DOGS
Luckily, man's best friend is also man's most adaptable friend. Wilson says that the vast majority of dogs will do great with kids -- just remember to start training as soon as possible so that your pooch has plenty of time to prepare.
Before the baby arrives:
- Let your dog observe kids. When your dog meets your newborn, it shouldn't be the first time he or she is introduced to a child. Wilson recommends taking your dog to a playground to experience children running, playing, and yelling, or keeping the television tuned to a kids' station so your pet can get used to the sounds. If the dog seems stressed around children, seek professional help before the newborn arrives.
- Practice grabbing your dog gently. Your baby will most likely tug on your dog's tail, so it's essential to teach your dog to be patient when this happens. "Practice gently grabbing your dog in different places and tell him how good he is each time," Wilson tells Paw Nation.
- Give your dog a baby blanket to smell. Since your baby's blanket will be a new object in the home, it's important that your dog is comfortable with it before the baby makes an appearance. Buy the blanket in advance and get your scent on it. "Your dog will sniff it and realize that it smells like one of the family," says Wilson.
- Teach your dog the difference between baby toys and dog toys. Baby toys will be popular items around the house, and they tend to look very similar to dog toys. Teach your dog that baby toys are off limits early on. Wilson recommends putting vanilla extract on the toys and saying "leave it" while touching them.
- Change your praise word. Refrain from calling your dog "boy" or "girl" to avoid confusion and jealousy when there's a newborn around. "If your dog comes up to you when you say 'boy' and realizes you were talking about the baby, he'll become very upset," says Wilson.
- Teach your dog to leap only when invited. "An uninvited jump on the couch or bed will cause trouble when you're holding a newborn," says Wilson. If a dog is accustomed to uninvited leaps, gently lead them off by the collar. Wilson recommends pausing, telling them to sit on the floor, and then patting the couch.
- Train dogs to eat above face level. Babies and dogs will be at the same head level, so pups need to learn to eat above that level in order to avoid snatching the baby's food. Wilson recommends holding a treat near the dog's face, pausing, giving your dog a clear, verbal "okay," and then lifting the treat up and allowing them to grab it.
When the baby arrives:
- Don't force interaction. Many dogs will be curious about the newcomer, but others might ignore the baby. Either way, allow dogs to move away from the child and investigate at their own pace. "Animals are fight-or-flight. You definitely don't want to remove the flight option," says Wilson. In addition, make sure the child doesn't pursue the pet. Wilson says most of the issues between dogs and babies occur when a child interrupts an eating dog or pursues a pup who wants privacy.
- Be happy around your dog and baby. If the dog is ignoring the baby, they probably will still pay attention to you. Wilson recommends acting loving towards your dog when you're holding the baby. This will help the dog have positive associations with the baby.
CATS
Despite urban legends to the contrary, cats will not steal your baby's breath or suffocate them by sitting on top of them. Felines are astonishingly tolerant of babies, says Wilson. Still, it's important to work with your cat to help them through this major change. "Many cats become displaced because of new baby competition," says Wilbourn. Start training your cat with Wilbourn's tips at least one month before the baby's arrival.
- Have someone else change the litter box. First and foremost, a pregnant woman should never change a cat's litter box. Toxoplasmosis, a common infection that can be passed to the fetus during pregnancy, can be transmitted through cat feces if the cat is infected. Avoid feeding your cat raw or uncooked meat to prevent them from getting this parasite.
- Play a baby tape. The sound of a baby crying can be an agitating noise for a cat. Wilbourn suggests playing a tape of a crying baby frequently to familiarize the cat (and your neighbors) with the sound.
- Let your cat smell baby scents. Rub the baby powder or lotion you plan to use on your newborn on a bathrobe. Put the bathrobe on and hold the cat so they'll get used to the scent.
- Get a scratch surface. Make sure that your cat has appropriate things to scratch in the house, like a scratching post, a piece of cardboard or a piece of wood. Wilbourn recommends praising them when they scratch these objects.
- Keep the cat away from the crib. Install baby-friendly devices to keep the cat away from the crib, like screens or gates. If you choose to let the cat into the baby's room, make sure they're acquainted with the room before the baby arrives.
When the baby arrives:
- Don't declaw your cat. Many people think that they need to declaw their cat when they have a baby, but with talons removed, cats result to their next method of defense -- biting. Wilbourn recommends trimming the nails by clipping off just the edge every four to five weeks. Praise the cat or offer catnip so they'll have a positive association with the trimming.
- Give your cat special attention. When you're home from the hospital, you may not be able to give much attention to your cat. Ask a friend or a cat sitter to come over and play with the cat. "This will make the cat feel special and included on the special day," says Wilbourn.
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People can also pick up Toxoplasmosis by handling or eating raw meat or not cleaning up thoroughly after handling the meat. Infected soil can also result in infection after gardening.
Please remember - Female Veterinarians who get pregnant DO NOT give up their practice -- they STILL work with Cats and Dogs.
TOO many cats end up killed in shelters after they were given up because the lady of the house became pregnant-- a little common sense can save the lives of these cats.
1) TALK to your Veterinarian.
2) Look up Toxoplasmosis on the Internet and read about what you can do to avoid it.
http://www.cdc.gov/toxoplasmosis/factsheet.html
my wife and I raised her grandson for the first three years of his life. just before we got him we put together a room for the baby, and just before that we had gotten a kitten at that time was about 3 months old, when we were putting the room together the cat was in there rubbing up against the crib and such, as in checking everything out, to see if we were doing it right. When we gotten the baby, the cat sniffed him while he was well, when he developed coloc and going to get sick the babies scent changed which the cat could smell. the cat let us know, when the baby gotten older and began walking and waking up early in the morning the cat came in and let us know, Tigger (the cats name) baby sat him while we were moving around the house or playing with the baby. So my suggestion if there is going to be a baby in the house. get a kitten or a puppy so it can get the childs scent and let you know when its going to be sick and look after the child, and the dog would protect the child when the puppy becomes a dog.
labs are the best dog around babies
I have a pit bull his is 5years old and everybody was worried when my little girl was born that he will attack her. Manson has not ever scratch her or bit or growl at her. they love each other . she is now in her twos and worst then ever and manson get the worst of it . she will pull his tail she bite him pull his fur all he will do is lick her or walk away so when she get to be to much . when she was a baby he did not let anyone he didnt know to well touch her he would block there way. I writing this becuase everybody thinks they are the worst dog but they are not .They are just like any other dog it just the way you train them.
if you train your dog to fight they will fight if you teach to love they will love.
I have a pit bull his is 5years old and everybody was worried when my little girl was born that he will attack her. Manson has not ever scratch her or bit or growl at her. they love each other . she is now in her twos and worst then ever and manson get the worst of it . she will pull his tail she bite him pull his fur all he will do is lick her or walk away so when she get to be to much . when she was a baby he did not let anyone he didnt know to well touch her he would block there way. I writing this becuase everybody thinks they are the worst dog but they are not .They are just like any other dog it just the way you train them.
if you train your dog to fight they will fight if you teach to love they will love.
4 kids 11 grandkids and never a bite.I have always had dogs and the first thiing we do is put the baby down and let them sniff away.
We have then found that the dog excepts them into the "pack".A few have ignored them but most have become very caring and will not liike it when they cry.They will come and get you when the baby cries and I even had one that if you did not come immediately would stand by the crib and cry with them.
I have read hundreds of stories of dogs letting you know somethiing is wrong so anytiime my dog wanted me to check on a child-without crying-I always did.Sometimes it woulld be the baby had spit up and seldom just nothing but I always wondered with my one son did he prevent a crib death?
You did your readers a huge disservice by not warning them that ANY adult dog, especially a male, will see a newborn baby as a competitor. A dog thinks like a dog, period. In the wild, dogs like wolves (the ancestor of ALL domestic dogs) establish a pecking order. If you have a small child, say five or six, a new dog MUST be made to realize from day one that the dog is at the BOTTOM of the pecking order, below the child.
But with a newborn, you have a unique situation. In a way that's difficult for many people to understand, an adult male dog sees the mother of the house as a female "dog". In the wild, a male will KILL the newborn of another male, so that the female will stop nursing and go into heat (so he can get HIS turn to mate with her).
Thus, there is a very real possibility that an adult dog will attempt to kill a newborn baby. It happened last year in Florida, with a German Shepherd that was also an actual K-9 police dog.
And those folks with the pit bulls. Geeze Louise! How many toddlers have their faces ripped off every year by pit bulls?
Anyway, you should have advised your readers that certain breeds do NOT go well with children and that ALL NEWBORNS should be protected from the family dog, especially large breeds and especially dogs that have been bread for years as "guard dogs", such as Rotties, Dobies, Chows and Shepherds.
Sheldon,
You obviously have not been raised to be a "dog person". Just because a male dog may see a baby as "competition" at first, does not mean he will try to harm, eat, or kill the baby. I was raised around dogs my whole life because my parents are breeders. No matter the sex, MOST dogs who have been trained and socialized properly, become very close with babies/children. You say they are competition...at first, yes. But when they start to realize that the baby is so interested in them, they relish in the attention they receive. This, of course, developes a VERY VERY strong bond between the child and the dog. Sometimes even to the point that the dog will start to have separation anxiety when the child leaves the house. I used to have a dog who would bark at people as they walked by my house when my brother and I were outside playing. She would stop as soon as they were about 20 yards past the edge of our property. We loved that dog and I'll be damned if anyone can convince me that she EVER had anything but love for us kids and our parents.
AND, on the Pit Bull thing...the dogs who do that have been raised to be agressive. And are more often than not, not owned by the child's parents. Pit Bulls are extremely loving, affectionate, and people-pleasing animals. You people who give them the horrid reputation of being kid eaters and man killers need to give it a rest.
Sheldon,
Where do you get this information from and what makes you think that you can apply information about wild dogs/animals to domesticated dogs/animals??
Yes, even domesticated animals still have some traits that wild animals have but if they were exactly the same, we wouldn't be able to ever keep animals in our homes because they would all be meat eaters and constantly fighting/attacking for their food and territory. Obviously some large wild animals (Tigers, elephants, etc.) can never be completely trusted but that is in large part due to their size and incredible strength that even when playing, they have the ability to seriously harm another living thing (child, adult, another animal, etc).
There will always be a "remember that one time" type of case. Please let me assure you that the information that you see on the news or read in the newspaper is NEVER complete for stories like that. You have no idea what really happened in that case in Florida. Many of those dogs are trained to respond a certain way if they smell illegal drugs and unfortunately, many drug using parents will hide their stash in a diaper bag, stroller or sometimes even the child's bed...leading to a child who unavoidably smells like drugs (to a dog anyway). However, the only story that I recall regarding a K-9 dog attacking in Florida last year was about a 15 year old who was gesturing to someone and accidentally struck a police officer. The bump signaled the safety device in his vest and the K-9 dog was automatically released from the locked police vehicle. That dog is trained to attack anyone who is a threat to the officer so he bit the girl before the officers could restrain the dog. This is NOT a good example of normal, domesticated dog activity/response.
I believe Julia said it best..."If you teach a dog to fight, they will fight. If you teach a dog to love, they will love". I'll carry that a little further by reminding everyone that there are MANY abused animals out there that have been rehabilitated and are perfectly fine around adults and children afterward.
Sure it's a real possibility that a male dog will attack a newborn baby...about as possible as it is for any one of us to win the big prize in the lottery. It happens to someone eventually but most people can count on never having that particular experience in their lifetime.
i believe to just train your animals instead of gettin' rid of them it's unfair to the animals!!!!!!!! =c
ANY DOGS are gentle if u let them see and be around the baby because they will be jealous if you don't!!!!!!