Heh there!

I'm a long way off having my baby but have started to worry about how my 2 dogs will cope! They are extremely spoiled and are treated like 2 little kiddies!

I'm so worried they will get jealous and attack the baby!! (VERY ANXIOUS!!!)
Anyone had this problem?? Are there any safety tips you can share?
Thanks everyone! x

we have 2 cocker spaniels (mother and daughter) who were my babies until my daughter came along (she is now 2+1/2)
before baby our dogs were sofa dogs (and still are) and they also slept in our bedroom. we put a stop to the bedroom sleeping when i was pregnant and after a few nights barking and scratching they learnt their new bedroom was the kitchen!
when baby arrived we let both dogs (tentatively) inspect her,they had a good sniff and watched everything we were doing. my oldest dog was alot less interested, she kept to sleeping on the sofa most of the time!
you have got to show them their boundaries, our dogs were never shut out before but now we put them in the kitchen when we need a bit of space. they now respond to 'out' command and know what it means.
however used to having theirs noses shuvved out they are during the day, as soon as baby is in bed or napping my dogs get my full attention. still on the sofa with me while watching tv and still a very important part of our family. and now with another little one on the way, i'm sure they will be thinking 'oh no, not all that noise again'!!!!

if your dogs are anything like mine (greedy) your baby will become theri best friend and giver of treats...falling food from the hgh chair, a biscuit they no longer want...

i'm sure everything will be fine, just don't feel guilty for showing them their place.

x

Hi
As i said in my last repsonse i have 3 dogs myself (boxer, lab/pointer cross and a terrier cross) all are Spanish campo rescue dogs. They have never been off with kids, but they are animals at the end of the day, and no matter how much we try to ensure our babies safety we can never be too complacent. My friend's baby was bitten on the face by his family dog which had been in the family for over 10y ears and was highly trained.So proceed with caution- we all love our pets but (i am told)we will love our babies more! X

i have a chihuahua and a yorkie. both VERY spoilt! my partners family have told me to get rid of them even tho its them that spoil them! they are 2 and 18months and have gone for other kids. when my lil sisters come to stop who are 4 and 5 the yorkie fusses them to death and the chihuahua always snaps at them! im really worried what they will be like when the baby comes. i have started to teach them not to sit on the setee etc. they also bark like mad when they see people walking past the house and knocking at the door. my partner treats them like babies and i keep threatning to get a kennel! i am hoping that with them being fetched up with the baby they will be different. i hope! good luck stacey n 22+1wk baby girl bump xx

I've got a staffy cross dog who is just over a year old (we've had him since he was about 12 weeks). He is funny about kids looking him in the eye - they don't like that anyway! But he has never actually made a nasty move towards a child. Still it does worry me that he'll feel left out.
I have been told to give him a wet nappy but when I was born my mum had a german shephard ... (nasty with strangers) - she sat on the sofa with me, opened all the blankets out and let her sniff and lick me and from that day she started giving milk and wouldn't let anyone but my mum and dad near me - she was my best friend! Someone else we know has done this with their male staff and he is best pals with their kid so I think this will be my method - just don't make them feel excluded or they will be jealous.

Ellie

My brother and sister-inlaw have 2 large rescue dogs. The found with the first baby that they were ok until the baby was mobile and then they saw him as a threat. Now they have to lock the dogs in the garage during the day and only let them in the house once the children are asleep. I think reading beween the lines they wish they did not have them anymore.

The issue has always been that as they have not had the dogs since pups there is always a doubt about their character and any trama they may have experienced.

We have cats and one is deaf so I am a bit worried that he will try to sleep with the baby - but I think with shut doors, cat nets and vigalance we should be ok.

Good luck

Hi,
I've got 3 dogs and was similarly worried about this a few months back (I am due in 4 months). I have spoken to the vet and he gave me some advice.
Make sure the dogs know they are at the bottom of the pack
If you are planning to keep them outside or in a certain room away from baby do it now- so they get used to it.(let them get used to not having as much time with you too)
He also said introduce the baby slowly - bring the dogs some of the babies items to smell (he even said a wet nappy!)
Give the dogs a new toy when baby comes home.
He also said train them to stay away on command.
Hope this helps- I guess we'll both have to wait and see!

well said!

The dogs need to know that they are at the bottom of the pack and the baby is at the top of the pack.

A good friend of mine successfully introduced her baby to 3 german shorthair pointers (all were adults). She said that was the key. I couldn't believe how well they tolerated her climbing all over them as she grew.

Hi,

I have one very spoilt 2 year old labrador and a large tom cat. They are both by 'little babies' and have a great deal of attention.
We have started to be a more strict with the amount of attention they get and where they can access in the house. The dog is not allowed in the bedroom nor the lounge-in the day time. It may seem a bit harsh but we've been doing this for about a month and its working.

Whatever anyone says don't get rid of them....unless you do think they will be aggressive.

That's a great idea Shelly! Thanks for that!
I couldn't get rid of them - I just love them too much! However, the boy is a little cross with young kids!
That's what worries me!
x x