Need help!

[minkee]

Oh yes - do they all sleep on the bed at the moment? I don't know if it's more trouble than it's worth, but I know that lots of parents tend to start off 'co-sleeping' with their babies as it makes life easier - they wake up you can just scooch them over for a feed with no one having to actually 'get up', properly. In light of that, and even if you don't do that, perhaps it's worth teaching the dogs to go to their own beds on a night time? Then you don't have to worry about Poppy snarking, at least. I don't know if you have room for a 4 terrier bed in your room though... would they learn to sleep downstairs? Worth thinking about anyway.

Also congratulations! Exciting times.

[bendog]

Another thing I've thought of - might be hell to work on - but you want to make sure the dogs will be okay being woken up and you and/or BF getting up out of bed a few times in the middle of the night.

One or other of them tends to wake us up fairly often during the night to go out anyway Erica! And I'm sure they'll also get plenty more practice when my bladder starts keeping me up more!

Sash is crated at night in our room, she can sleep in the kitchen but then often wees during the night, at least in the crate she will wake us up to ask to go out.
The others usually are on the bed, but doubt I'd be able to turf them off now, and co-sleeping is one of the things thrown around when people discuss cot death, so for the first few months baby would probably be in a Moses basket next to our bed (if there is room). I do want Pops to get better at getting off the bed (or sofa) when told though, as if she is very tired and very comfy she will snark if you look like you want to move her.

[JudyN]

I would consider (if practical) you moving into a single bed in what will be the nursery and having the baby in there with you (in the Moses basket, and later the cot if there's room). Then you don't need to worry about the dogs (who will possibly want to help themselves to any spare milk going, whether it's you leaking it, in a bottle, or the baby dribbling/throwing it up), and won't have to get up for restless dogs as well as the baby, which you really could do without if you get a bad sleeper.

[bendog]

I don't think our nursery room will be big enough for a single bed. I could use the spare room if I needed to for a while. But to be honest, the dogs will want to be where I am anyway so that might cause more problems with them not settling if they know I'm at home and they can't get to me. They aren't clingy clingy in the way some velcro dogs I've met are, at the moment 3 are upstairs and Pops is downstairs with me, but I think they do like to know roughly where I am and what I'm up to - incase they are missing out on food or a walk!


I've been working hard on having the dogs go to their beds whilst I eat, at the moment they sometimes need a couple of reminders, and fairly regular reinforcement so I'm just asking OH to never ever feed them from his plate, and try to eat in the kitchen if possible so he doesn't ruin the training until I think the behaviour is strong enough for him to start using it. Poppy is pretty good at it, but Charlie is a thief so likes to be as close as possible to you incase you drop something and he can swipe it. Sash is put in the kitchen when we eat because it's just safer for everyone (tensions are high around food with Pop and Sash, and if I tried to toss a treat to Pop in her bed and missed and Sash went for it then we could have BIG trouble)

We've also FINALLY got an outside post box, which means I can work more on being calm around the front door (the "on your bed" behaviour will hopefully help with this too).

Over Christmas I'll probably start trying to borrow babies for them to experience (and hopefully ignore)

[bendog]

Well, so far really pleased with how training is going. Poppy now runs to her bed as soon as I walk into the room with a plate of food in my hand, without a verbal cue, though she did make me laugh yesterday as I was a bit slow between rewarding her so she kept swapping beds to see if that worked! (We have 2 beds next to each other, and I've pretty much rewarded her for going on either but I probably should have made one "hers" and the other Charlie's!)

Getting off the sofa on cue is also going well with all of the dogs, and I am working more on "drop" for Charlie as he has discovered a couple of baby blankets already that we've been given second hand from people and he thinks they are toys, so working on dropping/swapping things lots. He has an ok-ish "drop" most of the time unless he is playing tug and he can get carried away, I really really don't want him tugging something the baby is holding so need an instant "drop" on cue every time if possible. We'll be doing our best to keep baby toys/blankets separate from dog toys but it's inevitable they will be left lying around at some point.

He also thinks he can jump on your knee whenever he likes, so perhaps thinking about stopping this as well.

I've played baby noises on laptop etc and they pay zero attention but I appeciate this is very different to a real baby! We have a doll that I'll start using a bit as well, and we have a second hand Moses basket so they are getting used to that being around.

They are happy left in living room when I am in kitchen, behind baby gate, but less happy being left in kitchen if I am in living room (maybe because floor is less comfy to lie on and they lie by the gate instead of the duvet so they can see me)

[Theo400]

Hi Bendog

firstly congrats im not a mother but my sister is and it really changed her I have never seen her smile so much as far as I gather motherhood is a very special bond like no other (that's what my sister says anyway). my sister owns a great Dane so as you can imagine she was very worried. she brought a cd with baby noises on she Hooper would get use to baby screams and all the noises baby's make so he would not get anxious. she also walked him with a pram as well so that's a great idea and she brought a Annabelle doll so that Hooper would be use to her holing a baby so he did not get jealous and she would put the doll in the pram. when lily came everything went smoothly and she never had problems as Hooper was use to seeing and hearing a baby in the house.

Good Luck

[jorrytommy]

I have noticed some days that my dog is not responding like before and just staying away from me.

[jorrytommy]

I was hopping someone answer about my previous post . Thanks!

[mansbestfriend]

Hi jorrytommy. Can you post a New Topic in the Dog Training Advice section. In your question, please include examples of wanted/unwanted behaviours, and please include all of your dog's daily activities like meals, training, training practice, games, toys, mental stimulation and physical exercise, walks (when, how long, etc), rest time, time left alone, collar/harness/other tools, etc. This info will greatly assist to better understand any possible issues with your dog. Cheers.

[jorrytommy]

Hi jorrytommy. Can you post a New Topic in the Dog Training Advice section. In your question, please include examples of wanted/unwanted behaviours, and please include all of your dog's daily activities like meals, training, training practice, games, toys, mental stimulation and physical exercise, walks (when, how long, etc), rest time, time left alone, collar/harness/other tools, etc. This info will greatly assist to better understand any possible issues with your dog. Cheers.

Alright I have to post a new topic about all of the things you have mentioned.
Thank you so much!

[bendog]

Charlie learning to ONLY try to get toys etc out of our hands when we tell him "get it" and also getting good at dropping on cue. Didn't want him trying to snatch a blanket or toy out of babies hands, but it's also useful in winter passing other people walking as a few have been carrying gloves or scarves swinging from their hands and he finds it very tempting to want to play tug with them!

Also realising that lots of baby toys are noisy and/or move which could be scary for the dogs too - so introducing those things gradually as well so they hopefully will ignore them.

Still want to work more on door manners (though they are much better now!) and also on a default leave it as much as possible.

They are interested when I play the crying noises and have the doll, but not in a frightened way, just become more alert, hopefully with more practice they will learn to ignore it.