Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1  
I NEVER put ANY dog around ANY baby!!! Too risky for both baby and dog!!!
There is no reason in the world for a baby to be around a dog! |
That is the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard.
So then, what? The only option when a family has a baby is to rehome the dog? Then they'd get chewed out for rehoming a dog because of a baby... Sorry but if you are living in a home with baby, seperating the dogs 100% of the time is just not going to be feasible for most people. Not to mention the fact that the dog will probably end up resenting the baby because it suddenly is being locked away from this new crying thing in it's house.
Babies and dogs have lived happily ever after for many years, and yes, some have issues but it's actually very rare.
I think these articles were kinda interesting:
Babies with dogs less likely to develop colds, ear infections as infants - HealthPop - CBS News Babies in dog-owning families may be healthier - Yahoo! News
I think it's a wonderful experience for a baby to learn very early on how to be around a dog and for a dog to accept a baby.
I will say that most dogs I've known that do not like kids, do not mind the family kids. Even Jackson tolerates a LOT more from my little sister (who is now 4 1/2) and my brother (8 1/2) than he ever would a random kid. However I have always spent a lot of time socializing and training him. Go to a park and watch the kids walk by? He got a treat. Let the kids pet him? He got a treat. It's usually a matter of training, and patience, and socializing (both the kids and the dogs!) I think people don't give Yorkies enough credit. They are highly capable of loving kids and being taught to enjoy them even (or at the least tolerate). And then WAY too many people assume Labs and big dogs have to take and tolerate kids jumping on them, pulling on them, etc, and that's when things get messy. It's just all about supervision and training really!
Obviously, precautions must be made. Never leave them in a room alone together etc. But you can start early with getting her associated with children in a positive light.
It sounds dumb, but you could even get a crying baby doll, and let the dog investigate and sniff. Treat them, etc, let them know that it's normal and have to be gentle around.
Also, when you come home from the hospital, bring some of the babies clothes or blanket etc so the dog can smell them before even meeting them.
Initially, every time the baby comes over, give your dog a very high value reward when behaving. Let the dog know that every time that baby comes... Wow, I get this awesome treat!! Use a treat that ONLY come out when the baby is over.
Check out this Cool blog for babies & dogs:
Dogs and Babies…Learning to Live Happily Ever After