I've not been posting a lot lately. Dogs are all fine, Pops recall around other dogs is slipping again due to my neglect but we will get it back I'm sure. Bendog is still a fit healthy active gentle old man, Charlie is a delight, and Sash, is, well, Sash...loves to cuddle, loves to eat, sleeps a lot.
But - I'm pregnant!!!!
Which is exciting but it means lots of changes!!!! And I want to get the dogs prepared as much as I can to make life as stress free as possible for all of us.
I'm not naive enough to think that having a household of 4 terriers, and a baby is going to be easy. And Charlie can jump normal height baby gates which will also make life interesting...
I'm hoping you guys can help with things I will need to get the dogs used to, any handy things I can teach them to make managing this easier, and any other useful help, advice, support about dogs and babies!!!
I plan to go back to working afternoons as soon as possible afterwards, and OH will work mornings and stay at home to babysit in afternoons, so there will nearly always be someone at home, and we will hopefully do a dog walk each during our "shift" - weather, health, tiredness etc permitting - so the dogs should still ideally be getting 2 walks a day, they aren't on a routine as such anyway (always fed in evening but the time varies) so hopefully it won't matter if this varies a bit.
So far these are some of the things I'm starting to do, or planning to do over the next 5.5 months before the baby arrives but please add to this list if I've forgotten anything important!
Door/guest manners - The dogs already know and like most of our family and close friends, who would be the main visitors. But I want to work on door greetings being calmer for if health visitors or people like my grandparents come round (grandparents live other end of the country so dogs haven't really met them before). Most visitors after the first few weeks I'd aim to meet outside of the home, or try to arrange for one of us to take the dogs for a walk whilst health visitor comes etc but the first couple of weeks that might not be possible.
On a similar note - Dogs getting used to being in a different room from me (or outside in the garden) - Sash is fine left in kitchen, the others aren't super clingy, if I go upstairs they wouldn't always follow, but they always like having the OPTION to follow. Shut a door on them and they will want to know what is going on on the other side. This would be for SHORT periods only (garden is secure) but necessary if I want to give baby floor time, change a nappy undisturbed, or to have them out of the way when people come round, and so on.
Food manners - this should have been drilled in MUCH earlier anyway, but I don't want to be crowded whilst I'm eating if I've got baby nursing at same time. Charlie is worst for this, he will sit with his nose as close as possible to your food without actually touching it. Ideally I would like him to sit on a mat, or his bed whilst we eat so I need to teach him this. I've done it with Poppy over last few weeks, reinforcing her for staying on her bed when I've got food and she's started to do it without being cued now, but it's likely to take longer with Charlie. Sash stays in other room whilst we eat anyway and Ben doesn't bother us that much.
Loose lead walking with a pram - loose lead walking is ok in general, but I'll try to buy a pram early and practice with it before baby arrives.
Meeting friends babies - they haven't met many babies before so I'll rope in a few favours to have friends with babies come for a walk with us, or let the dogs meet them. I'm aiming for the dogs to IGNORE the babies as much as possible, rather than interact with them.
Get Moses basket, play pen, etc set up early to give dogs chance to get used to them being there before baby arrives (and introduce the boys carefully so they don't decide it's ok to mark them)
Use phone apps, dolls, etc to mimic baby crying, us holding baby, etc etc. Won't smell or sound exactly like the real thing I know, but it's as close as I can get.
Buy and prepare and freeze as many Kongs, bully sticks, bones, as I can afford to buy so that dogs can be kept busy when I need to keep them quiet and occupied for a while.
OH's friend stays most weekends at our house, so the dogs know and like him, so he would probably stay at our house with the dogs, and walk them when I go into hospital.
I'd get OH to bring baby blanket back from hospital for them to sniff before I come home.
Baby bedroom will be out of bounds to dogs (it already is, but it's just spare room at the moment so no-one really goes in there)
I've no real worries with Ben because he has been raised with lots of babies and young toddlers when we were living with my younger brother, and OH's nephews etc so he will be fine, but he is getting older, so I'l be accounting for that and not letting a crawling baby/toddler pester him, or surprise him as months and years go by. Obviously they'd never be unattended anyway.
The girls are the real worry. Sash has a history of aggression towards infants/toddlers which is partly why we ended up with her (She tried to attack nephew when he was about 8-9 months old, in his playpen, and then again through a glass door). Worst case scenario she would have to go back to OH's parents, but she's mellowed a lot, and spends most of her time in the kitchen, or asleep on our bed during the day so we might just have to keep her separated as much as possible and let her out for cuddles when baby is asleep etc. She's 10 now.
Pops is very sound sensitive and is typical terrier. High prey drive, and I don't want her to see baby screaming as a weakness or reason for her to attack. She's quite insecure and has been extra clingy lately so she knows something is happening. She will also guard food which will be more of an issue when baby is mobile, but she eats outside anyway so should be ok. She's quick to growl, but will usually choose to move away rather than snap.
Charlie is just daft and exhuberant. He is most likely to accidentally hurt baby by bouncing on it, but I don't think he will be too upset by it.
They may surprise me. But I want to be as prepared as possible.
Congratulations! I can't think of anything else you'd need to do. If they bark often, you might want to teach a "hush" cue if you haven't already, to keep them from waking baby up when it's naptime!
