Is it safe to have a dog in the house with a newborn baby?

Answer 1

Sure. It does depend on the temperament of your dog. You need to introduce it gradually. Give it a blanket to sleep with that your baby has used so it gets used to the smell of your new baby. And make sure you spend as much time with your dog as you did before so it doesn't get jealous.

Answer 2

Maybe - it depends on the breed and how well trained it is. The biggest problem with infants is with Rottweilers and Pit bulls. A dog's instincts are different from ours. When we hear a baby cry, our instinct is to pick it up and comfort it. The dog's instinct is to hold its puppy by the head until it calms down. (Watch a mother dog or wolf with its cubs.) If the dog tries this on the baby, it will scream and thrash around, whereas a puppy would calm down and hold still. The dog won't understand the baby's behavior and will bite down a little more firmly to tell the baby to calm down. The baby will scream MORE and the dog will bite a little HARDER and wham! You have a dead baby and a dog that has to be destroyed.

Don't ever leave any dog alone with a small child - especially when they first start crawling. When the baby becomes a toddler, he may tease, hurt or torment the dog. This is the cause of MANY dog bites. Some dogs don't like to be pulled on and harassed. Many dogs will bite to protect themselves. A Pit Bull is no more likely to bite an adult than a poodle is, but a bite from a pit bull will do much greater damage.

Start training the dog how to behave around a baby NOW! Go out and get a realistic baby doll that whines and cries and moves like a baby. Practice carrying it around in a blanket and talk to it and treat it like a real one. Put your dog on a leash and teach her to behave properly around it - no jumping up, no growling, no grabbing the blanket. Some dogs are suspicious of anything new, so get her used to it now. Let her sniff it when she is calm and sitting down. Then practice the same way when the real baby arrives.

To prevent jealousy, someone should be petting the dog and giving her treats while everyone else is mooning over the new real baby.

Read some great books on training. (Try not to pick books randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also!) These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know – Volhard http://www.volhard.com/
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan
Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 3

It depends on the breed and on whether the dog knows it is a dog and not a substitute child or alpha dog (the one in charge of the people in the house).

If the dog thinks it is the top dog, it will not take kindly to an infant replacing it in terms of getting attention and first priority, especially in feeding.

If the dog is neutered, there should be fewer problems than if it not. A female dog may not be as threatened by a baby as a male dog might.

Do not leave the baby alone with the dog until you know how it is reacting to the baby. And that means no going to the bathroom, no answering the telephone, no "just turned my head for a minute" excuses. The baby or the dog goes with you.

Answer 4

I have three boys ages 6, 4, and 3 and I am having a new baby in two weeks. I have always had dogs and will always have dogs. There are some precautions that you have to take when dogs are in the house, but it is no different than without dogs. Make sure that the dog stays off the baby and you will be fine.

Answer 5

You should bring a blanket home from the hospital that the baby was in before the baby comes home. Give it to the dog and let the dog smell and sleep with the banket. Then you should put the baby on the floor ( in the car seat) and let the dog go to the baby first. I would also NEVER let the baby be alone with the dog for the first 6 months or so. Good Luck!

Answer 6

You need to keep a VERY close eye on the dog. I had two dogs a while ago, and they were very sweet. However, they were still dogs.

You should never leave the baby unsupervised with the dogs, even for just a few seconds. This will protect the baby and the dogs.

With that being said, if the dogs are mild mannered enough, I'm sure that it should be fine.

Answer 7

Like all things the baby should be supervised while the dog is in the same room

allow the dog to sniff the baby and the babies things, that allows the dog to know it's part of the enviroment and belongs, most dogs become very protective of babies and young children and a real strong bond will form.

Answer 8

Much better than a cat, and some larger dogs can be better with babies than smaller dogs that can be a tish possessive. If the dog has been with your family for a while, you can watch and learn - he or she may turn out to be your baby's best protector. When I was a baby, we had a German Shepherd that would not let me anywhere near the pool because he picked up on my mother's worries - I've heard many, many stories similar to this. Make sure your pup has had a recent worming and is up to date on rabies and HPPV virus - don't allow excessive licking on the baby's face and all should be happy lovely.

Answer 9

Yes as long as you don't leave the two of them alone for any amount of time. The dog and baby both have to be supervised that one doesn't harm the other. Be sure you don't forget the dog in all the activity of having the new baby around. Technically in his mind he was the first 'kid'.
As you baby gets older start introducing them more and showing your child what is acceptable to do to a dog...like petting instead of poking in the eyes or pulling ears.
Our kids learned from an early age to respect animals and we have never had any problems.
Good luck!

Answer 10

Well in most cases absolutely. As dogs are pack animals it is important that they get introduced to their new pack members.

However, if you or your husband or anyone in either of your families have pet allergies I would take precaution. Meaning I wouldn't let the dog into the room that the baby will be primarilly sleeping in, until the baby is at least a few months old and an allergic reaction wouldn't be as dramatic.

Also if your pet is anyway agreesive or possive of you, I would make sure that someone else in the family became the pets alpha person. In other words the person that feeds them. takes care of them, listen to their orders. Basically I would send it to pet training with this person if agression/possiveness is an issue.

Answer 11

it depends, if the dog gets along with everyone then yes, but if the dog is mean to new people u might want to keep a close eye on the dog to make sure it doesnt bite the baby. oh, and u might want to make sure that the dog doesnt walk all over the baby as well