staffordshire bull terriors and new babies?

Question

hi all, I have a male staffy he is 14 months old and very playful but a little bit boystrous and very nosey, Im due to give birth in a week and a half and am a bit concerned as the time nears how he will behave when i bring the baby home and all the time really, im worried he will get excited and jump up when im holding the baby or barge past me or jump up at his moses basket etc i dont think he will deliberatly harm the baby but he might accidentally. short of locking him in another room everytime i go to the loo/have a bath etc i dont know what i can do to keep them apart.
Has anyone had this type of dog and then had a baby and what was the outcome?

this is not my first baby i have a 3yr girl who he is fantastic with but he came after she did, I was looking for answers from people who have both dogs and children and so have real experience and know what im going on about

Answer 1

Introducing dogs and babies is a huge subject and ideally an introduction programme that should be started several months before you are due to give birth - but here are some pointers that will be useful now.

Staffords are one of the best dogs you can ever have with children - in fact it is even in their breed standard! You have already discovered this with your daughter, and so you can certainly expect the same with your new baby. You are however being very sensible because an over-excited, friendly dog can injure a baby just as easily as one that is less child-friendly.

The most important thing to ensure is that you put in place measures that can keep your dog and baby apart - without the dog feeling left out. The very best things for this are baby gates. You can put them up in the doorway of any room where the baby is going to be, so that you can keep your dog the other side of the gates but he still feels part of things as he can see through the bars.

While it is difficult to do, you should NEVER leave any dog alone with a baby or young child, and so even if it is just when you go to the loo, your dog should be the other side of baby gates to your baby if you can't supervise them 100%. It should be the same with your 3 year old daughter too. Always be safe - no matter how good you think your dog is.

Get the baby gates and install them NOW. As you are leading up to your baby's birth, teach your dog that there will be times he can't follow you around, so get him used to being the other side of the baby gates from you - as this isn't something that should suddenly happen when the baby comes home - you don't want him to think that it is because of the baby that he doesn't get your attention anymore. Find something nice for him to do when he is apart from you (perhaps a Kong toy stuffed with yummy food).

Before the baby comes home, try and send something home to him (a blanket or similar) that smells of the new baby and put it in his bed to get him used to the smell of the new arrival. Also in the next week practise walking round the house holding something like a baby so you can teach him not to jump up at you when you are holding something before you have to do it for real.

While it will be difficult because you have your new baby who will take up a lot of your time, make sure your dog gets some quality time with just you (so he doesn't feel deprived of your attention suddenly), and also all the exercise he needs to keep him 'de-bounced'!

Also have a look at the Kennel Club's Safe and Sound interactive project (link please!) and also The Blue Dog interactive CD project (available through Company of Animals (www.companyofanimals.co.uk) - as these are invaluable resources to educate children and parents on how to avoid any problems with the family dog. They will be great for you, your three-year-old and your new baby through the years to ensure you all have a happy safe life together. What is more...... they are fun!
Expert is Carolyn Menteith - her book can be ordered from www.haynes.co.uk - or it can be bought from Amazon and all good booksellers.

Answer 2

If is your first baby - I suspect up until now, your dog has been your baby and he may feel a little jealous. I don't have children but I do have a dog - I would NEVER leave any dog with a child unattended for even a second. Any dog can turn - they don't understand it's a baby!. You can all be a family but the dog needs to learn he is now bottom of the pack. I am afraid you must put the dog well out of the baby's way when you go to the loo etc for a very long time.

Answer 3

Carry a doll for a while before and act as though it was a baby-be careful not to drop it and tell him NO in a harsh voice if he jumps up or bumps you while your carrying it,tries to bite it etc.It will be best to invest in a doll that cries and makes baby noises to get him used to them too.

When the baby is born get you husband to bring a blanket with it's smell on before it comes home and to carry it around so the dog learns that it is not an intruder.

Let him sniff the baby in it's cot first,when he does this calmly and acts unconcerned let him do so as you sit holding the baby.Tell him NO whenever he noses it a bit too roughly but most staffies are gentle with children so this is unlikely.

This will mean that he will be totally used to the baby by the time it starts crawling and will not attack it.Never leave him alone with either child though as children can provoke dogs by trying to play with them too roughly.

What your basically teaching him is that his packs Alpha-Female(you) has had a new puppy and he has to help look after it.At the end of the day dogs do have much in common with their wolf ancestors and one of these things is being very caring for and tolerant with the 'packs puppies.'You already have proof that he can do this because of your 3 year old.

You should be fine though-Staffie's are called nanny dogs as they love kids and are devoted to and protective of children in the family.A side effect of the fact that they were originally bred for the disgusting so-called-sport of dog fighting is that they have a huge pain threshold and so a child hurting them and provoking a defensive bite is far less likely than with most breeds.

Answer 4

Hello, I am a proud owner of a male and female american pitbull which is in the same family and I have had for 6 years and within those six years came my daughter who is five years of age, my son who is 2 years of age and a kitten name champion who is now 1 year old. Layla & Bowser (pitbull's names) has been pretty good with all cases. Yes, there is a little adjustment period because to dogs who have never been expose to children there are attention issues but I must say pay close attention to your dog to make sure he isn't an alpha dog. Alpha dogs have a higher jealously rate and would be best to find dog like that a one person home.

Answer 5

You have left it rather late to start worrying about your dogs behaviour. 1.5 weeks away?

This should have been addressed many months ago. You need to put your dog with a trainer for the next month. This will cost a pretty penny, but he needs intese obed. lessons....and a new enviroment will bring out the results better than you can manage. Also, this will give you the appropriate time to spend with your baby and bond, and create your own schedule. Upon the dogs return, you will be settled into a schedule and routine, and have the mental security in your situation.

You are currently under-estimating the first time Mom experience. You will be overwhelmed enough, emotional and you need to devote this time to yourself and the baby, not worrying about the dog. The dog will be fine outside of the home for a month. I strongly recommend it...as I would even if you owned a spaniel than a pit.

Look on-line for a trainer who will take in your dog as a in-home training. Do your research now...in two weeks you will not have the ability to open the door to let the dog out, then even spend time training.

The first priority you have is to your baby. Should your dog EVER show any aggression or dis-respect for the baby, you will have a decision to make. So do this now, so that in any event, you have put in effort and fore-thought.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

I don't think you will have anything to worry about. My boyfriend has an 8 month old daughter and the dogs he has love her. When you bring the baby home, you should show him that he isn't being replaced and if he starts to get out of hand tell him to settle down. Once your baby gets bigger your puppy will be able to play with him and you won't have to worry as much. Dogs understand what baby is and you will probably see some changes in him.

Answer 7

we had our staffie first and then had a baby the day we came home from the hospital we introduced them to each other so our dog had her sent that was 6 years ago and they have been inseparable ever since Ive also had another baby since and did the same.dont get me wrong i know staffs haven't got the best rep at the moment and any dog can bite no matter how well you know them but from personal experience Ive never had a problem.never leave them alone together .staffs are not stupid they are great with kids but dont exclude them from your baby that's when they feel left out.

Answer 8

my honest opinion is i think you'll be fine i have a am staff/chow mix and the first time he say the newborn he just kinda sniffed it and then layed there and watch her as she sleeped. and my mix is a hyper dog. they are more curious than anything. specially scince you have a three year old that probably plays around the dog and things like that. do you have any problems with them being together. you'll just have to becarefull about the dog being jumpy. when you introduce them dont boot the dog out of the house cause themn it might feel rejected and left out. kinda have some one hold on to him with a leash ans let him sniff the baby out. who know maybe your pit will not wanna leave the babys side and be a best friend for life. well i wish you the best of luck and just be careful. any dog can hurt some one. not just a pit..

Answer 9

I don't think you will have anything to worry about at all. Your dog will adjust his behavior when he's around the new baby. Let him satisfy his curiosity. Let him be around the baby just like you will let your 3 year old be around it. I think you will be very surprised how the two of them will react about the same. Relax and enjoy and congratulations!
Some of these answers are really way off base. My 2 adult sons have Staffordshires. They were raised as part of the family and welcomed the babies as they came. Don't kennel your dog. Don't get rid of him. Don't lock him in a room. He's part of your home and should remain that way.

Answer 10

Like your Question..Didn't like that fella's answer saying Staffy's are stupid tho! They are excelent dogs! maybe it might be harder for you to train your dog as you'll have a lil baby,..but stafs are very quick learners so I'm sure if you tell the dog a good firm 'no' it'll be cool. I've a few friends with stafs & babies with no probs.. depends on how the dog obbeys his owner...good luck!