I'm expecting our first child in a couple months and have a one and
half year old female english bulldog. As much as dog is pretty calm,
she is still excitable at times and likes to play. Is there anything
that can be done to make the transition of a new child in house
easier?

"todd" wrote in message
om...
I'm expecting our first child in a couple months and have a one and
half year old female english bulldog. As much as dog is pretty calm,
she is still excitable at times and likes to play. Is there anything
that can be done to make the transition of a new child in house
easier?

Dogs tend to automatically be careful around newborns because the dog has
absolutely no idea what the heck that
jerking/twitching/leg-kicking/noise-making object is. Most dogs observe at
a distance with a look of consternation on their faces until they're sure
the thing means no harm. Some dogs, however, aren't content to wait and
see, they'll consider the baby an object of prey or threat. So rule #1,
never leave the baby unsupervised & within reach of the dog (even if the
baby is in a swing) until you're certain the dog accepts the baby.

Your dog will have 6-12 months to become accustomed to the baby before you
have to start putting more energy into baby/dog interactions. By this I
mean that the baby won't begin crawling or standing up for a while so there
won't be any baby/dog interactions that don't have you holding the baby or
the baby in a swing or walker. Playpens & highchairs are out of reach for
the dog.

I always recommend that parents include the dog when they spend time with
the baby. Whether its just sitting on the couch, sitting on the floor, etc.
Let the dog observe & be near if she wants. Let her sniff, smell & lick the
baby if she wants. Encourage it. Make the baby part of her (your dog's)
family right from the start. Being too protective by shooing the dog away
all the time can lead to the dog attaching a negative association to the
baby.

Some things to not do are allowing the baby to pinch or squeeze the dog.
Even at 3mo babies have superman grips and tend to not let go. Once you
have a toddler on your hands, don't let him/her being rough with the dog
(pull/pinch/ride/hit). Teach the baby the same manners towards the dog as
you expect the dog to have towards the baby & all should be fine.

--
Tara

What she said.


--
Emily Carroll
Fluttervale Labradors: www.fluttervale.com
CPG: www.geocities.com/cyberpetgame/
"Tee" wrote in message
...
"todd" wrote in message
om...
I'm expecting our first child in a couple months and have a one and
half year old female english bulldog. As much as dog is pretty calm,
she is still excitable at times and likes to play. Is there anything
that can be done to make the transition of a new child in house
easier?

Dogs tend to automatically be careful around newborns because the dog has
absolutely no idea what the heck that
jerking/twitching/leg-kicking/noise-making object is. Most dogs observe
at
a distance with a look of consternation on their faces until they're sure
the thing means no harm. Some dogs, however, aren't content to wait and
see, they'll consider the baby an object of prey or threat. So rule #1,
never leave the baby unsupervised & within reach of the dog (even if the
baby is in a swing) until you're certain the dog accepts the baby.

Your dog will have 6-12 months to become accustomed to the baby before you
have to start putting more energy into baby/dog interactions. By this I
mean that the baby won't begin crawling or standing up for a while so
there
won't be any baby/dog interactions that don't have you holding the baby or
the baby in a swing or walker. Playpens & highchairs are out of reach for
the dog.

I always recommend that parents include the dog when they spend time with
the baby. Whether its just sitting on the couch, sitting on the floor,
etc.
Let the dog observe & be near if she wants. Let her sniff, smell & lick
the
baby if she wants. Encourage it. Make the baby part of her (your dog's)
family right from the start. Being too protective by shooing the dog away
all the time can lead to the dog attaching a negative association to the
baby.

Some things to not do are allowing the baby to pinch or squeeze the dog.
Even at 3mo babies have superman grips and tend to not let go. Once you
have a toddler on your hands, don't let him/her being rough with the dog
(pull/pinch/ride/hit). Teach the baby the same manners towards the dog as
you expect the dog to have towards the baby & all should be fine.

--
Tara




---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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"todd" wrote:

Is there anything
that can be done to make the transition of a new child in house
easier?

I haven't read the book myself, but I've often seen people whose opinion I
generally agree with recommend a book called "Childproofing your Dog", by
Kilcommons.

"todd" wrote in message
om...
Is there anything that can be done to make the transition of a new child
in house
easier?

I've been asked this question so much lately (spring is in the air) that I
saved some websites that address this and here they a

http://www.netpets.org/dogs/reference/info/baby.html

http://www.vcu.edu/webdesign/paws/ab...roducebaby.pdf

http://k9media.net/k9online/advice/ref29.htm

http://www.dogdaysusa.com/behaviorcenter_babytips.asp

http://www.montvaleanimalhospital.com/new_page_2.htm

http://www.amrottclub.org/baby.htm

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/misc/part1/

http://www.superk9.com/articles/obedience18.asp

http://www.nevadahumanesociety.org/babyarrival.htm



Ruth + Gretta, one old weim + Woody, the corgimon and Thelma, the three
legged wonder cat

Run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore and buy or order
_Child-Proofing Your Dog_ by Kilcommons. It will not tell you how to
train your dog, but it will tell you what you and your dog need to know.
grin For instance, there is a section on how to prepare and
introduce... one on how to mark the dog's toys and the baby's toys, what
to do and not do as the baby begins to creep and toddle.... and carries
on up into the teen years. It addresses adding children/babies and
adding dogs when there are already kids.

Friends with obedience competition dogs, highly trained and very
responsive, have said that this book was HUGELY helpful to them when
they got around to starting their human family. One young mom I know
now gives this book as a baby shower gift if the couple have a dog....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia