.. it was soo cute!!

[Deux]

All I can say is just be care full who you leave the baby and dogs with at the same time. A friend of ours left his GSD and baby with a strange person that came over to buy stuff at a garage sale. The stranger ended up getting bit.

My first question was what was the stranger doing to get bit? Stranger says nothing, I suspect he did something. Perhaps just got to close to the baby.

The GSD will adopt your baby like it was his own. And guard it as such when your absent. But you know what, GSD's and kids just go together from my point of view. Where ever my kids are is where the GSD's are. I couldn't imagine my kids growing up without one!

Once we left our GSD with our kids and new babysitter. I guess the babysitter had to *stay* on the couch the entire time we were gone. I never knew GSD's taught people to stay. She never came back either.

[shadow mum]

I loved being pregnant and having my furbabies around. I had a peke-a-poo, westie-poo and and GSDX. My DH used to complain that he couldn't get in the bed, because the 3 dogs used to sleep with their heads on my tummy. When the baby shifted, so did the dogs. I did notice that my GSDX got super protective of me. He'd growl if someone came too close, and I had a hard time getting him to let me open the door if DH wasn't home. I didn't have any trouble with them when the baby came home. In fact, if the baby started to cry, I had to race the 3 dogs to get to her first.

The dogs were like this for both my pregnancies. I really miss them.

[pupresq]

I'm living this at the moment. I have a 3 week old son and 4 dogs plus fosters. I'm being very careful with all interactions but so far everything is going fine. My GSDs are interested in the baby but not at all aggressive or excessively curious. We were most worried about Hector, our ChiPom, because he hates children but so far even Hector has been just fine. He'll climb up and lie in his dad's lap right next to the baby. I'm not sure the dogs really know what the baby is. I think dogs and toddlers are more prone to problems than dogs and newborns.

I have spent the last couple weeks really wanting to smack all those people who email me looking to give up their dog because they've had a baby and don't believe that dogs and babies can possibly coexist.

Bottom line - everything depends on your dog's temperaments and your training and supervision, but it can go great. Congratulations on the pregnancy!

[valreegrl]

With our two kids (no GSD yet, just lab and chihuahua) we introduced them to all the baby equipment first. Set up the crib and pack and play, and taught them they were off limits for jumping up on, etc.

Then, after the kids were born, hubby brought home a blanket and hat the baby was wearing in the hospital and let the dogs sleep with them.
By the time me and baby arrived, they already knew the scent and acted as if nothing was new.

Another thing, for the first few weeks, we would treat the dogs whenever we were holding the baby.

Hope that helps

[bkathryn]

Thanks everyone! Lol Cooper has gotten really protective of me too.. hes usually so friendly but when were out and someone he doesnt know walks up to me he growls! haha i think its sweet though.

[SunCzarina]

When I was pregnant with DS#1, I had a crazy bitch who turned 2 a few months before he was born. She went from being completely insane bouncing off the walls to zen dog meditating over the baby. She taught him to crawl by licking his feet. DS#1 is 6 now, I have 2 other children now but he is crazy bitch's child.

As far as advice, I agree with CK, don't leave your dog the opportunity to make a bad decision when it comes to other people around your baby. Even a good friend. Always have the dog with you.

These are some of my photobucket pics of Morgan dog with her kids

[Bennett]

My last GSD, Keiki, was 10 when my baby was born. When I went into labor--back labor, ugh!--she wouldn't leave my side until I left for the hospital 19 hours later. But this isn't about labor stories! When we brought our baby home, Keiki was mesmerized. We had our little girl in her baby carrier and set it between us on the sofa and Keiki sniffed every inch she could reach then looked at us as if to say, "Oh, what an amazing little new family member!" She was always near her and always so good. The only problem we had was when my daughter first started crawling. Then some latent maternal instinct clicked in our dog and she would follow her everywhere. The problem was that she had DM and was wobbly on her feet and in my haste to keep our daughter from bumping her head on something I couldn't get around Keiki fast enough. One day I was so frustrated (and sleep deprived, too) that I just screamed "I can't take this anymore!" and my husband came running down from his office over the garage to see what had made me so crazy. He took Keiki for a little walk and I calmed down. I was so ashamed. It was the only time I had ever yelled at her and it was because of her devotion as well as her disease. But that mother love does funny things to us. I gave Keiki lots of love when she came back and told her over and over how sorry I was, but I still feel really bad about the way I reacted.

To end a long story, by the time my daughter started cruising, Keiki had gotten used to the fact that this little person was mobile and then she didn't feel the need to follow her, though she always had her eyes and ears on her.
I still miss her.

[Mandalay]

Mandalay was born Jan 29, 2008. We brought her home April 2nd. I had the baby June 17th. It was a busy few months.

By the time Mandi was 8 months old, she would stand in between the baby and whoever the "stranger" was that got too close. She would not bite or growl, but simply nudge them. She will still do this sometimes and the baby is now almost 1.5 years old.

She does not let my kids out of her sight. She is rougher and more hyper with my older DD, but as gentle as can be with the baby. Of course Mandalay sometimes knocks the baby down when she is walking near her and then turns (Mandalay has NO IDEA of how long her body actually is and is forever misjudging how much room she needs to turn - lol).

Mandi puts up with so much from my 1.5 yo DD though. My DD is constantly hugging her and getting into her food. My DD has decided that Mandalays water bowl is a fun spot to play and submerge her toys. She thinks it is great fun to hold food out to Mandi and then turn and run with it as soon as Mandalay tries to take it. This usually causes Mandalay to shoot us a glance to make sure we see the baby teasing her.

Dharma had her first pony ride this past Halloween at a pumpkin farm. She loved it and has tried repeatedly to recreate this day on Mandalay while my poor dog is just laying there trying to rest. Once, when Mandi finally had enough she stood up, with my DD on her back, and started to walk off. My DD fell and has not tried it again.

I am CONSTANTLY working with the two of them on how to interract with eachother and I presume this will continue until my DD is old enough to completely understand. Even at 1.5 we work on NILIF with her and the dog. When Mandi comes in from being outside, she will go to the baby and sit. She knows that the baby has a treat and that she won't get it until she sits. Sometimes she gets it right away and sometimes the baby will run off and Mandi has to go work for her treat. In either case, Mandi knows that food does not just come from myself, my DH and my older DD, but that it comes from the baby, too and that she only gets that food when the baby says she can have it. I started this when the baby was an infant. I would put a treat in her hand and let Mandi take it from her.

Mandi did not like my DDs boucer seat and when my DD was bouncing in it she would go over and put her head on it to keep it from bouncing. lol

Good luck to you.

[bkathryn]

Thanks for all the wonderful stories!