old dog, new baby
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| First, welcome to the forum and congratulations!
I would treat it just as if you were having a second child. Make sure your "first" child doesn't feel neglected, try to make as much time as possible for the furbaby, spending time and extra attention and letting the dog feel involved, allowing him to meet the baby etc. Things should go fine  |
| Many experts say to start now. Introduce the smells that the dog will have to get used to: diapers, baby powder etc.... See if you can borrow a friend's diaper bag so the dog get's used to seeing it and smelling it. I think you may be surprised at the OES maternal instinct....especially one that's at a great age. Just remember to make sure he get's plenty of excercise....make sure he has been excercised before being allowed anywhere near the baby and ALWAYS be with them when they are together. I would attach a short leash when they are anywhere near eachother, that way you have something to grab if things get rowdy.
Good luck!!!!! |
| How exciting for you. Congrats! |
| Welcome to the forum. Though I don't have any kids...some friends of mine read that if you can, have someone bring home a blanket or something with the baby's smell on it and let the dog get used to his/her scent. Then when the baby comes home they'll recognize the smell. Not sure if it works or not.
Congrats on the baby! |
| Congratulations on your baby and welcome to the forum!
We don't have any children of our own, but we have babies and small children playing in the park and here are some tips that have worked with us: - Always greet the dog first before the child, that way the dogs feel important. - If your house is quiet, expect your dog to get upset with the new noises, so provide him with a quiet corner her he/she won't be disturbed. - Let the dog smell the baby and spend time with you as you nurse, change diapers and let the baby or child fall asleep. Pet him/her while you play with the child and allow the dog to interact in the games, that way he won't feel left out. Even if your dog is the sweetest, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG UNATTENDED, children are very unpredictable and can scare the dog with sudden moves or screams. When we have visits, our doggies are a little weird for a couple of days, then they realize that the kids are not harmful and things get quiet again, but we always keep an eye on them. Hope these ideas are of some help... We haven't had any incidents with the neighbors kids so far. Good Luck! |
| WOW! What a great time in your life- I brought a new baby home to an 8 year old sheepie. She was VERY curious, so I would agree with introducing the smells now in a very positive way, I would also include your sheepie in the planning- such as "helping" paint the room, checking out the new stuff as it comes into the house- etc.
I must tell you - I never left the babay alone with my Penelope, she never hurt him as a baby- and only snarled occasionally when he was a toddler- she didn't appreciate her fur being used as a means to 'pull up' (can't blame her!) But they are dogs- and no matter how affable- they can get startled- just avoid having any potential problems. You'll do fine, your sheepie just wants to be a part of your pack, and introducing new members is part of the deal! But I will make one suggestion from my heart- when you are in the 8th and 9th month and hopefully everyone is doting on you (just a bit!) take advantage of that late pregnancy downtime to hold your sheepie in your lap and stroke his/her head- remind the OES how much you love him/her and BOND. It goes a long way toward making the intro of a new human to the pack.... Up. |
| I had my first son when my OES was two years old. I was really worried and my wife was really scared because we had heard a lot of stories about bad behaviour of dogs with "newcomers". In fact, I thought in give him away because we lived in a flat with the dog and he could become jealous. Therefore, my wife and I were the only that wanted to keep the dog with us. Fathers, mothers, brothers and systers adviced us to give away the dog, but a friend of mine stopped me and just asked me: do you really love your dog?, if so you can always take care of your dog and family at the same time.
When my son was born we introduced him to our dog once we got home. He smelt him and we painted attention on his behaviour. Now my dog and son are always together, playing, taking care each other.....and do you know what?, my wife will give birth again in a few days and I'm absolutaly sure that my dog will have the same behaviour. I will probably have to pain more attention on my first son than on my dog. Don't be worried and congratulations!! |
| i want to thank everyone for the advice. the baby is due dec. 9 i will let you all know how buddy likes his new pack member.
thanks again, ger |
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