Home Moms-Pets and babies

[Hudson_Hawk]

Good morning ladies!

I''ve noticed my pup D.O.G. had started to become more attentive. He follows me around the house looking for love all the time and always wants to be with me. The other night when DH were arguing he got so upset about it and then was upset last night when DH got home and I wasn''t with him (took separate cars to work). My dog is a chow chow and we''ve worked really hard on training him to behave in a manner that''s socially acceptable and safe, but he is still just a puppy (1.5 years old). I understand that the process of acclimating him to a baby is going to take time, and I''ve read up on how to effectively prepare your pets for the arrival of a LO. We''ve already started doing that. Now I''m looking for real world experiences. How have your pets (any kind or breed) responded to your new babies?

 

[elrohwen]

I don''t have a baby, but I can tell you how my parents'' dog responded to me. This dog was attached to my mom at the hip - he followed her everywhere and he was one of those quirky dogs that acts like a person. My parents were really worried about how he would react to a baby because he was so attached to my mom, but he ended up loving me! He would sleep under my crip, patrol around my stroller during walks, and was pretty protective of me. He''d also run up and lick my face all over. Haha. Just wanted to share a positive story.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

LOL, thanks! I''m hoping this is the case! Also, how do cats usually respond around babies? Are they inquisitive? I have three and they''re each so different. I''m a little concerned I''ll find one napping in the crib with the LO.

 

[tlh]

I don''t have any advice from child-rearing experience, and eagerly look forward to responses to your question from those who do!

I can say, that certain breeds don''t always take to small children. It seems to be more of a problem with dogs that attach to one person. I know from years of volunteer work at an animal shelter - the chow breed were often turned over because of aggression w/ children. Nipping/herding behavior. So I''m not saying you have a "bad dog" breed, but I would definately try to work on getting this dog out and socialized every opportunity you have... like doggy day camp - obedience training - etc. Especially if he seems hyper sensitive to your household changes.

 

[tlh]

Date: 2/2/2010 9:56:32 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
LOL, thanks! I''m hoping this is the case! Also, how do cats usually respond around babies? Are they inquisitive? I have three and they''re each so different. I''m a little concerned I''ll find one napping in the crib with the LO.

My BFF has 3 cats, and didn''t have this problem. They just close the door when the LO is napping, and make sure to have a baby moniter on. They also keep the door closed at all times. The kitties are NEVER allowed in the baby''s room. At first they were curious about the baby - but now that he''s mobile, they really aren''t interested.

My bro and sil do the same thing. 1 cat, 1 dog. They also had a little dog (Shiba Inu) who was pretty attached to BOTh of the parents. And at first he had some bad behavior- but never had an issue w/ nipping herding of the baby. They now have a problem with him stealing her toys... but she thinks it is a game... so it isn''t a big deal.. just a lot of slimey turned crusty stuffed animals... which probably would have happened as she was teething anyway.

I didn''t realize you were expecting! Congrats!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 2/2/2010 9:58:02 AM
Author: tlh
I don''t have any advice from child-rearing experience, and eagerly look forward to responses to your question from those who do!


I can say, that certain breeds don''t always take to small children. It seems to be more of a problem with dogs that attach to one person. I know from years of volunteer work at an animal shelter - the chow breed were often turned over because of aggression w/ children. Nipping/herding behavior. So I''m not saying you have a ''bad dog'' breed, but I would definately try to work on getting this dog out and socialized every opportunity you have... like doggy day camp - obedience training - etc. Especially if he seems hyper sensitive to your household changes.

Thanks tlh, it''s always nice to have a new perspective on things. We''ve worked really hard to socialize him, he''s been to obed school, etc. But you just never know how they''re going to respond. I don''t necessarily believe that chows bond with just one person. This is our second and our first was very open to any family member or person he "read" as welcome in our house. D.O.G. is even more open to new friends, to the point of saying hi to strangers in the street which is not chow-like at all. At home he''s pretty balanced. DH walks and feeds him, we both discipline, and we both give snuggles, adn he''s equally concerned when I come home from somewhere without DH. He''s just a love bug and a people person. So while I think he''s paying me more attention now, I don''t necessarily think he''s more attached to me.

So in some ways I feel ok about it, but there''s the fear of the unknown as well, and like I said, I''m equally as concerned about the cats.

 

[dcgator]

HH - We have two cats, and it makes me a bit nervous too (when we do get KU). My friend brought her then-8 month baby over and I was VERY pleasantly surprised with my older cat as he just sniffed around the LO and when the LO grabbed at him and stuff he just kinda took it, no adverse reactions at all. But, I am worried about the liitle cat b/c he is sooo skittish and I am afraid he will freak out if the baby starts screaming or something.

Also, do you cats have all their claws? My big one only has the back claws but the little one has all his claws still. I am seriously considering getting those taken out before we have a LO. (Sorry to all the cat people here, I know it''s not ideal to get them declawed, but my little cat gets startled easily and will do the claws out thing, and I can''t imgaine a baby spooking him and him scratching the baby all up...

)

 

[MustangGal]

We have 3 cats and a lab/golden retreiver mix. The 2 older cats completely ignored Kyle as an infant, and are just now letting him get near now that he''s crawling and cruising all over the place. The youngest cat (about 2 years old) LOVES Kyle, and lets him pull her ears/tail whatever and just purrs the whole time. They are allowed in his room, but mostly don''t go in there. We did have to start shutting the door becasue the younger cat would jump in his crib to get into the window in his room (which woke him up a few times). None have ever tried to sleep with him, even when he was in the bassinet in our bedrrom where they sleep too.

The dog just pretends he doesn''t exist, but when Kyle crawls over him he doesn''t mind. The one issue with a larger dog is they just don''t notice the baby sometimes. Kyle gets knocked in the head by the crazy lab tail, and he''s been backed over him a few times if when the dog gets excited/bouncy and just isn''t looking. The dog has also developed a taste for baby food, and got into the pantry last week

. He also ate a few paci''s and a couple toys that we accidently left out.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

dcg my cats do have their claws, but I keep them trimmed.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks MG!

 

[lulu]

Date: 2/2/2010 10:20:24 AM
Author: dcgator
HH - We have two cats, and it makes me a bit nervous too (when we do get KU). My friend brought her then-8 month baby over and I was VERY pleasantly surprised with my older cat as he just sniffed around the LO and when the LO grabbed at him and stuff he just kinda took it, no adverse reactions at all. But, I am worried about the liitle cat b/c he is sooo skittish and I am afraid he will freak out if the baby starts screaming or something.

Also, do you cats have all their claws? My big one only has the back claws but the little one has all his claws still. I am seriously considering getting those taken out before we have a LO. (Sorry to all the cat people here, I know it's not ideal to get them declawed, but my little cat gets startled easily and will do the claws out thing, and I can't imgaine a baby spooking him and him scratching the baby all up...

)

Declawing a cat is beyond "not ideal"=it's cruel. If you think he's skittish now just wait for the behavioral problems that will come with declawing. I really don't understand the concern about the cat napping with baby.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Lulu, thanks. My cats will never be de-clawed, ever.

My concern with napping is that one of my cats is a rubjunkie. As in, will plaster himself over your face if he thinks it feels good or will get him attention. Clearly this is an issue if he feels the baby is a passive source of contact. I mean, if there''s a concern about blankets and suffocation in the crib I have to imagine that extends to live furry creatures as well. Also the cat hair thing grosses me out when I think of it in the crib with the baby.

 

[Dreamer_D]

We had two dogs when our son was born. They were also very attentive to me when I was pregnant, I think they can smell when another animal is in that state. Anyways, the biggest issue when the baby came was the dogs trying to be in his face all the time. Especially if spit up of milk was involved. It didn''t take long for them to get he idea that they were not allowed to do that though.

Well before our sone came, basically when we found out we were pregnant, we started having the dogs sleep in a crate in a different room and also stopped allowing them to some onto the beds at all. I think those changes made a big difference in teaching them their place in the pack, so to speak.

But about 6 months ago one of our dogs, while great with the baby, started showing some aggression towards older kids, like 4 year olds. She was always a fearful dog, sort of a rescue actually, but for some reason we didn''t put 2 and 2 together when we got her and think about what the implications would be when we had kids of our own. Anyways, we decided in the end to re-home her because she would be too stressed in our loud house full of kids (one day) and I felt fairly confident she would fear bite eventually. Once we had our son, there was simply no longer any time for the extensive training she required to become a good family dog. Our other dog does great with the baby, though he does like to like his face more than I would like. But that is small potatoes.

Anyways, the transition to life ith kids and pets can be full of surprises. You never really know how you dog will react, they are animals after all and some of their instincts are not so great for babies. I hope your transition goes well!

 

[janinegirly]

We don't have pets but I remember our hospital offering a class on how to get your dog used to the new baby! I thought that was hilarious (and cute).

Our IL's have a dog..and he definitely acted out. Never would hurt the baby but the few times we have seen them he has pooped twice! Once right in front of the baby's play area I'd set up temporarily and another time pooped right in front of us as we walked in the door (on the carpet). Now it could be a coincidence but ..hmm, I don't think so--this dog tends to be a *bit* manipulative (he once pooped on another dog's bed who was temporarily staying over).

My sister's dog is the most gentle dog ever and he just generally looks depressed when I'm there with the baby. Sees the baby and just turns and goes the other way as if to say "oh she's here? Ok, I go away..."

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/2/2010 10:20:24 AM
Author: dcgator
Also, do you cats have all their claws? My big one only has the back claws but the little one has all his claws still. I am seriously considering getting those taken out before we have a LO. (Sorry to all the cat people here, I know it's not ideal to get them declawed, but my little cat gets startled easily and will do the claws out thing, and I can't imgaine a baby spooking him and him scratching the baby all up...

)

One of my cats is completely phsychotic and unbalanced and hisses at us all the time. When my son was born, she didn't even go near him. Okay, actually I think she sniffed him once or twice, but *never* attacked my son or anything. We've had her forever. She's now 17 and has grown up with two active boys.

I think her feisty attitude has helped as my kids are VERY gentle around her. A pet with attitude and who will defend will help your children with respecting your pets. My kids never are mean and do not pull tails or anything that most other kids might do with a whimpy pet.

ETA - none of my pets have ever been declawed!

 

[NovemberBride]

HH,

We have a pug/jack russell mix who is very attached to me. Everyone thought he would not like the baby since it took my attention away from him. However, he has been great with Olivia since we brought her home. He does like to sniff and lick her (we try to keep the licking to her hands and feet and not her face), but I am pretty relaxed about it. He''s a shedder, so she often has dog hair on her, but that never hurt anyone. He also goes after her toys, which is understandable since they look just like his toys. Here are some things I found helpful and think contributed to Rex doing so well:

1. My parents stayed at our house with him while we were at the hospital and when they went home they brought one of her baby blankets so he could get used to her smell.
2. When we got home, Dh brought the baby in and I went in first to greet the dog since I''d been gone a few days.
3. We make sure to still give the dog a lot of attention, me escpecially. When DH gets home from work, he takes the baby and I take the dog on a long walk. I also make a point to play with him when she naps.
4. We did not change anything about his routine. He has a dog walker that comes when we are at work, and she continued to come while I was on maternity leave. He also still sleeps in our bed (baby does not sleep in the bed at all).

As I am sure you know, dogs thrive on routine. If you are going to change anything about his routine (i.e. not allowed on furniture or in certain rooms or not allowing him to sleep in your bed, I''d change that now before the baby comes. Last but most importantly, remember that no matter how well the dog interacts with the baby, it is still an animal and unpredictable. I never leave the dog and baby alone even for a second. If I go to the bathroom or shower when DH is not home, either she goes in her crib or she comes in the bathroom with me.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/2/2010 9:56:32 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
LOL, thanks! I''m hoping this is the case! Also, how do cats usually respond around babies? Are they inquisitive? I have three and they''re each so different. I''m a little concerned I''ll find one napping in the crib with the LO.

All three of my kitties have been UP MY BUTT the last few months, and they get more and more clingy every day. I have a half dozen of shots on my cellphone of my firstborn, Cleo, because she hasn''t been this cuddly since she was a kitten and I am loving it. She can tell something is different, and she loves to lay on my belly even though the baby kicks her and moves her all over. It''s so cute.

I figure once Micah arrives, she will be super curious and inspect him thoroughly, maybe come running the first few times he cries because she won''t understand the noise. But once she gets used to him I bet she starts ignoring him lol. I''m not worried about her getting in the crib and smothering him too much, but I know once he gets big enough to grab her ears and tail she will swat at him because she only lets me touch those particular body parts. I bet she will only have to scratch him once, and he will learn not to yank on her or poke her in the eye. People keep telling me that it''s mean and I shouldn''t even let her scratch him, but let''s face it, kids can be mean without meaning to be. If it teaches him to play nice with Cleo, then it''s alright, unless Cleo goes insane and tries to eat him or something.

 

[dcgator]

Date: 2/2/2010 10:31:02 AM
Author: lulu

Declawing a cat is beyond ''not ideal''=it''s cruel. If you think he''s skittish now just wait for the behavioral problems that will come with declawing. I really don''t understand the concern about the cat napping with baby.

HH, sorry to interrupt the thread, but I would like to respond to LuLu''s judgement of my situation and choices.

LuLu, while we all have our own opinions, I think it is only appropriate to express those when we are solicited. In addition, should we feel as strongly as to express something without such solicitation, it would be much more effective to do so in a constructive and informative way, versus in a sarcastic and judgemental nature.

Are you aware that some cat scratches can cause a potentially deadly virsus referred to as "cat scratch fever"? My little sister got it as a toddler, and spent weeks in the hosptial recovering. I think that a child''s serious illness and potential death are a lot more cruel than a spoiled rotten, well loved cat who must endure a couple hours of surgery and some residual pain (which would be performed via laser surgery and followed by pain meds). In addition, my declawed older cat has NO behavioural problems, so assuming that declawing causes such problems just negates your assertion even more.

While I appreciate your opinion, if you choose to add further, unsolicited opinions, please do so in a more constructive and less hostile manner.
Whether we are talking about our real children, or our furry kids, please think about how you would react if someone judged the way you raised your kids

 

[vespergirl]

Our pets have been great with our son. Well, we just got our cat back over the summer (she had been living with my parents for several years due to allergy issues) and she just avoids our 3 year old boy, because he gets so excited to see her that he makes a lot of noise & runs around, & cats don''t love that sort of thing.

Our Pomeranian was perfectly behaved with our baby from the day we brought him home. In fact, she became very protective of him, would sit in front of his nursery door when he napped, and would come to get me when she heard him wake up. Now that he''s 3, they play fetch every day, and she loves it.

When he hit around 18 months old she got snappy with him a couple of times, but it was because he was trying to poke her in the eye or something. We immediately taught him how you have to be gentle with animals, and it totally fixed the situation.

 

[lulu]

dcgator- I'm sorry if my response seemed sarcastic, but I become very impatient with the ill-informed.It is not a simple surgery and I am providing a link to a Humane Society article about it. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/facts/declawing.html

And I certainly am entitled to an opinion and to express my opinion on this forum. I am also aware that there are legitimate issues to address when mixing animals and children.My grandson was bitten on the face by his own dog when he was a toddler and the dog had to be rehomed.

I also understand that different people have different attitudes ie- Hudson Hawk doesn't like the idea of a cat in the crib and I totally get that. But declawing is cruel.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

HH, I don''t have kids, but like Elrohwen, I can tell you how my parents'' dog reacted when I was born. She was a collie, and she was just wonderful! She really took on the role of "protector" with me. For example, she knew I wasn''t allowed to play in our front yard . . . only the back yard. So, when I was crawling around in our (rather large) back yard, she would keep me from going into the front yard! If I started crawling toward the front yard, she would get in front of me and bark. If that didn''t work, she would gently grab the back of my pants in her mouth and pull me backwards! LOL! She was such a good babysitter!

It sounds like you''re doing everything you can to prepare DOG for the arrival of the new baby. (LOVE his name, BTW!) I''m sure everything will go smoothly!

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:04:02 PM
Author: lulu
dcgator- I''m sorry if my response seemed sarcastic, but I become very impatient with the ill-informed.It is not a simple surgery and I am providing a link to a Humane Society article about it. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/facts/declawing.html

And I certainly am entitled to an opinion and to express my opinion on this forum. I am also aware that there are legitimate issues to address when mixing animals and children.My grandson was bitten on the face by his own dog when he was a toddler and the dog had to be rehomed.

I also understand that different people have different attitudes ie- Hudson Hawk doesn''t like the idea of a cat in the crib and I totally get that. But declawing is cruel.

So now dcgator is "ill-informed"?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:05:10 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl
If I started crawling toward the front yard, she would get in front of me and bark. If that didn''t work, she would gently grab the back of my pants in her mouth and pull me backwards! LOL! She was such a good babysitter!

That is SO cute!

 

[dcgator]

Lulu, I appreciate the apology. As to your opinion, of course you can express them, my point was just to express them in an appropriate/sensitive manner, such as you have now done.

Thanks for the link. I fully intend to get all the info on the procedure and will be sure to include that site when DH and I are doing our research and evenutally making our decision in the next few months.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 2/2/2010 1:12:31 PM
Author: fiery

Date: 2/2/2010 1:04:02 PM

Author: lulu

dcgator- I''m sorry if my response seemed sarcastic, but I become very impatient with the ill-informed.It is not a simple surgery and I am providing a link to a Humane Society article about it. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/facts/declawing.html


And I certainly am entitled to an opinion and to express my opinion on this forum. I am also aware that there are legitimate issues to address when mixing animals and children.My grandson was bitten on the face by his own dog when he was a toddler and the dog had to be rehomed.


I also understand that different people have different attitudes ie- Hudson Hawk doesn''t like the idea of a cat in the crib and I totally get that. But declawing is cruel.

So now dcgator is ''ill-informed''?

Ladies, I understand we all want to share our opinions here, but declawing cats is not the topic we''re discussing. please feel free to start a new thread about the subject, I''d prefer to keep this one on the original topic of mixing pets with new babies. Thanks!

 

[packrat]

HH, when I was born, my parents had a cat and my aunt freaked OUT that Smokei was going to "steal my breath", so she insisted mom get rid of him. Wherever I was, Smokei was. When we were older, he''d sleep with us in bed, but she kept him out of the nursery/crib. We pulled his tail, smacked him, pinched him, whatever it is that little kids do to cats, and he took it. Never bit, never scratched, nothing. (These are some of moms favorite stories about him) When she had to give him a pill, she''d get clawed and bit, so she thought, aha! and put him in my lap, and down went the pill. She knew if we were mean to him b/c he''d come bite her ankle.

When we brought London home, I wondered how Britta would react b/c she''s kind of..I dunno, just crazy at times. I sat on the couch w/London and Britta jumped up on the arm of the couch to sniff her..she licked her head once, and that was that. The cats were used to the crib before London was born b/c we had it set up in advance and I kept the door open. If I caught them in there, I''d swoop in and shake the crib and they''d take off, and after a few times, they quit. I kept the door shut if London was in her crib, and actually, once she was in a regular bed, until she was 3. Britta is a normal size cat and I didn''t worry too much about her laying on London when she was older, but Bella is quite large and London wouldn''t have been able to push her off if she laid on her. Both cats sleep with her at night now. Trappers door still stays shut.

The dogs..we had an inside pitbull and 2 outside ones when London was born. Sadie was the inside dog and she adored London. She was always very motherly. (years before, when JD and I were just friends, Sadie found some baby raccoons under JD''s trailer and she would lay with them, and later, little kittens..they all followed Sadie around the yard like their mommy) When London came home she did the anxious whining and her lip would quiver..but then we''d kneel down and show London to her, and that was all she wanted, just to see. If London cried, Sadie would sit and whine and tap her front paws on the floor.

I don''t think I know of anyone who has had a bad experience bringing a new baby home. I would say just take it slow and keep an eye out, make sure the animals know the boundaries-like not being in the crib, not trying to jump into the playpen.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We have two cats, no dog. Both kept their distance for a long time. Our male is STILL nervous around DD but our female is so sweet. She lets T pet her, kiss her, pull her fur, she has NEVER even hissed at T. Such a great cat. Of course the time comes where she decides enough is enough and runs away. T is actually OBSESSED with them and pets and cuddles them all day long. Our male rarely gets close but once in awhile he will let her pet him. Regardless neither has shown any aggression which is a huge relief. I did try the foil trick in the crib before she came and it totally worked! Line it with foil and it scares them if they jump in the crib. I have NEVER seen either cat even attempt to lay in her crib. The nursing chair is a different story

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

HH, I have a dog (lurcher) and a cat. I have never let them anywhere near my baby, but I live in the type of house and have the type of pets which make that easy. The dog is old, spends most of her time these days snoozing in a basket by the kitchen range. The cat is outdoors mostly, comes in when it gets cold / he gets hungry, but isn''t entirely happy in the house and rarely ventures beyong the kitchen range (warm spot!).

I have never left the baby unsupervised for even a moment with either of them, either in the house or when we''re in the garden. They are both gentle, lovely animals, with wonderful natures and the dog at least is very well trained and has yet to do anything other than try to please me in the 14 years I''ve had her. I''d trust them both with life (if that bizarre scenario ever arose...) but when it comes to DD, I don''t trust them an inch. They''re animals.

Now that A is a little older, she loves to pet them, under very close supervision. They are largely indifferent to her, to be honest, but happy enough to be petted gently.

You''ll find your own way, figure out what works for you as you go along - we didn''t have any fixed ideas about how we''d manage the baby/pet situation, we just went with what felt right.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 2/2/2010 4:01:34 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
We have two cats, no dog. Both kept their distance for a long time. Our male is STILL nervous around DD but our female is so sweet. She lets T pet her, kiss her, pull her fur, she has NEVER even hissed at T. Such a great cat. Of course the time comes where she decides enough is enough and runs away. T is actually OBSESSED with them and pets and cuddles them all day long. Our male rarely gets close but once in awhile he will let her pet him. Regardless neither has shown any aggression which is a huge relief. I did try the foil trick in the crib before she came and it totally worked! Line it with foil and it scares them if they jump in the crib. I have NEVER seen either cat even attempt to lay in her crib. The nursing chair is a different story

That''s a great idea Tacori! Thanks, we''ll definitely do that.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thank you everyone for your input, I really appreciate it.