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10-28-2006, 06:48 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: California
Posts: 5
| Getting adjusted to a new (human) baby Hello! I'm new to this forum and is my first post. I've searched the threads but have not seen this issue addressed (apologies if I have missed it). I would appreciate some advice... My husband and I have a 7-year old female yorkie, who is the center of the household. We adopted her 5 years ago. While a puppy she had been re-homed several times and suffered separation anxiety. Now, we are expecting our first child, and we are concerned about how our yorkie will adjust. I have heard everything from "things will work out fine" to "never let the dog near the child" - (of course, we strongly disagree with that idea!) I would be grateful for any advice from members, thank you! |
Welcome Guest! | |
10-29-2006, 04:44 AM | #2 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bacliff, TX
Posts: 947
| I've never had to use this advice, but remember hearing/reading it somehwere in the past. Take one of the blankets or a piece of clothing the baby has worn (obviously from the hospital!) home and place it in your dog's bed. This will get it used to the smell as that is the most important sense to a dog. At some point, when you feel comfortable, hold the dog and let it smell the baby's feet while petting the dog. You want the dog to know you still love it. Try not to be in a rush to let the dog play around the baby. Just take it slow and remember to give the pup a lot of attention too. If the dog feels like it's being ignored because of the baby, you could have a problem. My son is 14 now and I had a Beagle when he was born. I never had a problem and have pictures of the two of them sleeping on the floor together when he was an infant. Bozo was probably 3 or 4 years old at the time. Best of luck to you! |
10-29-2006, 06:46 AM | #3 |
Mommy's Little Boo Boo Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Virgina
Posts: 3,734
| When I was preg. with my first baby we had dog was OLD anyway he got him ready for the baby by roughing him up a little pulling on his tail, ears and grabbing his fur (not to hard) but as you know this is what babies do, Bucky was a lap dog and my baby would kick him from time to time and he would look at me like what is going on mom. At the hospital I wrapped my baby in a blanket and then had my husband bring it home for the dog to smell so he would know the baby's scent. Well when it was time to bring Ryan home he was so excited and wanted to check him out he loved him from the get go and wanted to shower him with kisses. We enjoyed about 7 more years with him after that and he was around for baby #2 and very accepting of Gabriel as well. We had Bucky for about 15 years total he was my childhood dog. Good luck with your new baby and your dog adjusting (and don't forget to give him attention and don't push him to the side)
__________________ Proud mom to Grayson Abby Dusty Pepper Ryan Gabriel and of course me Diane Grayson loves Tia |
10-29-2006, 08:36 AM | #4 |
Loved by Layla Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 11,257
| Congrats on the upcoming arrival! I read somewhere that when you bring the baby home, have your dog be outside... bring the baby into the house.. then bring the dog in.. that way the dog is entering the "baby's" house.. and not the other way around. I saw this done on a TV show.. the Baby Whisperer... seemed to work well! |
10-29-2006, 09:21 AM | #5 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NB
Posts: 212
| We had 2 yorkies before our children and then they came. Reggie ignored us and we ignored him when he acted like that. We never did anything different but never pushed him to see the baby. We invited him to sit with us on the couch with the baby, he still slept in our bed, still got playtime. We never made any issue. He got over his ignoring issue within a week. With the second baby there was no change at all. perhaps we were lucky but it was really a non-issue with us and our yorkies never felt it was a huge deal and accepted the children into our pack.
__________________ Carla Reggie and Kenzie "Every puppy should have a boy" |
10-29-2006, 09:49 AM | #6 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FL
Posts: 7,651
| You are wise to consider this ahead of time. Looks like you are getting lots of good suggestions. I had a one year old Lhasa Apso when my first son was born (over 30 years ago). I did not think ahead and it was not a good experience. First, the Lhasa Apso kept leaving a little pile under the crib every day. I put up a doggy gate so he could not go in the room and he started leaving the little pile in the hallway outside the room. This all got him scolded which probably increased the resentment. He would growl when we were holding my son and I never dared leave them together in a room without us. I finally gave up and found a new home for the dog, who was really just a puppy himself. But maybe with the right forethought, I could have helped him with the transition. On the plus side, Yorkies seem to be the most loving dogs I have ever come across. It is almost like they are their own little species and not really a dog at all. I think they might deal with the arrival of a new baby as just another person to love on them. Congratulations on your upcoming baby arrival!
__________________ FlDebra and her ABCs Annie, Ben, Candy Promoting Healthy Breeding to the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Standard |
10-29-2006, 10:06 AM | #7 |
YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 2,583
| Schedule Try to create a routine starting from now that you will keep upon the arrival of your baby besides getting your dog to get accustomed to the baby's smell, etc. Try to not pay attention as much as you used to towards her and create a playtime and personal attention for her that you will keep upon baby's arrival. The reason for not paying as much attention is that upon your baby's arrival, it is going to happen. You will not be able to lavish as much attention on your yorkie as you do at the moment so you do not want her to associate it with your baby's existence so it is important you start as early as a month or two before baby comes home. Also, prepare your dog to not let her on the couch as before because when your baby comes home, expectantly you will be sitting with baby on the couch. You want to let the dog have the idea that baby is of a higher rank in the pack. This is practised until baby is older and you can trust your dog with the baby then she can go on the couch whenever she wants. I do not have a human child yet but I have read a few articles about human baby arrival issue. All the best to you. I am sure it will work out fine. Good luck
__________________ http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=410379 "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." Last edited by Potter; 10-29-2006 at 10:08 AM. |
10-30-2006, 02:42 PM | #8 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: California
Posts: 5
| Thanks, everyone! THANK YOU to everyone who replied to this post. There are some great suggestions here which we will follow. With any luck, we will be posting a new "yorkie and baby happy together" photo sometime soon. |
10-30-2006, 03:44 PM | #9 |
Little Bit & Buttons Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: US
Posts: 2,160
| This is funny now Don't think this is something that will happen to you, it just jogged a very old memory or maybe I should say nightmare. Years ago when our first grandchild was born, we had a spoiled Persian cat. Well, he didn't like not being number one and took to peeing on our new leather couch. It seems sort of funny now but it was the most frustrating animal experience I ever had. It actually had me in tears most of the time. Thankfully our little Yorkie loves the kids & just wants to play with them. When the second child came, the first got where he had to sit in my lap whenever I held the second, and now Little Bit has to sit there along with the two kids. |
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