Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am currently 3mo pregnant with my first (human) baby and have a few concerns about how my first dobe baby will react to my pregnancy and the ultimate arrival of the baby in April. I love my Ronin soooo much! He is now 3yrs old and has been my baby for those 3 yrs. I want to make the transition as easy as possible without causing me or him any undue stress. Ronin is NOT a guard dog or an outside dog.....he is a family member that I cannot live without. I've done a little reading on baby and pregnancy sites, but think my best advice will come from other dobe owners who have experienced this themselves. The only thing I can say about Ronin is he has been pretty easy to train. He has had both obedience and conformation training. As long as I know the steps of what to do....I think he will be fine. Help anyone?
Thank you in advance. And please, dont waste your breath on telling me to get rid of him. That is not an option. I made a life commitment.

Angela

Have you read any of the response up in Dogs and kids. People up there have said to bring the dogs into the new baby's room. Encourage the dog to explore the baby's room before the baby arrives. Also, I have read to buy some baby blankets and let the dog smell them. Once the baby arrives let him sniff the baby and watch how you care for him. Because your dog is a family member he should except the new baby as part of his human pack.
Good luck!

Read some of the resopnses in "kids and dogs" section on these forums. There's a book called "Childproofing Your Dog" that has some decent advice. It uses a bit more "correctional" methods than I probably woudl use, but each dog is different.

My basic approach when introducing my son to my pup was to make as much about it as positive as possible. I didn't make the child's room off limits to the dog- my own personal choice- I would close the door during naps however. I'd lay in the middle of the floor in the living room and give out hot dog treats to my dog for approaching- especially when the child was crying. AS my son got older, I'd have him feed her. Just overall, my dog thinks young kids are a food dispenser. I also started dog message with her to get her used to being handled ALL OVER since kids don't necessarily keep their fingers off certain parts of a dog. I concentrated on ears or tails and muzzle a lot.

I'm not of the opinion a dog should be gotten rid of because a human child is coming into the world unless there are already some very scary behavioral issues the dog is not able to get over- food or toy possessiveness to the point of biting is one of them. The average dog with the average amount of training should be able to handle the adjustment fairly well. One thing also, if you are not able to do it, hire someone to walk your dog later in your pregnancy and when the child first comes home. A tired dog is a happy dog.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thank you for your posts/reply.......
I can't seem to find this "kids and dogs" section. I tried using the search, but got no results.
I'll definately look into the Childproofing Your Dog book, though, thanks!

When your baby is born, have the blankets he/she was wrapped in at the hospital brought home for your Dobe to sniff BEFORE the baby comes home. This way, the scent of the baby will already be familar to your Dobe when you come home with a new addition. In addition, pay a lot of attention to your Dobe for awhile - babies sleep most of the time at first so this is not a hard thing to do. I used to nurse my first daughter and would be petting and praising my Doberman at the same time. I would not advocate leaving them alone together - not even for a minute until your baby is much older. My first Doberman was 3 1/2 when my first child was born - it truly was a very good experience. She was always wonderful with my kids and anyones elses kids as well. Remember that young children need to be trained on how to behave around a dog too. My current Doberman (she is 2)is very good with my children now, but it took some work to get there. At times I wanted to scruff shake the kids and the puppy and put them ALL in crates - LOL!
Kids and dogs can be a wonderful combination, and a well trained and socialized Doberman is the very best family dog. It is worth the work.

Thank you! Yes, I'm sure it will be worth any work and effort I have to put into it. Ronin has been around children and babies for a while and I hope it is a good indication of how he will be with our child. But, I just want to be as prepared as possible and do all the right things for him and us.
I have gradually limited his being able to be in the room that will become the nursery.....and I have also gradually begun to have him on "quiet time" so that he is use to being left alone and not the center of attention for small amounts of time. Nothing drastic because as you said, he will and should get a lot of attention. I don't want him feeling the baby is competition or anything.
Thanks so much for your thoughts and input!