Jump to content

Dog-Baby Adjustment Question


Guest jupiterooos

Recommended Posts

Guest jupiterooos

We've been working on the dogs for a while, making necessary changes well in advance to help them get used to the new status quo, reading the prescribed books, and so on. But one thing still worries me: how will they handle the reduced attention and affection overall?

 

Truthfully, this is one arena in which I'm not worried about Jupiter. Attached to me as he is, he's always been more of the "worship from a (small) distance" type of dog, liking to be very close by but not needing me to actively pay him attention. It wasn't until a year or so ago (we've had him four and a half years) that he started asking for pets. So as long as I'm in his sightline we should be OK.

 

Angler is the one I'm concerned about. You know how they say, "When the baby arrives, the dog becomes just a dog"? Well, it's like Jupiter is our dog, but Angler is our baby. He likes to be loved and petted and snuggled, and we have definitely indulged this because we both really wanted a dog to love, and like I said, Jupiter is not receptive to that type of behavior. I imagine there will be less time spent on ear rubs, dog talk, and couch cuddles - how do I help him in the transition? Should I cut the affection down now? Or wait and see?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would just wait and see. Bootsy is an attention whore, and he finds a way to get it. :lol Truthfully, no amount is good enough for him, so he'll always feel some level of neglect, but we do what we can and he has adjusted fine. After bedtime is great Bootsy time. :)

gallery_15455_2907_595.jpg

Christie and Bootsy (Turt McGurt and Gil too)
Loving and missing Argos & Likky, forever and ever.
~Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to. ~

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest GreyFan09

This is a timeley thread as we are getting ready to adopt a little girl from China, who will be almost 2 yrs. old when she comes home with us, sometime in October. It may take some adjusting for Comet to get used to her, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts. We have been trying to expose him to little kids as much as possible, and so far he is doing fine and seems to enjoy their attention, but after a while he has enough and walks away.

 

Any advice people have on this would be very welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Furmom

I have no children of my own - BUT - my sister comes down a lot to see my parents and has 2 little ones. I find that they both like the kids but not in love :) We monitor consitently to ensure that the child has good doggy manners but you can't catch everything - those little buggers are quick :lol ) Our dogs are so well adjusted that we have seen them not like the situation and go to another room - or the bedroom if really fed up - as far as they can get from the little monsters :) I think in the last 7 years we have learned a lot about kids and dogs and the most important lesson was that dogs need a safe place - ie a kid free zone when they have had their fill they go there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good question - I'm looking forward to hearing others opinions on this as well. Both of my boys are love sponges (as I affectionately call them) and can't get enough attention. Luckily they are already pretty low maintenance with their levels of physical activity!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

REMEMBER BABIES SLEEP A LOT, LOTS OF TIME TO CATCH UP ON AFFECTION!YOU WILL BE EXHAUSTED AND IT WILL BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO SNUGGLE UP W/ THE DOGS. I ALSO TOOK MY SALUKI EVERYWHERE I TOOK MY DAUGHTER WHEN SHE WAS A NEWBORN, HE WAS GOING ON 7. TRYING TO WALK OFF THOSE EXTRA POUNDS AFTER DELIVERY ALL THREE OF US, AZIM, MARISA AND MYSELF WALKED, WALKED, WALKED AND WALKED. HE NEVER FELT LEFT OUT SINCE HE WAS ALWAYS AROUND. I KNOW YOU HAVE TWO DOGS, SO IT MIGHT BE DIFFICULT GETTING USED TO WALKING BOTH AND THE BABY, BUT IT CAN BE DONE. HE STAYED OUT OF THE BABY'S ROOM AND SEPERATED IN A CONTAINED AREA WHEN I SHOWERED- THAT WAS A BIG CONCERN, BUT IN THE ACTION OTHER WISE. AS I SAID BEFORE IN ANOTHER POST SOMEWHERE, MARISA'S FIRST WORD-"GOOD-DOG"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greyhounds are so adaptable and easy I don't think any of you will have problems. The pups will learn when and where they will have your attention. I've fed babies in high chairs while petting one of the greyhounds. You might have a hound in your face while you're trying to feed a bottle, you'll soon learn you can hold a baby and bottle in one hand and pet a hound with another. I also taught my hounds to go lay down when I was really busy and when I was done I'd go give them some love and tell them how good they were.

 

Even Jilly Bean learned when I was too busy to throw a ball for her and would wait until I was finished. Newborns sleep more than they're awake so the hounds will have a lot of time to adjust.

 

The key is to relax. New moms have a tendency to be tense and worry a lot, the more relaxed you are the smoother things will go.

 

Congratulations to you all!

Edited by JillysFullHouse

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tinams8

That comment haunted me when I was pregnant with my first- your dog becomes a dog. :eek But let me tell you, maybe for some people that happens, but for many we keep our dogs right where they have always been in our hearts. And it's not hard, babies sleep lots at first and move very little, not much effect on the dogs. As they gradually become more needy the dogs gradually have time to become adapted. I do agree with the recommendation that the dogs need a separate place to get away, especially when they are toddlers.

 

We spend many days at the dog park, baby in sling, then with a little one running along, throwing the ball... the kids have to be carefully "trained" on how to treat the dog... the dog may at times need to be given a naptime in a separate room to get the dog out of danger when he/she does not know to do so herself. My first son's vocabulary was mostly dog related for his first two years. His first "sentence" was, "Nenah, DOWN!" (Sienna, down!) :lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...