Has anyone had problems with having a baby and having dogs?

Question

My wife is pregnant and we have 2 small terriers. I'm wondering what other peoples experienses have been with bringing a baby into the house.

Obviously the dogs will not be left alone with the baby etc.

Answer 1

They get jealous, but it is very rare for a dog to attack a child.
Still, that recent news story of the pit bull killing the kid in Liverpool sticks in the mind...

Answer 2

Your dog will know your wife is pregnant already. They can hear the baby in the womb, and they will smell the different hormones your wife has right now. Sometimes they will get protective of the pregnant woman, and other times they will attack her.

It all comes down to pack instinct. Dogs have a pecking order, and depending where they are on that order in your family pack is dependant on how the dogs reacts to your wife now.

But what you need to remember is that when the baby is born, in your dogs eyes, the baby is of a lower hierarchy. What I suggest you do is, take something like a blanket that the baby has been wrapped in, into the house before you bring the baby into the house, this gives them the chance to know the smell of the little one first. I would also make a big fuss of the dogs as soon as you bring the baby into the house, that way they know they are still the 'top dogs'. Also let them take a look at the baby, and do what dogs do, which is use their sense of smell a lot, and try not to scold them for getting too close. Once they have accepted the baby as a new member of their pack, they will do what comes naturally to dogs which is protect their own. In time they will get used to the fact that the little one is higher up the pecking order than they are, and will just fit into the pack accordingly.

Congratulations for your new family/pack member!

Answer 3

i have four terriers and have had no problems..with three kids they were brought up together.

however despoil your dogs before the baby is due. ie

don't let them on furniture or in the living room for two week before the baby is due.

allow them into the room when the baby comes home,( ,when they are calm,) drop back in to the old routine so it is not a major disruption. (sort of privileges regained)

supervised let the dogs see the baby individually as if they are both their they will keep each other excitable.

my oldest terrier use to nudge the rocker chair to here my son babble and coo.

at the end of the day you know the dogs personality mine are excitable with visitors but calm when it is just family.

Answer 4

I had an 8 year old jack russel terrier who wasn't used to kids when I was expecting; and a month before my dues date a JR killed a baby. So you can imagine I was concerned, but I spent 6 months training the dog.
I carried a doll around as if it were a baby and demoted the dog to number 3 in the pack. He got a bit depressed but accepted it and settled, and didn't try to chew the doll. (that came as a surprise.)
I got all the blankets, cot and things and acted like the doll was a baby. I played games with him and taught him to never step on the blanket on the floor, we got to the point where he would run around the blanket with the doll on even if I threw the ball over it.
When I brought my baby home, he cottoned on straight away, his behaviour changed and he accepted my son as my 'puppy'. He was the perfect dog around my son, it was a huge relief.
Even so, I would never leave the dogs and child alone, its just not worth the risk.

Answer 5

If you have had the dogs for a long time and treated them like babies they may be a bit protective when the baby first arrives, but introducing the dogs to the baby and letting them get the baby's scent will help.
Ive had dogs all my life and brought 3 children into the house and i have had no problems at all.
Gd luck hope this helps.

Answer 6

I worried when I had my son who is now 11 months old. I thought that it would be a big deal bringing home baby. I was in the hospital 48hrs after having my son and while I was in the hospital my husband came home and brough home a blanket the baby was wrapped in or his hat for them to smell. When we brought him home we introduced him slowly to our dogs through their outdoor kennel fence. If this is not an option for you I suggest you hold the baby and one of you hold the dog and let them smell the baby. My dogs arent little one is 120 pounds the other is about 60-70 and the first time they got near my baby my heart dropped. But they just sniffed him and walked away. When he'd cry in his playpen they'd go look at him and walk away. Now he is 11 months old and crawls all over them bites their noses pulls their ears and they are gentle giants with him..With others thats a different story they still knock me down once a week

Answer 7

seems silly but treat the new baby as one of the dogs!! Dogs are pack animals and will see the new baby as a puppy, so keep giving them lots of attention, tell them not to sit in the cot etc. introduce the baby on the sofa but obviously with care and attention. The dogs should learn to respect the new addition as, at the end of the day, the baby is the most important person. Congrats and good luck

Answer 8

A friend of a few years ago got a boxer pup just before he got married. He and his girl friend took the pup for walks together. After they got married and had their first baby his wife took the dog for its walk,when his wife and dog came back to the house my friend was lying on his back on the floor playing with the baby.The dog ,it is believed, thought the baby was " attacking" my friend and jumped at the baby slightly injuring it and unfortunately ,and very sadly for the couple who loved the dog, it had to be put down.Very sad but they couldn't take any chances of it happening again.
We have a 2 year old terrier who is still quite lively but recently her play with children , which she loves to do,is much gentler.
Best wishes for when baby arrives and I hope dogs and baby get on well together.

Answer 9

I was raised from a baby with animals including a cat and a Yorkshire Terrier and I had no problems.
My nana who looked after me simply introduced me to both animals under supervision, gradually increasing the time I spent with them so they got the idea. It came to the point where one of the cats became very maternal and 'looked after' me. He wouldn't leave my side and if l cried he would check I was OK. The dogs were similar, and would often let me play with them when I was a bit older.
The idea is not to force the baby's presence on the animals and you shouldn't have too many problems.

Answer 10

Terriers are not like attack dog like german shepherd. But terriers are vermin hunters meaning they have excellent skills and instinct at catching mice or other small animals. Since you are not going to leave the baby alone with the dogs, there is nothing to worry about. I suggest you let the baby play with dog under your supervision just so that the dog will get use to the baby.

Answer 11

I think it depends on the dog, when my daughter was born we'd had our dog four years and she was wonderful with my daughter, we never had any problems with her at all and she was the same again when my son came along, my dog was a Border Collie X GSD. Just have to make sure the dogs know where they are in the pecking order and that the dogs are not put on the back burner and forgotton about.