I'm due to give birth in 10 weeks time.  Alfie will be 11 months by then.  Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to make this easier for Alfie so he doesn't feel sidelined.  I thought when the baby is asleep I will make that 'Alfie time' and give him all my attention.  Anything else I can do?  I wonder if he will bond with the baby or be jealous?  Any thoughts appreciated!

Don't force him away from the baby, he will grow jelous if he is kicked out the room because the baby is there, but also keep a close eye on what Alfie is doing.  Don't be afraid to let him sniff the baby, but again keep a close eye on him.  He will bond with the baby if you let them bond, he will only grow jelous if he is ignored.  "alfie time" sounds great, pure attention on alfie, and try your hardest not to change his routine too much (yes there will have to be changes at times)

Good luck, I'm sure you know never to lave the two alone together!!!

There is a very good book called Your Dog and Your Baby by Sylvia Hartmen-Kent which you should get or borrow. I would be a little bit careful about the 'Alfie time' when the baby is asleep otherwise he will resent the baby when he/she is awake.  Wherever possible you should give him equal amounts of 'attention' and 'no attention' with baby and without baby present.

You could start wheeling the pram around the house to get him used to it and even take him for a walk with it.  Just tell the neighbours you're 'running it in' if they look at you a bit strange. :D 

When I had my son we already had two dogs, and I tried not to change their routine at all. I was in hospital for 10 days, so my husband would bring home the baby-gros and my nighties for washing, and the dogs got to sniff the baby's clothes so that they got used to his smell. When I and the baby came home I greeted the dogs before I got the baby out of the car so they were a bit calmer (gratifying how much they'd missed me!) then put the carrycot and baby on the sitting-room floor and let them have a good sniff (whilst keeping a careful eye on everything, of course).

After that I treated the dogs as I always had done previously - if they came over when I was feeding or changing the baby then I never minded, and let them sniff. I felt it was important to make them think the baby was no big deal, and no threat to them. And it worked. I never had a moment's worry.

There are books of advice you can get, and tapes of baby cries so that they're more used to the strange noises! The vital thing is if you are going to change Alfie's routine at all for the baby (where he sleeps etc) then do it now, well before the baby is born, so that he is happy in his new routine when the time comes.

Good luck - I'm told it's much easier to get a dog accepting a new baby than it is an older sibling!
:)

Would just like to add, when visitors came to see baby I would ask them to fuss the dog before going to cuddle the baby. When I had my first, my mums dog always got attention before she did(after all baby doesn't know any different)

He ended up being a fantastic baby alarm, we didn't hear a thing until he would run up the stairs checking on her :)

Very good point, Rical - the baby won't get jealous of the attention the dog gets, but the dog can easily become jealous of the attention the baby gets ...