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Baby and a puppy

Hi ladies,

Wondering if anyone has any advice having a dog with a baby.

We kind of rescued a baby staffordshire Bull Terrior the week before last, she is 5 months old and was going to be taken to Battersea. Anyway, she is gorgeous, very affectionate and loves being around people including kids. BUT, i am obviously a bit concerned about what's going to happen when the baby comes in a few months. Everything i've read about staffs is that they are great with families and they call them the 'nanny dog' cos they are so good with kids but i'm still a bit concerned as they have this image and a couple of people have said i am mad. Anyway just wondering if anyone has had dogs with babies and should i be concerned?? Obviously i wouldn't leave the baby alone with her at all but its a bit of a tricky situation....

thanks girls, Gem x

Replies

  • hiya, i have 2 spaniels who r 4. they r also great with kids. how giddy is ur puppy?? is it mad or quite relaxed? i know to a certain extent all puppies r a bit crazy! is it trained at all? i'd say take it to training classes now just so it knows u r in charge and will listen to u. staffs make great pets my friend has 2 but they r very mad and jump up at everyone including strangers cos they have not been trained , another friend also has one and it is 18 weeks old it is tin but it listens to everything thing he says so u can really see what a difference training makes. i know u r suppose to let the dog lick the babies feet when it comes home. u need to makes sure u do not push the dog out but try and involve it so it doesn't resent the baby. i think u'l find that the dog will know that it is a baby and that it has to be careful. dogs just seem to know! mine will jump up at someone they see all the time like my hubbys mum but they would never to a kid or to a old person. so they just seem to know. i think u'll be fine its good that they will be brought up 2gether xxx
  • i was thinking about a puppy too as OH wants a staf but i already have my little kitten and baby in 22 weeks.
  • as long as you train a staff correctly. They make lovely pets. We have a staff x and he is the most kind and gentle dog i have ever owned. He can be a bit excited but a short sharp "NO" and he stops, very well behaved dog. I have had him from a puppy from RSPCA and he is fab. very chilled out little dog (i think hes cross with a yorkshire terrier).

  • Hi jamtart

    I worked for the RSPCA for 13 yrs and am also a vet nurse now in a private practise, I have studied dog behaviour in depth so heres a little advice.

    A rescue dog may not have had the best of starts and depending on why she was given up for rehoming in the first place will determine wether there are any little problems with the dog or just the previous owners.
    Although still a puppy she is reaching sexual maturity which means like the rest of us when she starts to come in to seaon which can be from 5months upwards her tolerance level will be like ours...strained lol, training becomes harder and they refuse to listen (def sounds like me lol), so I def would reccomend you have her neutered (speak to your vet for advice on that).
    Socialise ALOT, get her meeting as many children as possible, noisy ones, quiet ones all of them, expose her to as much as you can so she doesn't get spooked the first time your baby cries out.
    Training is always beneficial although staffies are renowned to be people pets, generally they are not dog dogs, although there are exceptions to every rule, but generally they tend not to like other dogs, again, socializing with other dogs while she is young would benefit (make sure vaccinated though just in case)

    Get her used to having her own space in the house, by this I mean dogs like to "den" somewhere they like to go to relax and if an area is provided and you see your pup using her space you know to leave her alone nd not to fuss, this helps you when baby is crawling to teach your baby not to bother the dog, the best way is an indoor cage (please dont recoil in horror at the word cage, my dogs love their cages because it used properly and never as a punishment, i hardly ever close them in and if I do its if any "non doggy" friends visit, i pop the door closed and they just sleep)
    They are good for house training as well if you have that problem.
    You said you would never leave dog and child together......thats the golden rule really, don't trust the dog or the child not to do anything that may result in an accident, its not worth it.
    ALways keep your dog toys and the childs toys seperate, never let either have each others, it takes out the risk of any risk of the dog trying to grab and vice versa.

    Geez i could go on and on, but thats enough lol

    If done right your new puppy and your family should have a happy life. x
  • hi there
    i have a old staff she is lovely people dog. But i know that when baby comes to not leave her with him alone you can never be to careful. you should be fine as long as you train her right not that it takes a lot just dont even when it comes to play tease and she is still at a very young age so will love to learn. people have gave staffs a really bad name its not the dog its the way you treat them. Any dog can do damage not just staffs and that kinda breed. but i think that there is always a reason they do and it down to there owner. i hope it goes well with pup and lo they will be the best of friends.
    Tori (31+6) xxx
    Staffs are the best dog in the world X
  • hello- well i have a english bull terrier which is apparantly the most vicious! which is not true! i also have a little shih tzu and i am also expecting! ive had the same dilemma and came to the conclushion that as long as they r never left alone and also there are gates like baby gates so you can put the dog somewhere they cant get near the baby for a while if it all gets too much work. hope this helps x
  • Ive heard using a doll in place of the baby (act exactly as you would with a baby), for a few weeks before your due date to get them used to the presence/idea.

    Em x

    Sorry gatecrashed from ttc forum.
  • i have a 1 1/2 yr old springer spanial who is so hippo lol,
    i was concerned when i found out i was pregnant but i know my dog would never hurt the baby and she is grate with my 3 1/2 yr old daughter, i just wont be leaving dog around baby or daughter un supervised,
    loads of people have dogs and children im sure if your dog is trained properley it will be fine around your little one,
    my dog has never gone to nip or jump up children cause wh have never let her do it so hoping all will be fine lol.
    good luck hun xxx

    http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev099pb___.png

  • hi, i seen the health vistor and she said to if you can put a item of clothes on baby and then bring it home for dog to smell before you bring baby home Tori XxX
  • hi

    we have a two yr old rottie collie cross and he is a bit mental.
    when i gave birth he went to a mates house and they took an item of los clothes for him to smell before he came home.
    when he did come home i was behind a gate on the stairs so he knew something was going on, then when he had calmed down a bit i came out then brought baby down when he woke up
    our dog literally acted like "oh is that it? thought there was something to worry about...." and has since been brill with lo. hes atually a bit nervy around him as he thinks he'll hurt lo, but has licked his feet and been petted by lo so knows everyting is ok.
    when he needs some time out he has a bed upstairs he can retreat to and i'll check on him every so often to make sure hes ok.

    the main thing for us is that the dog doesnt feel left out so once lo is in bed we really fuss the dog - that way hs getting used to routines the same as the rest of us!



    as long as you set ground rules and stick to them you should be fine.

    xxxx
  • Thank so much everyone for your replies, ther are loads of good tips there and its really reassuring that as you say, loads of people have dogs with babies, i really hope they do grow to be best of friends!!! Swishwoo, thanks very much for the benefit of your veternary experience, i'm taking her to the vet tomorrow to get her checked out and find out about being neutered, only room for one hormonal woman in my house!! Will also do the training as a few suggested. Plus will def look into the den thing as she does seem to like her own surrrounding and being undercovers!!!

    Thanks girls, you've helped put my mind at rest and staffs really are lovely, affectionate dogs in my experience so far x x
  • Hi jamtart, your puppy sounds lovely! Hubby and I are getting an 8 week old puppy next week and at first I thought we must be mad as our baby is due the end of July. But like you we hope they will be the best of friends and we have time to train him and introduce him to children before the baby comes.

    We have bought a play pen (similar to the ones you can get for kids) which we have put his bed, blanket and toys in so its really cosy. Like Swishswoo said it means he can have his own little place to chill out and we plan to put him there overnight so he doesn't get into mischief, so it would definately be worth looking into getting something similar. The book we bought suggests having a small area for the puppy to call his own such as a pen or crate where he can still see whats going on. It suggests gradually introducing the puppy to his 'den' with a small treat, 5 minutes at a time a few times a day, followed by lots of praise. Then the next day increase it to 10 minutes then each day increase 5 minutes more until you get to 30 minutes. It then recommends doing this process again, but this time leave the room each time. He'll then get him used to having time in his pen when I need to be doing other things and can't keep an eye on him, thats the plan anyway!It will also be a retreat for him if he wants some 'time out'. I thought that when the baby comes he won't feel punished if I want him out of the way when I bath the baby etc.

    Anyway hope this has helped and I haven't waffled too much! Have fun and enjoy your new little love! xx
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