Help with my puppy and soon new baby - Page 1

Hi, I am already 5 months pregnant and have a very attached 6 month old Jack Russel-Beagle mixed puppy. She is very well behaved, but like I said before, she is very attached to me. I can't go anywhere in our home without her trying to find me. When my husband and I come home from work. She completely ignores my husband and rushes to meet me. I am afraid when I have the baby, she will be jealous and maybe even become violent, because I am not giving her the attention I give her now. Please, someone has to have some advice on this subject.

This is an unlikely scenario. You will have to find a way however to give the dog some attention and training. Using some good, common sense and keeping the dog away from the baby unless you are directly there to supervise AND the baby is much older, is only sensible.

Hello Elizabeth007, I have helped alot of clients deal with this same issue.. please feel free to email me with your phone number and I will call you and talk to you about some things that you can do to help ease your dog into the new baby situation. Heather draggahaus@yahoo.com

Understand that if you introduce the dog to the smell of the baby before even coming home, this is an advantage. In other words, have your husband bring home the dirty diapers. Without hurting your feelings, the dog should show greater acceptance of your husband. Have him start feeding your dog so that your dog begins to understand that also all good things come from him and that you are not the center of the universe. Food manipulation. No snacks and treats from you. Right now, your dog is your baby. But when the baby comes, the dog should be in the position to adjust to the change. Do not trust this dog alone with the baby for an instant.

Check out www.dogproblems.com. You'll get lots of help there! Congrats.

I had a baby with a 1.5 yr and a high drive 6month old GSD who were also very attached to me. My husband brought home blankets which the baby was wrapped in every time he visited the hospital. When we brought the baby home we had no one in the house for the first hour so we could introduce them to the baby without the excitement of visitors. We put all the baby paraphenalia (pack-n-play, swing etc.) out months before the due date to get them used to everything. When the baby came home I made sure we didn't shoosh the dogs away while we were feeding and holding the baby. We didn't want them to associate the baby with negative attention, so we would invite the dogs to lay next to us during feeding and pet them making comforting noises to them. At an early age we encouraged the dogs to give the baby brief kisses then praised them. Of course we made sure we didn't have the baby on the floor unless we were right next to her and had them sit or lay down and praised them if they wanted to come close. After she was a few months old we started getting them used to contact with her while they were laying on the floor (bringing her to them) and praising them. I brought the baby to them while they were eating and chewing bones and watched closely for any resentment, because when the baby becomes mobile this should not be a concern. I am not an expert on the subject but it worked wonderfully for me. The baby is now two and they adore eachother, and the dogs have been extreemly tolerant of the ear pinching and tail pulling (somthing that is at times unavoidable with toddlers). Alot of teaching is also required to teach the baby how to treat the dogs, at the end of the first year they do alot of grabbing, pulling and pinching. The one thing I made sure of is that I made a concerted effort to give the dogs as much attention as they always had, and maybe a little more. I couldn't have had a better outcome and my daughter is now as crazy about dogs as I am. Good luck, Melanie

Elizabeth007 - You need to get the book "Leader of the Pack" today and applying the principals. It is a short but very good book.

I am a breeder, trainer, owner of working line gsd, and a mother of an 8 year old son and an 18 month old baby girl. Oh, and a single mom so heck yeah I am pack leader:) if you have a dog with a poor temperament it makes no difference what you do. Make sure you have zero tolerance for any aggression-get rid of the dog I don't know anything about Jacks, but I do know that it is an immensensely overbred breed & when that happens to any breed, temperament is the last trait many breed for. Think of your dog as an unfenced pool that can run after your baby! I am sure you would never expose your baby unsupervised to any hazard NEVER leave a baby unattended. Temperament can not be taught & there is nothing normal or acceptable for any breed to show aggression, no matter how small you think it is, to a baby or child. Period. Most people do not train small dogs but they bite more frequently than large!(large more damage) Start obedience if you haven't yet. The ideal relationship you want with your infant & dog at this point is indifference bc that will grow as the child grows, you dont want a dog overzealous around fragile infant. smelling a blanket/diapers isnt going to make a dog love or hate or accept a child, but it will keep the dog from overexcitedly running up to you/baby to see what the smell is the first time. I agree with weaning the puppy off you & onto your husband. I completely Disagree with not shooshing the dog away. You must let your dog know now you need space/away time. First a good dog does not think of a correction as a personal attack-- rules, corrections, schedules, to a good dog is neutral. it rains i get wet. mom in baby room, i stay in my spot. no drama involved. resistance to new rules while learning but YOUR consistency will make it a no brainer Give your dog a "spot" it does not have to be a kennel/crate, it can be a rug (i use that) make it the best place on earth give him something to keep him busy bone/whatever, tell him spot, when he picks up the bone to move it, take his bone/or him by the collar & say spot & put him back EVERY time-if you know he is asleep in one room, put a treat on his spot, then wake him, say spot, and take him there. He will think his spot is magical:)later, spend time ALONE where you will be will the baby, if you have a nursing chair, baby room whatever, put your dog in his spot, start with small intervals, any time he gets up even to sneak out an inch, tell him no, spot & put him back. increase the interval, then when you are finished with everything, you go to him with a treat, praise & use a release word, "free" & give him praise. He will associate it no more negatively then water means wet, hot food means burn. Do not let him get up when he thinks you are finished, only when you release him, maybe you are half way through a feeding and need to get something, so do not let him get up until you say "ok" bottom line: no aggression is normal toward baby & also if you ever need to spot something--feeding your baby, whatever, to put the dog back--do it!your baby won't die for a two second break but your dog needs to learn consistency no matter what:)

ps--my typos said i have gsd(like one dog--i have 4 working line gsds) grizzly on www.dogtrainer.de (not my website) is one of my studs, also have a karthago female foundation dog. Just wanted to let you know I have more than one & and my son is awesome with them, & my little girl knows "gentle pets" when touching the dogs. Just don't take any chances, hopefully all will work out great. good luck