As you may know, I am about 6 months pregnant with my 3rd. I have 2 other children - 11 and 6.

As you will also know, I have a big blue dane - Willis.

Willis has a big, and I mean big prey drive. This is a concern.

My friend brought her new born round today and Willis just about went beserk. I had to barricade him out the house into the garden. I didn't dare let him have a sniff at the baby because he is too dangerous with his height and size - particularly when he's on a mission.

Have to say I am now worried.... any thoughts on how to combat this in time for my new arrival? You can't let a dog that size gently sniff - one paw on a newborn and I can't even bear to think about it :(

I do have a bit of a mad theory though. Phoebe was fine with the baby and Phoebe is very protective of us with Willis. If Willis gets too much Phoebe will flatten him. I wonder if theres not a way to teach him whats acceptable through her?

Any thoughts?

Mmmm I have been thinking about you and how Willis will react with the new Bambino :)

The thing I think you have got to think about is that you cannot rely on Phoebe to do the discipline it has got to come from you ! :) You have three months to turn things around to show Master Willis that he is perhaps going to have to take a back seat and in some way conform :) I think you need to take a bit of a tougher line with him :) We had to with the girls when Indi arrived as they have to realise the baby is more important in the pack than them ! It has to be done from that day the baby comes back !

I am sure it will be fine so long as you are strict ! :)

Lucy
xx

Gawd... I am already strict with him....but there is only so much you can do with a dog that size with that attitude! He is compliant when he chooses - but he is as stubborn as hell when he wants and uses his size. Today when I said "out" and opened the door he dropped to the floor and rolled on his back - you have to pull him out by his paws - not acceptable!

The trouble is - he's very compliant - when theres something in it for him - but he's not learning anything - he's doing it to shut me up!

Sorry I didn't mean to say you weren't strict :)

I doesn't matter what size a dog is really to how they react and behave ! You said he is compliant when he chooses which I think you may have to think about ! He shouldn't be choosing ! It should be you ! :D

Willis is a sweet heart and has such a big personality but when it comes to him towing the line with little one on the way then that is where you have got to focus ! :)

Sorry I know you don't want to be lectured or told how you should treat your woofs but you wanted an opinion and that is mine but meant with all good intentions :) By the time the baby is Indi's age 19 months I am sure that is where the fun will start as Indi does with the girls and they all get upto so much mischief :rolleyes: :D

Lucy
xx

Its ok, its just difficult to get across how he is :)

If he does what you ask him because he's feeling compliant, but then uses his weight to not do something when he feels like it - how do you combat that?! Help me! LOL :D

Lie next to him and say it is not just you mate that is a big lump now and try and move me  ! <<<<<<Ducking>>>>>> :D :D

It is when 'he feels like it' I think you need to focus on ! ;)

Lucy
xx

:D :D Woud you believe I have actually tried that before? LOL

:D :D

Are you having a hormonal pregnancy or has it been quite ok ?

Lucy
xx

I'd say no.

Jon would say yes. You could ask him directly, but he's hiding from me in the shed LOL

:D :D

It is his first with you as with me and Mike ! :D:D

He said I was an Alien who was from a Planet far far away ! :D

Had a lot to do with the drugs I was on on :)

Lucy
xx

:D

Bless him, he's very patient. Tonight I dragged him out to help me ride Splash down the lane. So having watched his pregnant misses haul her bump onto the horse, he had to do my stirrups and the girth up. When I got back I got off and he had to pull my backside out to stop my bump hitting the saddle and I fell on top of him and Splash trod on his foot :D

Chloe,
         There is a book by Silvia Kent Your Dog and Your Baby it is available from Amazon and has a foreword by John Fisher. There is another similar title by a lady whose name I've forgtten but I know it's hyphenated

HTH
Anne

Thats very usual my great dane breeder friend has 8 GD & they are all brilliant with her two G children & she has been looking after them every day since the oldest was two weeks old & the babies were at her house from the day they came home & the huge harlequin the kiddies live with(with their mum & dad of course) has also been fine since the day they were brought home

I think you need to look at a lot of training between now & when the baby is due perhaps a baby doll that cries etc might help ?

Thats a good idea MM... I will get a crying baby and see what he does. Will also ask my friend to wrap her baby in a blanket I can have to let him sniff at with the doll in... I like that idea.

oops that should be very unusual !

You could try food rewards for good behaviour around it too

Will and Phoebe are brill with my kids - but he's never met a baby :(

I've not got any suggestions about how to cope with the baby and Willis, but if you need to make any new rules about where he can or can't go etc - you need to do it now. Otherwise he will associate any changes in regime with the baby and that could cause trouble :) BIG trouble :D

Good luck

Daisy

Yep - thats in progress. Reinforced Garden gates with Willis proof locks going up :D

Can you get your friend to make a tape of her baby crying so that you can play that and let Willis get used to the noise? Maybe you could start carrying a doll around at the same time? He might get bored of it over the next couple of months. With luck!

Edit: Drat! Just seen Moonmaiden's post - she beat me to it with the same rough idea!

No, thats a good idea with the baby noise. Will ask her tomorrow.

A friend was anxious how her boder collie would react when her first baby arrived. She bought a doll and practised interacting with it- feeding. changing, cuddling etc- in front of the dog.

When the baby arrived there was no problem at all.

What excellent ideas like de-sensitizing him before the baby gets there. The doll idea sounds good too. Good luck Chloe.

Yeah , i like the doll idea too.
Good luck, do you know what sex the baby is?...not that it makes a difference to the dog !!

Sarah
x

Yep - its a boy :)

Hello, 'ello, 'ello ;)

Just catching up Chloe and read your post - silly billy Willi <LOL>  I think everyone's advice so far has pretty much covered anything I would have offered (probably more :rolleyes: ) - crying dolly sounds like a great idea - more to let him see you nursing something that makes a noise and is smaller than him :D and I'd get the book recommended too ;)

What I would add is that any changes you foresee implementing in your daily routine with him when sprogletto arrives start now - long before the baby arrives - that way he won't have any negative associations with the new addition spoiling his regime or quality time with you :)   It's understandable about you worrying about his size/exuberance etc but I think if you take on board a bit of everything offered so far you'll find all's well.  Good luck, Teri :)

And just think what formidable "pram minders" you will have when they decide the baby is part if their "pack"  

I definitely agree with the routine, practising with a baby doll etc - one of the recommended things is to regularly practise nappy changing on the floor and have the dog nearby and reward the dog every now and then with very tasty food rewards so that he associates babies and you doing stuff with babies, with him getting enjoyment too. In your situation with such a big dog, you do need to be firm but need to get a balance between that and Willis feeling left out somehow :) Perhaps you could teach him to be next to you but behind a baby gate and make that rewarding, just as a safety thing.

Lindsay
X

Hi Carla,

Just a little theory, which could be absolute rubbish as haven't been in your situation - I wonder if Willis may actually be different with your baby, because it will smell of you?  Someone else's baby must smell very different .........

As I say, could be absolute rubbish, just a pondering.

M.

Thanks all - I knew I would get good supporting advice on here - shows what a cracking board this is :)

I am definitely going to do the baby changing thing on the floor with treats - if I start now he will get to the stage where he gets used to the whole on the floor thing without having to tower over me checking what I'm doing Thats a good idea. And I shall order that book today.

You could also be right there Marina, because he is very very switched on with things like that and he is fantastic with my kids and any other children that come here. its just something small and different and its up to me to get him acclimatised to it.

The routine thing isn't so much of a worry. We don't really have a set routine here with both working full time, Mum being in the house in the day, me sometimes working at home sometimes away and when we are here we are in and out to do the horses at irregular times. The only routine he has is to go out in the morning before breakfast down the field to obsessively dig his holes - and that won't change.

Funny thing is with his size that even when he comes up to bed sometimes (sneaks up) and Zack is in bed, he is very very gentle about where he puts his paws and always lies at the bottom of the bed away from us. if Zacks not there his head is straight on Jon's pillow LOL :D He is aware of it more than I think - I just have to get him acclimatised to the change.

Spent some time yesterday walking round with a teddy wrapped in a blanket on my shoulder. I did lots of "oooh look Willy, mummy's got a new baby". Phoebe was interested enough to have a sniff, but Willis looked at me as if to say "Do I Look STUPID To You?" :D :D

He was having none of it. Dolly next!

Tut tut, Chloe - don't be miserable and go BUY a dolly - a proper squealing, piddling, life like thingy  :D :D :D    Willis isn't THICK  :rolleyes:

My Willis Wannabee STEALS teddies and goes to play and sleep in the garden with them!!!!!!  Get the picture

Teri ;)

OOh Congratulations Chloe ;) -I don't think I've anything to add other than getting some of the baby paraphanalia out and letting him get used to walking around it as opposed to over it /through it -does he have a 'place ' in the living room ? a blankie or something -so that when you are changing the baby you could send him to his blankie out of harms way  

Willis? Blankie? He's got his image to think of... :p

They all love their blankie :P :D

:D :D :D

Don't we all!

You will be giving Willis a "doe-dee" and his own rattle next so he doesnt pinch the babies :D  Good luck for when the baby comes along Chloe, I am sure Willis will be perfect with him. I have never met him or you, but your stories are quite often the topic of conversation in our house, the kids often ask me "whats Willis been upto lately"  May be you should write a book, Im sure it would be a best seller :D

My daughter that lives next door brought her baby home 2 weeks ago, Britney the Bordeaux has her puppies in our bedroom at the moment and we are camped out up there with her. When Kylye brought the baby in I thought we were going to have trouble as she rushed to her and could not understand what is was and what was happening when she cried, Britney is a big 10+ stone bitch, but we kept bringing the baby in with my husband making a fuss of Britney and we just sat with them both on each side of the room, when she settled down we then brought the 2 together with husband keeping a firm hold on britney.

After she got over the first meeting she started to just take it was normal that the baby was here and now she takes no notice of The baby, except for a quick look when Jasmine comes into the room, I was nervous to start with but everything is ok now.

Wish you luck and hope once Willis gets over the first hurdle of meeting he to will settle into a routine with the baby.