Ask:
Did anyone have any issues with introducing a new baby to the other babies (aka the dogs). I was just curious and if so how did you overcome them.
We are planning to have a couple days without dogs. Then we will introduce my pomeranian to her for a couple of days and then bring the beagel home (the pomeranian tends to be a little nibbly, whereas I think the Beagle will just need to learn no more jumping-ever!) We are also going to send the pom something that smells like her while he is still away to get used to her.
They are both generally good around babies/kids who visit. However, the pomeranian sometimes needs to be protected from those grabby hands, but he never fights back at the kids when they pull his hair. But little Kaylee is going to be taught not to do that as much as possible!
**Plus look at that face (my icon). Too sweet
Answer:
We had two dogs when I brought both of my boys home. I will say upfront that one was a good dog and one was not. One was very protective of me, but I wouldn't let dh get rid of him at the time.
I am not sure what you mean by "nibbly" If it means that the dog would bite for any reason, I would not have him around, period. I didn't think this way at first, it's from experience that I say it now. I tried keeping my "protective" dog separated from my babies by keeping him baby gated in another room if they were down on the floor. I hired a behaviorists while I was pregnent, did all the things she told me to, I had him vet checked for problems. It all really boiled down to this. Each dog has a personality. If you are questioning it now. I wouldn't take the chance.
This is what the behaviorist told me. She said to have dh bring something home from the hospital w/ the babies scent on it and let them smell it. She said to have the dogs outside until I walked in with the baby and sat down and then to let dh bring them to greet us. I was to pet them and introduce them to the baby calmly. She said by doing it this way, it would cut down on some of the jealousy. It worked with my good dog.
I kept my other one for two years. I kept him separate from my son. It was hard and it was rediculous (I wouldn't admit this then because he was my baby too) When I brought my second son home the dog growled at me for reaching for a pillow, I gave up and told my dh to take him away. I was devistated, but I couldn't bare the thought of one of my son's having their beautiful faces bitten by my dog.
It can happen in an instant. I wouldn't think twice about keeing and teaching your beagle not to jump, this is something that can be learned. A dog who will bite is different. This cannot be trained out. You won't be able to keep him away from your child every minute and even a little dog can cause so much damage.
My dh works with a lady who has a cocker spaniel. It has bitten both of her grandchildren in the face and left scars. She loves it and couldn't bare to get rid of it. But how can she bare the thought of her poor grandchildren who will have to live w/ the scars on their faces forever? I am an animal lover to the point that I am unreasonable sometimes. But this is one instance that I have to admit my dh was right. I wish I would have listened to him earlier. No one got hurt (except me) at my house, but they could have and I should never have taken that chance.
Answer:
We did what treehugger did with the scent from the hospital, etc. Our dogs (as well as my parents' dog) were all there when we came home from the hospital and we let the dogs smell the baby right away. I would not wait on that, but that is my opinion. It is their house, too. (As long as they respect the baby.)
I was nervous as our dogs were older and male. They were 8 (a Sheltie) and 9 (a lab/husky mix). My parents' dog was a 7 year old beagle (female) who did great from day one. Our lab was awesome with the babies (we have had three since then). He was old and hurting and would let them crawl all over him. (I rescued him as soon as I saw, of course.) He died last year at 15 and the kids still miss him. Our Sheltie didn't care for the kids, but has learned to accept them. He has never tried to bite them, but we have also trained them to leave him alone. The only time there ever was an issue was when he was eating. He did NOT want them near so I just fed him away from the kids twice a day and everything was fine.
I was so worried about it, but it really did work out fine. You just have to really know your dogs and work with them. My Sheltie now accepts the kids as part of his pack, but really doesn't want to play with them, but at 15 he doesn't want me (his favorite!) to play with him a whole lot!
Good luck!
Answer:
We had no trouble introducing our dog to the kids when we brought them home from the hospital. When ds was born he spent 2 weeks in the NICU and we had brought a tshirt of his home for the dog to "check out". When ds was home finally I was rocking him in the rocker and the dog came in licked him on the top of his head and ds was "his" boy until the day that our dog passed away.
I can't remember what we did with dd. Probably nothing since our dog was so wonderful with ds.
Answer:
The pomeranian is still kind of a puppy, so when I say nibbly, he sometimes tries to chew on us in a playful way. He has NEVER done it to anyone else and we have pretty much broken him of the habit by getting him bunches of toys. Also, he is only 6 pounds, so once Kaylee starts moving, it will be him I am worried about more than her as little kids can hurt little dogs pretty easily. He never bites out of aggression or anger - he loves everyone.
The reason I am delaying the dogs is because I am having a homebirth and will need a couple of days to relax as I would if I was in the hospital. Plus, the Beagle isn't much fun with the doorbell ringing But he has gotten VERY good about not jumping. He just has the problem when people arrive.
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I grew up with dogs, but have cats now, so not the same, but still...I found that if you introduce the baby, and as baby grows and learns to pet, you can teach baby to pet nicely and enjoy the softness. Animals can become very nurturing if you include them, but resentful if you don't. My daughter now loves to pet them (she's one), but does grab a handful once in a while so I have to watch closely. The cats, who will bite me as I remove mats, never even growl at her. They are very gentle with her, and if they aren't in the mood to be with her at the time, will simply leave the room.
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We have a german shepard/wolf mix and 4 cats. When Aidan was born, DH brought home a blanket from the hospital and they all just kinda sniffed it and went on about their business. The day we came home, I came in and sat down with Aidan and Duke came over, sniffed his head and then gave him a BIG lick, as if to say "Welcome to the family little one". The cats will lay and let him grab at them and when they've had enough, they just take off. Aidan has even gone and moved Duke's bowl as he was eating and Duke just follows the bowl and keeps right on eating.
Even my DB's Boxer, Zoe loves him, when he's on the floor, she stands over him as if to protect him. The only animal we have to watch is my mom's Peke, she's older and has snapped twice, but not at his face. So, we just keep him away from her.
Answer:
Originally Posted by KayleezMom
The pomeranian is still kind of a puppy, so when I say nibbly, he sometimes tries to chew on us in a playful way. He has NEVER done it to anyone else and we have pretty much broken him of the habit by getting him bunches of toys. Also, he is only 6 pounds, so once Kaylee starts moving, it will be him I am worried about more than her as little kids can hurt little dogs pretty easily. He never bites out of aggression or anger - he loves everyone.
The reason I am delaying the dogs is because I am having a homebirth and will need a couple of days to relax as I would if I was in the hospital. Plus, the Beagle isn't much fun with the doorbell ringing But he has gotten VERY good about not jumping. He just has the problem when people arrive.
Oh Good! I am so leary after the bad experience I had. It was all just so heartbreaking.
We used to hand our puppies their toy and tell them this is what you bite. Just make sure to give your dogs lots of attention too and I'm sure they'll do fine.
Answer:
I think the best advice you can get....is what the vet told my sister.
Remember that your dog is still an "animal"......never trust them completely and leave them unnattended with your baby.