[NAGDU] Dog and New Baby

[Julie Johnson]

I did not have a guide dog when my son was born, but I had pet dogs.  Yes, 
you should always supervise any interactions between dogs and 
babies/toddlers/children and these days I'd add adults to the list.  The 
first few months it's not going to be any big deal.  Your baby will be 
sleeping or will be with you, so supervising is easy.  As your baby learns 
to sit up, crawl and pull up on things it becomes more important to 
supervise.

My dogs were fairly young and in good health, so they could move faster than 
the Kiddo.  I made sure that the dogs had the ability to leave if they 
didn't want to be around the baby.  I never forced or even encouraged 
interaction.  If the dog wanted to approach, I let her, rewarded for calm 
behavior and then gave her the verbal cue that she had done a good job and 
was free to go on her way.

I think the only time I had to put in some effort on training was when we 
got to Kiddo eating by himself in the highchair.  He thought it was great 
fun to feed the dogs and they thought it was a buffet from the gods.  So we 
compromised that the dogs could eat whatever hit the floor.  Again these 
were pets and I didn't have to clean the floor, so everyone was happy.

If your dog is mentally stable, not a resource guarder, doesn't get snippy 
over food and has the ability to leave if she's stressed or uncomfortable, 
then it's highly probable that everything will go fine.  You know your dog 
very well and will know if she's stressed without seeing her.

Congratulations on the new baby!
Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall
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-----Original Message----- 
From: Alysha via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 5:11 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: alysha.jeans at gmail.com
Subject: [NAGDU] Dog and New Baby

Hi all,

I'm interested to hear anyone's experiences of bringing home a new baby with
a guide dog. I'm due with my first baby in January and want to make sure
thins go smoothly for everyone involved. Did you find any strategies
particularly helpful in introducing and accustoming your dog to the baby?
Were there any unexpected struggles or things you wish you had done with
your dog to help the transition go well? Everything I've read online says
it's important to very closely supervise all interactions between kids and
dogs no matter how much you trust your dog, but much of that advice relies
on reading body language that I might not notice unless I was in constant
physical contact with my dog. Especially as your child became mobile, did
you find it easy to know if your dog was becoming stressed or anxious du to
the child's actions? I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice!



Thanks,

Alysha

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