Introducing Our Newborn and Our Dog

Hi L.,

I have 2 smaller (18 lbs) dogs, and just brought my baby home in October. I can tell you what happened in my case, but I'm sure other people have had other experiences.

My 2 dogs were VERY spoiled, so I was worried how they would react to the new baby. My husbany brought the little beanie hat that the baby was wearing at the hospital home with him. He put it on the floor, and let the dogs smell it. One of the dogs took it and put in her bed.

The day the baby came home, I brought him in the house in his car seat. The dogs were SO excited! They were trying to look in the carrier to see him. We put the car seat on the floor so they could see, and smell him. It was as if they had been waiting forever to meet him. I didn't even think they realized I was pregnant. They instantly knew he was a new member of the family, and their master. They did not walk over him. They mostly kept their distance, except to try and give a little kiss once and a while. It's like they knew he was a baby, and they had to be gentle. Thsy LOVE him SO much. I can't tell you how wonderful that is.

Now he's close to 8 months, and he can roll around after them. The older dog (3 1/2 years) sits by him, and lets him tug on her.

We he goes to bed at 6:30 they know all the attention is for them. We make sure to pay special attention, and give them treats.

I hope this helps, and good luck!!!!!!

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We have three shepherd mixes and an eight-month old baby boy. We had my parents bring a blanket with my son's smell on it back from the hospital and let the dogs sniff it before we got home. When we brought our son home, I went in the house first and gave all the dogs a lot of love and time to say hello to me. Then my husband brought our son in and he put the car seat on the ground so that the dogs could sniff the baby. For the first several days they were interested sniffing my son but since we were very matter-of-fact and never tried to keep him away from the dogs, the dogs soon lost interest in him and have always been great with him and very gentle. I think that keeping the dog away from the baby for a period of time would only heighten her interest in the baby and makes it more likely that she could be jealous. If you're worried about your dog, perhaphs you could have a leash on and someone holding the leash for the first several meetings so that they can quickly move the dog if necessary. You might also want to have someone take your dog for a long walk/run/outing to tire her out before the first introduction to your baby so that she's not so high energy. Best of luck!

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This might sound kinda strange but I suggest you start walking around w/a doll like so the dog gets used to seeing you carrying a baby. If possible, find a tape or CD that has baby sounds on it or make baby crying noises yourself so, again, the dog gets used to the sound. Like the other moms, I also suggest bringing home a blanket the baby has used & letting the dog sniff it so it can get used to the baby's smell. Try to do this before you come home w/tke baby. Maybe that first night you're still in the hospital your hubby or another family member can bring a blanket home for the dog. This will be a big adjustment for hte dog & you may see some behavior that you've never seen before or it may revert to puppy-hood & start having accidents in the house, possibly on purpose to get some attention. Congrats on the impending baby & good luck!

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First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!

Now to your question/concern...I can only speak from my experience and mine wasn't good; my beloved dog now lives with my in-laws in Colorado! (Thank God they love him as much as I do!!). But here goes:

Make sure your dogs are getting less attention than they are used to. My Cairn Terrier was the baby for two years and was WONDERFUL with my friends' kids'; probably because he was still the center or mine and my husbands attention and was still getting the hours of playtime a day, the hour(s) long walks at the park, etc. But that all changed when my husband and I were to exhausted to do the same routine after the baby came...and to be honest, he was really patient with us and he did really well with the baby when we brought him home. When our son was about 8-9mos old...they had a "scuffle" that sent us to the emergency room with a freaked out mama! (after he calmed down, our son was giggling at the ER!)

I don't tell you this to freak YOU out, just to remind you that no matter how wonderful our animal children are, we have to remember that they are, in fact, ANIMALS and to watch them carefully when they are around the kids.

Luckily, my son is not scarred emotionally or physically...and my beloved Terrier is happy at his new home with his "cousins".

So, just remember to acclimate your dogs to a new lifestyle so they don't associate the baby with "no fun time with mom and dad since that baby's come around". :) lol

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We have a little Maltese who is SUPER needy. What we did was we let our dog become familiar with the smells of our lil ones sheets, etc. before he was born. When he was born, I had been gone for a few days. So, when I (since I am her primary owner) came home, I had a treat for her and I played with her first so she didn't start out harboring resentment. Then, we brought the baby in and let her sniff the baby. A friend of mine works at the Corporate Headquarters for Petco and got us an instruction sheet on what to do as she had access to all sorts of resources. Our dog never had any problems...my lil guy is now 9 months.

HOWEVER, I never leave him unattended with the dog around. Honestly, he is never unattended period. But, not even to walk in a different room. Even though I am comfortable with our dog, you never know what they can do and our little ones are too precious to take the risk :)

I hope this helps!!

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We have a very high energy terrier mix who was 2 when our first one came along. We brought a blanket of hers home from the hospital from the first night the baby was born for the dog to smell. We introduced the baby to the dog while holding the baby and sitting on the floor and letting the very curious dog sniff and lick her. The dog could obviously tell that the baby was important to us. She actually became very protective of her, and would growl at people who approached the stroller while we were on walks, etc. That is kind of a pain, but she has always been VERY submissive to both of my children (oldest one is now 5) even when the kids do things that kids should not do to dogs (but they always do!) The dog used to be very social and play with other dogs, etc. but now she has a job to protect our family and she takes the job so seriously that we can't really let her around other dogs anymore. Oh - and just to be sure, never let your dog be alone in the same room as the baby without supervision. I'm sure everything will be fine.

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So long asw your dog doesn't think they are the alpha then your fine our dog sniffed our daughter and son when each was born , and then was just protective of them , You know your dog best no one can give you the perfect answer but just let them get use to each other I've never hear of any dog being aggressive to a new born just interested in what "it" is..

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Hi L.. When my daughter was born, they put a little homemade beanie on her head to keep her warm. What the nurses told my husband to do was have the dog sniff that. Our dog stayed in our house for a long time with no incidents with our baby. I think that gives the dog the scent of both you and the baby.
Hope I helped a little.

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I would go ahead and let the dog sniff the baby, but watch her and don't let her get too close to the baby. When my son was born my in-laws had two dogs (Aphgans) they are fairly large dogs, but we let them come in the house and sniff him, but did not let them close enough to lick him or anything. Just be careful, but include her as much as possible to let her get used to having the baby around.

Good Luck!
W.

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My daughter is ten weeks old and when we brought her home I had the dog sitter bring our dog home after we arrived. Before our dog came inside the house I let her smell the clothes that my daughter was wearing. Our dog does wonderful with our daughter.

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Our super high energy labrador was about 2 when my youngest son was born. I am not a dog expert - I ended up introducing them very very slowly - I held the baby and let the dog come up to me at the screen door a few times - then I opened the door very slowly and let her sniff me - not the baby - then I let her sniff the baby - which really got her excited after a few weeks of just looking - - - eventually she became extremely protective of him - she would get rough with the other kids at times, but never ever with my son. She would lick his food - and never let anyone near his stroller she didn't know. The trainer told me that I trained her to be protective and careful with him because that is how I treated him.

They had a wonderful relationship - sadly she got uncurable cancer and died just before my son's 2nd Birthday - just before her 4th B-day - - - he still talks about his puppy and how much he misses her -

I would never ever leave your baby and the dog alone - ever - I was a 911 dispatcher and I do not want to tell you the horrible stories. Very well behaved mellow dogs - are still dogs and they need to be taught how to treat babies - the worst call I got - a husky killed a newborn - the dog picked up the baby with it's mouth to carry it to the mom who was in the shower - not hard or rough - but just in the right way and killed the baby. Be very careful - the dog will learn by your example - and your puppy will still love you - dogs are very loyal - I could not be around my dog for weeks because of an illness - and she loved me just as much when I got well - - -

Good Luck and Enjoy your new addition!

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I read that the sooner the dog gets used to all the new smells the easier it is. We wrapped our daughter in a blanket while we were in the hospital and then took that blanket home(while we were still in the hospital) and let the dog smell that. We also introduced our dog to pretty much all of the baby's furniture and so forth. The chances of your dog being extremely jealous is about 100% so don't try to force the dog to like your child. Once your child is older, start to introduce your child to the dog but respect your dogs space(he/she will let you know when they have had enough). Our daughter is 10 months and the dog is still jealous(albeit not as jealous as the first few months) Good Luck...and you might want to try a different trainer if the one you had is unavailable.

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when our oldest came home from the hospital, we had a rottweiler. She had always been a sweety, but we were concerned about bringing a baby home. so, we put a small towel in the bassinet wih DS at the hospital and then took it home first. Harley (the Rotty) got used to DS's scent and when we brought him home, there were no issues. Of course, baby was NEVER left alone with Harley, but she loved to "kiss" the top of his little head when we were holding him.
Good luck!
Jen

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I would say people in the first school of thought are out of their minds. An ill-trained, "high energy" dog with direct access to a vulnerable newborn?

I think, I hope, your center of attention will shift.

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Hi,

This too was something stressful for us. However, while I was at the hospital, my husband went home to check on the dogs, and took w/ him a blanket the baby had been using. He made sure they sniffed it. On the day we arrived home w/ the baby, my husband held our dogs one at a time, next to the baby so they could sniff her. Since they had already sniffed the blanket, they appeared to recognize her smell. The dogs and baby were fine. Once they knew she was there, it was all ok.

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We used to have a rat terrier and were in the same situation as you. When we brought my son home from the hospital we did the "let em smell" thing, but kept our son on our lap because I was afraid the dog would jump on him. This worked pretty well but I have to tell you that having a high energy dog is the most difficult when your baby is beginning to crawl and walk because your dog will want to play. Really really work on the dog's jumping and licking because they tend to do both when they are excited and this can be very frustrating for a wobbly toddler trying to learn to walk. We eventually ended up adopting our dog out to a lady who could give him the attention he needed (which i had NEVER imagined doing b/c before we had kids, he WAS like our kid). We missed him but it turned out to be best for all. I hope that you guys have better luck with your high energy pup - it sounds like you are taking better precautions (such as professional training). Good luck and congrats!!!!

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My sister sent home the baby blanket from the hospital from the first day the baby was born before she came home and had the dog sleep on it and get used to the smell of the baby so the dog was familiar with the baby smell when they came home. Her dog is a jack russell who also have a lot of energy and everything was fine. I think it is better for the dog to be around the baby right away so the get used to the baby. It would be hard to keep the separated and the dog might go crazy trying to get to the baby and figure out what is going on. Good luck to you!

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I have 2 pugs and when my son was born our male pug had just turned 1 year old and we had a 7 week old female pug puppy. They were both very clingly to me during my pregnancy so we were not sure how they would react. My husband, after our son was born, took home one of the blankets that he had been wrapped up in and let the dogs smell it. Our male pug took it over to his bed and laid on it and then started to put all his cookies and toys on it. When we came home I gave our son to my husband said hello to the dogs and then picked them up one at a time and let them sniff his feet. They both did really good. What I thought was funny was that after that when anyone came over to see the baby our male pug would get in between me/baby and whoever was over and bark. Almost like he was saying "this is my baby and mom, you leave me alone!" My dogs have been nothing but absolutly amazing with our son and they two were the center of our world until he was born. I hope that helps! Best of luck. K.

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Hi L.,
Congratulations on the new baby!

Our Boston Terrier was 8 years old and our Rottie was 4 years old when we brought home the baby. We started with Dad spending time at the hospital with the baby and bringing home baby's sent and letting them get used to that. When we brought her home we let them see her from about 5 feet away. While the Rottie is bigger, you know the Boston can lunge quite some distance. The dogs stayed outside for a few days coming in for a few hours at a time and then we soon let them smell her close up. Eventually, it was all normal as they realized she was a part of the family. The Boston did however chew up a few pacifiers and toys. She is almost 2 years old now and we still do not leave her alone with the dogs.

Best of luck to you.
C.

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I will try to keep this as simple as possible. You know your dog well enough to know if she will jump and bounce all over the new baby. If you think you can bring her in on a leash and let her sniff, smell, and of lick your baby, AND you're okay with her behaving this way, then a blanket on the floor is fine. If she would NOT be able to respect YOUR desires, then start with putting the baby in a Moses basket or in the pack and play. Let the dog "meet" the baby in a manner that she can't acciedently harm the baby. You may also want to try a few "practice runs" between now and then. Whether youplan to use a blanket or pack and play, set it out in the middle of the living room floor with something intresting in the middle. Let the dog in, but DO NOT let her on/in the "baby zone".

I have an Australian ColiDor (Australian Sheepherd, Border Colie, Black Lab mix) that we got almost a year ago. (My son was 18 months.) When I started babysitting an infant I knew that he would have NO problem leaving the baby alone. He was easy to train that he could go NEAR the blanket and smell AT the baby, but he COULD NOT touch the baby or blanket in any way. My niece's dog on the other hand, (a Min. Pin.) I can't let him ANYWHERE near the baby if he's off his leash and the baby isn't in a stroller, crib, carseat, or in my arms. The two dogs have completely different personality types. The Min. Pin. would never jump on the baby on purpose. He just gets SO wond up when we let him in that it's like setting off a nuclear explosion. (ONLY no radiation, 4X as much energy displacement!) The Aust. ColiDor is so mellow that the kids bounce, jump and fall on him and he does nothing.

One other thing to consider trying; have someone walk the dog before you get home with the baby. this way she will have exhurted most of his energy and likely be much more calm and submisive (Thank you Ceasar Millan of "The Dog Whisperer") before the first introduction. Ceasar often says that dogs are better able to learn new rules/ games/ ways of living when they are first exhusted and forced into a calm submisive state.

Last but not least, as hard as it is to do, remember that your dog is just that, a DOG! She is animal, dog, breed, name, THEN family. If she can not behave or follow YOUR rules, then it may be time to either find a home that can provide the attention and desipline she needs, or istall the baby gates early, so that you can keep the dog away from your new baby. Chances are that all of it will work out fine. Just remember that she will need time to ajust to the new rules. Also remember that she is a dog and will likely make a DOG type of mistake. Don't punish her for being a dog. simply remind her what you expect through love and praise. (And an occassional treat!)

Sorry this is so long! ~J.

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Dear L.,

I'm all for openness, and the side of the baby on the floor with you right there too. Let the dog o.k. the presence of the baby in his or her territory. If your dog is this close to you he or she will become jealous and 'not like' the baby.

We have a very old cranky bossy cat and he turned out loving the babies and letting them lay their heads on his tummy while he was laying down, of course they were beyond the baby age by that time. He also didn't like it when they were crying. And 'told; us to tend to them.

C. N.

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We took the blankets and clothes the baby was using the day he was born and my husband took them home to the dog to let him smell them. We did that both days we were in the hospital. Then, when we got home I held the baby and let the dog come to us. My brother did the same thing and both of our dogs did great. If they are too excited and you are afraid that the dog may jump or scratch the baby then you might want to seperate them for awhile.

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Hi L.,
I have a 3 month old and two big yellow labs (one is only a year old with a lot of energy). While I was still in the hospital my husband brought home one of the blankets and a bennie that the baby wore for the dogs to smell. That way when the baby comes home they are already used to the baby's scent. Another thing we did was when we got home my husband stayed outside with the baby while I went in and said hello to the dogs. That way they know they're still high up on your list. We put the dogs back outside when we brought the baby in. I believe it was later that night when we let the dogs back in the house. We would let them sniff the baby, but not lick him just yet. Dogs are amazing and they know to be very careful around the baby. As long as you continue to give your dog attention he'll be happy.

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When I had my son, we brought home the hat that was put on him right after he was born. We let the dog have it to smell, etc. When I came home, I came in first (without the baby) so she could see me without getting on the baby. After I was sitting, my husband brought the baby in and handed to me. Our dog seem to do okay. Good luck.
A.

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my neice was born premature by 10 weeks. her parents brought home dirty diapers and her blankets for the dogs to smell. they said her name a lot with the dogs. and these are two very big dogs! So I would start to say the baby's name if you know the sex already, and when the baby is born, have daddy bring the baby's things for the dog to check out during the days mommy and baby are still in the hospital.

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